Information on Network Card Detection (NCD)
ID: Q90387
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The information in this article applies to:
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Microsoft Windows for Workgroups versions 3.1, 3.11
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Microsoft Workgroup Connections version 1.0
SUMMARY
Hardware detection in Windows for Workgroups Setup has been extended
from Microsoft Windows operating system version 3.1 to include network
card detection (NCD).
MORE INFORMATION
NCD occurs between the MS-DOS-based and Windows-based portions of
Windows for Workgroups Setup and is finished by the time you see your
first dialog box. If Setup detects a network adapter, it writes any
information it can detect plus information from the NETWORK.INF file
to the NCDINFO.INI file in the Windows for Workgroups directory
(C:\WINDOWS by default). Setup later uses this information when it
suggests a network adapter for you to install.
If your computer has multiple network cards, NCD does not detect all
cards; it stops after it detects the first one. Since very few
machines use more than one card, multiple card detection was not built
into NCD. You can configure Windows for Workgroups to use additional
network cards by running Control Panel (if you are running Windows for
Workgroups 3.1) or by running Network Setup (if you are using Windows
for Workgroups 3.11).
Like Windows hardware detection, NCD can be skipped by running Setup
with the /I option (SETUP /I). You may need to use this switch if NCD
prevents Setup from completing your Windows for Workgroups
installation.
NOTE: When you select a network adapter from Control Panel, NCD does
not run. The settings displayed in the Networks option are factory
defaults taken from the NETWORK.INF file. You need to supply the
correct adapter configuration information.
WHEN NCD IS USED
Because Setup may fail during NCD, under the following circumstances,
Setup does not perform NCD:
- Workgroup Connections is installed, detected by the presence
of WRKGRP.SYS in the CONFIG.SYS file.
- Windows for Workgroups is installed, detected by the presence of
the network.drv=wfwnet.drv statement in the SYSTEM.INI file.
- Setup with the /I option is run.
- Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) provided network adapter
information is in the NCDINFO.INI file in the Windows for
Workgroups target directory. OEMs may put network adapter
information in the [OEMDetected] section with the key name,
NETCARD1=.
- Setup failed during a previous installation, detected by the
presence of the Ignore_HW_Detect= statement in the SYSTEM.INI
file. Just before Setup starts NCD, Ignore_HW_Detect= is added
to the SYSTEM.INI file under the [boot] section. If Setup sees this
flag, it assumes that the last installation failed due to NCD problems.
Setup then skips NCD and clears the statement when it has successfully
completed installation.
NOTE: Setup may suggest a network adapter to you even if NCD was not
run because Setup may be able to determine what the network adapter
was from a previous installation of Windows for Workgroups, Workgroup
Connections, or Microsoft LAN Manager.
NCD FAILURE
NCD can fail in any of the following ways:
NCD Fails to Detect the Network Adapter
The Unlisted Or Updated Network Adapter selection is selected in the
Network Identification list box.
Solution: You must manually select your network adapter. Make sure the
hardware settings for your adapter are correct.
NCD Detects the Adapter, But Not All the Necessary Settings
Your network adapter is selected in the Network Identification list
box. When you choose the OK button, hardware settings are displayed.
NCD detects as many settings as possible, but may not detect them all.
For example, Setup may not be able to detect the interrupt request
line (IRQ) used by the adapter. If this happens, Setup displays the
factory default for the particular setting it cannot detect.
Unfortunately, Setup does not inform you if a particular setting was
not detected. Some of the displayed settings are factory defaults
while others were properly detected settings. Also, the factory
defaults may not match the actual settings on the network adapter. If
you do not know the correct settings, and accept Setup's suggestions,
the network drivers will fail to initialize.
Solution: You must select the correct adapter settings during Setup,
or change the settings in Control Panel after Windows for Workgroups
is installed.
NCD Detects the Wrong Network Adapter
This is usually due to some incorrect or old information left on your
hard drive. Causes include:
- Old or incorrect versions of Microsoft LAN Manager drivers.
- Old or incorrect IPX.COM in the PATH or the root directory of the
boot drive.
- Old or incorrect EISA Setup information.
- Old or incorrect information from an earlier Windows for Workgroups
or Workgroup Connections installation.
Solution: During Setup (or from Control Panel) change the incorrect
network adapter to the correct one, making sure the hardware settings
are correct.
NCD Interferes with the Hardware, Failing Installation
One of several things may happen:
- Your machine can stop responding (hang) or restart when Setup
informs you that it is going into Windows.
- Setup can cause a general protection (GP) fault or hang or restart
your machine just before the Virtual Memory dialog box displays.
- If you are running Setup over a network, the network adapter may be
reset or disabled (until you restart your computer), making Setup
unable to copy files from the remote drive.
Solution: Run Setup again. Windows for Workgroups does not perform NCD
if it failed the first time. However, if your computer hangs again,
use the /I switch with Setup.
HOW NCD WORKS
NCD attempts to detect the network adapter many different ways. It
runs detection methods that are least likely to fail Setup first. It
then goes to more sensitive detection methods. A brief summary of
detection methods (in order of sensitivity):
- Use the OEM provided information in the [OEMDetected] section of
NCDINFO.INI.
- Look for Micro-Channel Architecture (MCA) adapters in an MCA
machine. (Only finds adapters known by their MCA identifications
as of the release of Windows for Workgroups.)
- Look for adapters in Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA)
machines using the built-in EISA configuration capabilities. (Only
finds adapters known by their EISA identifications as of the release
of Windows for Workgroups.)
- Try to extract information from Novell's IPX.COM. (Successful only
if: IPX is running, NETx is running, IPX.COM is in the path or in
the root directory of the boot drive and IPX.COM has been created for
an adapter known by its IPX identification as of the release of
Windows for Workgroups.)
- Attempt to identify the network adapter by communicating with the
physical hardware and seeing if it reacts in a characteristic manner.
HOW AND WHERE NCD INFORMATION IS STORED
When Setup detects a network adapter, it writes the information in the
file, NCDINFO.INI, under the [LastDetectedFromSetup] section. All
values that cannot be detected are marked -1 or 0xffff. For example:
NETCARD1=301,-1,0x300,16,0xffff,-1,0xffff,-1,-1,0,-1,
0xffffffff,1,0x1b67
Explanation of Values
NETCARD1 - Key name.
301 - Network adapter number. Assigned and used
internally by Microsoft, this is the same
number used in the NETWORK.INF and
OEMSETUP.INF files. In this case it is the
Intel EtherExpress 16.
-1 - IRQ.
0x300 - Base Input/Output (I/O) address.
16 - Number of I/O ports used.
0xFFFF - Base RAM address (in paragraphs).
-1 - Kilobytes of address space used by RAM.
0xFFFF - Base ROM address (in paragraphs).
-1 - Kilobytes of address space used by ROM.
-1 - DMA Channel used.
0 - Bus type (0=ISA, 1=MCA, 2=EISA, 3=TURBO,
4= PCMCIA).
-1 - Slot number.
0xFFFFFFFF - MCA/EISA identification.
0x1b67 - CRC-16 Check-Sum of the above information.
1 - Card specific information. In this case it
stands for IOCHRDY=LATE.
Additional query words:
1.00 gpf 3.10 wc 3.11
Keywords :
Version : WINDOWS:3.1,3.11
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type :
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