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586 Appendixes Another simple thing to check is to see if the user has changed any network configurations, added any hardware or software, or had any problems with the computer lately. If you ask those questions first, you might get to the root of the problem more quickly. Using the System Monitor If you have network problems and you use a client/server network, you can use the System Monitor to help find the cause of the problems on a Windows 98 computer. If you don’t use a client/server network, you can view one machine’s use of system resources to help find the bottleneck in your system. The System Monitor enables you to monitor running processes, memory usage, dial-up access, and more. In order to use the System Monitor over the network, you need the following: ✦ A client/server network using either NT Server or Novell NetWare server ✦ User-level security selected for each computer, which removes all network shares you set for a peer-to-peer workgroup ✦ The Remote Registry Service installed on each computer ✦ File and Printer Sharing enabled on each computer Using the Network Troubleshooter Windows XP has included a network troubleshooter that can help you determine problems with adapters, terminal services, modem sharing, even TCP/IP configuration. To use the Network Troubleshooter, right-click My Network Places and choose Properties. In the Network Connections dialog box, click Network Troubleshooter. The Network Troubleshooter performs many tasks. It can perform tests on TCP/IP by per- forming the PING command and/or the NETVIEW command for you. The Network Trouble- shooter can check your dial-up or Internet connection as well, automatically. If you use Windows 2000, you can use Windows Help to locate a variety of networking troubleshooters. One, in particular, is for TCP/IP networks; another is for users; another for hardware; and so on. Examining the Network Hardware and Software Network connection problems sometimes affect only one computer, but they often affect all computers on the network. When you have a problem, you can check a computer’s network interface card, cabling, and then the network hub. You also can check the protocols used on the network. TCP/IP configuration often causes connection problems as well. A problem with network speed might have to do with hardware and software. If you have problems with bottlenecks, you should check certain areas of the network. When experiencing network connection problems, ask yourself the following questions to help diagnose the problem: Note 587 Appendix A ✦ Troubleshooting Network Operations and Connections ✦ Did the connection work before, or did it just recently stop working? ✦ If it just recently stopped working, what equipment or software have you added? ✦ Did something happen or change since it last worked? If the connection never worked, you probably have configuration problems or a bad cable. If it recently stopped working and you added something new to the network, remove that added equipment and see if the situation improves. If nothing’s changed and the connection quit working all of a sudden, check network cards, cabling, and hubs, in that order. If you have a problem you cannot solve on your own, check the Microsoft Knowledge Base for help. The address is www.support.microsoft.com. Exploring network card problems If your computer won’t connect to the network, you might have a problem with your network card. If the computer is new and you just added the card, check the IRQ (interrupt request) and DMA (direct memory access) addresses. Configuration might be the problem. If the card worked and then just stopped working, the card might need to be replaced. The easiest and quickest troubleshooting solution for a network that is not connecting is to delete everything from the network properties dialog box — TCP/IP, client, services, and net- work adapter — reboot, and then install everything anew. This often refreshes corrupted soft- ware or settings and makes the network magically work. Checking in the Device Manager If you’re having a connection problem, check to make sure that Windows sees your network interface card. If you see a red or yellow icon to the left of the NIC, then there’s a problem with your card. Figure A-6 illustrates the Device Manager tab of the System Properties dialog box. To check the adapter card in the Device Manager, follow these steps: Figure A-6: Check your system devices. Tip Tip 588 Appendixes 1. Choose Start ➪ Settings ➪ Control Panel ➪ System in Windows 98. In Windows 2000 and XP, right-click My Computer ➪ Properties; click the Hardware tab and then Device Manager. The System Properties dialog box appears. 2. Choose the Device Manager tab in Windows 98, and choose the View devices by type option. 3. Click the plus (+) sign to the left of Network adapters. 4. Check to see if your adapter has a yellow exclamation point in a circle or a red x. The yellow exclamation point means the device isn’t working properly; the red x means the device isn’t working at all. 5. If your adapter card does display one of these icons, select the adapter and then click the Properties button. The adapter card’s Properties dialog box appears, as shown in Figure A-7. Figure A-7: Look at the adapter’s properties. 6. In the General tab, view the Device status area for a definition of the problem. 7. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box. 8. Close the System Properties dialog box, and then close the Control Panel. Some network cards, especially the Plug and Play cards, come with special software that you can use to configure the card. If you’re having trouble with the IRQ or other addressing infor- mation, check to see if your card manufacturer supplied this software. Checking network settings You also should verify that all your settings in the Network dialog box are correct. To check your adapter settings, follow these steps: 1. Choose Start ➪ Settings ➪ Control Panel in Windows 98. The Control Panel window appears. In Windows 2000 or XP, right-click My Network Places ➪ Properties. Note 589 Appendix A ✦ Troubleshooting Network Operations and Connections 2. Double-click the Network icon in Windows 98. In Windows 2000 or XP, right-click Local Area Connection and Properties. The Network (Windows 98) or the Local Area Connection Properties (Windows 2000 and XP) dialog box appears. 3. In the Configuration tab, select your network adapter card, as shown in Figure A-8 in Windows 98. In Windows 2000 or XP, click the Configure button. Figure A-8: Select your network card. 4. Click the Properties button in Windows 98 or the Resources tab in Windows 2000 or XP. The adapter’s Properties dialog box appears. 5. Choose the Resources tab if you’re using Windows 98, as shown in Figure A-9. Figure A-9: Check the IRQ and I/O address range. 590 Appendixes For more information about IRQs and I/O addresses, see Chapter 25. 6. Make sure the configuration is correct, and then click OK. 7. In the Configuration tab (Windows 98) or the General tab (Windows 2000 or XP), check to be sure you have the Client for Microsoft Networks installed. 8. Next, check the Identification tab of the Network dialog box in Windows 98, as shown in Figure A-10, to make sure that you’re using the correct workgroup name and that your computer name is unique in the network. For Windows XP, you must right-click My Computer ➪ Properties and choose the Computer Name tab. For Windows 2000, right- click My Computer ➪ Properties and choose the Network Identification tab. The com- puter name and workgroup name are listed. You can change either by clicking the Properties button. Figure A-10: Make sure you have the right workgroup name. 9. Click OK. Restart the computer if prompted. If your power management is on, try turning it off. Sometimes power management features can cause network problems. In the Control Panel, double-click the Power Management icon. In Settings for Always On (Power Scheme area), choose Never for the following two items: Turn Off Monitor and Turn Off Hard Disks. Looking at protocol problems When two or more PCs have problems communicating with each other, you could have a pro- tocol mismatch. Say that one PC cannot see others on the network. Check that PC’s protocol settings and bindings. Compare the protocols listed in the Network dialog box of a working computer to the one that isn’t connecting. Check all protocol properties as well. Tip Cross- Reference 591 Appendix A ✦ Troubleshooting Network Operations and Connections For information about protocols, see Chapter 10 or Appendix B. If you’re having trouble with network connections, it could be the protocol. When running TCP/IP, configuration is usually the first thing you should check. Use PING, an MS-DOS prompt command you use to test TCP/IP configuration, to verify that the TCP/IP configuration is cor- rect, that local computers are communicating with each other, and that remote computers are communicating. For more information, see Appendix B. Use IPCONFIG to display the IP addresses, subnet masks, and default gateways for all net- work adapter cards on each computer. Make sure that the IP addresses are unique, that sub- net masks match, and so on. IPCONFIG is a command you use to test IP addressing. For more information, see Appendix B. Use NETSTAT to track down strange or unusual network problems. You can troubleshoot incoming and outgoing packet errors with this command. NETSTAT is an MS-DOS prompt com- mand you use to test TCP/IP configuration. For more information, see Appendix B. Use WINIPCFG, an MS-DOS prompt command you use to test TCP/IP configuration, if you’re having trouble with your Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) lease. DHCP is a utility for assigning TCP/IP addresses to workstations automatically. Many DHCP servers provide networked computers with a lease that enables them to use the same number for a limited amount of time. You can use this command to release a lease when you stop using DHCP or renew a lease that you want to continue. For more information, see Appendix B. See Appendix B for more information about troubleshooting techniques to use with a TCP/IP network. Troubleshooting cabling problems You might be using coax, twisted-pair, phone line, or power line cables for your network. For reasons of safety, problems with your power line are best taken care of by an electrician. Phone line problems may require a professional as well, although you can check some of the phone line yourself. If you didn’t install your own coax or twisted-pair cabling, you might want to call for help in checking the cabling. But you also can check some problems yourself. For more information about coax and twisted-pair cables, see Chapter 6. For more informa- tion about phone and power line network cabling, see Chapter 8. Looking at the phone line You can check the phone wiring that connects the computer to the wall jack for nicks, crimps, and other problems. If you see an obvious problem, replace the wiring. You can buy a short length of phone wire, with the RJ-11 connectors attached, at a hardware store, discount depart- ment store, or any place that sells telephones. If you don’t see a problem but still think it might be the phone wiring, try trading the current wiring with another phone line wire to see if it works. You then can replace the bad wire if that will solve the problem. Cross- Reference Note Cross- Reference 592 Appendixes Considering coaxial cable Check all of the cable in the system for nicks or breaks first. Also check all the terminators to make sure that they are securely fastened to the cable and to the computers. Even if all looks okay, you still might have a break in the connection; it’s difficult to tell with coaxial cabling. You can try replacing the terminators and T-connectors, if you’re comfortable with that. You also can try swapping out one cable with another too, unless your cabling goes into walls or under flooring. You also can use a cable tester, if you have one. Cable testers are devices that test for loose connections, faulty cables, and other cabling problems. You can buy cable testers over the Internet and at some computer stores. Cable testers cost between $50 and $250. Looking at twisted-pair cabling problems Twisted-pair cabling usually displays a link light on the back of the computer, in the area of the network card port. As long as the link light is lit, the cable doesn’t have a problem. Again, check for physical problems with the cable: cuts, crimps, coiled cable, and so on. Check the connectors. If you have a cable tester, use it. If all else fails, you can call a cable professional to test the cabling for you and replace it as necessary. Considering hub problems If you have only one hub on your network and it fails, the entire network goes down. If you have multiple hubs on a network and one fails, only the segment serviced by that hub goes down. It’s also possible that one port on a hub will fail — and that affects only one computer. That is a difficult situation to troubleshoot, because you usually start diagnosing the PC, net- work card, and cabling before you get to the hub. If you think you have a cabling problem but find nothing wrong with the cable, change the hub port to see if that’s the solution. You also can remove one workstation at a time to see if the other computers work. If remov- ing one workstation eliminates the problem, there’s something wrong with that workstation’s cable. Make sure that the cable length is acceptable. Examining bottlenecks If your network is slow and everyone’s complaining about it, you probably have a bottleneck somewhere in the system. A bottleneck is usually one network component causing sluggish traffic flow. If all your networking hardware works well together, you won’t have bottlenecks. If you do, you need to locate the problem and alleviate it. Memory is always a prime suspect for a slow computer or network. A server, for example, or a workstation that carries most of the load could be a bottleneck on the network. When everyone accesses one computer, its processes slow down. Adding memory can improve the situation. Applications often create a bottleneck if they’re faulty or a little buggy. Make sure that you use the latest upgrades to any program installed on your computers. If you think a program is running slowly, check with the manufacturer to see if there is an available upgrade or a patch that solves the problem. When anyone on the network transfers several large files — such as images, sound clips, or motion files — from one computer to another, that transfer can cause a log jam. You might save those files to a Zip disk or CD-RW to help ease a network traffic problem. 593 Appendix A ✦ Troubleshooting Network Operations and Connections Investigating Peripheral Problems Each peripheral in your computer can cause multiple problems by itself or in conjunction with other peripherals. If you have a problem you cannot solve, check the peripheral’s docu- mentation and the manufacturer’s Web site for extra information. Examining network printer problems Often, simple things cause printer problems—such as an unplugged network cable or a prob- lem with the application. Other problems can be more difficult to find. If you have trouble with your printer and you’ve tried all the following suggestions, you should check with the manufacturer for more specific information (refer to the printer documentation or the manu- facturer’s Web site for contact information). General printer check As with any network equipment, you want to physically check a printer that’s giving you problems before you check anything else. Make sure that the printer is turned on and online, check the paper tray and path, and check all power cords and cables. Always try turning the printer off and then back on again to reinitialize it, in case some settings are corrupted. If your printer doesn’t have an on/off switch, unplug the printer for 10 seconds or so and then plug it back in. Next, run the printer’s self-test to see if the problem is in the printer or elsewhere. If the printer passes, use Print Screen from an MS-DOS prompt to see if the computer can communi- cate with the printer. The easiest method of printing with the Print Screen button on your keyboard is to first go to the MS-DOS prompt, and then type dir so that you have something on the screen. Press the button on your keyboard labeled Print Screen to see if the directory on your screen prints. If this second test fails, replace the cable between the printer and the computer. If this second test is successful, check the application that is printing to the printer. If the printer works from MS-DOS but not from Windows, you might have a Windows problem. Try removing the printer driver and then installing it again. If the printer still won’t print, check the server if there is one, or the computer to which the printer is installed locally. For example, if the printer’s icon in the user’s Print Folder is grayed, or dimmed, that means the printer is offline or turned off. Next, have the user print another document — something simple from WordPad, for example. Check the print queue on the computer attached to the printer to see if the job is listed. If the job isn’t listed, check to see if the network user who is trying to print is logged on to the net- work. Also check to see if the user has permission to print, if the printer is shared, and so on. Network printer check If the previous steps don’t solve or address your printing problem, try these network printing troubleshooting steps. Print to a local printer. If that works, print to a file and copy the file to the network printer. To do this, follow these steps: 1. Choose Start ➪ Settings ➪ Printers. The Printers window appears. 2. Right-click the printer’s icon and then choose Properties. The printer’s Properties dia- log box appears. 3. Choose the Details tab, as shown in Figure A-11. 594 Appendixes Figure A-11: Set to print to a file. 4. In Print to the Following Port, choose FILE: (Creates a file on disk). 5. Click OK to close the dialog box. 6. Print any file from any application. When prompted, enter a filename for the print job. To print the file, open the MS-DOS window and, at the prompt, type the following: copy <path\filename> <networkprinter> /b For example, type copy c:\docs\letter.prn \\Sue\win98hp /b. The /b makes the file a binary one, which means the entire file will print. If you don’t use a /b, only part of the file might print. If this printing process works, the problem lies with the computer. If the printing process doesn’t work, the problem is with the connection to the network printer. You also can try capturing the printer port, as described in Chapter 15. Sometimes a captured printer works when a printer using a universal naming convention (UNC) connection won’t. Solving Spool32 errors When you’re printing to a network printer, you might receive a Spool32 error. Spool32.exe manages print spooling, which enables the computer to process a job more quickly and effi- ciently. Following are three samples of Spool32 errors: SPOOL32 caused a Stack Fault in module Kernel32.dll at (address). SPOOL32 caused an Invalid Page Fault in module Kernel32.dll at (address). SPOOL32 caused a General Protection Fault in module Kernel32.dll at (address). Your first step should be to make sure you have the most updated printer driver for your printer. Check the printer manufacturer’s Web site (or call the manufacturer) to see if an updated version of the driver has been released. Often, manufacturers release another version of their printer driver when they find a coding error in the previous driver version. Replacing the driver not only clears the Spool32 error but also makes your printer run more efficiently. 595 Appendix A ✦ Troubleshooting Network Operations and Connections An antivirus program, a terminate-and-stay-resident program (a DOS program that stays loaded in memory, such as calendars or calculators), or some other program could be block- ing your printing. You can figure out what is blocking the printing by following these steps: 1. Disable the config.sys, autoexec.bat, winstart.bat, system.ini, and win.ini files all at the same time. You can do this by using System Information, as described in the section “Using Microsoft System Information,” earlier in this chapter. 2. Restart the computer. Now print. If you still have problems, go to Step 3. If this takes care of the problem, complete your printing, and then go back to System Information and enable the files you disabled in Step 1. You probably won’t run into a Spool32 problem very often. If you do, however, you can find out which program is causing the problem by enabling only one of the files listed in Step 1, starting your computer, and printing. If the printing works, enable another file and try again. When one file blocks the printing, open the file in a text editor and see what programs it’s loading. You can disable each program, one at a time, to find the cause of your Spool32 error. 3. Print directly to the printer by changing the spooling format from Enhanced Metafile (EMF) to RAW. You do this in the Details tab of the printer’s Properties dialog box. In the Spool Settings dialog box, click Print Directly to the printer; in the Spool Data Format box, click RAW. Looking at remote connection problems As often as not, remote connection problems are the fault of the remote computer. Before you spend too much time on your end searching for the cause, check with the person running the remote modem and computer to see if he or she has a problem. Printing and Dial-Up Networking If you have trouble printing a remote page, such as a Web page or an intranet page, over a dial- up connection, you might be trying to print on a different subnet than your dial-up connection. You can work around this problem by printing the page while on the Web or intranet. Next, quit the Dial-Up Networking connection. Choose Start ➪ Settings ➪ Printers. Right-click the network printer, and then click Use Printer Offline to remove the check from the check box. Press F5 to refresh the printer’s status and close the Printers folder. The Web page should print normally now. Error 645 with Dial-Up Networking An error 645 occurs when Dial-Up Networking cannot complete a connection. The error reads as follows: “Dial-Up Networking could not complete the connection to the server.” The problem generally occurs when the Require Encrypted Password option is enabled. To alleviate this problem, follow these steps: 1. Open My Computer. 2. Double-click Dial-Up Networking. 3. Right-click your connection icon and choose Properties. 4. Select the Server Types tab and then click the Require Encrypted Password check box to remove the check. 5. Click OK. Tip [...]... 10.255.255.255 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255 192 .168.0.0 to 192 .168.255.255 For your home network, for example, you could use the following IP addresses for five computers on the network: 172.16.0.1 172.16.0.2 172.16.0.3 172.16.0.4 172.16.0.5 611 612 Appendixes Alternatively, you could use the following for your computers: 192 .168.0.100 192 .168.0.101 192 .168.0.102 192 .168.0.103 192 .168.0.104 You can change numbers... dial-up networking The TCP/IP configuration takes place in the Dial-Up Networking window and is specific to the connection If you haven’t created a connection for the Internet or remote office, see Appendix C for information about how to create connections To configure TCP/IP for dial-up networking, follow these steps: 1 Open My Computer 2 Double-click the Dial-Up Networking icon The Dial-Up Networking. .. books you can purchase to help you with specific distributions of Linux Wiley publishes the Red Hat Linux 9 Bible by Christopher Negus (2003) plus many other Linux titles, including Red Hat Linux 9 For Dummies by Jon “maddog” Hall and Paul G Sery (2003), the WROX title Beginning Red Hat Linux 9 by Sandip Bhattacharya et al (2003), and Linux For Dummies, 4th Edition by Dee-Ann LeBlanc, Melanie Hoag,... Internet Having TCP/IP in place means less configuring when you move to the Internet Dial-Up Networking You also can use TCP/IP to connect to your home or work computer If you’re on the road, for example, and want to call your home network to retrieve some information or your schedule, you can use Windows dial-up networking to accomplish this Note You use TCP/IP in Terminal Services as well Terminal Services... 596 Appendixes Problems opening Dial-Up Networking Problems with your DLL files can result in the Dial-Up Networking folder disappearing, not opening, or appearing briefly before disappearing Even reinstalling Windows doesn’t help The problem could be caused by any of the following DLL files being missing or damaged: ✦ Wsock32.dll ✦ Wsock32n.dll Note Windows 98 doesn’t have the Wsock32n.dll... compression and log on to network options for DialUp Networking It also binds NetBEUI, IPX/SPX, and TCP/IP to the dial-up adapter by default By changing some of these options, you can speed up the logon process You can cut down the delay time in Windows 98 by doing the following: 1 Open My Computer 2 Double-click Dial-Up Networking 3 In the Dial-Up Networking window, select the connection Right-click... Reinstall Open Transport ✦ Reinstall the system software You can also check out some of these Wiley books for help and information about your Macintosh: Mac OS X For Dummies, 2nd Edition; Mac OS Bible, Jaguar Edition; and Mac OS 9 For Dummies Troubleshooting Linux Linux comes in so many different flavors that it’s hard to offer specific help You can, however, purchase books, go to online forums, and... read AutoLogon=0 If it doesn’t list 0, change the value to 0 5 Close the Registry and restart the computer Figure A-14: Make sure that you’re on the right network 599 600 Appendixes Troubleshooting with the System Configuration Utility Windows 98 and XP have a program that helps you diagnose system configuration issues The System Configuration utility is also called msconfig enables you to select check... octet of the IP address for a home network or smallbusiness network If your corporate network is very large, you can make other changes to the IP addresses, as long as they are consistent In addition to IP addresses, you need a subnet mask Use the same subnet mask for all computers on the network The subnet mask 255.255.255.0 works very well Using Windows 98 LinkLocal Windows 98 includes another method... do 6 19 620 Appendixes NetBIOS tab When you use TCP/IP, Windows automatically configures support for using NetBIOS applications over the TCP/IP protocol NetBIOS facilitates applications in transferring data over the network This tab shows that NetBIOS is enabled for TCP/IP (see Figure B-11) Figure B-11: NetBIOS support is always enabled for TCP/IP Using TCP/IP for Dial-Up Networking and Windows 98 When . appears. 5. Choose the Resources tab if you’re using Windows 98 , as shown in Figure A -9. Figure A -9: Check the IRQ and I/O address range. 590 Appendixes For more information about IRQs and I/O addresses,. Linux 9 Bible by Christopher Negus (2003) plus many other Linux titles, including Red Hat Linux 9 For Dummies by Jon “maddog” Hall and Paul G. Sery (2003), the WROX title Beginning Red Hat Linux 9. box to remove the check. 5. Click OK. Tip 596 Appendixes Problems opening Dial-Up Networking Problems with your DLL files can result in the Dial-Up Networking folder disappearing, not opening,