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Need to find out what PCMCIA devices my Win95 laptop can use WITHOUT driver installation

Tags:
  • Laptops
  • Windows
  • PCMCIA
  • Hard Drives
Last response: in Windows 95/98/ME
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December 9, 2013 4:45:12 PM

I've got a laptop (Compaq LTE Elite 4/75CX) running Windows 95 OSR 2 (4.00.1111), and I need to get some data off the hard drive. The HDD can't be transplanted into another computer because it's a peculiar model that only works with a few motherboards. The laptop has no modem or networking capabilities, no CD-ROM drive, and its floppy drive is broken. I'm not willing to go to the trouble of repairing or replacing the floppy drive. Therefore, it seems like PCMCIA is my only hope at restoring some form of I/O to this laptop. I'd like to buy a PCMCIA hard drive and use that to copy the files, but I don't want to spend the money just to find out that I can't use it without drivers, which I'll have no way of installing. Does anyone know whether my particular version of Windows supports any PCMCIA hard drives without a driver installation? If possible, I'd like any and all available info on the relevant driver files (paths, locations and version number) so I can make sure I've got the right drivers and the hard drive really will work when I buy it. Thanks.

More about : find pcmcia devices win95 laptop driver installation

a b D Laptop
December 9, 2013 5:21:33 PM

You're going to need drivers for any additional hardware, no option there. If you can't (or won't) repair/replace the floppy drive then you're left with only one real option, and that's to fire up a terminal and transfer via a null modem connection. Been a long time but I think the serial port on that machine topped out at 38400bps.
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December 9, 2013 5:35:31 PM

I see - actually it's the floppy controller and not the drive that's the problem, so there's not much I can do there... I thought PCMCIA on laptops was seen natively like a slot on the motherboard, which was why I was hoping 95OSR2 might be able to do something with those slots without any additional drivers. Is that not the case?
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a b D Laptop
December 9, 2013 5:40:29 PM

Nope, the PCMCIA slot on laptops is driven through an additional controller (usually TI) and drivers. Remember, Plug 'n Play was in its infancy here.
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December 9, 2013 5:44:24 PM

Thanks for the heads up... what would be the best way to check if those drivers were already installed? Just look in device manager for a PCMCIA slot and make sure it's marked as working properly?
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a b D Laptop
December 9, 2013 6:08:44 PM

Yup, check the device manager, though most likely the slot is just fine. You'll still need drivers for anything you plug into it though. Plug 'n Play from that era was very, very rudimentary by todays standard and everything required its own, specific driver, there were few, if any generic drivers back then.
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December 9, 2013 6:10:10 PM

Will do. Thanks for the help, and if anyone else has any input on this please feel free to chime in :) 
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