connecting win 98SE to the internet....How?

have a computer running win 98SE and cannot get it to connect to the internet through my home network. It would be nice to network it with the other computers on my network (all running win xp pro) but not an absolute. It can operate as a "stand alone" unit if necessary. The modem/router is a Westell 327w, which allows hard wired as well as wireless. The win 98se is an older computer that was previously connected via dialup but never via dsl. I have a network card installed with the proper drivers but still cannot get it to connect. I have also installed a pci USB card to allow a wireless connection if that is a better solution, but neither connection will access the internet. I get a "cannot find server" and apparently a dns error message. I have checked all the sites and tried all the tricks I have been able to find, all to no avail......If anyone could "spoon feed" me about the various settings and so forth, I would be most appreciative. Thank you.....rocknroller....

 

Hi rocknroller and welcome,

It's certainly possible to connect win98SE to the internet via LAN and wireless, I've done both and currently my dinosaur is connecting wireless via a Belkin Wireless adapter and a netgear wireless router.

I rarely use this system now (though other family members use it often) but it is fairly stable. If you have no further assistance in the next couple of hours I'll go visit the dinosaur and come back to you.

 

Thank you Wildfire!

Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated. I would like to connect wirelessly if possible and being new to networking procedures, settings, etc., a step by step (in the simplest of terms) will probably work best for me... provided I do not impose on your time and patience...thanks again...rocknroller....

 

to wildfire
Where were you before I installed XP overtop of my 98SE?
I had the same type of no connection problem, only with a cable connection not being recognized.

 

Your computer can work fine in windows 98 all by itself - either attached to a home network lan or by itself
The key is to have a working networking adapter - be it ethernet network card , wireless network adapter or modem
The newest stuff may not include windows 98 drivers
( although the maker may have on their website)
If you can find an older even throw away network card
You have a higher chance of installing natively on the fly
If you can find a really old - ISA ( rather than in the white PCI slots) network card they usually install natively with windows 98
If you can find an intel based or 3 com pci card good as well
( often the compaq network cards are fine)
Interestingly with intel cards they need to be hooked up to a lan to set up
You most likely will need a windows 98 install disc to point to on set up if you have more non standard card for the install process
One last point - check if it is Windows 98 SE ( second edition) or the older previous product just Windows 98
For USB devices ( say a usb wireless adapter) you will need Windows 98 SE
Check on the drive. The person who did the install might of left a copy of the windows 98 install disk for install support support

 

Network card

Dear Visionof,
I have a pci network card installed w/ drivers and have pinged the card at127.0.0.1 and get 100% return, so apparently the card is working properly. Also, I have checked the individual properties in control panel for both the nic and the USB card, and it says that both devices are working properly.

I also installed a USB adapter in another pci slot w/ drivers which also is working properly. This was installed to allow me to set up a wireless connection if possible.

However, neither way will connect to the internet as I get a "cannot find server" and a dns error message. I am using version 6.1 of the windows browser.

Finally the OS is windows 98SE, but may not have all the upgrades needed (one of the primary reasons I need to connect is to update the 98SE OS)
Also, the Netopia wireless card blinks yellow but does not blink green, which would indicate that I have internet connectivity. I believe that the issue is a relatively simple one, but I just can't put my finger on the problem.....any ideas?

Thanks so much for your effort to help....rocknroller....

 

Same problem I had before I said "Heck with it" and installed XP.

 

Not an option!

Dear geothom31,
I wish I had that option but there are programs on this old computer (win98SE) that are intact and will not transfer to an XP computer and still operate as needed. If I could locate the installation disks (floppies I believe) maybe it would work. Anyway, thanks so much for your effort to help. Maybe someonr will read these posts and come up with a solution...rocknroller...

 

Older versions

If you need some older versions of apps and programs for your 98SE, go to
http://oldapps.com

 

A thought that has occured to me that it may be the software aspect of your network connection. I suggest triggering a rebuild of your networking by removing the Dial Up adapter from Control Panel\Network.
Note: this will trigger a prompt for your Win98 CD, or the setup files location. Select to keep the newer files when prompted.

 

Exasperated!

Thanks MarkP62,
I have already done that and no help. I believe that the system is stuck somewhere between win 98 and win 98SE. I think I am going to try a repair of the OS and hopefully it will not delete my programs and apps that I need to keep. If you or anyone has a better solution I would be most appreciative....rocknroller....