Troubleshooting Windows 98 on Third-Party Networks

This section presents troubleshooting tips for some common problems that might occur when using Windows 98 on third-party networks.

As a general troubleshooting step, you should upgrade to 32-bit clients whenever possible. You should also apply all the latest patches for your network software.

For information about general troubleshooting issues, see Chapter 27, "General Troubleshooting."

Important

For the most current information about problems that might occur, consult the Relnotes.doc and Network.txt files included with Windows 98.

For more troubleshooting tips related to system logon and browsing on NetWare networks, and for information about File and Printer Services for NetWare Networks, see Chapter 18, "Logon, Browsing, and Resource Sharing."

Correcting Problems with Client for NetWare Networks

This section discusses some common problems that might occur while installing, configuring, or using Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks.

As a general troubleshooting step, make sure that the Netware.drv has a size of about 2 KB. If it is much larger, remove Client for NetWare Networks in the Network option in Control Panel, and then reinstall it.

Microsoft Service for NetWare Directory Services Installation over Novell Client for Windows 95/98 fails.

If you install Novell Client for Windows 95/98, the Novell setup program removes and renames the setup files Netdef.inf and Nwnds.dll, making it impossible to install Microsoft Service for NetWare Directory Services later. Follow the procedure outlined below to install Microsoft Service for NetWare Directory Services over Novell Client for Windows 95/98.

To install Service for NetWare Directory Services after installing Novell Client for Windows 95/98

1. In Control Panel, examine the list of installed components.
2. If present, remove the Novell Client for Windows 95/98 and all instances of the IPX 32-bit Protocol for the Novell Client for Windows 95/98, and then click OK. Windows 98 deletes Novell Client for Windows 95/98.
3. When prompted to reboot, do so.
4. Insert your original Windows 98 installation media.
5. Extract the files Netdef.inf and Nwnds.dll by using System File Checker. For information about System File Checker, see "Using System File Checker," in Chapter 27, "General Troubleshooting."
6. Reboot your computer.
7. Install Service for NetWare Directory Services by following the procedure in the section "Setting Up Microsoft Service for NetWare Directory Services" earlier in this chapter.

For more information, see Knowledge Base article Q150925: "How to Uninstall Novell’s 32-bit Client."

Upgrade from NETX to Client for NetWare Networks fails.

If you upgrade from NETX to Client for NetWare Networks without first logging on to a NetWare server, the Client for NetWare Networks installation might fail. Microsoft does not support upgrading over NETX before first logging on using Autoexec.bat (or a batch file called by Autoexec.bat). If your installation does fail, you can try one of the following fixes:

• Change the frame type in the IPX/SPX-compatible protocol from Auto to the frame type in use on your network.
• Verify that the correct preferred server is listed.

No network is available after Windows 98 starts.

Use the Network option in Control Panel to view a list of installed clients, protocols, and services. Verify that Client for NetWare Networks is installed and that the IPX/SPX-compatible protocol is in the list of installed components.

The login script does not run.

Make sure the correct preferred server is set and that Enable logon script processing is checked in the properties for Client for NetWare Networks.

Passwords do not work in NetWare 4.1 environment.

In a NetWare 4.1 environment, Microsoft Client for NetWare does not support passwords that use certain lowercase extended characters. Users must change their passwords to use all uppercase characters.

Cannot disable default password in Policy Editor.

Microsoft Service for NetWare Directory Services uses the Windows 98 logon password as the master password for both the bindery and the NDS tree logon attempts. You cannot disable this feature in Policy Editor. Instead, you must modify the DisableDefaultPassword registry entry with a value of 1 in the following registry location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\NWNP32\NetworkProvider

You are asked for a Windows 98 password and a NetWare password at each logon.

Client for NetWare Networks might ask you for a Windows 98 password after you log on to the network. This can happen if the user name and password for your NetWare preferred server differs from your Windows 98 password, because in some cases the password is not stored in the cache. You can solve this problem in either of two ways:

• You can make the passwords the same for both the NetWare preferred server and Windows 98.
• You can save the password in the cache by using "attach as" from the server’s context menu.

NetWare servers cannot be found.

You might not be able to see NetWare servers if you are using an incorrect frame type for the servers. To ensure that you are using the correct frame type for the server, verify the frame type set in the Advanced properties for the IPX/SPX-compatible protocol in the Network option in Control Panel. You can switch the setting from Auto to the specific frame type used on the server.

Client for NetWare Networks supports NetWare 4.x bindery emulation. Be sure that the bindery context you set for your NetWare server directory includes the Windows 98 users who should have access to the servers. To view and set your bindery context on NetWare 4.x servers, load the SERVMAN NetWare Loadable Module (NLM) and then view and set the SET BINDERY CONTEXT parameter. Or, you can type set at the command prompt to view the miscellaneous SET parameters. For more information, see your NetWare 4.x server documentation. Client for NetWare Networks also supports NDS, if you are running Service for NetWare Directory Services. Be sure that you have specified the correct context for your NetWare 4.x servers. Also, be sure that you have set your preferred server to be a 4.x server in the NDS tree you are logging onto.

Access to NetWare servers is denied.

By default, Client for NetWare Networks uses the credentials provided for preferred server authentication to access other NetWare servers. To see files on NetWare servers for which you have access, synchronize your credentials on all the NetWare servers, using the Novell SETPASS command at the command prompt.

You cannot map drive to SYS volume in login script with Microsoft Service for NetWare Directory Services.

With Microsoft Service for NetWare Directory Services, if you are using a login script to map a drive to a SYS volume, the drive might not map correctly. You must edit your login script. Replace the following text

map n server\sys:

with

#MAP N server\sys

Cannot open Nwadmn3x.exe using Microsoft Service for NetWare Directory Services.

If you are using Microsoft Service for NetWare Directory Services and you try to open Nwadmn3x.exe, you will see the error message "This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down." To work around this problem, you should instead use Nwadmin.exe, the version of NetWare Administrator that gives you access to the NDS tree.

To install Nwadmin.exe

1. Install version 4.10.2 or later of Nwadmin.exe on the NetWare server. For information about how to install Nwadmin.exe, contact Novell.
2. Make sure that you have the required DLL files on the public folder from which you are running Nwadmin.exe. These DLL files are supplied by Novell.
3. Make sure that the Netware.drv file you are using is the one included with Microsoft Service for NetWare Directory Services.
4. Make sure that you have the latest DLL files from Nwdll2.exe in your Windows\System folder. Nwdll2.exe is supplied by Novell.

For more information, see Knowledge Base article Q124712.

You cannot access NDS drives after making dial-up connection.

With Microsoft Service for NetWare Directory Services, you might not be able to access NDS drives from Windows Explorer after making a dial-up connection. To solve this problem, you can either connect to the drives using Network Neighborhood or modify your Dial-Up Networking connection.

To modify your Dial-Up Networking connection

1. From the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Dial-Up Networking.
2. In the Dial-Up Networking folder, right-click the connection.
3. Click the Server Type tab.
4. Clear the Log on to Network box.

Note

Clearing the Log on to Network box on a Dial-Up Networking connection will prevent you from logging on to Windows NT and NetWare servers for that connection.

You experience problems opening files on NetWare 3.11 servers.

Programs that open a large number of files in rapid succession might not work properly on NetWare 3.11 servers. Also, you might have problems when opening a file in a folder for which you do not have file scan rights. To solve this, obtain the file Os2opnfx.nlm from Novell.

Passwords do not function in NetWare 4.1 environment.

If users have problems logging on to NetWare 4.1 servers, check that their passwords use only uppercase characters. Microsoft Client for NetWare does not support passwords that use certain lowercase extended characters.

Cannot print to NDS printers.

If you install Microsoft Service for NetWare Directory Services and your NDS printers appear to be offline, remove and reinstall Service for NetWare Directory Services.

Experience problems with Packet Burst.

You may experience dropped connections, decreased performance, or file copy fails if you are connecting to NetWare 3.12 and 4.01 servers and packet burst is turned on. Novell provides a fix for this problem. To solve it, download the file Pburst.exe from the Novell Web site http://www.novell.com/.

Correcting Problems with Novell NetWare Clients

This section provides general troubleshooting steps for running a Novell-supplied client with Windows 98, then describes some common problems that might occur.

As a general troubleshooting step for Novell Client for Windows 95/98, try using NDIS drivers instead of ODI drivers, and make sure you are using the latest version of your ODI or NDIS driver.

As a general troubleshooting step for VLM, verify that your computer is not using the Netware.drv file version 3.10.96.201. One version of Netware.drv that is known to work is Netware.drv 3.03.94.280.

As a general troubleshooting step for NETX, verify that your computer is using the Netware.drv file 2.02 or later.

If necessary, restore this file from the Novell-supplied installation source. The following list provides other general troubleshooting steps.

• Check the version numbers of all Novell-supplied NetWare workstation shell components, including IPX, NETX, VLM, LSL, IPXODI, and the ODI driver files. Make sure the latest versions are being used.

  To get the version number for the Novell-supplied software you are using, run driver_name i or driver_name ? at the command prompt. For example, type netx i to get the version number for the Novell-supplied Net*.com or Net*.exe file.

  If you are not using the latest software, upgrade as described in "Obtaining Current Novell-Supplied Files" earlier in this chapter.

• Check for multiple instances of the NetWare files, specifically the ODI driver and Net.cfg. If there are multiple instances, remove all but the most recent version.
• Verify that IPXODI is binding to the network adapter by running the NetWare NVER utility, using the same settings as Net.cfg and the same [link driver ODI_driver] name. If IPXODI is not bound to the network adapter, change the entries in Net.cfg to correct this problem.

The following section describes common problems that might occur.

You see Hardware Troubleshooting Agent with ODI drivers.

With versions of Novell Client for Windows 95/98 2.2 and earlier, if you upgrade Windows 98 over a Novell-provided 32-bit ODI driver, you might see the Hardware Troubleshooting Agent every other boot. Novell has solved this problem with an ODI update pack available from http://www.novell.com/. For more information, contact Novell.

Network adapter drivers will not load with Novell Client for Windows 95/98.

TSRs that need to be loaded after a network connection is established or after IPX loads should be loaded from the Winstart.bat file. Otherwise, they will not load. If they fail to load, load the TSRs from the Winstart.bat file. If the file does not already exist, you can create it in the subfolder where Windows 98 is installed.

Novell Client for Windows 95/98 installation fails.

If the Novell Client for Windows 95/98 installation fails, make sure that all installation files have been placed in folders that conform to the standard MS-DOS 11-character (8.3) naming convention.

NetWare 4.11 server is missing DLL files needed for Nwadmn3x.exe.

You might have trouble opening Nwadmn3x.exe when you are using the Novell Client for Windows 95/98. You can solve this problem by in two different ways:

• Run Install.nlm on the server and selecting the option that lets you install the legacy NWADMIN utility. This installs Nwadmin.exe on the server, which works as documented by Novell. Contact Novell for technical support for this procedure.
• Use Nwunpack to expand the DLL files to a location in your MS-DOS path, such as a NetWare search drive or the \Windows\System directory. Do no overwrite existing DLL files. This procedure is not supported by Microsoft.

Setup requires Novell Workstation Shell Installation Program.

If, during installation, Setup fails to load Novell drivers and displays a message that it requires the Novell Workstation Shell Install Program for installing the VLM network client with Windows 98, follow the instructions presented in "Technical Notes on Novell’s VLM" earlier in this chapter.

You cannot attach to the NetWare file server after installing Windows 98.

Verify the frame type being used by the NetWare server. If the NetWare server is using a different frame type from the one configured for the computer running Windows 98, the user cannot see the server. The Novell-supplied IPXODI protocol binds only to the first logical board, which is the first frame type in the link driver ODI_driver section in Net.cfg.

To correct this problem, manually edit Net.cfg so that the correct frame type is first in the link driver ODI_driver section.

You cannot see other computers running Windows 98 or NetWare servers.

• Determine which frame type is used at your site, and then verify that the correct frame type you want to use on the network is listed in Net.cfg. The frame type that IPXODI will use must be first or must be set explicitly.
• Verify that the correct Net.cfg is being processed by Lsl.com. To do this, check the local drive for other Net.cfg files. There should be only one, and it should be in the same directory as the NetWare driver files. If you are loading these files from Autoexec.bat or another batch file, modify the batch file to change to this directory, run the necessary ODI drivers, and change back to the directory you want. This ensures that the current directory is the same as the location of the Lsl.com file when it is being loaded.
• Verify that Net.cfg contains the correct settings for the network adapter. If necessary, restore this file from a correct backup version, or edit it to include correct settings.
• Verify that you are running the latest version of the Novell-supplied ODI drivers and support files. Check with your network adapter manufacturer to determine whether a newer ODI driver is available.
• Verify that both client computers are running the same protocols. If the client computers are on different sides of a router, make sure that an IPX/SPX-compatible protocol is being used on both computers.

You cannot access the logon drive after installing Windows 98.

A common misconception is that users must log on to their NetWare server using the drive letter F. However, this is not true. For a client computer using the NETX workstation shell, the NetWare logon drive is the next drive letter available after the LastDrive= statement in Config.sys.

You can alter the LastDrive= statement to change the logon drive, but you must leave enough drives before the LastDrive= that Windows 98 can use for its own connections.

You see an error message after you install VLM support under Windows 98.

If a message says that the system cannot find a device file needed to run Windows, make sure that the VLM client has been installed using the Network option in Control Panel. To do so, double-click the Network option after running Setup. This step ensures that the correct VLM information is placed in System.ini.

The Windows directory contains Nwsysvol\Login\login.???.

This stub file is installed with File and Printer Sharing for NetWare Networks to prevent the computer from incorrectly responding as the preferred server for other NetWare clients.

You cannot connect to the network using TCP/IP when ODI drivers are installed.

If you are using a Novell NetWare ODI driver and you can use the Ping tool to ping your own computer, but you cannot access the network using TCP/IP, check to make sure that the Ethernet_II frame type is listed properly in Net.cfg. If not, add it.

To add the Ethernet_II frame type to Net.cfg

1. Use any text editor (such as WordPad) to open the Net.cfg file.

   Note

   Make sure you edit the correct Net.cfg file. It is usually read from the same directory as Lsl.com.

2. Add Ethernet_II so that it is the last frame type listed in the LINK DRIVER <MLID> section.
3. Save and close the Net.cfg file.
4. Restart your computer.

Correcting Problems with Artisoft LANtastic

This section lists problems you might experience while using Artisoft LANtastic. As a general troubleshooting step, if you are using the 16-bit version, you should upgrade to the 32-bit version. This will solve most problems.

For the most current troubleshooting steps, see Relnotes.doc and Network.txt.

Installing Windows 98 disables LANtastic Internet Gateway Client.

If installing Windows 98 disables the LANtastic Internet Gateway Client, remove and reinstall LANtastic using LANtastic’s setup utility.

Caution

Do not uninstall LANtastic using Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel if you think you might reinstall LANtastic later. If you uninstall LANtastic using Add/Remove Programs, you will lose your user and resource settings.

You see a LANtastic Modemshare error during Windows 98 upgrade.

If you have LANtastic 7.0 installed on your Windows 95 computer and you upgrade to Windows 98, you might see a Modemshare error message stating that the modem is not responding. Press a key, and Setup continues normally. When Setup is finished, LANtastic Modemshare will work properly.

You cannot access files on LANtastic servers.

If LANtastic 7.0 uses your computer name for its file and printer sharing capabilities, you might have problems accessing files on the system if you also have File and Print Sharing for Microsoft Networks installed. To solve this problem, you can either change the name that LANtastic 7.0 uses for its server in the LANtastic Custom Control Panel, or change your computer name in the Network option in Control Panel.

You cannot see servers with LANtastic 7.0.

You may have problems seeing other computers on the network. If so, disable Multicast using the following procedure:

To disable Multicast

1. In Control Panel, double-click Network.
2. Double-click the Artisoft LANtastic NetBIOS protocol and then click the Advanced tab.
3. In the Property field select Multicast, and in the Value field select Off, and then click OK.

You must restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Drives mapped to LANtastic shares appear without names.

When you map a drive to a LANtastic share, the drive name does not appear anywhere in the LANtastic or Windows graphical user interface. However, you can still use the mapped drive as you usually would.

You cannot disconnect mapped drives from within LANtastic utility.

If you map a drive to a LANtastic share, you will not be able to disconnect that mapped drive using LANtastic’s Custom Control Panel utilities. You can still disconnect mapped drives using the Windows 98 user interface, by right-clicking the mapped drive in My Computer and selecting Disconnect.

You cannot print to a LANtastic network printer.

If you are using LANtastic 7.0 and you cannot print to a LANtastic network printer, you might need to change the properties for the network printer.

To change the printer’s properties

1. In the Printers folder, right-click the printer’s icon, and then select Properties from the context menu.
2. In the printer’s properties, click the Details tab.
3. Examine the printer’s name in the Print to the following port: box.
4. If the name uses a syntax similar to the following:

   Port: \\Server\Share
   

   change that syntax to the following:

   \\Server\Share
   

Correcting Problems with Other Third-Party Networks

This section lists problems you might experience while using a third-party network client. As a general troubleshooting step, if you are using a 16-bit client, you should upgrade to a 32-bit client. This will solve most problems.

For the most current troubleshooting steps, see Relnotes.doc and Network.txt.

You see a "Reinstall Windows" error message while installing 16-bit Banyan VINES client, or Windows constantly restarts.

If you are installing Windows 98 and the setup program is interrupted, you might see the error message "Cannot connect to Z:\Wnewrev.exe, you must reinstall Windows." During the installation program for the Banyan VINES 16-bit client, you might also encounter an error in which Windows 98 constantly restarts. If this happens you will need to edit your System.ini file.

To edit your System.ini file

1. Reboot your computer.
2. During startup, press the left CTRL key until the Microsoft Windows 98 Startup Menu message appears.
3. Select Safe mode command prompt only.
4. Open System.ini and change the entry Shell=Z:\Wnewrev.exe to read Shell=Explorer.exe.
5. Reboot the computer.

You see an error message asking you to run Newrev.

If you are installing the 16-bit Banyan VINES client and you do not install the latest version, you will see an error message stating that you are not running the latest VINES version and that you need to run Newrev. If this happens, type the following line from the Banyan subdirectory:

Newrev /I

This command copies the latest Banyan files to your local drive.

You cannot install Banyan VINES 16-bit Client with Msbatch.inf.

Windows 98 does not support the following lines in Msbatch.inf setup files:

Clients=vines552
Protocols=ndisban, ndistok

If you wish to install support for Banyan VINES networking, you must do so after Windows 98 setup is complete.

You cannot map a drive using Banyan VINES 16-bit client.

If you lose graphical user interface functionality for the Banyan VINES 16-bit client (for example, if you can no longer map a drive from within Windows 98 or view a previously mapped Banyan VINES drive), your path might be lost or corrupt. You must have Z:\ set to the end of their path. You can either do so from Autoexec.bat or ask a VINES administrator to place the path in the VINES login script.

You lose Windows functionality after overwriting Ver.dll during Banyan VINES 16-bit installation program.

The installation program for the Banyan VINES 16-bit client prompts you to overwrite the file Ver.dll. If you do so, you will lose Windows functionality such as printing or using the Control Panel. To restore Windows functionality, manually extract Ver.dll from your original installation media and add it to your \Windows and \Windows\System directories. For information about how to manually extract files, see Knowledge Base Article Q129605, "How to Extract Original Compressed Windows Files."

Third party TCP/IP stack does not work with Windows Sockets 2.

Many third-party TCP/IP stacks, such as FTP Software’s OnNet32 TCP/IP stack, do not support Windows Sockets 2. If you want to use one of these stacks with Windows 98, you should install the TCP/IP stack before installing Windows 98. In some cases, you can also remove Windows Sockets 2 after upgrading to Windows 98, then install the third-party stack. However, this second method does not always work.

Note that if you install the third-party TCP/IP stack before installing Windows 98, Windows Sockets 2 will not be installed. For information about removing Windows Sockets 2, see Chapter 5, "Setup Technical Discussion."

Samba server does not accept your password.

For security reasons, Windows 98 no longer allows you to send plain text passwords. It sends only encrypted passwords. However, Samba servers require plain text passwords, so you will not be able to connect to Samba servers unless you change a registry entry to enable plain text passwords.

Caution

Enabling plain text passwords will decrease your computer’s security.

To enable plain-text passwords, add the registry entry EnablePlainTextPassword (as a Dword) and set the value to 1 in the following registry location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\Vnetsup

Additional Resources