PCMCIA network card help (Netvin NV501).

[bat]

Hello, I am trying to get a barely-used c.2001 laptop running with Tiny Core Plus booting from CD. So far so good, but it can't see the network to get any apps. I thought this might be due to the PCMCIA network card which works fine when I boot the machine into Windows ME, so it is not a problem with the network itself.

If I type in 'lspcmcia' it says '... - no driver - ...' so presumably it can't cope with the model which is a Netvin NV501. Any clues very much appreciated - absolute beginner here. Failing that can people tell me the names of PCMCIA network cards which definitely work for wired ethernet so I can hunt for a second-hand alternative card, if the Netvin one definitely isn't supported? A few google searches suggest that it may be that model of card which Linux doesn't like??

[gerald_clark]

See if the 'laptop' bootcode helps.

[curaga]

Xircom pcmcia cards work rather well.

[bat]

Many thanks for that advice. I did see somewhere else on this forum that I should enter 'laptop' somewhere but it was not obvious how to do this. Anyhow, thanks to your advice, I see it should be entered as a bootcode and the FAQ explains to do this by pressing F2, F3 or F4 when the TinyCore boot menu comes up. If I try this, it says something like 'Type one of the following: plus core and any of the space separated options...', one of which is 'laptop'. But, if I then try to type anything at all it just drops back to the TinyCore boot menu. Hence, I am really, really stuck, sorry!

[curaga]

In the latest release (where you have the blue menu), press tab first to add bootcodes.

[bat]

Many thanks for that. I managed to do as you advised.... I pressed TAB at the blue TinyCore boot screen and it says something like "/boot/vmlinuz..../core.gz" so I can add the word "laptop" to this with a space before or edit that command and add " laptop " somewhere in that line and it boots saying "laptop options enabled....PCMCIA"... but still I get "- no driver -" when I enter the lspcmcia command in the shell window and I can't get any apps because it says there's a network problem. So, am I in for a new network card?? Oh wait, the wiki says to try booting with a delay in case the network card is slow to wake up - I'll try that next.

[curaga]

Yes, it may be your card is not supported.

[bat]

Hello again, the delay didn't help, so a 2nd hand Xircom is on its way to me for 99p+postage ;-

[bat]

Many thanks - problem solved with the Xircom card.