New LAN and ICS, Wsock32 Authentication, any way to disable?

[Kiel]

Okay I've just setup a new ICS / LAN, the computers are literally right next to each other. I'm using a program called PPPshare Accelerator to share the connection, both computers are running Windows 98 SE.

The client computer seems to connect fine, and can browse the web, use MSN, download etc, but every now and then (usually 10-20 minute intervals) a window comes up on the client saying "Wsock Authentication" and has a space for a username and a password. I click OK without entering a password, and it asks again. And again, some times up to 10 times before continuing. During this stage connection is dropped from the client computer, and is EXTREMELY annoying.

Please help if you know anything about how to disable the authentication.

-UPDATE-
A new problem has arisen, it takes an extremely long time to send messages through MSN from one to another, and most file transfers do not work.

Any information you need I am of course willing to provide, I'll check back here often.

Yours,
Kiel

[Kiel]

Oh, and something that might be helpful. I'm using a plain ADSL modem, the client computer has a single NIC, as does the server computer, and they're connected through an Ethernet crossover cable. I'm also interested as to how to transfer files from the server computer to the client, right now I'm using MSN Messenger, getting about 400 kb/s which is quite hilarious, but it's still not right.

Thanks again.

[Kiel]

Extremely sorry about the triple post, I couldn't find an edit button. I'll check this thread when I wake up, and if possible, give me a really good internet connection sharing program, as this one simply sucks.

Eagerly awaiting your replies,
Kiel

[Kiel]

-UPDATE-
I've found out something that may be of use. Before I started using PPPShare (which I still can't find an alternative for) I used a program called "Soho" which was another ICS program. Anyways to the point of this post, I found out the host name for my client computer is called x.soho.net, where x represents my login name. I'm fairly sure this has something to do with the Wsock32 Authentication login thingy, so please help when you can.

Yours,
Kiel

[Coconut Monkey]

Windows 98SE comes with internet connection sharing, so there shouldn't be any need to use third party programs. Not having a Windows 98 box handy, I can't say with any certainty that it will work with your ADSL connection, but it's certainly worth a shot. A guide is attached below (by the way, the edit button is located at the bottom of each of your posts - it's the leftmost blue button).

How do I get internet connection sharing working over a network?

1. Here's an easy way. Go to the computer which will be connecting to the internet.
Win9x: Go to add/remove programs in control panel, windows setup, and install internet connection sharing from the network section.
WinXP: Go to control panel, network connections, right click the internet connection, and click properties. Go to advanced, and enable internet connection sharing.

2. Make sure the network is setup with TCP/IP. Still on the host PC.
Win9x: Go to control panel, network, properties of the network's TCP/IP (should have the name of your network card next to it)
WinXP: Go to control panel, network connections, properties of the LAN connection.
Make sure the IP number is set to 192.168.0.1, and the subnet mask is 255.255.255.0

3. Go to the same TCP/IP section as above with the other computers on the network. Set the IP addresses to something different each time (192.168.0.[something else]), but the subnet mask is always 255.255.255.0

Then, staying in the TCP/IP properties, set the default gateway and DNS server to the IP of the HOST computer (make sure you click add in Win9x to add the IP to the list). Do not do this step with the HOST computer.

4. Connect to the net. Make sure Internet Explorer is set to automatically detect settings (Go to tools, internet options, connections, LAN settings).

5. Leach away! Same sort of thing with ADSL (provided it's not plugged directly into a hub), and make sure you set these options in the LAN network card settings, not the card the ADSL modem plugs into!

[Kiel]

Windows 98SE comes with internet connection sharing, so there shouldn't be any need to use third party programs. Not having a Windows 98 box handy, I can't say with any certainty that it will work with your ADSL connection, but it's certainly worth a shot. A guide is attached below (by the way, the edit button is located at the bottom of each of your posts - it's the leftmost blue button).

Heya Coconut Monkey, thanks for your reply.

I feel stupid for not mentioning this, but when I go to use the Win98SE ICS (which was my intended first option) I need to get a lot of files from the Windows 98 CD, which I do not have. It's about 10-15 mixed files consisting of a few exe's and a couple dll's, if you need the names of them I can provide.

-Sigh- After what I think is a little too much configuring on my part, not only is my ICS not working but also my LAN. The RJ45 seems to be fine, because when plugged into both computers the NIC's on each computer shows 2 green lights. If it means anything, I installed Download Accelerator Plus and a game called Soldat on the server computer.

So, a list of things I'm asking for help with:
..An alternative ICS program
..The Wsock32 Authentication problem
..Fix my LAN, though I'll uninstall the recent installs and see how it goes.

Any information you need I will happily provide, thanks for your help so far.

Yours,
Kiel

P.S. I must be blind, I still can't see the Edit button, possibly because I use Firefox?

[Coconut Monkey]

I need to get a lot of files from the Windows 98 CD, which I do not have.

Why do you not have a Windows 98 setup CD? :confused:

P.S. I must be blind, I still can't see the Edit button, possibly because I use Firefox?

Nope, it isn't Firefox (unless you have a really old version). See here.

[Kiel]

Why do you not have a Windows 98 setup CD? :confused:
Nope, it isn't Firefox (unless you have a really old version). See here.

This is my first computer and I've learnt everything I know from this, it costed AU$1'300 at the time for a 64mb RAM 533mhz PC, I've upgraded it to the max and it's withstanding. It didn't come with the 98SE CD. My LAN is still broken, I consider it my top priority. The NIC lights come on, but neither PC seems to see each other. Is there a way to test the communication?

[Coconut Monkey]

Is it a brand name box? Compaq, HP, IBM, etc? You should have been provided with a Windows 98 CD or a repair CD which wipes your drive and reinstalls Windows. Sometimes the CD contents are located on your hard drive.

[Kiel]

Is it a brand name box? Compaq, HP, IBM, etc? You should have been provided with a Windows 98 CD or a repair CD which wipes your drive and reinstalls Windows. Sometimes the CD contents are located on your hard drive.

Oh, I've a "Application Recovery" CD that wipes my hard drives and sure, I guess reinstalls Windows. I hope I don't want to do that though? It's only a select few files, I could even list them. Anyways, it is/was a HP Pavillion. Thanks for your efforts so far, and I still haven't found ANY problems with my LAN, yet it doesn't work. I hate this kind of problem, the no-error-message-PC's-look-fine-one.

[Coconut Monkey]

It's common for systems supplied with those CDs to have the Windows setup files stored on your hard drive somewhere. Have a hunt around! The setup files may also be readily accessible from the CD, with Windows just needing to be pointed in the right direction when it asks for the install CD. This way you can just make use of the supplied ICS functionality.

By the way, how is your network setup? IP addresses and so forth. Just connecting the two Win98 boxes will not instantly grant you a fully featured network. Take note of the guide I supplied earlier.

Lastly, I wouldn't bother with download accelerator programs unless you need the download resume feature that many come with.

[Kiel]

It's common for systems supplied with those CDs to have the Windows setup files stored on your hard drive somewhere. Have a hunt around! The setup files may also be readily accessible from the CD, with Windows just needing to be pointed in the right direction when it asks for the install CD. This way you can just make use of the supplied ICS functionality.

By the way, how is your network setup? IP addresses and so forth. Just connecting the two Win98 boxes will not instantly grant you a fully featured network. Take note of the guide I supplied earlier.

Lastly, I wouldn't bother with download accelerator programs unless you need the download resume feature that many come with.

Well, to be embarassingly honest that's all I did to set up a LAN! Just started the ICS program, from then on it didn't even have to be open to play games on Quake etc. That tutorial really doesn't show how to set up a LAN, more of a fundamentals thing. If you could tell me step by step, that'd be great. I'm not exactly a newbie, so you don't have to go too easy. I owe you for this.

Oh, and sure I'll hunt for the files.

DAP sucked anyways, but yeah i wanted a resume feature.

[Coconut Monkey]

Well, to be embarassingly honest that's all I did to set up a LAN! Just started the ICS program, from then on it didn't even have to be open to play games on Quake etc.

Ah, the ICS proggies did it for you.

That tutorial really doesn't show how to set up a LAN, more of a fundamentals thing. If you could tell me step by step, that'd be great.

My guide tells you how to setup a basic LAN, as well as ICS. Is there a part you're unsure about?

Oh, and sure I'll hunt for the files.

Keep your eyes open for lots of *.cab files.

[Kiel]

Ah, the ICS proggies did it for you.
My guide tells you how to setup a basic LAN, as well as ICS. Is there a part you're unsure about?
Keep your eyes open for lots of *.cab files.

I followed your guide, and it's great! Not working yet though, but I'm yet to restart this (host) computer.

Where would I be looking for the ICS program?

[Coconut Monkey]

Where would I be looking for the ICS program?

What do you mean? You need to add it to the installed Windows components via the setup in Add/Remove programs (see point 1 of the guide!) and to do this you need a Win98 CD or the required *.cab files.

[Kiel]

What do you mean? You need to add it to the installed Windows components via the setup in Add/Remove programs (see point 1 of the guide!) and to do this you need a Win98 CD or the required *.cab files.

Yeah, that's what I do when it asks for the Win98 CD. Any possible way i can get the cabs without the CD?

[Coconut Monkey]

As I said before, the *.cab files may be located on your hard drive or accessible via the recovery CD. Find their location and point the pop-up window requesting the setup CD to it.

You may even have the files stored in your Windows folder already. You can try pointing the pop-up window to your C:\Windows & C:\Windows\System folders (multiple switches may be required with files in different locations).

[Kiel]

As I said before, the *.cab files may be located on your hard drive or accessible via the recovery CD. Find their location and point the pop-up window requesting the setup CD to it.

You may even have the files stored in your Windows folder already. You can try pointing the pop-up window to your C:\Windows & C:\Windows\System folders (multiple switches may be required with files in different locations).

We'll get back to that.

Now, onto the LAN. Having been unsuccessful, yet confident, with your tutorial, I'll do it again, after JUST having reinstalled the NIC's on both machines.

The x computer will be this one (the host), and y will be the client.

Using x computer, I click Start->Settings->Control Panel. I double click Network. I go to TCP/IP -> 3Com blabla (my NIC). I click Properties. I click "Specify an IP Addess" in the IP Address tab, then I type in 192.168.0.1 in the IP Address field, and type 255.255.255.0 in the Subnet Mask field. I click OK out of that, and stay on the Network screen for now.

Moving to y computer, I click Start->Settings->Control Panel. I double click Network. I go to TCP/IP -> 3Com blabla (my NIC). I click Properties. I click "Specify an IP Addess" in the IP Address tab, then type in 192.168.0.2 in the IP Address field, and type 255.255.255.0 in the Subnet Mask field. I click the "Gateway" tab. I type the NIC on x computer that the RJ-45 is plugged into's IP Address (massive grammatical errors!). I click Add...

Still on y computer, I click DNS Configuration. I click Enable DNS, and click the area under "DNS Server Search Order".

I type in that IP Address again, and go to click OK but it says "To use DNS, you must specify a hostname for your computer". I type in "Home" (for no reason, I don't know the hostname of y computer, it doesn't have internet.) I then click OK multiple times on both computers.

Ill reboot both machines and get back to you. Hope this works :D

Found the edit button, though it only appears on my most recent posts, probably need a set amount before you're allowed to edit.

It works! You're a legend, couple questions though. How do I transfer files between each computer, and when searching for the cab files, this is Windows, there's got to be thousands of them. Any specific file name?

[Coconut Monkey]

Looks good! A simple test to try after you reboot is to ping the other machine. Start->Run->"command". Type "ping 192.168.0.<address of other PC>" and hope it works.

[Coconut Monkey]

Oh blast, you've got me double posting now!

Make sure you have file sharing enabled for each PC (under the network settings). Right click folders/drives and choose either the sharing option or the tab under properties.

The *.cab setup files will all be in one place, so all you need to do is point the popup window to their folder location. There are over 70 of them, with many using the naming convention of "WIN98_x.CAB".

[Kiel]

Oh blast, you've got me double posting now!

Make sure you have file sharing enabled for each PC (under the network settings). Right click folders/drives and choose either the sharing option or the tab under properties.

The *.cab setup files will all be in one place, so all you need to do is point the popup window to their folder location. There are over 70 of them, with many using the naming convention of "WIN98_x.CAB".

GREAT NEWS!

I found the files in WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS.

It set up the entire ICS, created a client disk, etc. I thought we were well on our way, but there's just one last thing! The client disk seemed to work perfectly on y computer (the client of course), but whenever I start IE it says "Detecting proxy settings..." down the bottom and I can't surf the web. I'd say that piece of sh*t PPPShare has made a proxy configuration. Any help on removing this?

[Coconut Monkey]

Ensure the client PC is still correctly setup with the network settings I supplied in my guide (or similar).

Then, in IE, go to Tools -> Internet Options -> Connections -> LAN Settings -> Uncheck everything (failing that, tick "Automatically detect settings").

[Kiel]

Ensure the client PC is still correctly setup with the network settings I supplied in my guide (or similar).

Then, in IE, go to Tools -> Internet Options -> Connections -> LAN Settings -> Uncheck everything (failing that, tick "Automatically detect settings").

Yep, all settings are correct. After having unchecked all the LAN settings stuff, because "Automatically detect settings" was already checked, I rebooted y computer. Now, instead of detecting proxy settings, it says Finding site: www.msn.com which reminds me I have to change the homepage.

Any ideas?

Oh and does win98 ICS support third party programs such as MSN, games etc?

[Kiel]

Obviously you're busy.

I'll keep checking though.

[Coconut Monkey]

Back! Bloody uni exams.

Is the network still working? Ping the server from the client.

The Windows 98SE ICS software has a nasty habit of falling over, requiring a reinstall and maybe even a reinstall of the network card (remove from device manager and reboot). Anyway, see how the above works first.

[Kiel]

Back! Bloody uni exams.

Is the network still working? Ping the server from the client.

The Windows 98SE ICS software has a nasty habit of falling over, requiring a reinstall and maybe even a reinstall of the network card (remove from device manager and reboot). Anyway, see how the above works first.

Network still works, funny thing is, the ICS didn't even start working, though I'm still running "icsmgr" in the background of the server.