Thinkpads Forum

Some of you may have read of my woe on USENET - well, it's been confirmed.

I've got a brand new install of Windows 2000 on my 850MHz 600X with Office XP. Unfortunately, during occasional email checking I've been getting the dreaded DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL Blue Screen of Death, pointing to hal.dll.

I'll spare you the gory details and tell you that NetGear has confirmed what I found elsewhere: that this is a problem with my CardBus NetGear FA511 Ethernet card. NetGear's solution is that I must enable Windows 95 16-bit compatibility mode. No, I'd rather get another Ethernet card.

(Evidentally D-Link uses the same chipset as NetGear and has similar problems)

I'd like to hear from others running a stable 600X with Windows 2000. What manufacturer and model 10/100-Base-T Ethernet card are you using?

I'd really like one that has the "Designed for Windows 2000" certification along with digitally signed drivers, but as long as it's rock solid stable I want to hear what you are using.

I Won't Get Fooled Again!

Bill.

[classic TV show mode on]

Number Six (aka BillG),

You must realize that in this Village called the Internet, there are No. 2 ways that are the same which achieves the same result. You are The Prisoner in your own mind until you throw off the shackles of the one named after you in Redmond.

[classic TV show mode off]

(Sorry, I couldn't resist )

I have only used an ethernet card in my 600X under Windows 2000 a couple of times and I did not have any problems. From what I remember, it's a generic card using one of the built-in Windows drivers. I don't have it with me at the moment but I will check it when I get home tonight.

I have had good results using both PCMCIA wireless and Mini PCI wireless with my 600X systems and Windows 2000 Pro. Any reason (other than extra expense involved) why you can't run any flavor of 802.11?

(edit: I just re-read your post... You have upgraded to a 850Mhz processor? If so, we may not be able to compare systems since I only have a 650Mhz one)

Er, we're talking about ethernet, not WLAN, right?

I've used a generic no-name card based on the Realtek Rtl8139 chipset, as I imagine most cheap cards are, and a Xircom Realport2 without any problems. Never on a hotrodded 600X though.

Win2k doesn't have built-in drivers for the Xircom (XP does IIRC), so you need to download a driver. Surprisingly the supposedly crappy Realtek seems to perform better than the Xircom.

EDIMAX 10/100Mbps Model No.EP-4103DL

Great card and cheap.

[classic TV show mode on]
Work for a large corporation. Buy products from large corporations. The corporation is the Village. This, then, is the group mindthink that is Number One.

Do what your boss tells you to do. Be a "corporate man". Don't complain. Be politically correct. And never, ever ask yourself why you believe what you believe. Conform. Don't just read these words, hear these words, deep in your mind. Be afraid.

"You are a fool, to wear your chains willingly.
[classic TV show mode off]

Yes, we are talking about Ethernet - with wires. WLAN is completely unnecessary because my 600X is right next to my desk's Ethernet connection.

BillG wrote:Yes, we are talking about Ethernet - with wires. WLAN is completely unnecessary because my 600X is right next to my desk's Ethernet connection.

I've got about a hundred Xircom 10/100 Ethernet cards (the ones with a dongle) in the field doing yeoman duty for about the past 8 years or so.

Haven't had a failure yet.

Widely available on eBay for under $5.

If you don't want to deal with a dongle, you can get one of the Xircom Realport cards, but they take up both PC card slots.

Regards,

James

rkawakami wrote:I don't have it with me at the moment but I will check it when I get home tonight.

Ah, FOO!

Looked all around the house for the ethernet card and finally realized that it's down with my daughter in L.A. IIRC, it was a single slot card with a standard RJ-45 jack on the extension (i.e. not an X-Jack or dongle). I'll she if she can dig it up and give me the make/model number.

I have been using the 3Com 10/100 X-jack one. It only takes up one slot and it works well.

Well, based on recommendations, I got myself a U.S.Robotics 7903 Gigabit/100/10-base-T Ethernet Card.

My entire experience with NetGear's tech support was a freakin' Greek tragedy . They were unable to answer even the most basic of questions. Their solution to my NetGear FA511 driver problem, which was that I needed to enable 16-bit compatibility mode in Windows 2000, is totally unacceptable for a 32-bit OS.

The drivers for the U.S. Robotics card are certified for Windows 2000. Works like a dream - my 600X has been solid and reliable !

cant go wrong with 3com or xircom

With Win2000 and a 600X, I have a 3Com 10/100 LAN Cardbus PC Card with XJack connector in the bottom slot, and a Sony PCWA-C800S wireless a/b/g card in the top slot - that's one of the series with the small bent-up antenna that extends barely a few millimeters from the laptop case. The XJack extends just far enough that I don't have to remove the wireless card to use the wired card.