Once the new network cards, hubs and media have been installed and you power-on the Windows95/98 system, 2 things can happen:

Windows 98 detects the new card automatically (This usually happens on PCI and Plug-and-Play ISA-cards)
If it is a board know to Win98, let it use its own drivers. Otherwise you need to supply the new Network-driver software (usually delivered on a floppy).

Windows 98 does NOT automatically detect the new card (this is usually the case with non Plug-and-play ISA cards)

Go to the "Control-panel", select "Add new Hardware" and let Windows95 detect the new board. (If you know the EXACT type, the Port-address and the IRQ, maybe also the required DMA), you can save yourself the few minutes of "search-time" by NOT allowing Windows95 to search, but by selecting first as "Hardware Type" then "Network adapters":

Then, you pick first the manufacturer, then the model of the board:

(The "NE2000 compatible", is a very popular board.)

Now, in the "Control-Panel", open the "Network" applet. It should show the following entries:

Windows 98 installs by default the protocols NetBEUI and IPX/SPX, while Windows98 installs only TCP/IP.

At this point, make sure that Windows95/98 got it right in its hardware selection (and if you added the board yourself, you MUST check it now and define the proper resources).

Click on the line defining the "Network adapter", then select "Properties", then the tab: "Resources"

Verify that the settings match the jumpers or Software Configuration values (Network card installation and IRQ/INT), change the values if required (it may require changing the configuration type "Basic Configuration 0" or higher).

Go back to the "Network" tab: "Configuration": now delete now items which are NOT required for a PC-to-PC Windows95/98 network (to make it easy in setup, select the protocol "Microsoft NetBEUI". This is simple and fast because there's nothering to configure). However, you can also choose to install IPX/SPX and/or TCP/IP as protocols, but these require additional configuration steps):

Click now on the button "File and Print Sharing", put the check-mark on "Sharing disks" and (if required) on "Sharing printers".

The "Network" tab:"Configuration" should now look like:

Now, you need to define a name for your computer and a workgroup: Click on the Tab:"Identification":

Give the computer a name, which MUST be UNIQUE throughout the complete network. And, give the workgroup a name, which MUST be the SAME on all connected systems.

When you close the network-applet, you will probably need your Windows95/98 CD-ROM (unless you installed from CAB files on your hard drive), because Windows needs to load the network software. You will then need to reboot.

Once rebooted, you will be asked for a User-name. On a Windows95/98 network (without a NOVELL-server or Windows NT server), you can enter ANY name as user-name.

But, although the network is now installed and should work properly, you won't be able to access network resources on other systems. Before you can do that, you need to do Sharing and Mapping of network resources.