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If Something Goes Wrong
Resolving a hardware conflict
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Most PC Card problems occur during installation and setup
of new cards. If you are having trouble getting one or more of
these devices to work together, several sections in this chapter
may apply.
Resource conflicts can cause problems when using PC Cards.
See “Resolving a hardware conflict” on page 212.
Card Information Structure
When you insert a PC Card into a slot, the computer attempts
to determine the type of card and the resources it requires by
reading its Card Information Structure (CIS). Sometimes the
CIS contains enough information for you to use the card
immediately.
Other cards must be set up before you can use them. Use the
Windows
®
XP PC Card (PCMCIA) Wizard to set up the card.
Refer to your Microsoft
®
documentation for more
information, or refer to the documentation that came with the
PC Card.
Some card manufacturers use special software called
enablers to support their cards. Enablers result in
nonstandard configurations that can cause problems when
installing the PC Card.
If your system does not have built-in drivers for your PC Card
and the card did not come with an operating system driver, it
may not work under the operating system. Contact the
manufacturer of the PC Card for information about using the
card under the operating system.
PC Card checklist
❖ Make sure the card is inserted properly into the slot.
❖ Make sure all cables are securely connected.
❖ Occasionally a defective PC Card slips through quality
control. If another PCMCIA-equipped computer is
available, try the card in that machine. If the card
malfunctions again, it may be defective.