Wireless mini PCI

spud17

First of all, I'm not that familiar with laptops, apart from the basics.

I'm looking to get the wireless on THIS Toshiba working.

It is old and never had a wireless card fitted.

I assumed, perhaps wrongly that the cards would be a standard fitting, but looking around, it appears that some are advertised for specific makes.

Are they actually make specific?

Or will any card do? Providing you can find drivers.

Thanks R

Sowilo_2

The easiest and cheapest solution would be a wireless usb adaptor. I got one a few weeks back for £9.67 inc' postage from Digiflex ltd. Great, plug & play. Amazon has plenty of choice but I don't think you need pay a lot.

Baldur

Your link isn't working.

The simplest option is probably a PCMCIA/PC Card or USB WLAN adapter if the Toshiba is that old.

espresso

spud17 wrote: »

Are they actually make specific?

Or will any card do? Providing you can find drivers.

Thanks R

Corrected link here

You need a mini PCI card e.g. here and obviously the correct drivers to match.

spud17

Cheers guys/gals,

Sowilo, I'd already considered that, but it is destined for a teenager with slight learning difficulties, who can be clumsy, so didn't really want anything sticking out the back.

Baldur, have fixed link.

espresso, thanks for sorting link, bit strange.
That's the sort of thing I was looking at, but was a bit thrown by some of them being listed for specific makes.

espresso

spud17 wrote: »

That's the sort of thing I was looking at, but was a bit thrown by some of them being listed for specific makes.

The most common factory fitted WiFi cards are made by Intel and Broadcom depending on the laptop/notebook manufacturer. some more here

SatanicHare

Not had a lot of experience with them but i did have one fitted to a shuttle style pc a few years ago, they really need to have antenna fitted to them to work properly or they keep dropping out, i think a lot of laptops have the antenna built into the frame of the screen or the main body, it'd be worth making sure that you have got some kind of antenna before buying the card, i'd certainly consider a usb wireless dongle as a good alternative

spud17

espresso wrote: »

The most common factory fitted WiFi cards are made by Intel and Broadcom depending on the laptop/notebook manufacturer. some more here

ok, ok, I give up, , snowed under with options.

Will look out for Intel or Broadcom, rather than what it fits.

Will try a couple of bids, I have time on my side, the laptop has to be completely reinstalled.
It also needs more ram, got bids in on that.
Currently 256MB, plus McAfee, all the aol software and aol security package (?), also remnants of Norton, no wonder it's ground to a halt.

As a slight aside, the Toshiba site seems to be quite well set up for finding the required drivers.

spud17

SatanicHare wrote: »

Not had a lot of experience with them but i did have one fitted to a shuttle style pc a few years ago, they really need to have antenna fitted to them to work properly or they keep dropping out, i think a lot of laptops have the antenna built into the frame of the screen or the main body, it'd be worth making sure that you have got some kind of antenna before buying the card, i'd certainly consider a usb wireless dongle as a good alternative

The antenna wires are already there, factory fitted, reception should not be a problem, as the other laptops in the house works fine.

espresso

spud17 wrote: »

Will look out for Intel or Broadcom, rather than what it fits.

Well the Tosh spec says mini PCI card so don't get a mini PCI-E card.

spud17

espresso wrote: »

Well the Tosh spec says mini PCI card so don't get a mini PCI-E card.

Thanks, I had noted that.