Linksys PCMPC100 User Guide - Page 6

Instant EtherFast® Series About the Software The EtherFast 10/100 PC Card requires two different kinds of software in order to work: Socket and card services are special software drivers that allow a PC card to communicate with your computer. Your computer might have services that were installed by the manufacturer, making your PC compatible with a wide range of CardBus and PCMCIA cards. If your computer doesn't have services, or if you're not sure how to get yours working, the EtherFast 10/100 PC Card comes with a generic enabler you can use to get the card up and running in your DOS or Windows NT computer's card slot. Card services are always loaded into memory each time your PC is started up, and always before your network drivers are loaded. Network drivers allow the card to communicate with your network at large. The EtherFast 10/100 PC Card disk includes drivers for many network operating systems, including Windows 95, 98, 2000, Millennium, NT, Windows for Workgroups, NetWare, packet driver networks, and more. When the EtherFast 10/100 PC Card is up and running, it will talk to your PC's card slot, which will talk to the Card services, which will finally talk to the network drivers and the network at large. Choosing I/O and IRQ Values Just like modems, mice, CD-ROMs, hard drives, and other devices, the EtherFast 10/100 PC Card requires an I/O address and an IRQ value. An I/O base address is the Input/Output area of your computer's Input/Output range that the EtherFast 10/100 PC Card will use for transferring data to and from a network. The I/O value you assign to the EtherFast 10/100 PC Card must not be in use by any other devices. I/O values are always expressed in hexadecimal values. A hexadecimal value is basically a number that serves as an abbreviation of a larger number. Also known as an interrupt, an IRQ is a signal that notifies the PC when certain input or output events have occurred and where the attention of the PC is needed. IRQs are expressed in numerical values. Your computer's system BIOS will automatically assign an IRQ value. 6 EtherFast® 10/100 PC Cards Note: Plug-and-Play operating systems like Windows 98, Windows 95 OSR2, (also known as Windows 95 Version B) Millennium , and 2000 will usually assign available I/O and IRQ values to the EtherFast 10/100 PC Card automatically, making the card's installation quick and easy. If you can't seem to find an I/O address or interrupt value to use, contact your PC's manufacturer to determine which values are currently available for use with the EtherFast 10/100 PC Card. Socket and Card Services Socket and card services allow your computer to recognize a PCMCIA card when it is inserted into your PC's PCMCIA slot. Your PC will need some kind of services installed in order to use the EtherFast 10/100 PCMCIA PC Card. Most PCMCIA-equipped PCs have socket and card services pre-installed by the computer's manufacturer. If you are upgrading your PC by adding a new PCMCIA slot, then you need to upgrade your services as well. You have two choices: • Use Built-in Services in the Driver If your computer doesn't have services (or you don't know what kind are installed), you may be able to use the enabler built into the driver of the PCMCIA Card for DOS or NT computers. The enabler tries to automatically get the card recognized by the laptop and enable the slot to work with the 10/100 PC Card only. • Contact Your PC's Manufacturer If your computer doesn't have services, and the generic services contained in the 10/100 PC Card's driver don't seem to work with your PC, contact your computer's manufacturer to find out what kind of services your computer uses, or how to get compatible services if your computer doesn't have them. Note: Plug-and-Play operating systems like Windows 95,98, Millennium, and 2000 have socket and card services built into the operating system. You don't need to install them if you are using these Operating Systems. 7