Question : How do I configure multiple network connections on a single Windows 2000 workstation?

I have four connections defined:

1)      WIFI wireless controller
2)      Ethernet port
3)      VPN adapter
4)      Wireless dialup

When I reboot and connect to one of the above everything is fine. If I disconnect one and connect with another Windows does not recognize the new connection. I have tried to release and renew using IPConfig but IPConfig only sees with the connectors that are NOT connected, not the one that is, stating that the “media/cable” is disconnected on each that is not connected. Flushing the DNS cache does nothing.

When in this mode everything I sluggish – even opening a local folder or opening a context menu is painfully slow. If I disconnect whatever connection it is I am trying to connect with then responsiveness returns. Internet Explorer and Firefox seem to adjust. It’s just Windows.

One possible factor is that I am also switching between an internal network and an external network.

I have gotten this to work before and been able to switch between the various adapters without a problem and without rebooting.

How can I get Windows to recognize the currently connected adapter and forget about the previous connection and all the baggage with it without rebooting?

Kevin

Answer : How do I configure multiple network connections on a single Windows 2000 workstation?

I have always found that Win2000 wasn't terribly good at changing connections, especially if using laptops. Even changing from a static address to a DHCP, sometimes requires rebooting. XP seems to have improved on that. You might do better using a connection management utility like Netswitcher. They have a free trial period if you wanted to see if that helps. It will also allow you to manage printers, mapped drives and other configurable network options.
http://www.netswitcher.com/product_info.htm