Linksys Wireless adapter recognition

I have a compaq presario notebook running on Windows 98se. I received a
linksys Wireless adapter (WPC54G) for Christmas. After wrangling all day
with it, I've been able to find a software patch that installs correctly;
however, my computer doesn't recognize the new hardware when I insert the
card and restart the system. The box says it's 98se compatible, but the list
of network available network adapters under "control panel: Networks" doesn't
include Linksys wireless.

Does anyone have a suggestion for how to resolve this problem and have my
computer recognize the hardware? Or should I upgrade to Windows xp?

In article <637BFC47-AC73-4D39-9E19-(E-Mail Removed)>,
"dave" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>I have a compaq presario notebook running on Windows 98se. I received a
>linksys Wireless adapter (WPC54G) for Christmas. After wrangling all day
>with it, I've been able to find a software patch that installs correctly;
>however, my computer doesn't recognize the new hardware when I insert the
>card and restart the system. The box says it's 98se compatible, but the list
>of network available network adapters under "control panel: Networks" doesn't
>include Linksys wireless.

What software patch did you find? What happened when you tried to
install the software from the CD that came with the adapter?

Perhaps the computer doesn't recognize that the adapter is installed.
Here are some things to check:

1. Does the computer beep when you insert the adapter in the slot?
2. Does the adapter appear in Device Manager under "Network adapters"?
3. Does "PCMCIA socket" appear in Device Manager?
4. Are there any unknown devices (with ! or ?) in Device Manager?
5. Do other PCMCIA cards work?

For what it's worth, I've had so many problems getting Linksys network
adapters to work, over many years and many versions of Windows, that I
won't buy them. For Windows 98SE, I use the Motorola adapters: WN825G
(PCMCIA) and WU830G (USB).

>Does anyone have a suggestion for how to resolve this problem and have my
>computer recognize the hardware? Or should I upgrade to Windows xp?

It shouldn't be necessary to upgrade to XP. Does the notebook have
enough CPU power, disk space, and memory to upgrade to XP? I
recommend at least 400 MHz, 3 GB, and 256 MB.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional - Windows Networking
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Steve Winograd's Networking FAQ
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm

"dave" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:637BFC47-AC73-4D39-9E19-(E-Mail Removed)...
>I have a compaq presario notebook running on Windows 98se. I received a
> linksys Wireless adapter (WPC54G) for Christmas. After wrangling all day
> with it, I've been able to find a software patch that installs correctly;
> however, my computer doesn't recognize the new hardware when I insert the
> card and restart the system. The box says it's 98se compatible, but the
> list
> of network available network adapters under "control panel: Networks"
> doesn't
> include Linksys wireless.
>
> Does anyone have a suggestion for how to resolve this problem and have my
> computer recognize the hardware? Or should I upgrade to Windows xp?

If you go to control panel>>system>>device manager does it appear as a
network adaptor, if so is it working (right click,select properties)?