3Com EtherLink II Card Not Detected During Setup of WFWG (92771)

SUMMARY

When you run the Windows for Workgroups (WFWG) Setup program, the 3Com EtherLink II network card may not be detected if the card is not initialized or if it is using an input/output (I/O) address of 0300h.

NOTE: The network card will be initialized if you load a network software driver, such as IPX.COM, to your system.

If the card is not detected, you must set it up up manually when you run the Setup program or you must use the Network option in the Windows Control Panel after the setup is complete.

MORE INFORMATION

The Windows for Workgroups Setup program sets the transceiver type to external, regardless of the actual transceiver setting. The transceiver location is determined by the type of network cabling you are using:

Thin Ethernet networks and twisted-pair networks (in the case of the EtherLink II TP card) use the transceiver located on the EtherLink II card.
Thick Ethernet networks use an external transceiver with the 3Com Etherlink II cards.

To change the transceiver location for a 3Com card:

In the Windows Control Panel, choose the Network icon.
Select the Adapters option and select Advanced.

The default setting for the 3Com Etherlink II cards is External. If you are using thin Ethernet or twisted pair, change this setting to Onboard.

NOTE: If you run Windows for Workgroups with Novell NetWare connectivity on a network that has thick EtherNet cabling, you may receive the following error message:

A File Server Could Not Be Found

This type of cable, also known as thicknet or 10Base5, uses external transceivers. Many network adapter cards need to be properly configured to use this cable. To configure your network properly:

Run Control Panel.
Select the Networks option.
Choose Adapters, and select External transceiver.

For example, a 3COM Etherlink II netcard must have the transceiver set to External to attach to a Netware server, otherwise the error message appears.