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Feature Presentation for the January 31st general meeting
Bill Marchant - Establishing a Home Network
General Information
Newsletter Information
Meeting Schedule for the year
Main Feature:
Given the inherent instability of the Windows Operating systems, power
users need a foolproof method of restoring their systems after a crash.
David Potter will tell us how he achieved this using DISKIMAGE.
Other Stuff:
Rob MacCara will tell how his web site suffered a total collapse, and
how he re-established it within 24 hours.
Bill Marchant will describe the hazards and helps he discovered while
setting up a home network.
The usual Q and A session in which we all ask questions an then try to
answer them.
Please note the address change below:
The HAPCC general meeting is on the last Wednesday of each month.
The general meeting will be Jan 31st meeting time 7:00 - 9:00
pm. Meeting place: In the TV Room (Name only, there is no TV) of
the Scotia Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion,
at 5837 Cunard St Halifax. The building is facing the Halifax Commons
between Robie and Agricola Streets. The Legion parking lot is at the
right of the building and is available for our use. Meetings start
at 7:00 PM and end approximately 9:30 PM.
In this issue
I have two computers; a desktop running Windows 98 on an AMD 500 MHz chip, and a
laptop running Windows ME on an AMD 550 MHz. With two computers, one naturally wishes
to have them networked. I looked in the HELP files of the WIN ME (laptop) machine for some
guidance.
The Win ME helps on this subject are rather brief, and aside from a few main points there
is not much there. They also mention a number of connection methods, but diagrams are given
only for those using Network Interface Cards, (NICs).
Win ME says that at least one of the computers must be running ME. I discovered this
was not true when I asked around. Although ME does make one or two things a bit easier; in fact
Win 95, and Win 98 machines can easily run home networks.
The computers to be connected must each have a PCI or an ISA expansion slot available.
These would be for the NICs. The PCI slots are in newer computers. The ISAs are in older
machines. Alternatively, a USB or a parallel port may be used. NICs are not used with this
connection, and are not described in the ME help. I have been told that NICs are best because of
the available speed, and speed is important.
If one of the computers is already connected to a LAN or another network, a second slot
will be required in that machine since the existing NIC is already busy. For your network you
need a NIC for each computer, and a connecting cable. If more than two computers are involved,
a Network Hub and some additional cable is also required; but I won't get involved with that
unless I do it some time in the future.
Speed of the network is either 1 Mbps or 10 Mbps. Ten is recommended, and the
network hardware you purchase should be capable of this. Home network kits are available, and
may be the cheapest way to acquire the hardware, provided they contain what you need. In many
cases they will not. I found several computer dealers willing to quote prices on the parts I
needed.
With my laptop, the NIC card had to be a PCMCIA card, which cost $80.00. The NIC for
the desktop cost $25.00. The connecting cable was $15.00 (Tax extra). Be sure the NICs match
the expansion slots in your machines. You may have to open the machine case to determine this
before you buy.
Once you have the hardware, you have to install it. This is easy if you do not fear
opening your computer, but intimidating if you think you cannot do it. In the latter case, get help.
When I installed the NIC in my desktop (Win 98), and switched it on, the computer detected the
card and the Add New Hardware Wizard came up. It asked for a driver. I inserted the disk that
came with the NIC into the A: drive. Win 98 said it could not find a driver on A, and promptly
quit.
On the laptop (Win ME) the driver could not be found either. I tried to run the Home
Network Wizard, but it would not work until the driver was installed Part of the problem is that
Win ME is new, and the drivers disk that came PCMCIA card had no driver for ME. I looked on
the Win 98 folder for a driver, and was informed that a file called AON320.SYS could not be
found. I finally found a copy of AON320.SYS in another folder on the floppy disk, and copied it
into the directory where the Wizard wanted it. After a couple more
false starts, it worked.
At the end of the driver installation, I was asked if I wanted a Home Network Setup Disk
for the other computers in my network. When I said 'YES', I was directed to put a 3'' disk in
the A: drive and Win ME made one for me. The final notice instructed me to run the Setup Disk
in my Win 95 and Win 98 machines.
I then took the new Setup Disk to the desktop machine. Things were not straightforward.
I kept getting mixed up with some of the instructions which to my mind were full of terms and
names which made no sense to me. So much so that at one point I decided to cancel it all and
start over again. Windows 98, however had other ideas. I could not back out, and I could not go
forward. In the end I reinstalled Windows, but that was not the answer, since although I
eventually got everything properly installed the network still would not run.
I compared notes with a friend who is running a home network. In particular he looked at
the files. His network had a driver called NETBEUI.VXD and mine did not. When I added this
file to C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM, on both of my computers the network ran.
Not only did it run, but the little red light on the pigtail to the PCMCIA card showed that
it was running at 10 Mbps. The Explorer on either computer finds the name of the other
computer, and all the designated folders are available. Copying from one computer to the other
is a cinch. Running a program in one computer from the keyboard on the other is easy.
The two computers do not have to remain connected. This is important, since the laptop
is intended to be taken with me from time to time. When they are separate, the network is
ignored by both machines, and as soon as they are connected it is in operation again.
There are many things about running the network that I still have to learn. But one thing I
do know. The next time I install a network it will be a bit easier.
Didn't anyone ever tell you that Beta is Latin for "it doesn't work yet?"
Chairperson David Potter
Vice-Chair Bill Marchant
Treasurer Rob MacCara
Web Librarian Thayne MacLean
Newsletter Editor Diane Smith
Membership Promotion Pat Conen
and the following members who assist in planning our monthly
meetings: Norman DeForest, Henry Hill, Ken Gilmour,and Colin Stuart.
The HAPCC has two kinds of
meetings. Firstly the regular Sunday night meeting which most
members attend regularly, secondly the monthly (approximately)
planning meeting which organizes the business of the Club,
including what happens on the Sundays. The planning meeting is
held on Monday, a week after the regular meeting in which all
members of the Club are urged to attend. At the planning meeting,
we discuss feature speakers for regular meetings, finances,
membership, training, and other computer related subjects.
....Bill Marchant
In this issue
Newsletter Articles.... We are almost
always in need of good articles. If anyone has something that
they feel would make a good article, an interesting story to
tell, or even a good meeting topic, please don't hesitate to pass
it on. Articles can be submitted in almost any format, ASCII
text, AMI Pro, MS Word, Windows Write, WordStar and of course
WordPerfect.
The news letter is mailed to all
paid up members and to anyone who has attended a meeting within
the past three months. Yearly membership dues are $15.00.
Club Mailing Address -
P.O. Box 29008, Halifax N.S., B3L 4T8.
In this issue
We decide the meeting dates for the
upcoming year at the last planning meeting of the season. The
dates for these are listed below. As in previous years, the
December meeting is moved to the early part of January due to
Christmas Eve being near the fourth Sunday of the month.
The planning meetings are normally held on the second Monday (8
days) after the general meeting. They are currently held at a
members home and the address is announced at the meeting prior to
the planning meeting. Anyone is welcome to assist in the planning
of future meetings or events.
Dates for the meetings starting in September are based on the
LAST Sunday in each month. Note that this is a change from
previously, when we met on the fourth Sunday.
Meeting dates for the 2000/01 season:
January 31, February 28, March 28, April 25, May 30, June 27.
Dates for the meetings starting in September are based on the
LAST Wednesday in each month. Note that this is a change from
previously, meeting times.
Note: There is no meeting in December. Remember also, we are now
using the LAST SUNDAY of the month, except for the exceptions as noted above.
Any changes to the scheduled dates will be announced where possible at the regular monthly meetings
and/or in this newsletter.
