PCMCIA or Cardbus?

I recently read that a CardBus slot and its software interrogates a card when the card is first inserted in PC Card slot. If a PC card has been inserted, the computer uses it as if the slot were a conventional PCMCIA slot. If a CardBus card has been inserted, the computer reconfigures the slot to take advantage of the enhanced operating features. For CardBus to work, the operating system must support 32-bit data paths.

Does this mean that older laptops, for example a Compaq Armada 1750 with PCMCIA will be compatible with and take advantage of the 32bit capabilities of Cardbus adapters if the laptop is running a 32bit OS, that is: NT4, Win2K or XP?
It may sound obvious but theory and practice sometimes are uncomfortable bedfellows!
Thanks in advance!
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