Chapter 8: Network Settings in the Registry

Overview

A new system creates new problems.

Technological Murphy's Law

A bit beyond perception's reach I sometimes believe I see that Life is two locked boxes, each containing the other's key

Piet Hein
Grooks. The Paradox of Life

Windows XP networking is mainly based on similar functionality provided by Windows 2000, including local networking, dial-up, and remote connectivity. Like Windows NT4.0/2000, the basic network settings in Windows XP registry are normally set during system setup. Most installation problems, caused by network adapters installed on the computer, occur at this time. Many Windows NT 4.0/2000 drawbacks were eliminated in Windows XP. One remaining problem, though, is incorrect detection of network adapters during installation. This wasn't completely eliminated, and still can occur during Windows XP setup. Unfortunately, the Setup program doesn't provide any other options for installing network adapters, except for automatic detection.

There's a solution, though: simply install the operating system without the network adapter (you should physically remove it from the computer). When the installation procedure has successfully completed, you add the network adapter using the Add Hardware applet in Control Panel, and then install the network components.