3COM Wireless PCMCIA not connecting on IBM X21 - Newbie HELP please!

I am completely new to Linux and have been using Windows for the last 20
years, so I am a complete Linux newbie, any help would be much appreciated.

I just installed SuSE 9.0 (Professional) on my laptop (IBM Thinkpad X21).
Everything works fine and wonderful but I can't get the 3COM Wireless LAN PC
card (3CRWE62092B) working.

Installation, configuration detail:

Apart from the built-in Ethernet port, I also configured a PCMCIA Wireless
Network card (configured as wlan-pcmcia with DHCP).

I have checked all the available configurations via KDE (I don't know how to
do line commands yet). The boot up commands did say PCMCIA is hotplug and
the hardware info does have the 3COM 3CRWE62092B hardware information (looks
like the driver is working).

Symptoms 1: - No wireless signal

After installation has finished, I can't get the KWiF Manager recognise the
Wireless card (There is a ? over the card symbol) and there is no signal.
(My Wireless router is configured to SSID broadcast and no WEP to make it
easier for testing the connection)
The KWiF configuration editor's "Autodetect interface" did find a device
"eth1", but the YaST shows that the I only got two devices (??)
device = eth0, type=Ethernet, IP Address=DHCP
device = wlan-pcmcia, type=Ethernet, IP Address=DHCP

Symptoms 2: - Boot up freeze and can't change Monitor settings

If I boot up with the Wireless card in the PCMCIA slot, it will not display
the login page and the computer freeze up. When there is no Wireless card in
the PCMCIA slot, boot up fine and no problems. If I plug the card in after
it has booted up, it beep twice and the light on the card's antenna flashing
"happily" like normal; but still no signal in KWiF Manager.

If I try to change the monitor setting to any thing with the card plugged
it, the laptop will go blank during test and freeze up, I will have to hold
the power button down to reboot the laptop (without the W/L card).

My guess: Based on my experience with Windows, this is likely to be IRQ
config? Am I correct? How to correct it?

Any help would be grateful, I really want to make it work and don't want to
go back to Windows. If you have any fixes, please "spell it out" for me,
this is the first time I use Linux, I know nothing about it.

P.S.
Just one more question, is there a need to have anti-virus software with
Linux?


THANKS!