Firewire TCP/IP Problem

About a year ago I installed an OrangeLink Firewire+Ethernet PCI card in my
Windows 98 SE computer. The card performed fine, but I was suddenly
inexplicably unable to surf the net. I narrowed the problem down to the
Control Panel / Network dialogue box. Several changes and additions were
made notably to the TCP/IP entry. I checked to ensure that the DNS settings
were unaltered, and I tried removing and adding the TCP/IP protocol, all to
no avail. In the end, I removed the card and used Go Back to restore my
system to a preinstallation date. I regained the use of my browser, but at
the expense of connecting to peripherals.

Working on the assumption that the Ethernet portion of the dual-purpose card
was responsible, I recently bought a single-purpose Lacie Firewire PCI card.
Installation of the card and its driver was straightforward. The Network
properties were unchanged and I could easily surf the net. The problem began
when I connected my Sony camcorder to the firewire card. New drivers were
automatically installed, and when my computer rebooted I got the following
error message: "Norton Antivirus is unable to start eMail protection. Please
ensure that TCP/IP is installed." When I checked the Network dialogue, the
titles of two entries were altered and two new entries were added (including
Microsoft TV/Video Connection -> TCP/IP). When I clicked my web browser, the
dial-up connection was established correctly, but I was once again unable to
surf the net. I would repeatedly get a page saying: "The page cannot be
displayed. Cannot find server or DNS Error." My Computer Help Desk was
unable to suggest a solution. We established, however, that the settings in
the Network properties for the TCP/IP protocol were correctly entered. I
tried as before to remove and add entries, but to no effect (or at least, to
no positive effect).

So I decided, as I had initially, to restore my system using Go Back. And as
an aside, I should say, as is the custom with computers, problems come in
clumps. Go Back, for the first time in a couple of years of grace-filled
use, suddenly failed. What caused the failure, according to the error
message, were massive file changes of which it could not keep track. The
massive file changes were the result of using Roxio's Take Two to make a
backup of my c: drive on my d: drive, and then moving the files back onto my
c: drive in order to use Easy CD Creator to create copies on my CD-RW. I
moved the files to c: because Easy CD Creator needs a certain number of
files of a particular size in order to check the transfer rate, requirements
which my d: drive could not fulfill. Luckily, while Go Back failed, I was
able to restore my c: drive using the Take Two backup in a straight-forward
and flawless manner.

Right now I have the firewire card and its associated driver installed. I
have not plugged any peripherals into the card. Device Manager shows no
problems. The Network properties are unchanged. I can easily surf the web. I
know that as soon as I attach my camcorder, new drivers will be downloaded
and the TCP/IP problem will begin again.

If you have had the same problem and resolved it successfully, please let me
know the steps that you took.

Thanks!

Tim Robertson