PCMCIA Card

Kon$olE · **PCMCIA Card -** 03-28-2006, 02:05 | posts: 3,903 | Location: Canada, eh?

Ok, its not troubleshooting, but i think it fits best in here.

I need a wireless PCMCIA card, a la 802.11B flavour, that works with windows 98.

Its a pretty step request, i know, but my mom has an old laptop and has asked me to get it running for her in lieu of her lifebook breaking.

No price range for now, just whatever you can find me. Although, i would really appreciate it if it was from a canadian site, so i can avoid border fees. (Grumble grumble)

I've looked around but cant find exactly what i need, hopeing you guys can help me out!

Thanks in advance.

Pat the Cat · 04-10-2006, 02:08 | posts: 2,110 | Location: Vice City, UK

There is actually quite a lot of them that come with 98 drivers, but in practically every case it's 98 SE (Second Edition).

98SE is the version that supports USB, so if the lappy has them and they work, it's doable. If it doesn't have SE then an upgrade will most likely be necessary (maybe not - but SE is much the preferred option over vanilla 98).

I guess you could even use a USB dongle rather than a PCMCIA (Cardbus) card.

They are not actually that rare, the tricky part is making sure they have a 98SE driver download available. So I suggest you find what cards are available, then google for available drivers. There's no point looking for ones advertised as "98 compatible" because there isn't much of a market for 98 users.

Other considerations;-

1) 98SE does not have any kind of firewall. If the router hasn't got one then you will certainly need a software one. Preferably both.

2) 98SE was not designed for broadband - specifically, the stacks buffers for the communicated data aren't very large. It doesn't matter a fig when downloading but web browsers generally struggle more with very complex pages.

3) The lappy's battery and power system will not have been designed for wireless use. You may well find battery life is much reduced when surfing from your laptop.

4) Surfing with a laptop in your lap can sterilise you.

Kon$olE · 04-10-2006, 04:50 | posts: 3,903 | Location: Canada, eh?

No worries mate, everything should be fine. Battery lasts ~3 hrs, and will always be near and outlet just in case. It does have AV+firewall, and i dont have any worries about my mom becoming sterile

The problem is that it has no internet connection whatsoever, so i cant DL drivers, or else i would have sloved my own problems

No floppy drive, and my USB flash drive, of course, requires drivers in 98.
This does give me an idea though, ill try burning them to a CD, see if that works.