Wireless switch not working after replacing LAN adapter on Toshiba Satellite M100

[dredd2929]

I replaced my Mini PCI-E wireless LAN adapter, and it seemed to install the driver and recognize the card fine. Problem is it only has one antenna connector, whereas the original card had two. I didn't think that would be a problem and I just hooked up one of them, but when I turned on the wireless switch on the front of the laptop, the light doesn't turn on. The icon in the system tray says the wireless adapter has been disabled.

My questions:
Do both antenna connectors have to be plugged into the card?
Does the hard switch literally turn the card on/off, or just the antenna?
If it has to be on, is there any way to bypass it?
The company I purchased the card from said the card is only supposed to have one antenna connector (yet the product page shows two); is this a load of crap?

I'm using Windows XP Pro.

 

[kjband13oc]

No both antenna connectors dont have to be plugged in.Usually white one is primary connector.
Yes switch turns power on an off to card.Bypassing it would require opening laptop and connecting 2 switch wires together.
#1 are you sure card is compatible with your model laptop?
#2 Is card enabled in bios?
#3 are you sure card is seated properly?
#4 is card enabled in properties?

 

[corkyg]

Check the IP address. Does your laptop have a keyboard combo on/off switch in addition to the hardware switch? (Mine does.)

 

[dredd2929]

kjband13oc:
1. No, I'm not sure if it is compatible
2. I don't see a way to enable/disable the card in the BIOS
3. Yes
4. Yes

corkyg:
Yes, there is a keyboard combo to turn wireless on/off. I tried it and it doesn't turn the card on.

I tried putting the old non-working card back in and connecting both antennas, and the LED turns on when I hit the switch. It seems the laptop wants both antennas connected before it will allow power to the card. Makes no sense to me, but hey, what do I know? Unless you guys have another suggestion, my next step is is to get another card that has two antenna connectors. I considered hard-wiring the switch, but what good will that do? Wouldn't that be the same as just turning the switch on?

 

[Lanyap]

It sounds like they sold you a non-standard wireless card. Get the brand name and model number of your old card and find one on ebay.

 

[dredd2929]

The original wireless LAN adapter is an Intel 3945. I found an Intel 4965 and tried it, but still no luck. It recognizes the hardware and installs the driver just fine, but it says that that the wireless radio button is off. The switch is on, but the amber light does not turn on.

I'm really frustrated because I was hoping to get a card that should be compatible, but still a little bit of an upgrade (802.11N capable). I tried finding some kind of compatibility list for the card and the laptop but I couldn't. The card says it is made to work with Intel Centrino motherboards, which is what I have.

I updated to the latest BIOS, but that didn't help. I'm learning now that sometimes motherboard BIOS's have a "white list" they check before enabling hardware, and if your hardware is not on the list, it won't work.

Is there any way to modify the BIOS to get rid of this check? I guess I could just suck it up and get the original card, but I'm on my second card now and I doubt the boss (my wife) will let me get another. I would just return them but I got them so cheap ($7 and $8 respectively) it isn't worth shipping them back.