98 ethernet works, xp doesnt...What gives

[Jeff]

I am quite perplexed here.

I have a Windows 98 box in a classroom at my station. It works GREAT
on the network, no slowdown, no dropped packets, etc.

I have several XP boxes at this station. I needed one to use to
demonstrate logging into the domain and setting up outlook, and I
couldn't get any to work on the network. Same jack, same cord, etc...
This is a Compaq EVO. So then I tried a Sony Vaio laptop. Same
problems.

So I tried to ping my gateway. approx 25% of the packets made it. Then
I tried to ping another box a little further down the line, even
worse. If I beat on the gateway by pinging it over and over, it would
work for 4 cycles once in a while, but then back to 25%.

So after much frustration, I bring the class in groups of 4 around a
19" screen in the office and demonstrate the process of logging in and
setting up Outlook.

So now everybody is gone. I put the 98 box back, and voila, perfect.
100% packet completion. I put the EVO back, and were back to 25%
completion, if that...

I then take the EVO Back to the office, plug it in and presto, perfect
connection.

What gives? This is a pretty long run from the switch, but why would
the 98 box handle the distance better than the 2 XP Boxen?

I am baffled, and I have to come up with a solution to this problem,
as the 98 box is going away next spring, to be replaced with, drumroll
please, a Compaq EVO with XP Pro running on it.

Any suggestions, eggs on face, whatever would be appreciated.

Jeff

 

[John Wunderlich]

(e-mail address removed) (Jeff) wrote in

What gives? This is a pretty long run from the switch, but why
would the 98 box handle the distance better than the 2 XP Boxes?

I am baffled, and I have to come up with a solution to this
problem, as the 98 box is going away next spring, to be replaced
with, drumroll please, a Compaq EVO with XP Pro running on it.

Any suggestions, eggs on face, whatever would be appreciated.

OK, but I hope the egg's not on my face

First of all, the maximum run for 10/100-Base-T ethernet is 100 meters.
If you are longer than this, it could easily account for your problems.

Now as to why the '98 machine works when the XPs don't...
Perhaps the '98 machine has an older ethernet card in it that can only
do 10-Base-T while the XPs have newer ethernet cards that can do
10/100-Base-T. The '98 machine would always work [just fine] at the
slow speed; but when the XPs are connected, they might sense an active
100-Base-T network switch and configure themselves to work at the
faster 100 Mbps speed (which would be much more sensitive to a too long
or noisy connection). I can't remember at the moment, but either
through the control panel or the device manager you can force the speed
a 10/100 ethernet card to either 10 or 100. Try fixing it to the
slower speed and see how that works. You might also try setting the
duplex (full or half) as well. The "Auto" setting for speed and duplex
often does not work well.

Good Luck and HTH,
John

 

[Jeff]

John,

It is certainly possible that the run is longer than 100m. I will try
to throttle down the ethernet speed to 10 and see if that helps. It's
not like the volume of data being pushed is going to be affected by
the drop from 100 to 10...

Thanks for the insight.

Jeff

(e-mail address removed) (Jeff) wrote in

What gives? This is a pretty long run from the switch, but why
would the 98 box handle the distance better than the 2 XP Boxes?

I am baffled, and I have to come up with a solution to this
problem, as the 98 box is going away next spring, to be replaced
with, drumroll please, a Compaq EVO with XP Pro running on it.

Any suggestions, eggs on face, whatever would be appreciated.

OK, but I hope the egg's not on my face

First of all, the maximum run for 10/100-Base-T ethernet is 100 meters.
If you are longer than this, it could easily account for your problems.

Now as to why the '98 machine works when the XPs don't...
Perhaps the '98 machine has an older ethernet card in it that can only
do 10-Base-T while the XPs have newer ethernet cards that can do
10/100-Base-T. The '98 machine would always work [just fine] at the
slow speed; but when the XPs are connected, they might sense an active
100-Base-T network switch and configure themselves to work at the
faster 100 Mbps speed (which would be much more sensitive to a too long
or noisy connection). I can't remember at the moment, but either
through the control panel or the device manager you can force the speed
a 10/100 ethernet card to either 10 or 100. Try fixing it to the
slower speed and see how that works. You might also try setting the
duplex (full or half) as well. The "Auto" setting for speed and duplex
often does not work well.

Good Luck and HTH,
John