Loosing Network Connection

1) Check the event log on the NT server. Does it report connection failures also? If so it could be that your server's nic or the hub is failing intermittently.

2) Have you recently added anything to the server in the way of software that could cause random strangeness like a virus program or monitor program?

3) Are the workstations all configured the same? If so try disabling their virus software or other programs running in memory. There are some packages that will cause connection failures. Using MSconfig at the run prompt from the start button allows you to control the startup programs. Work with various combinations to determine if one of the programs is causing the comm failure.

3) Protocol/memory conflicts can cause this. Look through your protocols and simplify the number of them to one if possible. Experiment with a workstation to see if removing and readding the protocols will help.

In summary your possibilities are:

1) Memory conflicts
2) Server hardware confiicts
3) Hub failure.

Hope this helps!

Be sure to upgrade the 95 and 98 computers at windowsupdate.microsoft.com, there have been many critical updates as well as specific networking updates made since 95 and 98 were issued. I have resolved such issues as you explained simply by installing the updates.

There is a known issue regarding realtek network drivers and dropped connections especially if using DOS applications and as a lot manufacturers use realtek chips on their cards (3com included) the Plug & Play setup may have added these drivers, Thesolution is to remove these entries from the registry (Remove every driver that starts with RTL (backup first of course)) and make sure you are using the latest 3com drivers, Delete any realtek drivers from your local c drives as well (search for RTL*.*). There can also be issues with some TCP drivers 'nagling' (adding 2 or more packets together), This should be in the driver settings in network properties under packet size.
Hope this helps

Another thing to consider:

You mentioned being on a 10/100 network. Make sure the cards on the workstations are configured to run at the same speed as the hub/switch they are connected to. It is known that by default 3com cards do auto sensing ofthe network speed but sometime cannot correctly talk to the hub/switch and vise-versa. It would be best to have your network folks look to make sure speed and duplex settings match between the workstations, servers, and their repective hub/switches.

Are you running any cisco switches. if so config the ports to run portfast. We had a similar problem and this cleared it up. To learn how to do this depending on the model of switch visit cisco's web site.

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