t42 doesn't recognize its own cisco wireless card

[scazzam]

Hi,
thanks for your attention and for the support you give with this forum.

I have this laptop: Ibm t42 type 2373-c89
Based 2373-4WU: P M 735, 512MB RAM, 40GB 5400rpm HDD, 14.1 XGA(1024x768) TFT LCD, 32MB ATI Radeon 7500, 24x24x24x/8x CD-RW/DVD, Cisco 802.11b wireless, Modem, 1Gb Ether, UltraNav, Sec Chip, 6 cell Li-Ion Batt, WinXP Pro
from Lenovo Support site

my machine has one more 512mb bank

I didn't remember the last time I used the wi-fi (because I usually use the laptop on my desk with ethernet) but I remember it worked fine.
Some months ago I decided to turn off wi-fi by the bios because I didn't need it and because sometimes on boot it appeared some error message about bus pci conflict.

these days I wanted to 'clean up' my ibm so I re-install win xp and activate wi-fi from bios, but my surprise win doesn't find any cisco adapter.

I do f9 then f10 on bios to restore factory settings
I take out mini pci card, start pc, close pc, replace card, start pc
I take out the card and clean up the slot and the card with a contact cleaner
I run ubuntu from live cd and it doesn't find any wi-fi adapter

there's something on the board I can take out to see if there's some hardware conflict? like the 56k that I will never use?

please help me

thanks

[RealBlackStuff]

If you freshly installed WinXP, you need to separately download the wifi driver from Lenovo.
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/researc ... MIGR-55386
Scroll down to Networking: Wireless LAN
Read the install-instructions there.

Nowadays nearly everyone uses wifi-G or even wifi-N.
A good cheap card would be the venerable Intel 2200BG, or the newer 2915ABG.
Other people swear by Atheros wifi cards (don't know any type).
Whatever you get, make sure it is an official IBM card with an IBM P/N or FRU number.
You can remove the modem card, but it won't help any, if you have no wifi drivers!
And while you have it open, increase RAM to 2x1GB, much better!

[scazzam]

yes I tryed to install the driver (taken from lenovo) but it told it couldn't go further since I connect a card, and it suggest me to take out and take in again the card.. but the card was already in the right place.

I would try to change bios but I don't know where to find an older one.. now I have the latest and in Lenovo Support there's no other ones..

this is a good choice? http://www.ebay.it/itm/160619916068?ssP ... 1423.l2649

[RealBlackStuff]

That's the Atheros-based card I mentioned, good choice (and cheap as well).
Once you download the driver, doubleclick it, it will then decompress to c:\drivers\something
Write down where that something is, then go in there and click on setup.exe to complete installation.
You'll need different drivers for that Philips/Atheros card.

[scazzam]

ok, sorry maybe I didn't write clear..
for the driver I'm sure I have done all perfectly.
the card doesn't even appear in the list under 'device management' under 'system' under 'panel control'
win xp doesn't see the card
so I try linux and it also doesn't see it
so I try an app under dos taken from ubuntu live cd, this software scan all bus on the machine, from the memory to the video card to the usb, it find everything not the wifi card.

imho the conclusion is the notebook doesn't see the card.

maybe when a card ''die'' it makes this symptoms?

[scazzam]

I think the problem is now the system board because the laptop doesn't start.. probably the video card is dead but I'm not sure because I don't have the laptop at home..

So let's talk about motherboard replacement, what is the best choice?
Which video card is the better and the most affidable?

thanks