If Something Goes Wrong

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Resolving a hardware conflict

PC Card problems

PC Cards (PCMCIA-compatible) include many types of devices, such as a removable hard disk, additional memory, or a pager.

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 188.

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.