This should be a simple issue, but is causing surprisingly often a problem:
When installing a network card, Windows needs to install the basic Network Components
(like: Client and protocol ) from the Windows Setup-files.

While the first version of Windows95 was still available on floppy disks, later versions of
Windows (like: 98/ME/NT4/2000) are only available on CD-ROM.
But where are these floppies or where is this CD-ROM ? Lost it ? Never got it ?

Check, whether you need the original Windows floppies or CD-ROM:
Some PC's came pre-loaded with Windows on the disk and the installation started to run,
when the PC was powered on the first time. On newer versions of Windows (like: Win98SE or ME),
the installation procedure copies all setup-files from CD-ROM to disk.

Some people (like myself) reconfigure their systems very often and are tired to play the disk-jokey:
to swap in and out the Windows CD-ROM, so they copied manually all setup-files from the
Windows CD-ROM - directory WIN95, WIN98, WIN9X ( or I386 in case of Windows NT4,
Windows 2000 or Windows XP ) to an equally named directory on the harddisk.

Note : If your system was installed from a Recovery CD-ROM, there is a high chance that the
installation files are already on your disk.

Windows 95/98/ME :
Check your system by selecting from the "Start"-menu: "Find" / "Files or Folders" and
search for *.cab :

does it find "WINsomething.CAB" files ? These are your Windows setup-files.
For example, this are my Windows98SE-setup-files, stored in "Windows\options\cabs".

Windows 2000 , Windows XP :

Check, whether you have on the disk the folder I386. It will contain all installation files from the Windows CD-ROM

In addition, Windows must know the location of these setup-files. This is set properly by the
Windows setup-procedure, but if you copied the Windows-files yourself, you need to tell
Windows this location :
The Registry entry is identical for Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP :

Select from your Windows Start-menu (click on the Start-button) the entry "Run", enter "regedit" and then click on "OK" to open the Windows Registry Editor.

	Locate the entry "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" and click on the "+" in front of it to display the values on the new level, the sub-keys.
	inside "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE", click on the "+" in front of "Software".
	On the next sub-level, click on the "+" in front of "Microsoft", then on the next sub-levels on the "+" of: - "Windows" - "Current-Version" and just click on "Setup":

The Registry entry of a Windows 2000/XP system :

With clicking on all these "+", you have selected the Registry key:
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup".
In the right-plane, search now for the name: "SourcePath", showing the location of your
Windows Setup-files, either on disk or on the CD-ROM (to change the location, double-Click
on "SourcePath" and enter the new value).

Note: On Windows 95/98/ME, the Registy entry "SourcePath" points to the location of the CAB-files.
On Windows 2000 / XP, the Registry entry "SourcePath" points to the location of the I386-folder, not to the
installation files itselves !

We have now our Windows Setup-files (either on CD-ROM, floppies or harddisk),
now we need the drivers for the specific network card to be installed in the next step:

Check, whether your version of Windows knows already about your type of network-card:

In the "Control-Panel", start the applet for "Network". On a system configure for Internet connection, you will have on the tab: "Configuration" just The "Client for Microsoft Networks", the "Dial-Up Adapter" for your modem and the "TCP/IP" - protocol. Click on the button "Add", select in the next window "Adapter" and the button "Add" to display the list of network adapters:

In this example, I have a look at the first "Manufacturer" in the list (3COM) and the list of "Network Adapters" : (above the list of Windows98-SE, on the left the much smaller list of the original Aug.95- Windows95 ). The driver has to match the network card. And just as an example: when now purchasing a 3COM Fast-Ethernet 3C905-TX card, you will get most probably the C-version: 3C905C-TX, so even Windows98SE does not have the proper driver for it.

You will most probably need a floppy disk or CD-ROM, which is delivered with your network card and which contains the network driver. Before installing the network card, have a look to this floppy / CD-ROM and locate for your version of Windows (Win95 works also for Windows98) the INF-file, which contains the Setup-Information. Please, note down the location of this INF-file, you will need it on rebooting your PC after the installation of the network card.