HP LTE Notebook PC 5250 Compaq Portable PC Card Support for Microsoft Windows - Page 3

WHITE PAPER (cont.) NOTE: Direct enablers are basic software drivers provided by a PC Card vendor. These drivers allow the peripheral to be used under native Windows NT 4.0. Contact your PC Card vendor directly for information about the level of Windows NT 4.0 support offered. ... PLATFORM PC CARD SUPPORT Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 is pre-installed on select models within the Armada 1500, Armada 7300, Armada 7700 and Armada 7800 families. The operating system is supported on all models within the Armada 1500, Armada 4100, Armada 4200, Armada 7300, Armada 7700, Armada 7800 and LTE 5000 families. Table 1 summarizes which versions of CardWare® 5.0 are supported on each portable family. Note that PC Card features inherently supported by Windows NT 4.0 are supported across all product families (see the section titled Supported PC Card Features for more information). Using a PC Card under Windows NT 4.0 without CardWare® 5.0 requires basic software drivers for the PC Card peripheral called direct enablers1 and that the PC Card be inserted into the slot prior to turning on the notebook. Using a direct enabler offers support for a specific PC Card and only for a limited set of features and functionality when compared with PC Cards operating under CardWare® 5.0. Hot PC Card insertion, auto-configuration and CardBus are examples of features not supported through the use of a direct enabler, but are supported by CardWare. See the section titled Supported PC Card Features & Card Types for more information about PC Card features supported under CardWare® 5.0 versus those offered by the native operating system. SUPPORTED PLATFORMS Supported Platforms Windows NT 4.0 Native PC Card Support CardWare® 5.0 for Windows NT 4.0 (v2.0x) LTE 5000 Family ü û Armada 4100 Family ü û Armada 4200 Family ü û Armada 1500 Family ü ü Armada 7300 Family ü ü Armada 7700 Family ü ü Armada 7800 Family ü û Table 1 - PC Card support by Compaq portable computer family CardWare® 5.0 for Windows NT 4.0 (v2.1x SUPPORTED PC CARD FEATURES CardWare® 5.0 greatly expands the set of PC Card features over those inherently offered by Windows NT 4.0. Table 3 summarizes major features by specific versions of CardWare® 5.0 and compares this expanded feature set with the limited set offered by Windows NT 4.0. The following is a discussion of key areas where CardWare® 5.0 provides additional value and makes PC Card technology, namely CardBus and enhanced power management, more usable for Compaq portable customers. CardBus Support One of the key hardware technology advancements introduced with the Armada 1500, Armada 4200, Armada 7300, Armada 7700 and Armada 7800 families is CardBus support, which paves the way for higher performance PC Card devices. CardBus is based on the widely accepted PCMCIA Association industry standard for 32-bit PC Cards. These devices are able to take advantage of 1 Due to the way direct enablers are designed, they can compromise system integrity and render other PC Cards unusable. Compaq recommends caution when using direct enablers. 3