For the sake of simplicity assume that DOS networking and Windows networking both can't be setup at the same time ... "There can only be one."

• Assume that Windows is the primary operating system on the machine. Install and use Windows networking as Windows intended it.
• Win95 and Win98 let you exit to DOS instead of just shutting down the machine. When you get to a DOS prompt load your packet driver and mTCP then.
• If you want to return to Windows, reboot while still at the DOS prompt.

I do this with my Win98 machine and it works well.

Yes. I was thinking of that. as to working with a memory config menu on startup, having two different Windows folders one with networking stuff equipped and one with out was a possibility. was in my head aand kinda made sense. However, I now have other issues that may be putting this on hold
Mentioning burn out, I had been at this specific issue for 2 days already. When I run into a problem, I tend focus exclusively on it till I have an answer.
After I posted, it never occured to me to also include "dosbox" in my searches and voila... some answer. yeah, I was working this waiting for my post t o be responded ot.
An intermediate packet driver (WINPKT.COM) needed to load after the NE2000 driver. Then something like Winsock in windows. (I had forgotten about that as it was mentioned in oooooooold training when I was a call center tech support agent for Earthlink back in 1999.
It "works" I can ping in DOS and start windows and still ping sites. Browsing is another question as I cannot confirm that due to PCem losing mouse control after I installed Trumpet Winsock 3.0 seems there is a known problem that under certain conditions, the mouse no longer works. Some also report no longer having keyboard working and I think it has to do with networking as on a lark I completely reinstalled Windows and installed Microsoft's TCP-IP tools again and both stopped working on reboot.
I get the same behavior in 86Box. I tried 32-bit and 64 bit builds, both stable and most recent successful builds.
I can't talk about it on the Pcem forum as I apparently forgot the password to log in. I have requested a password reset twice (while dealing with this) and never received an email. I cannot "contact the administrator" as the page is disabled. I cannot sign up with a new account as that appears to be disabled. It is as if the PCem forum is abandoned, but there have been recent posts in the last month and the Jenkins repo has been having almost daily activity. Looks like on to github to post an issue there and maybe it will help in development.
I would try this in DOSBox, but the whole point in me working with PCem and 86box is to have some kind of environment that is as close to the "real thing" as possible. The article I ended up finding pointed me in the right direction after I mentioned "dosbox" in the search terms and according to it, it was specifically for DOSBox.

James_Richards wrote on 2024-07-01, 15:09:

2) have MS-DOS 6.22 and Windows 3.11 for workgroups installed with Microsoft TCP-IP 32 .

MS TCP-IP 32 is just that, 32-bit (only), it does not function in DOS. It is possible to do what you're asking for with the MS DOS network client and its 16-bit TCP implementation. That can be loaded at startup in DOS and does continue to work in windows 3.x. Getting windows sockets to work *should* be possible, but I was never able to achieve it. I believe this was because I was using Windows 3.1 in Standard Mode on a 286. I believe the Winsock stuff required enhanced mode.

I vaguely remember that some guy wrote that WfW 3.11 network stack can be run without Windows GUI. I have to check, though.

Edit: Might be related to WINSTART.BAT.
It's a batch file that gets being run by Windows shortly before the Windows GUI starts.

By putting Command.com into it, both network drivers and the MS-DOS interpreter might be available.

http://win31.de/etips.htm

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/AUTOEXEC.BAT

I have been overthinking this way too hard. chalk it up to being able to network 20+ Windows XP+ computers and do some fun things, but feeling like a fish out of water when it comes to MS-DOS
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I accomplished what I wanted... I got it working with the packet driver, packet manager and winsock. I am freaking out on something that could be JUST a problem with PCeM and once I get my DOS machine put together, it may actually work out in practice.
I WISH I paid more attention back then, though. Even though knowing how to do these things isn't overly useful for a job (a local company HAD some DOS machines that were on a local network and a couple months ago finally got rid of them for newer machines since they now have a new control program to work with.
Can you blame me, though? Last time I touched piece of metal running 3.11 was back in... 2000??? when I jumped into a 486 and Windows 98. frakk, I was 12 when I built my 386 and ran that until I had a job and out of high school. I had no clue I might want/need to know some of those things now. Ha! Even when I took my A+ in 2001, it really didn't ask any 3.1 questions that I could remember. I retested in 2005... still passed. Decided to retest in 2013 and passed. Doing quite well with the knowledge gap, I think. I mean...I just termed into a 95 vm with this same 3.1 vm I am working on and sending messages and little files back and forth.
I think I'll move on to the next thing that causes me to overthink and start pulling out the last of my hair I have left.

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Thank you all for puttinh up with an ageing didiot 😉