Windows 95 & DHCP a no go

DHCP dows not seem to work in windows 95. I have an older Compaq Laptop (Armada 1560DM 32MB RAM) that I want to use as a terminal in my home network but DHCP (or maybe TCP/IP) fail to make a connetion with the router (Linksys. Or maybe I should try a version of Linnux that will run on 32MB of RAM?