Caution on D-Link wireless network cards

Some D-Link network cards (DWL-520+ for example) require that the software
(drivers) be installed before installing the hardware. These cards will not
work if the driver is installed after the hardware is installed. This can
turn out to be very inconvenient. For example, reinstalling the operating
system on a computer in which a D-Link card is already installed requires
that the computer be opened up, the network card taken out and then plugged
in after the required software has been installed. I spoke to D-Link
support about it and they don't seem to consider that a problem - just the
way things are supposed to work (According to tech support - "It's not a big
deal to open the computer and take out the card"). I checked out linksys
and they don't seem to require this order of doing things. I am not sure
about the other vendors. Those considering buying a D-Link wireless network
card should factor this into their decision making.

If someone has got their DWL-520+ working even after installing the hardware
first, I would be interested to know what they did.

Thank,

--SK

U¿ytkownik "Sumanth Kommareddy" <(E-Mail Removed)> napisa³ w
wiadomo¶ci news:XeN2b.133$(E-Mail Removed).. .
> Some D-Link network cards (DWL-520+ for example) require that the software
> (drivers) be installed before installing the hardware. These cards will
not
> work if the driver is installed after the hardware is installed. This can

this is what we call plug&play by ShitySoft-microsoft


bolo

Sumanth Kommareddy <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> Some D-Link network cards (DWL-520+ for example) require that the software
> (drivers) be installed before installing the hardware. These cards will not
....
> I am not sure
> about the other vendors. Those considering buying a D-Link wireless network
> card should factor this into their decision making.

This is not uncommon. Lots of devices that are "part of" the WindowsXP
installation, or recognized automatically, would rather have you load
software from a CD before introducing the hardware.

In the case of the Orinoco Silver card, just plugging it in and letting
WindowsXP recognize it did not work, but uninstalling it and then
installing the drivers from CD did work. I can't recall if we physically
unplugged it or not. Maybe we did, for the reboot between uinstalling
the Windows drivers and getting it booted without detecting the card, so we
could install the Orinoco drivers.

--
---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8-122.5

Henry B Jobin <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> It saves from uninstalling the autodetected drivers and components and
> provides the custom software "hooks" that might be required by application
> software included with specific hardware.

But the autodetected drivers often don't want to uninstall, or for some
reason are flagged as "newer" than the drivers that you'd like. It is not
as simple as uninstalling the automatic set of drivers. You have to load
the vendor drivers before Windows loads its drivers.

I don't where the fault lies - Microsoft or the hardware vendors. But, IMO,
they (MS or hardware vendor) should be working on fixing it. It is
cumbersome to remove hardware for a task that is essentially a software
installation. It's also interesting that the problem seems to affect only
certain configurations. Can't a hardware vendor come up with a driver that
requires a reboot and upon reboot load itself rather than the driver that
comes with the OS. I can live with it for now but will certainly enquire
into this "feature" before I make future hardware purchases!!

Thanks for all the responses.

"Henry B Jobin" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:2lT2b.2415$%(E-Mail Removed) ...
> That is exactly my point why a lot of hardware manufacturers require
driver
> installation prior to installing their hardware.
>
> Henry
>
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:bigopm$3e9$(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Henry B Jobin <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> > > It saves from uninstalling the autodetected drivers and components and
> > > provides the custom software "hooks" that might be required by
> application
> > > software included with specific hardware.
> >
> > But the autodetected drivers often don't want to uninstall, or for some
> > reason are flagged as "newer" than the drivers that you'd like. It is
not
> > as simple as uninstalling the automatic set of drivers. You have to
load
> > the vendor drivers before Windows loads its drivers.
> >
>
>

In article <feQ2b.2383$(E-Mail Removed)> ,
"Henry B Jobin" <(E-Mail Removed)> says:

>If you dont like Microsoft software... dont use it !

Way ahead of ya, buddy!

-Kenny, who thinks an OS that removes even a manual backaround
to do what the OP wants to do is majorly broken

--
Kenneth R. Crudup Sr. SW Engineer, Scott County Consulting, Los Angeles, CA
Home: 3801 E. Pacific Coast Hwy #9, Long Beach, CA 90804-2014 (562) 961-7300
Work: 2052 Alton Parkway, Irvine, CA 92606-4905 (949) 252-1111 X240

Plug and Prey by Microshaft.

"bolo" <bolo@NOSPAM_.irc.pl> wrote in message
news:bigg7l$25v$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> U¿ytkownik "Sumanth Kommareddy" <(E-Mail Removed)> napisa³ w
> wiadomo¶ci news:XeN2b.133$(E-Mail Removed).. .
> > Some D-Link network cards (DWL-520+ for example) require that the
software
> > (drivers) be installed before installing the hardware. These cards will
> not
> > work if the driver is installed after the hardware is installed. This
can
>
> this is what we call plug&play by ShitySoft-microsoft
>
>
> bolo
>
>

Here's an opinion that I got via private email with which I agree (it is the
hardware vendor's responsibility to take time to write proper drivers -
specially since other products from them do work when the hardware is
installed first. BTW, it doesn't appear that Linksys suffers from this
problem; but I could be mistaken):

It is only some hardware that must be installed this way.

Most, but not all, devices nowadays will allow you to install the hardware,
Windows detects the new device, then prompts you to either supply the
drivers or let Windows look for and install it's own driver. So you then end
up with a device that works correctly, but does not have the extra features
provided by the customised drivers supplied by your vendor. Not Microsoft's
fault, Windows was probably finished and on sale before the product was
made. Therefore Windows does not know what device you have just installed.
It is up to the manufacturer to make the device tell Windows what it is from
a list of devices Windows was told about when it was made. Where Windows
does not yet have a driver, it could also install as an unknown device with
an exclamation mark on it and not work. You should then be able to install
your drivers and get full functionality. Those companies that market
products that don't function this way should be told by taking the product
back, that we don't want products that function this way. After all we are
the buyer, buy something that works well. Send back the rubbish. It is the
only real way to make companies listen.



"Sumanth Kommareddy" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:M143b.339$A%(E-Mail Removed). ..
> I don't where the fault lies - Microsoft or the hardware vendors. But,
IMO,
> they (MS or hardware vendor) should be working on fixing it. It is
> cumbersome to remove hardware for a task that is essentially a software
> installation. It's also interesting that the problem seems to affect only
> certain configurations. Can't a hardware vendor come up with a driver
that
> requires a reboot and upon reboot load itself rather than the driver that
> comes with the OS. I can live with it for now but will certainly enquire
> into this "feature" before I make future hardware purchases!!
>
> Thanks for all the responses.
>
> "Henry B Jobin" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:2lT2b.2415$%(E-Mail Removed) ...
> > That is exactly my point why a lot of hardware manufacturers require
> driver
> > installation prior to installing their hardware.
> >
> > Henry
> >
> > <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> > news:bigopm$3e9$(E-Mail Removed)...
> > > Henry B Jobin <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> > > > It saves from uninstalling the autodetected drivers and components
and
> > > > provides the custom software "hooks" that might be required by
> > application
> > > > software included with specific hardware.
> > >
> > > But the autodetected drivers often don't want to uninstall, or for
some
> > > reason are flagged as "newer" than the drivers that you'd like. It is
> not
> > > as simple as uninstalling the automatic set of drivers. You have to
> load
> > > the vendor drivers before Windows loads its drivers.
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

Sumanth Kommareddy <(E-Mail Removed)> writes:

> If someone has got their DWL-520+ working even after installing the hardware
> first, I would be interested to know what they did.

Some where in windows there is a screen with a little checkbox
that says something like "Let windows configure this card for me".
If you can find that and un-check it, then the card will start
working. I'm not a windows guy but I found this trying to help
one of the girls at work get her computer going.... I still had
to click on the little network icon in the lower right corner of
the screen a few times after that before the D-Link configuration
program actually appeared - that's just the way windows is I guess..

Billy Y..

In order to get my 520+ working, I uninstalled Dlink's software and just use
XP's instead.

Following Dlink's instructions for turning off Wireless Zero Configuration
still didn't work...and Dlink's software just adds more startup bulk in my
opinion. Unless you like the eye candy of the little screens (that don't
tell all the much after all).

Worse, when I tried to update the drivers (with v. 303), Dlink's software
screwed everything up all over again, took me a couple of days to untangle
the mess and get things working again--get this: when Dlink's software
uninstalled itself it REMOVED the Wireless Zero Configuration service
altogether! (Had to monkey with the registry to get it back).

Otherwise, the card works great with the 650+ in my laptop. So I really
don't see the need for their software.


<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:bjl5ji$38s$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Sumanth Kommareddy <(E-Mail Removed)> writes:
>
> > If someone has got their DWL-520+ working even after installing the
hardware
> > first, I would be interested to know what they did.
>
> Some where in windows there is a screen with a little checkbox
> that says something like "Let windows configure this card for me".
> If you can find that and un-check it, then the card will start
> working. I'm not a windows guy but I found this trying to help
> one of the girls at work get her computer going.... I still had
> to click on the little network icon in the lower right corner of
> the screen a few times after that before the D-Link configuration
> program actually appeared - that's just the way windows is I guess..
>
> Billy Y..