Networking :: PCMCIA Ethernet configuration for old laptop

Hello everyone,

I've installed DSL on a very old P1 166mhz, 96mb RAM laptop and have put a PCMCIA ethernet card in (wired). DSL seems to recognise that it's there but doesn't configure it (i.e. the lights flash and the card manager seems to know it's there but it won't talk to my cable modem), so I can't get online.

Basically I haven't the faintest idea how to get it working as I'm very new to linux, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

By the way, the laptop is an Acer Extensa 390 and the card is a Micronet SP160TA, in case that helps.

Try

cardctl ls

Does it see your card?

It would appear that your pcmcia card is a cardbus style.
Many old laptops have difficulty with such.
Try adding the boot option pci=assign-busses

e.g.

dsl pci=assign-busses

plus any other boot options that you were using.

Thanks for replying so quickly.

curaga -

I got this:

Code Sample

Socket 0:

no card

Socket 1:

3.3v CardBus Card
function 0: [ready]

...which is assume is good news!

roberts - do you mean to do this when I log on, before the GUI starts? I'll give that a go...

Enter at the very first boot: prompt on the initial DSL logo screen.

Next Page...
original here.