DOS Games Discussion

I would like to re-play classic DOS games like Z, Command & Conquer or Duke Nukem 3D over a IPX network.



I've two computers linked via lan (ethernet card)

A) P III 500 MhZ (hey! stop laughing!) 64mb ram Windows 98 (changed to win 2000 some days ago)
P IV 1,7 GhZ 256mb ram Windows XP

and I'd like to play some old game that supports IPX against a real human now!

However, many old games recognizes IPX network only on computer A. Computer B seems to have only TCP\IP network installed, even if it mentions IPX network too.

Keep in mind that:

- I installed the LAN connection on 2 different windows (98 and XP). On Winodws 98 (2000 now) you have to do all manually. On Windows XP just insert the driver diskette and it does all automatically. This is where I think the problem is: Windows XP AUTOMATICALLY installs ONLY tcp\ip protocol? Or it does his task correctly (installing ipx too)?

- I tested the IPX network with DXdiag and it seems succesful. However, I tested the ipx protocol with these following games too:
Command & Conquer
Duke Nukem 3D
Warcraft II
Z (from bitmap brothers. I wonder if someone knows this game)
...and all of these recognise the ipx protocol only on computer A, except 'Z', which I had to run it on a DOS emulator, 'DOSBox'.

- ADDITIONAL INFO (note: all of that is roughly translated from Italian to English settings - words may not correspond entirely to a good translating, sorry) -


A) OLD PC


Network Connection (LAN)


CNet PRO200WL PCI Fast Ethernet Adapter

----------------
Client Service NetWare
Microsoft Network Client
SAP
Microsoft Networks' files and printers sharing
AppleTalk Protocol
DLC Protocol
NetBEUI Protocol
Network monitor driver
Internet Protocol TCP IP
NWLink NetBIOS
Compatible Transport Protocol NWLink IPX\SPX---- ;see below settings
||
||
__
\/

Internal Network Number: 00000000 (8 zeroes) ;]
Frame type: Ethernet 802.3 ;][these settings are the same for both PCs
Network Number: 00000000 (8 zeros) ;]



---------------------------------


NEW PC


-----------------------------------


(Network Connections' Window)

Network Bridge
_______________

1) Network Connection (LAN)
2) 1394 Connection - 1394 net adapter - (???)
linked to a
3) Network Bridge


---------------
Network Bridge Settings


Microsoft Network Client
Microsoft Networks' files and printers sharing
pianification packets QoS utility
Microsoft IPv6 Developer Edition
Driver Network Monitor
NWLink NetBIOS
Transport Compatible Protocol IPX\SPX\NetBIOS (see settings above)
Internet Protocol TCP\IP

-----------------------------------------------------


I recently made a diskette with a working Config.sys and Autoexec.bat, full of mouse driver, cd driver and network driver (Ipxpd.com), so that I can access on pure DOS on both computers.

http://home.pacifier.com/~mcginty/enet.htm

Following these instructions the two PCs can now see IPX correctly, but they cannot see eachothers.

-------------------------------------

I've been trying from one year to make the ipx protocol work, but i don't want to surrender! Has someone got the same problem?

thx in advance.

ERRATA CORRIGE

A) P III 500 MhZ (hey! stop laughing!) 64mb ram Windows 98 (changed to win 2000 some days ago)
P IV 1,7 GhZ 256mb ram Windows XP

This means "B )".

Ok, here's what you should do on computer B:

Start -> Settings -> Network Connections -> (Your LAN Connection)

From the general tab, you can see the protocols you have installed. I just noticed on my computer (WinXP Pro, SP2) that IPX isn't installed by default. Click the install button, select protocol, then click Add. After a while another window should show up. Select "NWLink NetBIOS/IPX..." or whatever has IPX in it.

Voila! Note that I just did it right now on my computer, and it worked fine. However I didn't try using any of the games you mentioned.

Don't you need a Novell Netware server for that?

http://www.novell.com

IPX and Novell are installed.

I downloaded a Novell client fron www.novell.com and now the two PCs can recognize correctly IPX network, but they cannot see eachothers properly. I tried to make a network game on Warcraft II. The game's name was correctly viewed on the other PC, but it cannot access to it. Is Windows XP network uncompatible with Windows 2000?

Could you specify exactly why you can't access it (ie. what happens when you try to join) and if it happens both ways.

Yes, it happens both ways. Well, it just says 'Joining the game' without doing nothing. I tried to wait one and a half hour, but it didn't do anything.

Now I'm trying DOSBox 0.62 . It says it has IPX support...