Realtek NIC driver install problem

[Sten Solberg]

Hi,

I am trying to use the integrated NIC on an AOpen motherboard and have installed
the the RTL8139 "NDIS2 driver for OS2 (Support OS2, Lanman)" driver supplied by
AOpen.

However, the system hangs when trying to load this driver (RTSND.OS2) during
boot. No error messages, just a flickering cursor.

The PROTOCOL.INI looks fine to me - in fact no different from the protocol.ini
on another system I have, where I use a Belkin rtl8139 ethernet card (I first
tried
to use the same driver/protocol.ini on this new system, but then OS/2 reported
no driver had been found/installed...). With the supposedly dedicated driver,
OS/2
says nothing, but hangs instead.

I have "Onboard LAN support" enabled in BIOS and can't think of other settings
to tweak. In short, I am out of ideas. Any tips?

[Sten Solberg]

Post by Sten Solberg
Hi,
I am trying to use the integrated NIC on an AOpen motherboard and have installed
the the RTL8139 "NDIS2 driver for OS2 (Support OS2, Lanman)" driver supplied by
AOpen.

<...>

Mistake. I have Realtek Gigabit and Nobuyuki Yanagihara's driver works like a
dream.

www.os2warp.be

[Siniša Pavlović]

Dana Thu, 25 Aug 2005 01:43:03 UTC, "Sten Solberg"

Post by Sten Solberg
Hi,
I am trying to use the integrated NIC on an AOpen motherboard and have installed
the the RTL8139 "NDIS2 driver for OS2 (Support OS2, Lanman)" driver supplied by
AOpen.
However, the system hangs when trying to load this driver (RTSND.OS2) during
boot. No error messages, just a flickering cursor.

Did you try RTL8139 driver from Hobbes?

[Sten Solberg]

On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 17:27:12 UTC, "Sinia Pavlovi"

Post by Siniša Pavlović
Dana Thu, 25 Aug 2005 01:43:03 UTC, "Sten Solberg"

Post by Sten Solberg
Hi,
I am trying to use the integrated NIC on an AOpen motherboard and have installed
the the RTL8139 "NDIS2 driver for OS2 (Support OS2, Lanman)" driver supplied by
AOpen.
However, the system hangs when trying to load this driver (RTSND.OS2) during
boot. No error messages, just a flickering cursor.

Did you try RTL8139 driver from Hobbes?

Thanks. Yes, but it turned out I had not read the manual carefully enough, and
that this m/b version uses Realtek Gigabit... Using Nobuyuki Yanagihara's
Gigabit driver, I get full Internet connectivity when the system boots all the
way to the desktop, something it seldom does.

So my next question is: what may be the reason for the system hanging most of
the times when loading, or trying to load, PMSHELL.EXE, but not every time?

I should add that the system always complains during boot that DHCP has not
received parameters, but that, in the occasional instances when the system boots
fully, it turns out that DHCP is working. So the 'negotiations' must be
successful at some point anyway. This does not seem to have any bearing on the
PMSHELL.EXE hangs, however. The system boots, or does not boot, seemingly
independent of whether the MPTS configuration is correct or not.

[Wolf Kirchmeir]

Post by Sten Solberg
On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 17:27:12 UTC, "Sinia Pavlovi"

Post by Siniša Pavlović
Dana Thu, 25 Aug 2005 01:43:03 UTC, "Sten Solberg"

Post by Sten Solberg
Hi,
I am trying to use the integrated NIC on an AOpen motherboard and have installed
the the RTL8139 "NDIS2 driver for OS2 (Support OS2, Lanman)" driver supplied by
AOpen.
However, the system hangs when trying to load this driver (RTSND.OS2) during
boot. No error messages, just a flickering cursor.

Did you try RTL8139 driver from Hobbes?

Thanks. Yes, but it turned out I had not read the manual carefully enough, and
that this m/b version uses Realtek Gigabit... Using Nobuyuki Yanagihara's
Gigabit driver, I get full Internet connectivity when the system boots all the
way to the desktop, something it seldom does.
So my next question is: what may be the reason for the system hanging most of
the times when loading, or trying to load, PMSHELL.EXE, but not every time?

Could be the order in which BASEDEVs and DEVs are loaded. Try a
config-sorting program. Can't hurt, anyhow.

HTH

[Sten Solberg]

<...>

Post by Wolf Kirchmeir

Post by Sten Solberg
So my next question is: what may be the reason for the system hanging most of
the times when loading, or trying to load, PMSHELL.EXE, but not every time?

Could be the order in which BASEDEVs and DEVs are loaded. Try a
config-sorting program. Can't hurt, anyhow.

I let ConfigTool v1.30 sort config.sys, but that only led to several error
messages. I am becoming convinced that the m/b is either unstable/defective, or
totally incompatible with OS/2. Strange things are happening besides the
pmshell.exe nonsense. In the middle of some operations, or when some software
error arises, instead of producing a WPS hang or something, the system
occasionally simply powers off. The PSU and the m/b itself are the only things I
have not exchanged/disconnected.

This is an AOpen n250a-fr. Since it is second hand, I can't say whom to blame.
So what is a fairly recent *AND* OS/2-compatible motherboard??

[Wolf Kirchmeir]

Sten Solberg wrote:
[...]to blame.

Post by Sten Solberg
So what is a fairly recent *AND* OS/2-compatible motherboard??

Try comp.os.os2.misc, there's a current thread on Supermicro boards w/
refers to a compatible Gigabyte board (for AMD Athlon.) Problem with
most recent boards is drivers for integrated sound/video/ethernet.

HTH

[Sten Solberg]

Post by Wolf Kirchmeir
[...]to blame.

Post by Sten Solberg
So what is a fairly recent *AND* OS/2-compatible motherboard??

Try comp.os.os2.misc, there's a current thread on Supermicro boards w/
refers to a compatible Gigabyte board (for AMD Athlon.) Problem with
most recent boards is drivers for integrated sound/video/ethernet.

Thanks. Yes, I am aware of the discussion. As a matter of fact I have a brand
new Gigabyte K8NXP-9 nForce4 Ultra in another box, one intended for Windows
only, but perhaps there's hope for OS/2 on it after all... If you read my last
post you will know that a new PSU took care of at least one problem I had with
this system. If it takes care of the instability altogether, and if I can ever
get the PMSHELL.EXE problem sorted, things will be reversed and I might end up
recommending this board... :)

Remains the sound - I have still to investigate whether the onboard Realtek
AC'97 can be used.

[Rich Wonneberger]

Post by Sten Solberg
So what is a fairly recent *AND* OS/2-compatible motherboard??

I have no problems with Intel boards.
I had eCS on an Asus P4R800-V delux for a short test.
The NIC worked (up to 1 Gig)
I did not get error messages about the USB, did not test it.
The video was supported.
It doesnt power off, but I did not spend a lot of time on it either.

Rich W

[Sten Solberg]

Post by Rich Wonneberger

Post by Sten Solberg
So what is a fairly recent *AND* OS/2-compatible motherboard??

I have no problems with Intel boards.
I had eCS on an Asus P4R800-V delux for a short test.
The NIC worked (up to 1 Gig)
I did not get error messages about the USB, did not test it.
The video was supported.
It doesnt power off, but I did not spend a lot of time on it either.

Your experience seems to match what others are saying.
I had an Intel board on my PII system. Never a problem; good documentation.
However, after changing PSU, this AMD/AOpen system has now been been up for more
than 30 hours without any noticable problems...

Of course, I have still to solve the PMSHELL.EXE mystery, but the NIC works fine
when the system is fully booted.

[Siniša Pavlović]

Dana Sat, 27 Aug 2005 20:05:09 UTC, "Sten Solberg"

Post by Sten Solberg
So my next question is: what may be the reason for the system hanging most of
the times when loading, or trying to load, PMSHELL.EXE, but not every time?
I should add that the system always complains during boot that DHCP has not
received parameters, but that, in the occasional instances when the system boots
fully, it turns out that DHCP is working. So the 'negotiations' must be
successful at some point anyway. This does not seem to have any bearing on the
PMSHELL.EXE hangs, however. The system boots, or does not boot, seemingly
independent of whether the MPTS configuration is correct or not.

Can't help you with that, I'm affraid. I am just about to start
exploring networking part of OS/2 since I'm planing to switch to
wireless soon and make some kind of small LAN in the process. All I
can say is that you should apply latest fixes to networking
components... Can't hurt.

[Sten Solberg]

On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 16:34:12 UTC, "Sinia Pavlovi"

Post by Siniša Pavlović
Dana Sat, 27 Aug 2005 20:05:09 UTC, "Sten Solberg"

Post by Sten Solberg
So my next question is: what may be the reason for the system hanging most of
the times when loading, or trying to load, PMSHELL.EXE, but not every time?
I should add that the system always complains during boot that DHCP has not
received parameters, but that, in the occasional instances when the system boots
fully, it turns out that DHCP is working. So the 'negotiations' must be
successful at some point anyway. This does not seem to have any bearing on the
PMSHELL.EXE hangs, however. The system boots, or does not boot, seemingly
independent of whether the MPTS configuration is correct or not.

Can't help you with that, I'm affraid. I am just about to start
exploring networking part of OS/2 since I'm planing to switch to
wireless soon and make some kind of small LAN in the process. All I
can say is that you should apply latest fixes to networking
components... Can't hurt.

Agreed. I think I have the latest; at least I am trying to install the latest
updates
as they arrive from SSI.

I installed a new PSU today, which fixed at least one problem: no more 'forced'
waiting between OFF and ON... Too early to tell whether the system has become
more stable otherwise. If it has, the only real problem is the farkakken
PMSHELL.EXE.