Shouldn't a wireless G NIC work with an ASUS P2B-F?

[tluxon]

We have a P3-550MHz PC using the ASUS P2B-F motherboard (slot 1) tha
we'd like to get more life out of, but can't really get an etherne
cable to where we can place the PC. So I bought a Netgear WG31
wireless PCI adapter to take advantage of the Linksys WRT54
Router/Access Point in our house

This computer is running Win XP SP2 and has the required PCI 2.
compliant slots. I've taken out every card except the AGP video car
and tried the WG311 in each of the 5 PCI slots. If I got the card i
just right in slot 1 or 5, the PC will boot and XP would appear t
run fine, but it would not detect any "Network Adapter". In the othe
3 slots, the PC wouldn't even get so far as the BIOS splash screen

I first figured I had a defective WG311. I've since replaced it wit
a new one with no change in symptoms. With a Netgear FA311 NIC,
SoundBlaster Live!, and a SCSI adapter (Diamond Fireport) th
computer works perfectly. The motherboard is flashed with the lates
officially released BIOS

Any ideas what the problem is

Thanks

Ti

 

[BigJIm]

does anything show up in device manager under network cards?

 

[tluxon]

With the WG311 in the computer, when Windows starts (which onl
happens when the card is installed in PCI slot 1 or 5), no device
are shown under "Network Adapters" in Device Manager. Also, n
errors show up in Event Viewer. This is regardless of whether th
BIOS is set to "yes" or "no" for PnP OS

 

[BigJim]

ok if device manager does not see it then the motherboard bios may not be
reading it either.
it could be incompatible with the board

 

[tluxon]

I have confirmed that the P2B-F motherboard does NOT have PCI 2.2
compliant slots. They are only rev. 2.1. That explains my problem.

Now the only intended use for this computer is for internet and
running Lego Digital Designer. I've tried several versions of Lego
Digital Designer and they all crash at the same point, so I'm
suspecting a hardware configuration error, namely the motherboard.
I'd like to avoid reinstallling WinXP,
so the most likely route seems to be swapping out the motherboard for
another one with the the BX440 chipset. I'm looking at the P3B-F
because it has PCI 2.2 slots, but I'm not sure how easy it is to find
a good one.

Got any recommendations?

Thanks!

Tim

 

[BigJIm]

you can do a repair install which will leave you files intact.
It doesn't mean that it will fix all problems but I changed hard drives
from one board to another and it works for me.
You boot with the xp disk and let it do its thing
you will get the first repair disk question but that is not the one you
want.
go to the point of where it asks install xp or repair xp chose repair at
that point
then sit back. It is like a full install but your files will not be over
written.
you will need your cd key.
if you get to point and you are not sure, exit.
the one thing is before I do this, I backup all my relevant data on cd or
dvd just in case.

 

[tluxon]

I've done the "repair" install on a few occasions but I've always
preferred a fresh install on a newly-formatted disk. I guess it's
because I've run into situations where Microsoft replaced a
third-party support file with one of their own by the same name but
missing something vital. Maybe that wouldn't be a problem anymore,
but old "lessons" live a long time. aranoid:

Have you got any recommendations as to whether I should just replace
the motherboard with another BX440 or go for something newer while
I'm gutting anyway? I think I can put together a P4 2.8MHz Northwood
(hard to find) and a i865PE-based motherboard for a tad over $200.
Would that be better in the long run, or should I wait for more of a
64-bit/PCIx explosion for the "major" upgrade? Anybody?

Thanks,

Tim

 

[BigJIm]

just an opinion but I think it is time to upgrade a bit, it is your choice
and your money. As far as 64 bit, I don't think you are going to see
much software for it right now. It is backwardly compatible with 32 bit.
Just remember with a new board comes new memory, power supply and
maybe a video card.

 

[BigJim]

I found another avenue for you
You could get a wireless usb device that will function on usb 1.1 or 2.
Made by U S Robotics about 40 dollars us.

 

[Hackworth]

We have a P3-550MHz PC using the ASUS P2B-F motherboard (slot 1) that
we'd like to get more life out of, but can't really get an ethernet
cable to where we can place the PC. So I bought a Netgear WG311
wireless PCI adapter to take advantage of the Linksys WRT54G
Router/Access Point in our house.

Any ideas what the problem is?

Wireless network PCI cards just don't seem to work in most machines of that
era. You could get a P3B-F instead (as the PCI interface is a newer version
which another poster mentioned), but I recommend instead that you simply get
an external USB wireless adapter. Those work decently with older hardware.

Look at this one, for example:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833124103

If you've by chance installed a USB 2.0 PCI card in that machine, you can
use a USB 2.0 wireless adapter. This one works very well:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833130111

I've used both Linksys and Zonet wireless equipment, and both work fine.
Foxconn's stuff seems to be pretty dependable, too.

 

[tluxon]

Well, I definitely wouldn't be satisfied with wireless-B speeds, s
the USB 1.1 is out. I'm not sure if I want to add another card jus
to get USB 2.0 as I'd probably be just a little further ahead with
P3B-F so I can use the wireless NIC I've already paid for

I also have a Radeon 9800 Pro video card that's just sitting aroun
waiting for a computer to go into, so I'm thinking I'd be best of
just getting a newer generation motherboard and CPU anyway. Thi
will cost me more because I'd need at least a bigger power supply an
RAM for the new motherboard, but it seems to resolve my issues an
should be more obsolete-proof in the long run