Any error messages from Socket and Card Services?

Yes, it said that socket services were unavailable.

But i actually managed to solve it due to the fact hat i found a later version of cardservices (v4.1 as opposed to 3.1 that i had earlier, here: https://support.advantech.com.tw/support/Down … Source=Download) and installing this version actually made the card (i tried the 8020bt/t a try) come alive and work 😀

Thx

addendum. Unfortunatly this C.S package eats a lot of conventional memory. 496KB available after installing it 🙁

Can you post the content of config.sys?
Do you have the original install media for the card?
Depending on the pcmcia chipset in your laptop you should be able to use the card using its point enabler and not needing Card Services.

Hi lolo,

sure 😀 here is the contents of my config.sys:

DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV.EXE /DOUBLE_BUFFER
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS X=D000-DFFF
BUFFERS=15,0
FILES=30
DOS=UMB
LASTDRIVE=Z
FCBS=4,0
DEVICEHIGH /L:1,12064 =C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE
DEVICE=C:\DOS\MOUSE.SYS
DOS=HIGH
COUNTRY=046,850,C:\DOS\COUNTRY.SYS
DEVICEHIGH /L:1,15792 =C:\DOS\DISPLAY.SYS CON=(EGA,,1)
DEVICEHIGH /L:1,4560 =C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS
DEVICEHIGH=c:\CARDSOFT\SSDBOOK.EXE
DEVICEHIGH=C:\CARDSOFT\CS.EXE
DEVICEHIGH=C:\CARDSOFT\CSALLOC.EXE
DEVICEHIGH=C:\CARDSOFT\CARDID.EXE
STACKS=9,256

and the content of the autoexec.bat

LH /L:0;1,45456 /S C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV.EXEx /X
LH /L:1,6528 c:\DOS\DOSKEY.COM
@ECHO OFF
PROMPT $p$g
PATH C:\NET;C:\MSIE50;c:\windows;C:\DOS;C:\NET\ARACHNE
SET TEMP=C:\DOS
SET MTCPCFG=C:\NET\tcp.cfg
MODE CON CODEPAGE PREPARE=((850) C:\DOS\EGA.CPI)
MODE CON CODEPAGE SELECT=850
LH /L:1,18480 KEYB SV,,C:\DOS\KEYBOARD.SYS
c:\net2\pkt8020.com 0x60

the 8020bt/t driver disk was not supplied with the card when i bought it so i downloaded it separately (but also attached it here)

Are those drivers for the 3com 589c card?

sorry, no, they are for the smc 8020bt/t. I will try the 589 ones again, but i think i already did in the past and the result was very much similar (needed the CS util in place). I'll test again within 4 hours 😀

Ok, so i tried to download a packet-driver for the 589d (version 1.3 from here: http://download.caltech.se/download/fluke/DAQ … Q/disk2/packet/) and removed all card services references). I've had success on other machinery with just the packet driver (mainly thinkpad 365, 380, etc). But doing the same in this case gives me:

WARNING: 3C589 could not be configured using card services.
No card services or card services is not responding
Driver will now try to enable 3c589 using PCMCIA host hardware.
Error: No EtherLink III adapters found or responding
Error: Initialization failure.

So in this case, it seems that those card services are mandatory (??)

Point enablers are used to enable pcmcia cards without the need for Card Services, but usually support only specific pcmcia chipsets (and mostly the intel 82365 type, not other chipsets).

You could save some memory by not loading DEVICEHIGH=C:\CARDSOFT\CARDID.EXE
And your Lastdrive value is set too high, how many drive letters do you really need?

Tried to remove the DEVICEHIGH=C:\CARDSOFT\CARDID.EXE but then it refused to recognise the card completely. I could try the xircom pe3 via the lpt just for reference. Maybe that will conserve some memory (albeight much slower throughput)

In that case, you can't rem that line.
You should still change the "lastdrive" value to something more sensible for a starton your quest to gain some conventional memory back...

Hi lolo,

i changed the lastdrive=f now (from z) but it did not really do any difference 😀 But i ended up doing two things tonight:

- Scrapped everything CS alltogether and went to use my trusty PE3 Xircom (which of course manages fine by just using the rather small packet driver that it comes with)
- Also installed QEMM 9 (found this on REMOVED)

This combined brought the conventional memory up to 604kb which imho is quite nice. While i did notice some issues with qemm (especially when trying programs such as HWINFO 1.55 which caused everything to crash), i will do some more tests tomorrow. Maybe i'll just ditch the qemm and use the msdos provided emm386 in the end.

But thanks heaps for keeping an eye on this tread. Much appreciated 😀

Oh, had to go to the recycling station and get rid of the original ni-mh battery. Its not very pleasant to hear this "sizzling" noise coming from the battery when it charges (and it did keep charge). Sounded like when frying bacon almost (* shrug *). I will not use it as a laptop anyway so that was really no loss.