Been a dos laptop I suspect it doesn't have a network card built in.
In which case you'll probably need a PCMCIA card. Xircom was a popular make.
Getting it working in dos will be bit of a challenge though.

Next is networking itself.
Dos has a network client, this would allow you to map a network drive to your Win98 PC's CD drive
You can find a setup video here.
https://youtu.be/51BfA-nvZD8?si=B0tLs1iZsOVMaNhQ

Faster easier method would be mtcp and ftp the files across.

What I typically do on dos laptops is use null modem (I like LapLink by Traveling Software) but dos itself comes with the Interlink/Intersvr command.
I'll then install WFW 3.11 which is easier to get on the windows network then pure dos.

chinny22 wrote on 2024-11-01, 02:02:

Been a dos laptop I suspect it doesn't have a network card built in.

If all you need is to get files on/off it, take a look at my DDLINK.

This is how I communicate with all four of my DOS-only systems.
It is NOT a full network client. but a very small (17k .COM) that does NOT have to be installed,
and can perform file-transfers over Network, Parallel or Serial connection. (Com up to 115200,
Lan and Lpt are much faster)

Network uses a "Crynwr packet drivers" which are available for a LOT of network cards.

Also works well in DosBox so you can easily communicate with a newer system (like Wndows).

Dave ::: https://dunfield.themindfactory.com ::: "Daves Old Computers"->Personal

chinny22: I'm using a serial connection to connect the computers right now. DaveDOS: I want to share folders and drives, not just transfer files. I don't need to share ports, though. I can't share flash drives, as the DOS driver I have for them doesn't like QEMM, and I'd need QEMM for the network to buy more memory.

DDLINK will copy entire directory trees (aka "folders").
But if you need to access a shared "folder" from DOS things gets tricky.

Dos has INTERLNK(client) and INTERSVR(server) which can share a folder over a
serial or parallel connection ... but I've only seen it run under DOS. You might
be able to use it with Win95/98, but I don't know if anyone has ever produced
a Win32 version of INTERSVR, or if it could share anything other than a FAT16
partition.

I just tried DOSBOX and INTERSVR doesn't see DosBox mouinted drives.
You can boot "real DOS under DosBox" (see my DBBD) - that works, and INTERSVR
DOES see the IMGMOUNTed drives visible to DOS... but you have the same problem
accessing actual host "folders" (I use DDLINK to transfer files to from such
booted instances of DOS).

You might be able to make a DOS partition, boot it to share, but be able to
access it independently when booted to Windows.

If you want an "actual network" under DOS, you would need a NIC ... I've had
both PCMCIA and Parallel-port NICs which I did get working under DOS at one
time ... but that was MANY years ago!

If you can get a NIC ... you can pull the client from WindowsForWorkgroups and
it does run independntly under DOS ... but... It uses SMB 1.0 which is disabled
in modern Windows. You can enable it, but be aware that that opens you up to
vulnerabilities and hacks... I don't recommend giving such a machine access
to the internet!

(But if as the subject says you are most interested in networking DOS and Win98,
you should have less trouble doing that)

Dave ::: https://dunfield.themindfactory.com ::: "Daves Old Computers"->Personal

I use NSLAN for the network, but I have to run it in DOS mode. Also, I at first used INTERLNK and INTERSVR to network to another DOS laptop, but it has problems. First, it only shares drives, not folders. Second, it hogs the server and doesn't allow other programs to run. Third, I have to install INTERLNK in config.sys, and I want the network to be an option. Finally, it doesn't have peer-to-peer networking. While I can and have been switching the Win98SE tower to DOS mode, I just wanted to do it from Windows mode.

I'm not aware of any software that will allow you to map drives (which is the only way dos itself will see a remote location) over serial let alone one that works in dos to Win9x
I'd think you need to start going down the full blown network option.

Harry Potter wrote on 2024-11-01, 15:24:

I use NSLAN for the network, but I have to run it in DOS mode. Also, I at first used INTERLNK and INTERSVR to network to another DOS laptop, but it has problems. First, it only shares drives, not folders. Second, it hogs the server and doesn't allow

Cusious, I don't think I've heard of any DOS networking software called NSLAN, and professor google didn't seem to find any references to such a thing...

What exactly is it and is there anywhere you can still get it? I'd like to look at it in detail!

Dave ::: https://dunfield.themindfactory.com ::: "Daves Old Computers"->Personal

chinny22 wrote on 2024-11-04, 00:52:

I'm not aware of any software that will allow you to map drives (which is the only way dos itself will see a remote location) over serial let alone one that works in dos to Win9x
I'd think you need to start going down the full blown network option.

IIRC Microsoft INTERLINK worked over a serial (or parallel) link.

I haven't tried it, but I think mTCP has an ability to share/map drives now... It works on Ethernet through a "crwnwr packet driver".
There appears to be some packet drivers that simulate an ether connection over a serial link (I recall using one
that did "slip" but there are probably more general ones)

Back in the day I used a little DOS networking package that could share drives called "NEOS.NET".
It's been years, but IIRC it also used a "packet driver" - so you might be able to use it in a similar way.
(See) Re: Backing up a Hardcard+ from a 5150(I could make this available if anyone wants)

Dave ::: https://dunfield.themindfactory.com ::: "Daves Old Computers"->Personal

mTCP NetDrive is a block device driver that lets you use remote storage hosted by another machine. It's great for adding storage to an old machine, but it's block level storage - you can't share the storage with another machine at the same time. (That would require filesystem level sharing.) A good example is my PCjr web server; it doesn't have a hard drive so it's using NetDrive and the remote storage is hosted on a $15 Raspberry Pi Zero 2W.

On the plus side, it's only 6K of RAM plus whatever you need for a packet driver. And you can add up to 24 drive letters, each 2GB in size. (DOS 2.x and DOS 3.x users would be limited to 32MB per drive.)

I'm using nslan which is a full-blown network, but it can do a serial connection. DAVEDDS: you can find it at http://www.retroarchive.org/garbo/pc/net/index.html. I can try mTCP, but I don't have ethernet. 🙁 I also might need >2GB, full file system-sharing and the ability to use the same drive on two systems at a time.

Uh, that limit was 2GB *per drive letter* on later versions of DOS.

Also look at EtherDFS to see if that meets your needs. And plan on getting a network card no matter what, as trying to move files over the serial port is an exercise in frustration.

I'll check EtherDFS out soon. The computer I want to network is a DOS laptop, and I don't think it has an ethernet port or room for one. I have a new hard drive but need a caddy to attach it, so I think I will no longer need the network soon, but I can use it for things such as a CD-ROM drive or to install large programs.

I just checked it out. The docs say it can only support one LAN. Does that mean I can only connect two computers together? If so, I'm fine with that. They also say it requires a packet driver. Where can I find a suitable one? I have a null-modem serial cable to use. I just realized: it doesn't have a DOS/Windows server. 🙁 I have to stick with NSLAN for now. 🙁

Harry Potter wrote on 2024-11-06, 00:15:

I just checked it out. The docs say it can only support one LAN. Does that mean I can only connect two computers together? If so, I'm fine with that. They also say it requires a packet driver. Where can I find a suitable one? I have a null-modem serial cable to use. I just realized: it doesn't have a DOS/Windows server. 🙁 I have to stick with NSLAN for now. 🙁

LAN stands for "Local Area Network"
Typically, at home everything is part of the same LAN connecting to the same router. This would still be 1 LAN even though you have multiple devices attached.
At work you may have an "Internal" LAN and "Guest" LAN this would count as 2 networks and EtherDFS would only be able to talk to computer on the same LAN.

What laptop do you have? I'd be surprised if you couldn't get some kind of network setup on it.
But being realistic it won't be an easy task and not over serial, so NSLAN is probably still more convenient even with its limitations.

Harry Potter wrote on 2024-11-06, 00:15:

I just checked it out. The docs say it can only support one LAN. Does that mean I can only connect two computers together? If so, I'm fine with that. They also say it requires a packet driver. Where can I find a suitable one? I have a null-modem serial cable to use. I just realized: it doesn't have a DOS/Windows server. 🙁 I have to stick with NSLAN for now. 🙁

Sounds like it might already have NIC .. number or LANs supported is determined by how many you can physically connect to...
(It also depends on the OS you are running - so it may indicate the that OS shipped with it only supports one NIC - but that at least
suggests it's possible to add a NIC!

(and a single LAN can usually have many computers connected to it)

I'm using nslan... DAVEDDS: you can find it at http://www.retroarchive.org/garbo/pc/net/index.html.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

Dave ::: https://dunfield.themindfactory.com ::: "Daves Old Computers"->Personal

I have an NEC Versa 2000D laptop. I don't think it has ethernet. 🙁 I'm fine with NSLAN but could benefit from Windows mode and a smaller memory footprint.

Yeh that doesn't have ethernet. You do have the option of installing a network card in one of the PCMCIA slots if you really wanted.

You do have a modem though! you could setup a dial up server for the laptop.
Tutorial: Setup a low-cost home dialup connection without a real telephone line

but yeh, nslan still makes the most sense I think

FWIW - in "just playing with old stuff" today, I did manage to get INTERLNK
working between a DOS system and Win7!

But don't get your hopes up. INTERSVR was running in Win7 within "real" DOS
booted under DosBox. This worked, but it can't see Win7 drives, only disk
images IMGMOUNTed in DosBox.

But at least this tells us that DosBox disk emulation of IMGMOUNTs is good
enough that not only DOS itself can recognize them, but things like INTERLNK
and INTERSVR can as well (I tested each config).

And it does give you a way to "share" space on your Win harddrive with a DOS
system. (Now if there was a way to mount/access a drive image under Windows)

Unfortunately I've not had good luck writing IMGMOUNTs directly within
DosBox (always seems to corrupt it).

Dave ::: https://dunfield.themindfactory.com ::: "Daves Old Computers"->Personal

Thank you. The system should be fast enough to handle DOSBox, but I kind of want a better way of sharing drives and folders. I don't current need to share other resources, so just that should be fine.