wireless network card incompatible?!

(simular messages are posted in different groups at windrivers... sorry if i bore you... still haven't find the sollution, only other victims).

When i insert the PC Card, the screen turns black and the computer reboots. It continuously to reboot, until i remove the PC Card.

Windows XP-home (Dutch), running on My Dell Inspiron 5100 (2,4 Mhz intel) seems to be incompatible with a 802.11G network card. (211G(+) Tornado PC Card (www.tornado.nl))

Other PC Cards work. I tried a 3com network card and another 802.11G PC Card of another brand (i don't know the brand).
The 211G works in other computers with a different configuration running the same OS (i think it was XP Pro.)

It is impossible to adjust the BIOS to not allocate IRQ's.

Searching the net, i found people with similar problems especially the compaq Evo 1020N.

Both Dell and Compaq use the Texas Instruments TI PCI-4410 as CardBus driver. Software driver is signed by Microsoft. Version 5.1.2600.0 dated 1-7-2001.
I re-installed Windows and updated in stages, continuously trying to install the PC Card. All XP and Dell-BIOS where (re-)installed.

Tornado is looking for a solution. They think the CardBusdrive software driver is causing the problem.
Dell doesn't support cards that don't work... if one works, the device works. (sic.)

I don't want to guide your search in the wrong direction, but... support text 295629 describes more or less the same problem. But this is a fix for problems with windows 2000.

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Originally Posted by jorgen

..I don't want to guide your search in the wrong direction, but... support text 295629 describes more or less the same problem. But this is a fix for problems with windows 2000.

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Enumeration Problems with CardBus Cards in Texas Instruments CardBus Controllers - Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 295629 says its for 98 or me !? all 9x treatment of irq's etc are different to that with xp/w2k/w2k3 they can directly address hardware.

What have you tried so far ? Turning off all the power management functions in bios ? If not maybe ..

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..It is impossible to adjust the BIOS to not allocate IRQ's...

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- well no, as I just said xp goes direct to the hardware & in 9x to bios, which then gets it from the devices signaling, the change you can make which might get this card working on this kit is turning acpi (this besides handling some power management functions also affects sharing capabilities & thus IRQ allocation) on or off in bios, but its not very straight-forward in xp/w2k as it affects the HAL (hardware extraction layer) used by the o/s ..

thanks for you reply...

You are right: i made a mistake: ment ME instead of 2000.

There are no powermanagement features in my Phoenix Bios for the Dell 5100 (latest versie A29)

There is a way to install windows without ACPI: kb-299340. A bit drastic though.

I turned off all powermanagement in Windows XP and deactivated all non-nescessary devices...
tried to install the PC Card driver first, also in Safe Mode (right click on PC Card driver (inf file) , install... i cannot see if anything happens...

One guy with the same problem solved it by reinstalling windows XP with the recovery CD's of Compaq. (http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/f...hreadId=276646, Marc Diepenmaat May 6, 2004 06:17:54 GMT)

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Originally Posted by jorgen

thanks for you reply...

..One guy with the same problem solved it by reinstalling windows XP with the recovery CD's of Compaq. (http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/f...hreadId=276646, Marc Diepenmaat May 6, 2004 06:17:54 GMT)

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..& of course welcome, else I wouldn't have run up this big fat post count trying to help folks ;) .. :D

I will say this suggested fix, may very well be the same as the acpi on/off arguement in 'theory' - the image on the cd's may very well force a non acpi HAL to be installed, if you are desperate, it may be an answer, but given its gonna most likely zap everything back to 'out of the box' you may prefer to attempt to change the HAL yourself .. its tricky though & no guarantees that you won't end up restoring anyway ! ;)

Maybe i should just return the card to the shop... tell them to stuff in a place where the sun never shines. But: they don't want to give my money back... so far.
And: there are more victims... we need a sollution!

Thanks anyway... the search continues

Don't know Hollands law, but in the uK, you can send it back direct to the manufacturer for refund.

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Originally Posted by jorgen

Maybe i should just return the card to the shop... tell them to stuff in a place where the sun never shines. But: they don't want to give my money back... so far.
And: there are more victims... we need a sollution!

Thanks anyway... the search continues

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Mmm methinks I'd toddle into the shop then with my laptop & challenge them to sort it out ! ;) & that's probably what the other 'victims' should have done ! If the driver doesn't want to work it effectively makes the card broken & therefore you & the other folks are due a refund ..I can't tell them that, but you I can - if they manage to fix it then - whoopee do ! everybody is happy :D & you can post up what they did on all these 'fix it' boards you sound like you've been searching, if not you can have some money back or they can swap it for a card that will work - so over to you now ..:)

Thanks... i know you are right.
Thing is: when they just refuse, what can you do? Go to court? That will cost more than the PC Card...

There will be a sollution: the manufacturer is telling the internet shot (Beat It... NEVER buy there) to return the money.

Better yet: DELL IS TAKING MY COMPLAINTS SERIOUS! It only took two weeks and about 20 e-mails, but now they understand i am not an ignorant newbe with a 'check the f***ing plug' problem. Still... i don't think they will find an easy sollution. If the do, i will tell you!

Jorgen

This may be of interest to readers of this thread

I had huge problems with my Compaq Evo N1020v and a 3Com Officeconnect 802.11G Wireless card. I tried every update from Compaq and 3com alike to no avail. The card would sometimes work fine, and then suddenly shut down and die. I got a Code 10 message when I tried to reenable it (driver cannot start). This happened randomly.

What I did was to change the driver for the cardbus from the "Texas Instruments 4410 Cardbus Controller" driver to the "Generic Cardbus Controller" driver supplied by MS, and then the card immediately came up and has been working fine since. My Evo is running XP Pro with SP2 and all patches.

I hope this may help someone.

Regards

Bjorn L.

Bjorn's method doesn't work with (my) Inspiron 5100... however: Dell solved the problem! It was a bios problem. First they send me a beta update

With the new update (a30 or so) the ACPI problems are solved.

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Originally Posted by jorgen

.. Dell solved the problem! It was a bios problem. ..ACPI problems are solved.

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Thanks for letting us know :), I'll pressume then once no irq was forced & it was able to move about so to speak, that then let irqs etc be worked out correctly