Specs: Dell Inspiron 4000 notebook (circa year 2001), Pentium III, 750MHz, 512MB RAM, Windows XP upgrade over original Windows ME, all XP Service Packs and hotfixes installed. Have two Type II PC card slots that accept 32-bit cardbus card. Used to have a 10/10000 NIC card. The card was bent while in the slot. I took the card out and threw it away (shouldn't have done that, but that was months ago).
Now I want to install a USB 2.0 cardbus card in one of these slots (the kind w/2 USB ports) since the notebook came installed only with one USB 1.1 port (and I want more transfer speed for a Linksys hi-speed USB network adapter that I use on the 1.1 port). Using the Type II PC slot that did not have the damaged 10/10000 card in it, I have tried installing the following new items: a Netgear wireless card, a Keyspan 2.0 USB card, and a Belkin 2.0 Notebook Card. None of these items is recognized in Device Manager. I've abandoned the Netgear card since I discovered the Linksys product. I've returned the Keyspan card to Dell for credit. I've tried everything I can think of with the Belkin card and still no go.
When the card (any of these mentioned) is placed in the slot and then removed after awhile, the card is hot, which tells me that the PCI cage has power. In Device manager, the host controllers for each of these Type II slots is shown as working properly. I tried the Update Driver feature on each (with a connection to Windows Update on-line) and no later driver was found. I notice that IRQ 9 is shared by the Type II slots, also the USB port, plus something else, but research tells me that this is the norm. Also: Windows sound for Connect Device (I assume) is audible when the card is inserted in Type II slot. There are many many more things that I have done to install this Belkin card (too much to list here).
What I haven't done is contact Belkin or Dell. Experience tells me that I will get the run-around at best and that they will tell me to do everything I've already done. My object in all this: To go from 12Mbbps max transfer rate on the USB 1.1 port to up to 480Mbbps if I can use the Linksys USB network adapter in the USB 2.0 Notebook card instead. 2nd objective: To not let these Type II slots go unused just because of some glitch that can be solved.
I apologize for this length. (I've also reposted on the much-appreciated advice that I break this msg into paragraphs (didn't know I could LOL). I tried to mince words and just give the facts as I know them. Awaiting any advice or insight that an expert can give me. Thank you in advance.
