Does the 486 use a PCI video card?  Is the PCI video using an IRQ?  It
doesn't have to for typical applications, and it may be conflicting, you
can disable the IRQ usage for a video card under CMOS settings on some
systems.

My Opti chip based OEM (don't know the manufacture) sound card did not
allow me to by pass the plug and play, and it the midi side of it was
always configured to conflict with my NE2000 network card.  Try taking the
sound card out of the 486 and testing the network.

The ISA card especially will need an IRQ and base address, that you may be
forced to set manually through a DOS utility, if the plug and play is not
getting it done on the older 486, which may have a BIOS version installed
that can't cut it for plug and play.  Even on "new" pc's I have been forced
sometimes to drop out to DOS to configure a PCI plug and play adapter that
stubbornly configured itself in conflict with another card or device I had
installed.

Sounds like your using coax (50 ohms) so test the cable without the t
connectors using a standard Radio Shack tester.

You need to have both pc's configured for at least one protocol in common.
 For a tiny home network you need under Control Panel, Netowrk,
Configuration Tab,
Client for Microsoft Networks - under properties,general,  specify quick
logon in case the other pc is sometime off.
An Adapter entry - under properties, bindings, at least one protocol must
be checked.
a protocol entry - IPX/SPX and / or NETBEUI are standard,   I like  TCP/IP
and I delete NETBUI and IPX, but TCP/IP is harder to configure since you
have to assign IP addresses, etc.
File and Printer Sharing - You may as well install this for both, since
security isn't an issue at home, is it?  Under Properties, Advanced, you
will see a table entry "Browse Master".  Make it "Disabled" for one PC,
"Auto" for the other.  It is a little fhing, but it sometimes helps to be
safe.

Under Identification, make sure both pc's are using the same workgroup.
 Computer names would be different.

If Win95 does not complain when you boot up, and Control panel, system,
device manager doesn't have any warnings, conflicts, yellow exclamation
points, etc then it's pretty safe to assume you got the adapter in
correctly, so problems most likely are in the control panel, network, setup
options, or the cable

Good Luck
Tom Turak
[log in to unmask]

 I'm trying to connect both computers using only Win95.
    One computer is a Pentium II with 32 Mb in RAM,  HP7100 CD Recorder,
Audio Excel Sound Card, Encore Modem & Diamond Stealth 2000 pro with 4 Mb
RAM. This one has a SN 3200 PCI LAN Card.
    The other computer is an Acermate 486 DX4/100, with 20 MB in RAM,
Panasonic CD and Opti Sound Card. This one has an Encore NE200 compatible
Plug&Play network card (ISA).
    Ever since I installed the card on the Acer, when I shut down, there
are
blank stripes on the screen. These stripes also appear when I try to reboot
from windows.
    Thank you. Cuauhtemoc Ramirez