On 17 Aug 00, at 8:08, Rick Glazier wrote:

> How about a different question?

> Say you have no network card in an original install of Win98,
> and then add one for Cable ISP access.
> You find it is defective after some period of use. (20 days.)
> You put in a different card from a different manufacturer, with
> the new drivers. Would you still have the "problem" stated below?

  Unlikely.  Although MAC addresses are supposed to be globally
unique, it is sufficient for correct network operation if they are
unique on any given network segment.  It is legitimate for a gateway
device to respond with its MAC address to ARP requests for a bunch of
different IP addresses; it is not legitimate for two devices to
respond with separate MAC addresses for the same IP, or two devices
to respond with the same MAC address.
  [The latter case is not often caught and reported, though....]

David G


> If so, for a single "standalone" computer in a home on a Cable ISP
> would it matter?  Thanks,  Rick Glazier
> ----------
> Roberto Safora wrote:
> > > In my LAN when I try to install an e-mail client in one of the Pcs
> > > a message appears warning there is a conflict with the mac address
> > > of other pc.
> ----------
> Dave Gillett wrote:
> >   There are a couple of ways that this could happen.  Although the
> > number encoded into the card is unique, it can be overridden in
> > software.  Win9x, for instance, records the MAC address during the
> > Windows install, and keeps this address even if the hardware changes.
> >   So if you pass around a network card amongst different machines,
> > you could easily get an error message like this.
>
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