Need Help -- Computer Issue

[Jack Hogoboom]

Never thought about asking here, but given the number of computer geeks (I mean experts) here, maybe you one of you can help me.

My parents moved yesterday and last night I tried to set up a wireless network for my mother. Her laptop, which is relatively new, seem to have both a dead ethernet jack and a dead PCMCIA slot. I tried to hook up a Linksys router directly to her computer using an Ethernet cable and got nothing. When I connected it to my laptop, it worked fine. Then I tried to use a Linksys PCMCIA card, but no lights came on when the laptop powered up and Windows (she uses XP) couldn't find it. Put it in my laptop and had no problems. I looked in the device manager and couldn't find devices for either PCMCIA or ethenet adapters. Couldn't figure out how to bring the devices to life.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jack

[Jim Becker]

Did you set up networking on the machine? Also, check the configuration of the XP "firewall" as it can be particularly funky at first.

[Rich Konopka]

Jack:

Start --> Settings --> Network and Dial up

You should see a box that comes up with the Local Area Connections for both ethernet and wireless. It should also have a status of enable for one of the two connections.

If there are no connections then the "Make New Connection" button will be there by itself. You will have to try to establish a new connection. If the device drivers are not there as you indicated you may try to do this:

Start--> Settings --> Control Panel --> add/remove hardware

It will bring up a wizard based dialog that will allow you to trouble shoot the installion of the devices for ethere and wifi.

HTH