PCMCIA problems....

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January 28th, 2002, 01:39 PM
RIOT

PCMCIA problems....

OK...

I've got three identical laptops (IBM Thinkpads 380XD, Pentium 233, 64MB, & Win95B). These laptops use a 3Com 10/100 LAN CardBus PC Card Model #3CCFE575BT. I've successfully used a restore CD on one laptop. The PCMCIA card worked when I put it back in after the restore. Windows found it, reconized it, and installed drivers for it without a problem. I restored the next two laptops, but when I insert the PCMCIA card, Windows reconizes it as a PCI Ethernet Controller. I think, "No problem," and download the drivers (downloaded from driverguide and 3Com). After installing the correct drivers, Windows gives a device failure erroe with the comment to try changing the drivers. If I reboot (which Windows never asked me to do), then it hangs booting Windows. If I remove the device from Device Manager and install in using the "Add New Hardware Wizard", Windows asks to reboot, yet still hangs.

I've tried all three 3Com cards in the laptop that works and vice versa. I tried looking at the drivers on the laptop that works, but it states that no drivers were installed. This laptop and card connects to the network fine and works great.

Any ideas?
January 29th, 2002, 11:56 AM
RIOT

bump
January 29th, 2002, 02:12 PM
jay015

Just a wild guess. Even though the laptops are identical, make sure they are at the latest bios version. Also maybe a setting in the bios of the 2 laptops not working is causing the problem. Make sure the settings are the same as the functional laptop. Let us know how it goes!
January 30th, 2002, 03:53 PM
RIOT

[quote]Originally posted by jay015:
Just a wild guess. Even though the laptops are identical, make sure they are at the latest bios version. Also maybe a setting in the bios of the 2 laptops not working is causing the problem. Make sure the settings are the same as the functional laptop. Let us know how it goes!<hr></blockquote>

OK... I went to IBM's site and downloaded the BIOS update. Before I tried it I looked at the BIOS on the laptop that worked. It is 97H4208 released on 6/15/98. This is identical to one of the laptops that doesn't work. I updated the BIOS on that laptop to the lastest BIOS, ICET31WW released 12/3/99. That didn't help any. I poked around the BIOS to check for any potential problems, but only the date/time, password, and device start-up order can be changed.

After this didn't work, I downloaded about every driver update on IBM's site for this laptop, including a PCMCIA slot driver. It didn't work though.

Any other ideas? I'm starting to think that the problem isn't the hardware, but the software. Only hardware problem I can come up with is that the PCMCIA card slots (both the top and bottom slot) are screwed on both the laptops. That seems unlikely though. I seems to me that Windows just doesn't want to reconize the card for what it is.
January 30th, 2002, 04:29 PM
Damned Angel

I would check for resource conflicts. also, go to the run command and type asd (automatic skip driver agent) It may provide more information on why the device is not working.
January 31st, 2002, 08:55 AM
ßracius

[quote]Originally posted by CW_WD_RIOT:
OK...

I've got three identical laptops (IBM Thinkpads 380XD, Pentium 233, 64MB, & Win95B). These laptops use a 3Com 10/100 LAN CardBus PC Card Model #3CCFE575BT. I've successfully used a restore CD on one laptop. The PCMCIA card worked when I put it back in after the restore. Windows found it, reconized it, and installed drivers for it without a problem. I restored the next two laptops, but when I insert the PCMCIA card, Windows reconizes it as a PCI Ethernet Controller. I think, "No problem," and download the drivers (downloaded from driverguide and 3Com). After installing the correct drivers, Windows gives a device failure erroe with the comment to try changing the drivers. If I reboot (which Windows never asked me to do), then it hangs booting Windows. If I remove the device from Device Manager and install in using the "Add New Hardware Wizard", Windows asks to reboot, yet still hangs.

I've tried all three 3Com cards in the laptop that works and vice versa. I tried looking at the drivers on the laptop that works, but it states that no drivers were installed. This laptop and card connects to the network fine and works great.

Any ideas?<hr></blockquote>

Have you tried a fresh install instead of using a ghost? I might be wrong on this but if your systems my have been purchased at different times and my have different PCMCIA controllers.

Add-on: Also letting the OS compile it's own hardware list instead of using a copy is another reason for a fresh install.
January 31st, 2002, 09:17 AM
RIOT

[quote]Originally posted by Damned Angel:
I would check for resource conflicts. also, go to the run command and type asd (automatic skip driver agent) It may provide more information on why the device is not working.<hr></blockquote>

I looked at the resources for the NIC, but Device Manager doesn't show anything. It states that the NIC isn't using any resources because it is not currently enabled, or it has a problem (duh).

I tried typing asd in Run Command, but Windows couldn't find the file or program.
January 31st, 2002, 09:36 AM
RIOT

[quote]Originally posted by ßracius:


Have you tried a fresh install instead of using a ghost? I might be wrong on this but if your systems my have been purchased at different times and my have different PCMCIA controllers.

Add-on: Also letting the OS compile it's own hardware list instead of using a copy is another reason for a fresh install.<hr></blockquote>

The only Windows 95 CD I have is for an older version of Windows than what is on the laptop. The laptop has 95B; the CD is Windows 95 Plus, but I can't tell the version from the CD.

I talked to my boss who ordered the laptops way back when and he said they were purchased together. Doesn't mean they were manufactured at the same time, though. I'm pretty sure that they are the same hardware throughout.
January 31st, 2002, 01:44 PM
RIOT

Here's an idea I just thought of. If I made a ghost image CD of the laptop that works and then use this image on one of the laptops that doesn't work, would that possibly get it to work, you think?
January 31st, 2002, 02:18 PM
jay015

[quote]Originally posted by CW_WD_RIOT:
Here's an idea I just thought of. If I made a ghost image CD of the laptop that works and then use this image on one of the laptops that doesn't work, would that possibly get it to work, you think?<hr></blockquote>

Just might work!!!
February 4th, 2002, 01:37 AM
sgrkaine

upgrade to win98se at least and that might clear it up, those machines can handle win98 so i would recomend that before trying to use old decrepid 95, which really was not a wonderfull OS for pc cards...

good luck :)

ken