Some laptop newbie questions

[Zoinks]

I have two slots on the side of my laptop. The manual describes them as "PC card and cardbus slot and button (varies by model)". Despite this clear and unambiguous description (no wonder no one ever reads the manuals), I need a little help figuring out which is which. The computer is a Compaq Presario 2135us. I have a Linksys WPC54G wireless card plugged into one of the slots - that one has to be the cardbus right?

So what then is PCMCIA? The reason I'm asking is that I want to get a CF/SM reader for the open slot and I don't know what to get.

Thanks for your help.

 

[mocca]

I don't quite understand your question but I will wander a guess. The PCMCIA is a standard for PC Card used in laptops. There are two version, the older version is 16bit and the newer version is 32bit (called cardbus (or zoom IIRC) by some mfg). Most of the new laptop (newer than 1.5-2 years) comes equipped with 32bit cardbus version. If your manual say they are cardbus, then they are 32bit and can be used with most of the PC Card including the media reader.

Mocca

 

[Zoinks]

I was reading up on this problem in the FAQ: http://www.anandtech.com/guides/viewfaq.html?i=60

I do have what sounds like the standard two stacked slots, but the wireless card only fits into one of the two slots. The manual for the wireless card only says it needs a cardbus slot, not whether it is type II or III. But it doesn't seem to use the top slot, so I should be able to put in something else right?

 

[Zoinks]

Let me try to state it better.

I have two slots. I don't know what they are (and the manual is not specific) but it is a new computer so they should be 32 bit. The two slots appear to be different! My wireless card will only fit into the lower, not the upper. The documentation at Linksys only states that it requires a cardbus slot.

1) If these two slots are not the same, and one is a card bus slot, what is the other?

2) If we're talking about new equipment, is PCMCIA=CardBus=PC Card? The only real difference is type II vs. III?

 

[esaleris]

The smart engineers who did PCMCIA / Cardbus made it so it is impossible with cards from responsible companies to be put in the wrong kind of slot (they use slightly different shapes along the edge of the card).

I wouldn't worry then. Feel free to correct me, guys - this is just what I remember.

 

[Zoinks]

Are you trying to say one of the slots is PCMCIA and one is cardbus? I've been getting the impression that they are the same thing?

 

[jschuk]

It is possible that only one slot is cardbus capable. Most of the Toshiba's from the Pentium MMX era only had one cardbus/zoomed video capable slot on the bottom. Both slots became cardbus capable with the PII era laptops, at least with Toshiba.

Of course the info above is irrelevant for your computer. After looking at the reference guide for your laptop I see that your laptop only has one slot. It looks like two, but that is to accamodate a type III PC card (about twice the the height of type II cards. If you want wireless and a card reader, you will either need to get a USB card reader, or a mini-PCI wireless card and whatever PCMCIA reader you were looking at.

 

[Zoinks]

Ah ha! That makes a lot of sense. Thanks a lot jschuk.