I have following ideas:
- Try another IRQ
- Is there a possibility to change the media type?

Normally you wouldn't see link at the other end if Rx was borked.

What OS are you using and what kind of driver? There's a DOS packet driver for these which is really basic. If you're not already using it, try that with mTCP.

What routers did you test it on? Do they support 10Mbps network connections?

Had the same issue some time ago with some newer switches which don't support 10Mbps network cards anymore. So used a dedicated 10/100 switch for my retro hardware instead.

Yoghoo wrote on 2026-06-18, 08:06:

What routers did you test it on? Do they support 10Mbps network connections?

Had the same issue some time ago with some newer switches which don't support 10Mbps network cards anymore. So used a dedicated 10/100 switch for my retro hardware instead.

That definitely is an issue - but I wouldn't expect to get link at all if that was the case.

(to avoid this I have an old 3Com dual-speed hub for my oldest machines - I love its LED utilization meters)

If it manages to get a ping across the network, the media select is set right.

Also, for the thing to ping at all, it probably has to hear the answer of the arp who-has it must perform before it…

I’d stick it in a linux box and see what tcpdump does on it when exposed to traffic on a hub.

I agree that the lights would not light at all when the link partner does not support 10Mbps. Also, I don’t see how the link light on the card would light up when the RX part is dead, as it has to detect signal for that to happen.

Ooh, and those led utilization meters on old hubs are awesome!

Disruptor wrote on 2026-06-18, 07:15:

- Try another IRQ

+1
And make sure the IRQ isn't used by some other device - set it to "Legacy ISA" in the BIOS.

This is another vote for the checking the IRQ that is being used - if you can send but not receive then it is most likely because the card is using one interrupt but your network software (packet driver, or whatever) is set to a different interrupt. Or there is a conflict on that IRQ.

BTW, mTCP "pkttool" can sniff the network to see if there are any packets coming in without configuring mTCP. You just need a packet driver. It is a good way to see if you are getting any traffic at all; usually you'll see broadcast traffic, like ARP requests or smart home things making lots of network noise.

Disruptor wrote on 2026-06-18, 07:15:

I have following ideas:
- Try another IRQ

Think I've tried all IRQ's, and with all of them now get the following:
- Insufficent memory to start Windows. Quit one or more memory resident programs, or remove unnecessary lines in Autoexec.bat or Config.sys.
- Windows protection error. You need to restart your computer.
- Self restart upon finishing loading Windows.

Tried clearing up Autoexec and Config to the level Autoexec is two lines, still refusing to load. Soundblaster moved to IRQ 10.

Fail-safe DOS Prompt:
Bad Command.com. Enter the path for Command.com and press Enter (until a hard restart, then it works again).

DOS diagnostics: All tests OK, or Interrupt Test failure, depending on IRQ.

Disruptor wrote on 2026-06-18, 07:15:

- Is there a possibility to change the media type?

Media type? 😮

dionb wrote on 2026-06-18, 07:58:

Normally you wouldn't see link at the other end if Rx was borked.

What OS are you using and what kind of driver? There's a DOS packet driver for these which is really basic. If you're not already using it, try that with mTCP.

Win95B, no additional driver. Windows identifies the card as NE2000 compatible.

Yoghoo wrote on 2026-06-18, 08:06:

What routers did you test it on? Do they support 10Mbps network connections?

Had the same issue some time ago with some newer switches which don't support 10Mbps network cards anymore. So used a dedicated 10/100 switch for my retro hardware instead.

Mainly Asus N56U, which worked with a slightly later UMC UM9008 in Win 3.11.
Also a Tilgin Vood 342 and a D-Link DE-809TC (proper BNC capable stuff! 😁) but only in first release Win95.

Try plain a plain old DOS driver.
If you search you might be able to find one of those ancient but magical "universal network boot discs" every admin under the sun had in the late 00s.

Usually the configsys/autoexec should be commented well enough/self explanatory that you can pull the 4-6 lines you need out, the 2-5 files, and get to the point you can get DHCP and a ping reply.

I can practically guarantee that every single network boot disc ever will have ne2000 drivers. They were the RTL8139 of ISA.

Ahrle wrote on 2026-06-19, 03:37:

Media type? 😮

You have a "Combo" card, which can be used with various media: Twisted Pair, Thin Coaxial, Thick Coaxial.
But if it transmits something, and you can see the transmission at the other end, then the medium selection is OK.

When trying to get such things running, the best idea is to make the config as simple as possible:
- remove the SB, and other unnecessary cards
- use pure DOS, "Command prompt only" is OK, with CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT as empty as possible
- set the NIC to I/O 300h, IRQ 10
- set IRQ 10 as "Legacy ISA" in BIOS
- load the packet driver: ne2000 0x60 10 0x300
- see if it receives something: pkttool listen 0x60 -v

Ahrle wrote on 2026-06-19, 03:37:

Disruptor wrote on 2026-06-18, 07:15:

- Is there a possibility to change the media type?

Media type? 😮

Media type... Selection between RJ45, AUI or BNC.
Available via either network card driver settings or network card configuration program

What mainboard are you using, and have you tried with just the cards necessary to have a working machine, ie without soundcard... ?

Ahrle wrote on 2026-06-19, 03:37:

[...]

Win95B, no additional driver. Windows identifies the card as NE2000 compatible.

Win95's plug & play wasn't referred to as 'plug & pray' for nothing.

The chip has NE2000 compatible features but the card may have details that aren't properly addressed by the generic driver.

UM9007 drivers are hard to track down, but you can find at least one set here:
https://www.vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?fil … &menustate=47,0

Just one challenge: these drivers pre-date Windows 95 by a couple of months, so no dedicated Win95 driver. But the config util in there (SETUP.EXE) can be used to write whatever config is needed into EEPROM, including media type selection. You'll probably need to run it from native DOS (i.e. not a DOS window under WIndows).

dionb wrote on 2026-06-19, 21:21:

The chip has NE2000 compatible features but the card may have details that aren't properly addressed by the generic driver.

Wrong!
The generic "NE2000 compatible" driver is sure to work fine.
BUT IT NEEDS CORRECT CONFIGURATION!

Windows is well-known to incorrectly detect settings of non-PNP ISA cards - especially the IRQ of NE2000 compatibles...
Win98 SE Network: Everything seems to work, but no IP
Cant connect my Windows 95 machine to my home network

Grzyb wrote on 2026-06-19, 05:16:

You have a "Combo" card, which can be used with various media: Twisted Pair, Thin Coaxial, Thick Coaxial. But if it transmits so […]
Show full quote

Ahrle wrote on 2026-06-19, 03:37:

Media type? 😮

You have a "Combo" card, which can be used with various media: Twisted Pair, Thin Coaxial, Thick Coaxial.
But if it transmits something, and you can see the transmission at the other end, then the medium selection is OK.

When trying to get such things running, the best idea is to make the config as simple as possible:
- remove the SB, and other unnecessary cards
- use pure DOS, "Command prompt only" is OK, with CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT as empty as possible
- set the NIC to I/O 300h, IRQ 10
- set IRQ 10 as "Legacy ISA" in BIOS
- load the packet driver: ne2000 0x60 10 0x300
- see if it receives something: pkttool listen 0x60 -v

With awe32 present :

Removing soundblaster also removed this occupation - yet with IRQ 10, utility gets IRQ failure.
With soundblaster at IRQ 10, MIDI will play, but sound cut out randomly.
Checked controller card and soundblaster, but couldn't immedately spot anything wrong.

dionb wrote on 2026-06-19, 21:21:

Win95's plug & play wasn't referred to as 'plug & pray' for nothing. […]
Show full quote

Ahrle wrote on 2026-06-19, 03:37:

[...]

Win95B, no additional driver. Windows identifies the card as NE2000 compatible.

Win95's plug & play wasn't referred to as 'plug & pray' for nothing.

The chip has NE2000 compatible features but the card may have details that aren't properly addressed by the generic driver.

UM9007 drivers are hard to track down, but you can find at least one set here:
https://www.vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?fil … &menustate=47,0

Just one challenge: these drivers pre-date Windows 95 by a couple of months, so no dedicated Win95 driver. But the config util in there (SETUP.EXE) can be used to write whatever config is needed into EEPROM, including media type selection. You'll probably need to run it from native DOS (i.e. not a DOS window under WIndows).

Got driver off retroweb (9007AF driver, whether it matters, this is just an F chip)

Your linked setup was a bit more comprehensive, pointing into an immediate issue:
IRQ 10 collision, suggesting IRQ 3.
Accept and restarting, IRQ 3 collides, suggesting IRQ 5.
Accepting and restarting, IRQ 5 collides, suggesting IRQ 3.
Thing screams for a gotek 😝

Disable COM2 (IRQ3)

myne wrote on 2026-06-20, 03:08:

Disable COM2 (IRQ3)

COM2 and LPT1 already disabled on controller card

Try to remove as many cards as possible to get your network card running.
Set media type to UTP (not auto-detect).
Boot without config.sys / autoexec.bat and run the config utility.

Try another slot.

First thing is to get success in the config utility.
Windows 95B just need himem.sys to be loaded, and DOS=HIGH

Ahrle wrote on 2026-06-20, 02:35:

[...] […]
Show full quote

[...]

IRQ 10 collision, suggesting IRQ 3.
Accept and restarting, IRQ 3 collides, suggesting IRQ 5.
Accepting and restarting, IRQ 5 collides, suggesting IRQ 3.
Thing screams for a gotek 😝

IRQ issues... that makes sense.

Quick check on BIOS settings:
- what's PnP OS set to? Recommend "No"
- when you set the card to an IRQ, do you also reserve that IRQ for "ISA/Non-PnP" in BIOS? If not, try that.