Tip of the Week: How to Install Win2K's NetBEUI in XP
Published Jan. 21, 2003, **broken link removed**. Revised March 3, 2003.
This tip provides fully researched information and steps for installing NetBEUI under Windows XP. A number of people are having difficulty with utilizing NetBEUI on small multiple-Windows-version networks. And I can understand why. In doing the research for this article, I ran into several NetBEUI roadblocks. But after many hours of trial-and-error testing with two networks, I was able to make both the Windows XP and Windows 2000 versions of NetBEUI work. What I found is that the way you install NetBEUI -- as well as how you uninstall a previous version of it before installing it a different version -- makes all the difference as to whether it will work properly or not.
The directions that follow have been revised more than once since they were originally posted on January 21, 2003 to reflect new knowledge gained on this subject. The steps detailed here work, and they've been validated by over 100 others who tried them. In case you're wondering: It has become clear to me that the Windows 2000 version of NetBEUI is preferable to the version included on the Windowx XP retail disc. **broken link removed**
NetBEUI has two advantages. The first is as an alternative to TCP/IP used on small networks. By using it instead of TCP/IP, you make it harder for people to hack into your network. This isn't foolproof security, but it's an excellent starting point. Another networking protocol included in Windows, IPX/SPX with NetBIOS, offers the same benefit though. The second advantage of NetBEUI is that it is claimed by some (including me) to do a better job than IPX/SPX with NetBIOS of helping various Windows versions inter-network.
With the introduction of Windows XP, Microsoft made it harder to install NetBEUI. It's no longer a standard networking option. Instead, it's located in a special legacy folder on the Windows XP CD.
**broken link removed** is the subject of an earlier Scot’s Newsletter tip. After I printed those instructions in November 2002, Doug Knox, a Microsoft MVP -- and someone who has contributed excellent tips to Scot’s Newsletter in the past -- emailed to say
**broken link removed**.
The best way to acquire the Windows 2000 version of NetBEUI is to take the two files involved from your standard retail version of the Windows 2000 XP. And I'm about to tell you how to do just that. But not everyone has the Windows 2000 CD. So a past Scot’s Newsletter Link of the Week award winner, Ted Mieske, proprietor of
**broken link removed**, has provided this
**broken link removed**. I checked the files myself (in March 2003) and the version numbers, dates, and information I could read all match NetBEUI from Win2K.
The directions that follow integrate input from a variety of sources and are probably your best guide to converting your small Windows network to NetBEUI in a mixed Windows environment. If you have anything to add to them from your experience, I would be interested in your
feedback.
How to Install Windows 2000 NetBEUI Under Windows XP
To ensure proper operation of your network, please follow these directions precisely.
1. If Windows XP PCs on your network have ever had the Win XP version of NetBEUI installed on them, you must fully remove that first to ensure a proper Win2K NetBEUI installation. The steps for carrying out this Win XP NetBEUI removal are more complex than you might expect -- more complex than installing W2K NetBEUI. They are summarized at the end of this tip.
IMPORTANT: If this applies to you, please read through, but don't execute, all the other steps first, then uninstall the XP version and return to this spot.
2. NetBEUI consists of two files, Nbf.sys and Netnbf.inf. You'll find both files in compressed form on the Windows 2000 CD. They are located in the CD's \i386 directory, and they are contained in these compressed files:
Nbf.sy_
Netnbf.in_
You may also directly download them in .ZIP format
**broken link removed**.
If you get them from the Win 2000 CD, there are two relatively easy ways to uncompress the files. Most versions of Windows have the Extract utility available to them. To use Extract, open a Command prompt and type these two lines, pressing Enter after each:
extract {CD Drive Letter}:\i386\netnbf.in_ {dest. path}\Netnbf.inf
extract {CD Drive Letter}:\i386\nbf.sy_ {dest. path}\nbf.sys
You'll need to replace the descriptions surrounded by {brackets} with drive/path information specific to your PC.
The second way to uncompress the files requires you to have
Nico Mak's WinZip (I tested with the 8.1 version) or a similar utility. With WinZip installed, you should be able to double-click Netnbf.in_ and Nbf.sy_ in turn, and use the "Select the program from a list" option to direct WinZip to open the file. Then use WinZip's Extract function to extract the files contained to the location described in the next step.
3. Create a folder called "NetBEUI for Win2K" and copy the extracted files into it. (You might also want to add a Favorites shortcut to this Web page if you use IE.) Copy the folder to all the PCs on your network.
4. Copy the extracted files to these locations on the drive Windows XP is installed to:
Copy Nbf.sys to your \Windows\System32\Drivers folder.
Copy Netnbf.inf to your \Windows\Inf folder.
NOTE: If you can't find your \Windows\Inf folder, click Start > Run > type Explorer > press Enter. Then click Tools > Folder Options > View tab. Under Advanced Settings, click "Show hidden files and folders" under the "Hidden files and folders" folder.
5. IMPORTANT: Restart your computer. Although Windows XP is not supposed to require a reboot after making network changes, I found that doing this prevented later problems. Your experiences may be different, but these directions are written to avoid problems that at least some people may have.
6. Open the Control Panel called "Network Connections." There are several ways to do that, only some of which may apply to you depending on interface settings you chose in past. You can right-click either My Network Places if it's visible on your desktop or the Network icon if it's visible on the system tray and then choose Properties. If neither of those methods works, click Start and open the Control Panel. Find and double-click the "Network Connections" icon.
Next, right-click the network connection icon to which you want to add NetBEUI and click Properties. (The default name for the connection is "Local Area Connection.")
7. On the General tab, click Install. Next click Protocol > Add.
8. Click to select the NetBEUI protocol from the list and then click OK.
9. Restart your computer if you receive a prompt to complete the installation.
10. Once every PC on your network has NetBEUI installed, there are two additional chores you should carry out. The first is to remove IPX/SPX and NetBIOS from all your PCs (if they have it). Every network protocol and service you add to Windows has the potential to slow down its operation and boot times. Plus, you just don't need both of these protocols on a peer network. To remove IPX/SPX and NetBIOS, Click Start > Control Panel > double-click Network Connections. Right-click the network connection name (the default name is "Local Area Connection") you want to add NetBEUI to and click Properties. Select "NWLink IPX/SPX/NetBios Compatible Transport Protocol." Click the Uninstall button. You also have the option of disabling IPX/SPX with NetBIOS by selecting each of the following items in turn and removing the check marks beside them:
NWLink NetBIOS
NWLink IPX/SPX/NetBIOS Compatible Transport Protocol
11. TCP/IP file and printer sharing should be turned off on all of your computers to separate the Internet from your network. Under Windows 9x/Me machines, this is accomplished in the Network Control Panel. Double click the TCP/IP entry that represents the LAN adapter you use to network with other PCs on your LAN. Click the Bindings tab. Remove the check mark beside "File and printer sharing for Microsoft Networks."
Under Windows 2000/XP, open the Control Panel called "Network Connections" under Windows XP or "Network and Dial-Up Connections" in Windows 2000. There are several ways to do that, only some of which may apply to you depending on interface settings you chose in past. You can right-click either My Network Places if it's visible on your desktop or the Network icon if it's visible on the system tray and then choose Properties. If neither of those methods works, click Start and open the Control Panel. Find and double-click the "Network Connections" or "Network and Dial-Up Connections" icon.
Once Network Connections is open, choose the Advanced menu and select "Advanced Settings." On the "Adapters and Bindings" tab, under "Bindings for [your network connection name]," remove the check mark beside "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" and click OK.
12. The next and last step is sometimes the most ticklish. Reboot all your PCs and check that they are able to connect to one another (not just the workstations, but also the drives or folders). Specific folders or volumes need to be shared from My Computer on each PC in order to run these checks. On Windows 2000/XP, the Guest account will need to be turned on or the names of the other workstations added to Users and Groups. In tests, I found NetBEUI a little sticky at this point. After opening Network Neighborhood or My Network Places and forcing that tool to find all available workstations on the network, you sometimes get an error message the first two or three times. This is especially true of Windows XP. Don't give up right away; keep trying. Once it connects the first time, it usually connects reliably after that -- if it has been installed properly.
Switching from Win XP NetBEUI to W2K NetBEUI
You can adapt the steps above to remove the Windows XP version of NetBEUI and replace it with the Win 2000 version. Start with Click Start > Control Panel > double-click Network Connections. Right-click the network connection you want to add NetBEUI to and click Properties. Select the NetBEUI entry and click the Uninstall option. Reboot your PC. Once back in Windows XP, select Start > Search. You need to configure Search options so that it uses the Advanced setting (three levels deep in the options screens) and also searches for All Files and Folders. Under More Advanced Options, it also needs check marks beside "Search system folders," "Search hidden files and folders," and "Search subfolders." Next, click on the "Look in" drop down and choose Browse. Navigate to the \Windows folder on the drive Windows XP is installed on (it may be the \Winnt folder if you upgraded from NT or Win 2000). There are two fields you can search with. One searches for filenames and the other for a text string found within a file. Run these three searches, in this order:
Filename: nbf.sys:
Delete any nbf.sys file you find in your Windows subfolders
Filename: netnbf.inf:
Delete any netnbf.inf file you find in your Windows subfolders
Text in a file: NetBEUI:
Delete any file you find that is named Oem??.inf, where the question mark(s) represents a numeral. Leave all other files intact.
Note: You can delete files right in the search results window by right-clicking them and choosing Delete.
All steps above were written for Windows XP, which is similar to Windows 2000. Although the concepts are the same under earlier versions of Windows, the steps and terminology differ in several ways. All previous versions of Windows also come with their own versions of NetBEUI; you should not try to install the Windows 2000 version of NetBEUI to those Windows installations. All PCs on the network must be running NetBEUI installed from their own protocol sets in order for NetBEUI to work.
Finally, a big thanks to SFNL reader Jack Rattok for helping to research and for extensive notes comparing on the NetBEUI issue. Jack maintains a website with
networking information on topics like NetBEUI and wireless networking you may want to check out. I'd also like to thank Fred Langa, who has used his
LangaList newsletter (to which I've long subscribed) to point to this document and help out a lot of folks in the process. Fred has also written about this subject in past, and has long been a proponent of using NetBEUI.