How to Install Third-Party Network Adapter Drivers

ID: Q170995

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0

SUMMARY

This article describes how to install, configure, and troubleshoot third- party OEM network adapter drivers.

NOTE: This article contains information about using Windows NT 4.0 with third-party products or configurations that have not been tested and are not supported by Microsoft. If the steps described in this article do not function properly, use a supported configuration or contact the manufacturer of your third-party product for more information.

Windows NT 4.0 includes Microsoft-supported drivers for many network adapters. The Windows NT 4.0 CD-ROM also contains third-party drivers for many other network adapters that may or may not be on the Windows NT 4.0 Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). These drivers are supported by the OEM, not by Microsoft. You can locate these drivers in the following two folders on the Windows NT 4.0 CD-ROM: 


   Drvlib\Netcard\<platform>
   <platform>\Drvlib.nic

where <platform> is your computer's processor type (Alpha, I386, MIPS, or PPC).

Other Windows NT 4.0 network adapter drivers are created by OEMs. These drivers may be available in any of the following ways:
  • Included on a floppy disk or CD-ROM with a new network adapter.


  • Accessible from the Internet or the OEM's electronic bulletin board service (BBS).


  • By mail from the OEM.


MORE INFORMATION

This section discusses the following topics:

  • Before installing the driver in Windows NT


  • General installation


  • Troubleshooting tips

Before Installing the Driver in Windows NT

Before installing the driver, verify that the network adapter is configured properly by running any configuration or Setup program included with the adapter. The configuration program may also include a diagnostic test to verify that the hardware is working correctly.

If no configuration program is available for the network adapter, check the documentation for the adapter to determine how to verify the adapter's settings.

Configuration information you should note before installing the driver includes the following:
  • I/O port address setting


  • Interrupt request (IRQ) line


  • Direct memory access (DMA) channel


  • Transceiver type


  • Bus type
In addition, there may be settings for the Windows NT driver that are specific to your network adapter. You may need to consult the documentation for your adapter.

General Installation

To install the network adapter driver, follow these steps:

  1. In Control Panel, double-click Network.


  2. On the Adapters tab, click Add.


  3. Click Have Disk.


  4. Type the path to the third-party network adapter driver files in the Insert Disk box. If the driver files are on a floppy disk, verify that the disk is inserted in the floppy disk drive before proceeding. Click OK.


  5. Click the network adapter driver for your network card in the Select OEM Option box, and then click OK.


  6. Choose the configuration settings for your network adapter, and then click OK.


  7. Choose or type any other necessary network configuration options on the Identification, Services, and Protocols tabs, and then click Close.


  8. If any additional network software options are installed, you may be prompted for additional information about these settings.


  9. Click Yes when you are prompted to restart your computer.


Troubleshooting Tips

If Windows NT does not detect or initialize the network adapter, you may receive the following error message after Windows NT starts:
At least one service or driver failed during system startup. Use Event Viewer to examine the event log for details.
Event Viewer may display the following information:
Event ID: 7000
The <your network adapter> Driver service failed to start due to the following error: A device attached to the system is not functioning.
To troubleshoot this problem, use the following steps:
  1. Verify that the I/O address and IRQ line that you specified for the network adapter is correct. You may need to run the Setup program for the adapter, or you may need to consult the network adapter's documentation to check these settings. If the I/O address or IRQ line is different from the value you specified when you installed the driver in Windows NT, change the value to match the settings you specified in Windows NT.


  2. Verify that the I/O address and IRQ line being used by the network adapter are not being used by any other device in your computer.


  3. Verify that the network adapter passes all diagnostic tests included with the Setup program. If the network adapter fails the diagnostic tests, it does not function correctly in Windows NT.


If the adapter passes all of the diagnostic tests, you have verified that its configuration matches the configuration specified in Windows NT, and the settings cause no conflict with any other hardware installed in your computer, there could be a problem with your Windows NT network configuration.

If you have made several attempts to configure the network adapter or you had another network adapter installed before the adapter you are currently installing, it may be necessary to restore the Windows NT network configuration to the default settings and then reinstall the network adapter driver. To do so, use the following steps:
  1. In Control Panel, double-click Network.


  2. Click the network adapter on the Select Adapters tab, and then click Remove.


  3. Click Close, and then click Yes when you are prompted to restart your computer.


  4. Reinstall the network adapter driver.


If these steps do not resolve the problem, there may be settings in the registry that are not removed when the adapter is uninstalled. Repeat steps 1-3 above, and then before step 4, follow the procedures in the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q147797 Manually Removing Network Adapter Entries from the Registry

Q146333 How to Remove Network Adapters from the Registry
If the network adapter still does not work, contact the manufacturer of the network adapter for an updated driver.

Additional query words: netcard nic interface

Keywords : kbenv kbhw kbhowto NTSrvWkst
Version : WINDOWS:4.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type :


Last Reviewed: February 21, 1999
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