Network Configuration Is Retained After Uninstalling Network Components (295085)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
  • Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
  • Microsoft Windows 98
  • Microsoft Windows 95
This article was previously published under Q295085
If this article does not describe your hardware-related issue, please see the following Microsoft Web site to view more articles about hardware:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/w98?sid=460

SYMPTOMS

After you change the settings for some network components (such as TCP/IP), your changed settings may not be retained when you next view the settings. This issue can occur even after you remove and reinstall network components.

CAUSE

This issue occurs because some network settings (such as TCP/IP settings) are stored in the sub-enumeration key of the network adapter bus enumerator in the registry and are accessed from the Driver Information database (in Windows 95 or Windows 98) or the Hardware Information database (in Windows Millennium Edition).

RESOLUTION

To work around this issue:
  1. Remove the network components that you want to reset. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network.
  2. Click the network component that you want to remove, and then click Remove.
  3. Click OK, and then restart your computer in Safe mode.

    To restart the computer in Safe mode, for Windows 95 press the F8 key when "Starting Windows 95" is displayed on the screen. For Windows 98 and Windows Millennium Edition (Me), hold down the CTRL key during the boot process.
  4. Locate the hidden Drvdata.bin and Drvidx.bin files in the Windows\Inf folder. Rename these files to Drvdata.old and Drvidx.old.

    If the hidden Drvdata.bin and Drvidx.bin files are not listed, you must disable the hidden files setting. To do so, in Windows Explorer, click Folder Options on the Tools menu, click the View tab, and then click to select the Show hidden files and folders check box.

    For information about how to rename a file, click Start, click Help, click the Index tab, type renaming, and then double-click the "Renaming files" topic.
  5. Restart your computer. You see the message "Windows is now building the Driver Information database" in Windows 95 and Windows 98 or "Windows is now building the Hardware Information database" in Windows Me.
  6. Reinstall the network components that you removed.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about the Driver Information database or the Hardware Information database, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

275499 Troubleshooting Device Driver Issues by Using the Driver Information Database

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:8/8/2006
Keywords:kbnetwork kbprb KB295085
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