dd broke usb port. How do I work a cardbus?

[WriggleJiggle]

modem connection is currently held in position by being taped to the sofa! I bought a PCMCIA cardbus but can't get the computer to recognise it. Anyone got any ideas? Have installed driver but made no difference.

[Millarkie]

It all gets a little complicated.

First off: did you buy a cardbus/PCMCIA modem or a
cardbus/PCMCIA USB adaptor? Do you plug your phone
line into the PCMCIA card or into the USD modem and that plugs into the PCMCIA card?

There is also the possibility that, with a very old laptop, a newer card may not work. If you're laptop is < 9 years old
it's probably a non-issue.

Dumb question 1:
Is the card pushed all the way in? Dont' force it as there could be a bent pin. Cards normally (but not always - especially wireless cards) tend to be flush with the laptop
case. If it doesn't go all the way in, shine a torch into the slot and make sure that there aren't any bent pins - should be 1 or 2 pairs of rows of small gold pins

Dumb quesion 2:
Are you using windows?

If so, the place to start is the device manager. If you're using XP it's

Start->(right click)My Computers->Properties
Select the hardware tab, then select 'Device Manager'

Test 1: look for an entry that says PCMCIA socket' or 'PCMCIA adapter.' expand that and it should have an entry called 'cardbus controller' which means it'll be fine with newer cards. If it doesn't say cardbus, it's possibley an old
one. If it's not there at all, it's probably disabled, which
would explain a lack of functionality.

Test 2: Look for entries with a yelow question mark (IIRC) that shows devices that the system sees but doesn't recognise. If you're not seeing your card but it's plugged in it should show up like this. If you repeat this with
and without the card plugged in you should be able to
spot it appearing.

if that happens, then the drivers aren't installed properly.

[WriggleJiggle]

You're an absolute star! Will begin going through the options now ...

[Millarkie]

Any luck?

[WriggleJiggle]

No luck so far, am going to try it in a works laptop and see if it works there.
Thanks for your help.