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Windows NT 3.51 doesn't see Intel 8255x Fast Ethernet

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First post, by mgtroyas

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Hello all,

I'm building a multi-boot system on a Toshiba Portege 2010 laptop, to see how far I can get compatibility wise. For now I've been lucky making mostly everything work under Windows 98, 95, NT4, Windows 3.11, but I've found a problem on NT 3.51.

This laptop has an integrated Intel 8255x based Fast Ethernet network card (aka Intel PRO/100+), and I've managed to find drivers for all the OS so far (i.e. here), but the Windows NT 3.51 drivers are giving me problems. In theory I found the right ones, even multiple versions of them, but when I try to install them they say they don't detect a compatible network card:

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It's funny because as the drivers on the other OS work I know the card has no problems. In one of my tests I installed some slightly newer drivers (probably for NT 4.0 / NDIS4, they install the ProSet2 tool instead of ProSet) that come with a diagnostics tool and it seems to check the card correctly on some tests, but then after reboot on Event Viewer it complains about not being able to turn on the card, which is what happens when the model of the card is not the one the drivers are expecting...

On Windows 98 the main driver file is called "e100bnt5.dll", on 3.11 its "e100b.386", and on NT 3.51 it tries to use "e100bnt.dll" so it doesn't look like using something radically different.

Perhaps the problem is on other place, like resource sharing, but I haven't been able to find an explanation, it looks as it should just work. Any help or idea will be welcome.

Last edited by mgtroyas on 2026-05-18, 07:31. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 1 of 2, by mgtroyas

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Ok, after testing each Intel driver package on existence I've found probably the only one that works for Windows NT 3.51.

  • There's another one that let's itself be installed but doesn't detect the card after reboot, I guess because it was designed for chip Intel 82557 and my card is probably using the 82558 or 82559. Subsequent drivers supported all revisions.
  • All the later versions of the drivers either refuse to install because they only support NT 4.0 and later, on a newer NDIS version (the file used is "e100bnt.sys"), or simply are not understood by the OS at reboot.
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It's crucial you start with a clean OS install and correctly install the Networking software (TCP-IP etc) and right NIC driver on the first try, following the wizard from "Control Panel > Networking". If you install the wrong driver then the right one... it won't initialize the card on boot. If you install the NIC drivers, then run the wizard and install a second NIC, then delete that second NIC... it won't initialize the card on boot...

So for now I've already managed to make this NIC work on Windows 3.11 (same story, only one set of working drivers exist and they're hard to find, they contain a subfolder called "wfw"), NT 3.51, NT 4.0, Windows 95, 98, Millenium, 2000, XP on my multiboot project. Perfect for installing software from my QNAP NAS.

I'm attaching these drivers here, and I'll upload them later to the Vogons Drivers Library.

Reply 2 of 2, by feipoa

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I could only find one working driver - this experience is not uncommon with NT 3.51. I've run into similar issues with graphics and sound drivers in NT 3.51.

Plan your life wisely, you'll be dead before you know it.

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