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PCMCIA Card Slots not seen in windows 98SE

Hi i have an old IBM Thinkpad model No 2640 DSW running win 98 se and when i go into PC Card (PCMCIA) in the control panel all i get is a blank panel instead of saying slot 1 empty and slot 2 empty.The problem is i need these PCMCIA Slots so i can install an external CD-ROM and to be able to get on the internet using PCMCIA Cards, these old laptops only have an internal FDD.Can anyone advise me what to do to rectify this?.If the slots were operating i would re-install windows using the external CD-ROM (but with out a set of ploppy dics i am unable to di this).Please help me if possible Thanks West959526.

rid

You may need to check the hardware somehow. If you have plans to use the PCMCIA for connecting a CD unit, you need drivers for PCMCIA and the for the CD. There used to be a site called www.bootdisk.com which had a lot of very useful bootable floppy images. I suggest you try to find one that has the card and socket drivers for the slots and the generic oakcdrom.sys for the CD. The card and socket drivers may be a bit tricky, but I wouldn't give up on IBM actually having them available for download. Once you get hold of the required files, you can put them on a bootable CD yourself. When all driver files are on the (bootable!) floppy, you need to edit your startup files (config.sys and autoexec.bat) to have them loaded and then you should be good to go.
/RID

SysExpert

In addition you might check the lenovo site for the drivers

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=HOME-LENOVO#rdt

With any luck they will fit on a floppy.

Other option is USB if this machine has one.

I hope this helps !

nobus

i would advise this :
-take the disk out of the lappie, and connect it to a working PC
-copy the windows cd (or the win98 folder at least ) to the disk.
-then you can run sfc, or a win98 setup from the disk
if you want to start win98 setup from a clean disk :
-while still connected to a working windows98 PC : format the disk, and copy the win98 folder over
-then put the disk in the laptop , start from a windows 98 Floppy, issue the command sys C:
-bootup from the disk, navigate into the win98 folder, and run setup

west959526

ASKER

Hi nobus when you say connect it to a working PC do you mean take out the existing HDD and put this one in it's place and carry out what you are sugesting please advise me on this.

west959526

ASKER

Hi nobus i forgot to add i take it when you said put it in a working PC you ment another Laptop?.

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

nobus

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west959526

ASKER

I wish to say thank you all very much for your help with this matter and i have decided to take the last relpy and go down that route.