[Denny Johnson]

Hi, my first post.
I got cable a connection about a month ago, seemed a bit slo, contacted Charter Support and was told I'd get better speed w an ethernet connection over the USB I was using.
Installed a NIC but can't connect via ethernet.
I understand this may be a 98 specific TCP stack issue.
I'm not comfortable doing much in the registry, is there a fix for this w/o having to reprogram myself??
Any help or links appreciated.
Thanks

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Did your cable service provide you with an install CD for their modem? Once you have the ethernet drivers installed for the new card, just switching modem connection from USB to ethernet usually does not do the job. You will have to follow the install procedures for the cable modem. You could try using the Internet Connection Wizard via IE's Tools, Internet Options menus, Connection tab if no modem install CD. I never liked this method myself.

HTHs,

Ron

[Major Payne]

Did your cable service provide you with an install CD for their modem? Once you have the ethernet drivers installed for the new card, just switching modem connection from USB to ethernet usually does not do the job. You will have to follow the install procedures for the cable modem. You could try using the Internet Connection Wizard via IE's Tools, Internet Options menus, Connection tab if no modem install CD. I never liked this method myself.

HTHs,

Ron

[Denny Johnson]

Thanks Ron,
It's a Motorola SB5120 Surfboard Cable Modem.
Website lists the following for system requirements:
Ethernet connection compatible with Windows® 95/98SE/2000/NT/Me/XP; Macintosh® OS 8 or higher; Unix®; and Linux®
USB connection compatible with Windows® 98SE/2000/NT/Me/XP
I have 98.
Modem instructions for ethernet use were to plug everything in and go.
CD was required for USB use.

The Charter Cable Install CD stopped cuz I needed at least 98SE to proceed. I fortunately connected w an older, kindhearted tech at Charter who walked me thru the Connection Wizard and got me going w USB.
I made notes at the time, and tried the same procedure w Ethernet, no joy.
That gets us up to my first post. since then I've been stonewalled at Motorola, Belkin, and most of Charter cuz 98 no longer supported.
The kindly tech at Charter has sent, "This is a problem windows 98. Nothing we can do here.
the Install cd isnt seeing the TCP stack in win98 it is a known glitch
you need to take the pc to a repair shop to check it out." in response to my:

"I since updated FLASH and have run the speakeasy speedtest several times: about 680 kbps down, 225 up.
I've installed a Belkin 10/100 Desktop Network PCI Card but can't seem to get it to work. Driver loaded OK. DEVICE MGR shows that it is working properly w both USB and ETHERNET connection, but is not always enabled when booted up w ethernet connection, still doesn’t work when I enable it.
W the USB connection, the DEVICE MGR shows the NIC as enabled and also shows the Motorola Surfboard SB5120 U... listed under Network Adaptors.
W the ethernet connection, the DEVICE MGR also shows the NIC enabled but does not show the Motorola Surfboard SB5120 U Cable Modem listed anywhere.
W the USB connection, the Minimum Requirements window on the Charter Pipeline Self Install CD shows a green check for:
Network Card: Motorola Surfboard SB5120 U...
and TCP/IP Configuration: Installed (DHCP Enabled: Yes) .
W the ethernet connection, Red X’s are shown at:
Network Card: Not found (a network card is required)
and TCP/IP Configuration: undefined undefined (check network card).
Do I need to change some computer settings going from a working USB connection to the ethernet??
No help from Belkin or Motorola………Windows 98.
I realize this is above and beyond the call of duty for you, but would sure appreciate any ideas you may have."
Googling part of his reply (which led me here) I suspect he's right.

Don't want to put any $ into this old unit, especially after all the stonewalling I've been getting w 98.
Reckon a new laptop is in my future somewhere down the line.
Trying to get a faster connection in the meantime.
Thanks

Edited by Denny Johnson, 25 June 2006 - 05:08 PM.

[Major Payne]

The Motorola SB5120 Surfboard Cable Modem is the one I have been using for years first with Win 95, then Win 98/98SE, then Win ME on through to Win XP. In fact, it's the one I am using right now.

I hope I remember this correctly. Since you do not need the USB drivers for this modem any longer, I would go to Device Manager and disable them. You may have to reboot after you do this and reinstall the NIC drivers afterwards. Remove power to the modem before installing the driver. Recheck that the NIC driver install was successful by checking whether the red x's are gone and no yellow ' !!! " are present for the card connection.

If the NIC connection looks good, you can try rebooting PC and before Windows starts or immediatedly after clicking Restart, plug power into modem. Procedures from your particular cable company should have come with your modem package or go online to their site to the tech support page and follow instructions for Win 9x.

If you want to use them, my reboot instructions should work for your modem as it is the same as mine: Do You Reboot Like a Pro?.

For initial PC settings should you need them: Computer Settings for Win 9x

HTHs,

Ron

[Denny Johnson]

Thanks Ron,
First thing I did was check the initial PC Settings against yours, OK.
I have been ‘rebooting like a pro’ as I’ve tried to get this Ethernet connection going.
Except for the one kindly tech, no help from Charter Cable, install disk won’t let me proceed cuz I need at least 98SE, no help on site or phone. “no longer support 98”.

I’m not very knowledgeable about this stuff, it’s a learning experience. In the Device Mgr would I find the usb drivers listed at Communications Port (COM 1) under Ports (Com & LPT)? And if so, do I remove them on the Device Mgr window by highlighting Communications Port (COM 1) and clicking remove??? I’m not seeing a way to remove after clicking Properties.
The other listed under Ports (Com & LPT) is the ECP Printer Port (LPT 1). I have 2 places (ports???) on the back of tower for usb cables, one being connected to the printer.

I’m a bit apprehensive about removing the usb drivers as they are currently my only connection to the net, but it is only 3 WINDOWS\SYSTEM files listed for driver files and I have the 98 disk so reckon I can reinstall if ethernet still no go after I try your suggestion???

Thanks again,
Denny

Edited by Denny Johnson, 26 June 2006 - 04:16 PM.

[Major Payne]

Hi Denny:

Yeh, Win 98 was a little tempomental about USB. I do not undstand the problems with getting the etherner connection working with the modem. That is the easiest connection to work with after you have a working ethernet card installed. I used an ethernet connection with ALL Win 9x OSs and never had a TCP/IP issue. Course that doesn't mean there couldn't be one. Without doing much other than getting the NIC properly installed, connecting ethernet cable between PC and modem, removing power to modem and rebooting and connecting modem power before windows started, it should be working. The only other thing I can think of at the moment is link I gave about setting up TCP/IP connection and/or "How to manually release and renew your IP Address" instructions. The modem shows no non-blinking green lights from Power to Online after doing all this? The PC Activity light should be blinking too. Mine's orange. You have checked the NIC lights afterwards? Not sure

I have gone back through your posts. You have a PC that supports USB with a Win 98 OS correct? If so, the Connection Wizard should be able to get you set up using the ethernet connections instead of USB. Try running it again with the modem connected to the NIC. I may have to get someone who remembers Win 98 better to help you if we don't resolve this soon.

Ron

[Denny Johnson]

Thanks again Ron,
You said:
Without doing much other than getting the NIC properly installed
Checking the NIC at DM(Device Mgr) again, it shows the “device working properly”
I unplugged power from the modem and “updated drivers”
Saw “windows has finished installing an updated driver for your hardware device”

connecting ethernet cable between PC and modem, removing power to modem and rebooting and connecting modem power before windows started
did that, no joy.

The only other thing I can think of at the moment is link I gave about setting up TCP/IP connection
Those settings were all OK w USB and Ethernet

and/or "How to manually release and renew your IP Address" instructions.
When I check w USB, dropdown box lists only Cable Modem and PPP Adapter. Released and renewed Cable Modem. No change.
When I check w Ethernet connection, dropdown only shows PPP Adapter.
Some thing else I wonder about is w Ethernet connection, DM does not list the Cable Modem under Network Adapters, only NIC and Dial Up Adapter.
Lists all 3 when connected w USB.

The modem shows no non-blinking green lights from Power to Online after doing all this?
Right, all 4 green solid.

The PC Activity light should be blinking too. Mine's orange.
Same here

You have checked the NIC lights afterwards?
There is only one light on card, green, it’s mostly on, slight blips off at times.

Well Ron, I sure appreciate your effort here but don’t want to take up too much of your time as I’m not in dire straights, I do have the USB connection. Really just fine tuning for more speed. Win 98 works fine for what my computer use, but the pressure’s on to update since it’s no longer supported.
Having said that, I am all ears if you come up w anything else.
Best wishes
Denny

Edited by Denny Johnson, 27 June 2006 - 03:04 PM.

[Dan]

Greetings Denny,

The only thing I have to offer here is to check your TCP/IP bindings and ensure that they're actually binding to your Ethernet adapter and your USB adapter. To do this, goto Start --> Settings --> Control Panel --> Double-click the Network icon. In this new window you should see both your USB and your Ethernet adapter listed at the very top; do you? Below these, you should see all of the protocols you currently have installed -- you should have two copies of each protocol (since you have two adapters installed).. do you? If you do not, click the Add... button --> in the new window, highlight Protocol and then click Add.. --> Under Manufacturer, highlight Microsoft and then choose TCP/IP under the Network Protocols heading --> press OK.

Now return to the Network icon window -- are there now two entries of TCP/IP? If so, double-click your Ethernet adapter icon -- in the new window, select the Bindings tab. Is the TCP/IP protocol listed here, and bound to your Ethernet adapter? It should look like: TCP/IP -> [Your Ethernet Adapter] and the check box should be ticked; is it?

EDIT: And just so you know, you should also have the TCP/IP protocol bound to your USB adapter, so don't try to bind the USB's TCP/IP protocol to the Ethernet adapter.

Edited by Dan G, 01 July 2006 - 03:15 AM.

[Denny Johnson]

Thanks Dan,
Things appear to be quite different than they should be.
Before I change/add anything, I'll tell what I'm seeing.

In the NETWORK window (after double clicking the network icon) I am seeing in this order:
Client for Microsoft Networks
Microsoft Family Login
Dial-Up Adapter
Motorola SURFboard SB5120 USB Cable Modem
Motorola SURFboard SB5120 USB Cable Modem
TCP/IP-> Dial-Up Adapter
TCP/IP-> Motorola SURFboard SB5120 USB Cable Modem
TCP/IP-> Motorola SURFboard SB5120 USB Cable Modem

The Primary Network Logon is Microsoft Family Logon

I'm unsure if I should do anything w the ADD button?

In the BINDINGS window for both the TCP/IP-> Motorola SURFboard SB5120 USB Cable Modem lines the only things listed are:
Client for Microsoft Networks
Microsoft Family Login
Both are checked, note there suggests that only one should be.

[Dan]

Denny, what is the name of your Ethernet card? From the looks of things, you only have two instances of a USB adapter (both bound to TCP/IP). I can not see any Ethernet card in there.

Before I change/add anything, I'll tell what I'm seeing.

Good thinking

In the BINDINGS window for both the TCP/IP-> Motorola SURFboard SB5120 USB Cable Modem lines the only things listed are:
Client for Microsoft Networks
Microsoft Family Login
Both are checked, note there suggests that only one should be.

This is fine; however I have a feeling that both of these connections are applying to your USB connection; are you sure your Ethernet adapter is properly installed? It does not appear to be detected.

[Denny Johnson]

Thanks again Dan,

Card is a Belkin 10/100 Desktop Network PCI Card FSD5000.

I have a feeling that both of these connections are applying to your USB connection; are you sure your Ethernet adapter is properly installed? It does not appear to be detected.

I think it is correctly installed, tho there's obviously cause for doubt.
The physical installation went smoothly.
There is only one light on card, green, it’s mostly on, slight blips off at times.
Drivers seemed to load OK.
Checking the NIC at DM(Device Mgr), it shows the “device working properly”

The listings in the NETWORK window are not very descriptive, difficult to figure what's what.

Early on in this thread I posted:
W the USB connection, the DEVICE MGR shows the NIC as enabled and also shows the Motorola Surfboard SB5120 U... listed under Network Adaptors.
W the ethernet connection, the DEVICE MGR also shows the NIC enabled but does not show the Motorola Surfboard SB5120 U Cable Modem listed anywhere.
Gut feeling is there's a clue there, but it's beyond me.

Back to your first post, under BINDINGS of the two Motorola SURFboard SB5120 USB Cable Modem lines, both show TCP/IP-> Motorola SURFboard SB5120 USB Cable Modem, but again, not very definative.

[Dan]

Denny, your Ethernet adapter definitely isn't being detected at this point, hence the lack of connectivity. I have a feeling that Ron is correct and that your USB drivers are interfering with your Ethernet connection on this one. I'd suggest uninstalling and then installing your Ethernet adapter following the steps listed in this article; simply to ensure that your adapter is properly installed. If, after following these steps, you're still unable to connect via your Ethernet adapter, then you're going to have to start having a long look at your USB connection.

[Denny Johnson]

Thanks Dan,

Sounds good, but first question is 'How do I uninstall the ethernet adapter.'
Do I simply highlight it at the Device Mgr and click REMOVE?
Then connect the Ethernet cable and proceed w install instructions?

Everything looks straightforward on the install instructions until step 12.
At this point I don't know what to type there. Same as shown in the instruction example, A:\WIN95 ????

Thanks again, great learning experience for me.

[Dan]

Sounds good, but first question is 'How do I uninstall the ethernet adapter.'
Do I simply highlight it at the Device Mgr and click REMOVE?
Then connect the Ethernet cable and proceed w install instructions?

That'll get the job done

Everything looks straightforward on the install instructions until step 12.
At this point I don't know what to type there. Same as shown in the instruction example, A:\WIN95 ????

Hm, well it's been a while since I've used Windows 98, but I'm pretty sure that you can simply type in the drive letter -- eg, if your Ethernet drivers are on a floppy, you'd type: A:\ and go from there. However, if it's on a CD, you'd need to type in your CD-Drive letter (mine is E:\).

[Denny Johnson]

mmmmm........that didn't go as well as we hoped.
Removal went fine.
So did steps 1 -13 at http://www.readingco...nnectingW98.htm
In the SELECT DEVICE window (step 14) there was nothing listed.
Since the wizard found the card, I loaded the drivers per the printed instruction that came w the card.
Seemed to load them OK, Device Manager shows card working properly, tho DRIVER FILE DETAILS shows card but no details.
Couldn't do anything w step 15.
Shut down per 17-23.

Continuing w Configuring TCP/IP instructions:
Wasn't sure if the protocol was installed, this is what was listed:

Client for Microsoft Networks
Microsoft Family Login
Dial-Up Adapter
Motorola SURFboard SB5120 USB Cable Modem
Motorola SURFboard SB5120 USB Cable Modem
TCP/IP-> Dial-Up Adapter
TCP/IP-> Motorola SURFboard SB5120 USB Cable Modem
TCP/IP-> Motorola SURFboard SB5120 USB Cable Modem

So...... I added per instructions and another TCP/IP-> Dial-Up Adapter line was added to above list.
Didn't have to change anything steps 4 - 18.
At 19 changed from Disable WINS Resolution to Use DHCP for WINS Resolution
Restarted per 21 - 26.

No joy, I'm back on USB.

Have since removed the 2nd TCP/IP-> Dial-Up Adapter line.