You don't need to install one SP over the other in NT4. Back then SPs were cumulative.

Getting networking running on NT4 is easier than Win9x and very straight forward. As long as you have a suitable nic with NT drivers it should work.

What I find strange is that 3C905 drivers are part of Windows 98 CD. They should not need extra drivers in NT...
...maybe make sure that all network drivers in control panel/system are removed and then just run hardware detection?
(My personal impression is that the hardware detection does not always detect and install new devices if previous drivers of other hardware are still active)

retardware wrote on 2021-09-07, 21:48:

What I find strange is that 3C905 drivers are part of Windows 98 CD. They should not need extra drivers in NT...
...maybe make sure that all network drivers in control panel/system are removed and then just run hardware detection?
(My personal impression is that the hardware detection does not always detect and install new devices if previous drivers of other hardware are still active)

I am really not familliar with NT4 ...but opening control panel and searching for any way to add or search for new hardware draws a blank.
So adding new hardware is not as easy as say 98 ...unless I'm missing something.
..and of course adding drivers without first adding the hardware to the OS is difficult.
I would assume there would have to be some sort of installation .exe for the driver(s) to be installed for any aditional hardware.
but maybe I should have fitted the NIC before I built the operating system..not tried to add it later ?
but then ..NT4 with SP1 would be unlikely to autodetect a PCI card at build time ..since it dates back to the days of ISA.

rgds

Caluser2000 wrote on 2021-09-07, 20:38:

You don't need to install one SP over the other in NT4. Back then SPs were cumulative.

Getting networking running on NT4 is easier than Win9x and very straight forward. As long as you have a suitable nic with NT drivers it should work.

Quite happy to start over ...but is there a suitable PCI NIC you could suggest?
I doubt the original OS installation CD for NT4 would have the ability to recognise any PCI card...so I would assume I would at least have to make sure to install all cumilative service packs before attempting any card PCI installs
Having said that there was a small overlap period..
Just done some digging ...and NT4 first released Aug 1996 ...PCI was starting to circulate but not in common use from 1994..

You just need to install SP6/6a security roll up. Not all the SP. At a minimum SP4. As I mentioned earlier just install a nic you deffenatelyl know it has suitable drivers. A LOT of business's used NT4 well into the 2000s. ie they never install NT2k or XP and dropped NT4 when they immediately when released.

There should be quite a few tutorials on how the install a network card in NT4. Yes you can defernently install the nic after NT4 is installed without any bother at all.

https://www.wikihow.com/Install-Windows-NT-4.0-Workstation

https://www.hpcfactor.com/support/patching/winnt4/

https://edn.embarcadero.com/article/25203

Once that is done you'll also have to set up a user account with correct permissions for network access and application use so you are not running as Administrator/Root user.

Caluser2000 wrote on 2021-09-07, 22:48:

You just need to install SP6/6a security roll up. Not all the SP. At a minimum SP4. As I mentioned earlier just install a nic […]
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You just need to install SP6/6a security roll up. Not all the SP. At a minimum SP4. As I mentioned earlier just install a nic you deffenatelyl know it has suitable drivers. A LOT of business's used NT4 well into the 2000s. ie they never install NT2k or XP and dropped NT4 when they immediately when released.

There should be quite a few tutorials on how the install a network card in NT4. Yes you can defernently install the nic after NT4 is installed without any bother at all.

https://www.wikihow.com/Install-Windows-NT-4.0-Workstation

https://www.hpcfactor.com/support/patching/winnt4/

https://edn.embarcadero.com/article/25203

Once that is done you'll also have to set up a user account with correct permissions for network access and application use so you are not running as Administrator/Root user.

Great info ..
I shall have another crack at this tomorrow.
A bit late to start again now.
many thanx

Looks like I have the NIC installed ....at least I do see my network now.
The NIC drivers I needed were on a CD I downloaded from archive.org.
Etherdisc 5.1
although I can see my 'network' ...I cant see my other computers nor my NAS.
unlike when I install a NIC under say 95 or 98 ...which would automatically display anything else on the network after double clicking on the network name.
..but as I said ..I've never used NT4 so this may well be normal ...
security ? this was an OS intended for business after all.
it does however get an address automatically using DHCP.
I'll keep going ...I am making some progress ..
..errr ..I think
..
..

I am a happy bunny today as my NT4 build is working with my network as it should..
Either the collection of 3C905 PCI cards I have are either faulty ...all of them which is unlikely ...set in the wrong operational mode ...or simply the drivers I tried are wrong.
So the 3C905 was removed physically and software wise.
I then referred to the NT4 built in supported NIC list and found a PCI card of a different type
A 3C595-TX
After much digging in my collection of old cards I found one..
Fitted it and tried again..
et voila ..
working with full network access.
...and no searching online for drivers.
problem solved.
This PC will be a multi boot multi OS system ...(pull out caddy system)
Next will be Win95 ....and all the way to XP.
It really does help to have the original driver/installation disc that comes with the mobo as this has all the OS support I need.
rgds
VS