Home LAN slow

[Silverado]

Hi

I have a very wierd problem that I have been unable to chase down. A number of years ago, I set up a home LAN with 2 PCs (both running WIN98) using a SMC Router. The LAN worked perfectly with both PCs running reasonably fast. Early this year, I purchased a faster PC (running XP Home) and I tried to replace one of the WIN98 PCs on the LAN. The WIN98 PC that still remains on the LAN works fine. The XP PC is very slow, quick to find home page - Google but so slow in surfing or Hotmail that the PC just usually times out. When it does (once in a while) hook up with Hotmail - uploading and downloading documents have a 99% chance of again timing out.

Now, for the wierd part. The only way that the XP PC works properly is if I physically disconnect the WIN98 NIC card (DLink DFE 530TX) from the router and then the XP PC works. Just turning the WIN98 PC off does not do it. I have to disconnect that cable.

Please help

Silverado

 

[kimsland]

Network card on Win98 pulling down your network speed.
I'd suggest mounting a newer Net card in the 98 machine

 

[NetCablesPlus]

It could be the nic as kimsland suggests or it could be that the cable that you are disconnecting is faulty and that could pull down the network, too. It is easier to try tp replace the ethernet cable first, of course.

 

[DelJo63]

check the cards for auto mode 10/100 mbs and set ALL systems to the same
value.

be the win/98 system is a 10mbs only and is drowning from the 100mbs fro xp

 

[tipstir]

How old is that NIC on the 98 box? Is that 10/100 or just 10TX base will pull down the network. Can that system have XP install on it? A lot of older systems can run XP with fancy graphics turned off and just use the classic 98 or 2000 look instead. If not then set the NIC to 100 full duplex or check your ethernet cables and maybe you're still using CAT 3 on that 98 box.

 

[cpionline]

replace the "storming" nic! I would guess that the orange (tx) light is always on! Its a storm.

 

[NetCablesPlus]

...maybe you're still using CAT 3 on that 98 box.

Or perhaps a Cat 5 network cable instead of a Cat 5e. It is easy to miss that when looking at the markings on the cable. Note that the Cat 5e may say Cat 5 Enhanced, instead of Cat 5e. The Cat 5 will also likely say 100 MHZ, while the Cat 5e will say 350 MHz.