Hardware Incompatibility?

This isn't really my style, but I've run into a problem that I can't solve, and it seems very much like a hardware problem, save one thing....

I got a brand new laptop, a Toshiba P35, booted it up into WinXP home (factory installed), and put in my Sprint PCS wireless modem PCMCIA card (Airprime PC 3200).

Instacrash. After maybe 6 or 7 seconds, the screen totally froze, mouse unresponsive, the whole deal.

So, I installed the latest Sprint drivers. I installed the lastest Toshiba drivers.

Still crash.

So, I reformatted the whole box with XP Pro, booted up the first time, and popped the card in.

Crash.

The interesting thing was that when the card is inserted while the OS was running, I got the little bubble at the lower-right corner saying "Found New Hardware/Lucent USB Open Host Controller" before the crash, indicating (to me, at least) that the PCMCIA slot is sort of working.

So, I figured the Sprint card was clearly bad. So I tried it in 3 other laptops, one running Win98, two XP Pro.

Worked totally fine, regardless of whether I'd put the drivers on or not.

Since I had done every software permutation I could think of, I figured, clearly I have a laptop with a bad PCMCIA slot. So I returned it and got another P35.

Exact same symptoms.

Any ideas? I'm inclined to conclude that this model is simply incompatible with my card, but that seems like it'd be a known issue. Any help is greatly appreciated.

New laptop...

Call Toshiba.

May need a bios update...or ...you are right...faulty hardware.

MLF

unfortunately, I've tried getting a new laptop, and get the same crash. :(

i've also looked for new bios/firmware updates for both the laptop and the card, and found nothing.

I installed the Sprint software package on the laptop, and inserted the card while the Sprint client was running, and that didn't crash the machine, but it asked me to install drivers for the card.

When I did so, it crashed in the middle of installing "appwrdnt.sys", which returns nothing on Google. And even though I've gotten it to not crash while the client is running, windows still refuses to boot while the card is plugged in.

Weird, huh?

Do you have to use that card???

Sorry not familar with Sprint software???

Can it be manually confired??


MLF

Thanks for the help...
The Sprint PCS network requires a proprietary Sprint wireless internet card to access it, so I pretty much do have to use this card.
The Sprint software cannot really be configured in any real sense, especially since it does not detect that a valid PCS card has been inserted.
Of course, the drivers aren't installed, but when I try to do that, I get a big fat crash.

Well, all I can suggest is borrowing another PCMCIA card (preferably another make) and seeing if it works with the Toshiba.

If it doesn't then you have a faulty PC..............remember that these things are made in batches and components come in batches, so it is possible.

If it does, then you seem to have some sort of software or compatibility issue. I have had a quick look on google and cannot find anything from the sprint or toshiba angle to indicate that this is common.

Good luck

Have you spoke with sprint??

If this all works on other laptops and not the Toshiba...send it back...get another model ...as Nihil says...all the components\systems come in batches...
Faultly component somewhere.....and unless toshiba is gonna pay you to continue to troubleshoot..explain that the card works in xxx laptop and not this one...I want

another model

or my money back!!! :mad:


MLF

I forgot to mention that other PCMCIA cards work fine in the Toshiba, which suggests that there's actually some kind of software incompatibility going on, but the only non-standard software on the box at the moment is the Sprint drivers (which work fine on other laptops) and the Toshiba drivers (which are needed to operate the laptop), so it's possible that the laptop drivers themselves are incompatible with this card.

I suspect you guys are right, I'll just have to spend 1000 years on the phone with Toshiba and get a different model.

Ah well, so much for having a working system by tomorrow...

Another thought, it could just be manufacturing tolerances? I once put two identical modems into identical MoBos. Modem A wouldn't work with MoBo A in ANY of the PCI slots. Modem B worked perfectly first time. So I thought I had a dead MoBo or modem, but which?.............to check it, I put modem B into MoBo A and it worked perfectly. I then put modem A into MoBo B.............and that worked perfectly as well :D

On the other hand, I once bought a travelling electric razor as a present, so I asked the sales guy to put some batteries in it.............didn't work........................he tried all 7 that they had in the store and they were all duds!

Have you tried loading the sprint drivers first, then power off, insert card and reboot? What happens then?

EDIT: Also are there any clues in the event viewer (system & applications) as to what is happening?

Well it looks like Airprime was bought out by Sierra Wireless. I went on their site seeing if there was a vendor drive for the card. They don't have a 3200, but they do have a 3300. Give that driver a shot and see what you get. If that doesn't work then I have to agree that its very possibly just a cosmic coincidence that those two pieces of HW don't work together. You've replaced the laptop, any chance of trying another card?

Here's a restated fix for your issue:

1. pick up the hellophone.
2. call sprint and bitch. the right to do this is why you're paying them for their service. by all means exercise that right, this is their problem.
3. if/when sprint balks at fixing the issue, ask to speak with their supervisor, repeat step 2.

The big issue with service industries like sprint/aol/etc functioning as ISP's is that they have to make their hardware and software universally compatible. If for whatever reason, their card doesn't work in your laptop, it becomes their responsibility to *make* it work or lose your business, plus the business of everyone you tell about how shoddy their service is. Make them EARN your money!

I don't have another card, and since they run about $150-200, I'm not keen on buying one just on a hunch, especially since this one seems to work in other machines.

I'm getting the Sierra Wireless drivers you mentioned now, though I'm pretty sure they're already installed, it can't hurt. I'll check the Event Log too, hadn't thought of that.

Nihil: I've tried booting to a clean install of WinXP pro, installing the drivers, and then rebooting with the card plugged in, and it freezes on that cute XP splash screen you get on startup.

Hmmm,

That might get us something in the event logs.

Will it boot into safe mode? If it will that suggests a software problem, if not a hardware one.

Try taking the option to create a boot log and have a look at that.

Finally, take the opyion to boot with confirmation (step by step) and wait about 30 seconds between each step (I know, I know :D ) If that works then it is certainly a software problem.

Good luck

I wasn't expecting you to buy another, I just thought you might know someone else with one we could use test. My thinking being that it would almost certainly be from a different batch, so if it worked I would say your card was out of tolerance, and if it did not I would suspect the laptop. Provided of course that we check out the software options.

Huh. The only event log stuff that's identifiable as related to the card is an Information event in the system events:
Winport opened COM1 as a client, for connecting to network modems.

This is followed by an error 3 seconds later:
The mrtRate service failed to start due to the following error: The system cannot find the file specified.

I'm afraid I have no idea what that stuff means, except that I guess the PCMCIA card is using COM1...which, now that I think about it, was a cause of crashes back in the days before plug-n-play....

The laptop does boot into safe mode fine, but it shows no trace of the card, I think probably because there's not PCMCIA support in safe mode.

Frustrating....you guys are more patient than me! :)


EDIT: Actually, I just tried safe mode again, and it seems to boot up okay, giving me the GUI and everything, but then it freezes as though I had just inserted the card.

Just a shot in the dark here.. but is there something else on COM1? If so, disable it in BIOS and give it another shot.

Quote:

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Just a shot in the dark here.. but is there something else on COM1? If so, disable it in BIOS and give it another shot.

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Good call again zENGER!!!!!

MLF

Well, nothing on COM1 as far as I can tell, but with modern BIOSes and WinXP, it's kind of hard to tell.
|3lack|ce will be happy to know I finally decided to exert my consumer muscle and subscribe to a competing service, Verizon. Which, incidentally, provides the same service for the same cost, with better coverage, broadband speed, and (hopefully) stable client hardware.
I'll probably still noodle around with the Sprint card, since it's already been purchased, but I'm not too worried about it. I'll let you know if I ever figure it out.
Thanks everyone for your help!

Just as a followup, the Verizon card I got is giving me ridiculous hassles as well, so I think it can be stated for the record that Toshiba laptops (at least the P35) are unable to handle wireless modems, and according to another IT expert, many communications cards in general.
So be warned.

I think it is time to give Toshiba some grief? you should at least get your money back or a model that does work.

Good luck :)