How can I network my 486???

[cryptotooth]

Hi!
I have an old 486 PC in the cupboard which I've been working on restoring for the past few months. It now runs WFW 3.11 and dos 6.22. My next project is to hopefully get it on the internet (Yes I know it will be unusable) and be able to transfer files using the built in modem. The problem is, how? I've used the serial port to transfer files using terminal, but its to slow at 9600bps. I have an ISA NE2000 card somewhere but for some reason when I tried it last, it wasn't detected at all, even when I reinstalled the driver, OS and reconfigured everything multiple times.
The modem is detected and configured by DOS, and should be usable, however I have a few questions:

Can I connect it to a work-group in my house using the modem? I know it wont be much faster than the rs232 but its for fun!

Can I emulate a modem somehow on another machine? As in connect the modem directly to another PC and instead of connecting via the phone line the PC shares it's connection like that.

I'd use the Ethernet card if I had it here and working, but it wasn't detected at all and is now in a p133 machine working fine.

P.S: is there any lightweight Linux distro that will run on a 486SX w 4MB RAM?

 

[mbarnes86]

Hi

I presume the only slots are isa or pci

Pci network cards with win 3.1 or win 4 work groups may still exist probably second hand or new

Is motherboard configured by plug n play bios or jumper switches to set ports & interupts used ? ( likely if isa network card)

There are very few dialup internet services left, if you can find one you can use a modem to connect to the internet at 40k to 50k bps

Configure your browser ie ? Not to down load graphics or video or audio
You could use ftp to transfer files

Best to find a. Pci network card which is compatible with your motherboard

My oldest pc has a pentium 200 MHz with 32 mb of ram which can just about run XP or Bart PE , it has not been switched on for a few years

Regards
Mike Barnes

 

[jsmithepa]

Look for a DOS Network Boot image on the web first, if should lists all the compatible NIC it can support, then go on eBay and buy that NIC. I have a DOS network boot somewhere that talks to my old laptop Intel E1000 NIC.

 

[cryptotooth]

Hi

I presume the only slots are isa or pci

Pci network cards with win 3.1 or win 4 work groups may still exist probably second hand or new

Is motherboard configured by plug n play bios or jumper switches to set ports & interupts used ? ( likely if isa network card)

There are very few dialup internet services left, if you can find one you can use a modem to connect to the internet at 40k to 50k bps

Configure your browser ie ? Not to down load graphics or video or audio
You could use ftp to transfer files

Best to find a. Pci network card which is compatible with your motherboard

My oldest pc has a pentium 200 MHz with 32 mb of ram which can just about run XP or Bart PE , it has not been switched on for a few years

Regards
Mike Barnes

The board has no PCI slots at all and only has 3 ISA slots. I have no idea how I'd configure this thing using jumpers and I can't see any on the board that relate to Ethernet cards specifically. The modem reports as being configured OK, but I have no way of dialing out yet.

 

[mbarnes86]

Hi

You have a working isa nic

Does it have miniature switches on it?
To get it to work in your 486 you probably need the user instructions for the isa nic and motherboard

Regards
Mike Barnes

 

[Alabalcho]

Original NE2000 cards were not plug-and-play, and had jumper blocks to set I/O address (default was 0x300), and IRQ line (default was 3, which conflicts with COM2 on your motherboard). So, move IRQ to 5, I/O address to 0x340, and set the driver in WfW accordingly. The NE2000 was very popular network chip, so there were a lot of companies making network cards with it (original Novell NE2000 used to cost in excess of $100 back in early '90ies...)

There is no IE in WfW 3.11, you have to dig out NetScape navigator. If you got at least 4MB of RAM, you could try booting Win95 as well.

Edit😛ost a photo of your network card.

 

[cryptotooth]

I will try and get the card out of the old pentium 75 display machine I brought into college and put it in the 486 over Christmas. Are there any old programs I can use to use my null modem (not the win3.1 terminal) and to show me used interrupts etc.?

 

[cryptotooth]

not my own card, but this is the same one on google images:
http://nostalgy.net.ru/museum/ne2000/kingstn.jpg

 

[Alabalcho]

When BIOS starts, it displays a page showing what resources are discovered. There was a DOS utility, HWINFO, which showed the resources used. There could be a BIOS setting whether PnP (plug-and-play) is enabled, but I would rather leave it off, and set the NE2000 at 5/0x340.

 

[cryptotooth]

I've got the card and found no switches or jumpers etc, and installed it again, and after giving it an IRQ that windows accepts (11 I think) it is picked up, and I dont get the error telling me the hardware isnt configured properly, but it just crashes very quickly, sometimes on boot, once at the program manager, and another time when trying to change the adapter settings. Any idea what this would be? I used the adress 0x0340 and it worked, but gives me this. I just hope my hardware isn't damaged because I've never seen another AMBRA system around ever.

 

[Alabalcho]

- Many cards in the past used to have (DOS) configuration utilities where you would set mode of operation.
- If your card has no configuration switches, you must set your BIOS for Plug-and-Play operation.
- or may be just find out supported card. "Program Manager" makes me think you are running Windows 3.1/3.11, so you need correct drivers for it (either LanMan or IPX/SPX, and install these drivers in Config.Sys/AutoExec.bat). Forget Windows for a while, make sure your networks can be started from C:\ prompt with NET commands.