Tek-Tips is the largest IT community on the Internet today!

Members share and learn making Tek-Tips Forums the best source of peer-reviewed technical information on the Internet!

  • Congratulations strongm on being selected by the Tek-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

USB 2.0 PC Card for HP ze5000 laptop (that works) 3

Status
Not open for further replies.

yantisr

IS-IT--Management
Dec 17, 2003
12
US
I have an HP ze5000 Laptop (2.2GHz, 512MB RAM, 40GB hdd, 32MB Nvidia, 15-in UVGA, IEEE-1394, USB 1.1, IRD, 802.11b, 10/100 Enet) - but the one thing I am missing is USB 2.0.

I have tried a number of PC Cardbus cards: I/O Flex, Belkin, Adaptec, and Dynex. However, none work for various reasons:
1. I/O Flex - installs, HW Mgr "sees" it. But, it will not recognize & retain an external harddisk (Acom, Buslink) or CD-RW/DVD-RW (Sony) drive, even using the power supply for the card.
2. Belkin - didn't even try -- the cards are stuck to the packaging with a sticky goop adhesive that won't peel off without an extreme amount of damaging scrapping or solvent action. And I won't put it into my lptop's card slot with this stuff on it.
3. Adaptec - will support a USB mouse or digital camera, but not an external drive, even using the power supply for the card.
4. Dynex - just shuts down the laptop's power supply and battery, requiring removal of the battery, power-on with the laptop's AC adaptor only, power off, reinsertion of the battery, and power back on!

I suspect that the cardbus is inadequate to support the power demands of the external drives, even using the power supplies for the PC Cards.

However, this is a relatively new and powerful computer. So it seems that there should be a USB 2.0 adaptor for this laptop.

Does anyone know of a solution for this? I'd greatly appreciate any help.

Thanks.

Robert Y.
 
I've got a Toshiba Satelite Laptop with a Belkin 2.0 pcmcia card.

My ioGear external HD works fine (but slow) though the onboard USB1.1 port. Through the Belkin card, with the external PS attached the HD will work for 30 seconds to a minute, before crapping out, and I get messages re: transfer errors and unable to write e:\MFT$. file.

I have to reboot the PC for it to work again.

I've run all the updates, and bcastner (you've helped me before, thanks!) I'll double check for that windows update as soon as I get home, but I don't think that it is the issue.

No other USB devices connected. No other programs running in the background that are sucking processor capacity. I'm at a loss and about to return the HD and maybe upgrade to a new Laptop with USB2.0 built in.

Any other ideas?
Dave
 
Thanks for the tip bcastner. I have downloaded and applied the MS security patch/fix you pointed me to. But I'll have to wait till I get back to work to test it out. I'll let you know.

and

wooglin, if you find a solution, let me know also, and thanks for letting me know others are experiencing similar issues.

Robert
 
On thing that I have occasionally found helpful is to use Device Manager and change the driver used for the PCMCIA cardbus. Usually it will show a chipset specific driver (and usually this is one of the TI series). I have been able to resolve seemingly intractible PCMCIA issues by "Updating" the driver, and selecting the "Microsoft Generic Cardbus Driver" as a replacement for the chipset specific drivers.
 
no joy for me. I have a solution though. I'm returning the IoGear HD and picking up an XIMeta NAS. With the ethernet port I can either plug it directly into the laptop, or the wireless router.

Might not be as high speed as USB2.0, but it's better than 1.0, and doesn't require all the wiring and card sticking out the side of the computer.

Thanks for the try,
D
 
Your welcome.

(I would have gone to firewire)

Sorry it did not end in a happy resolution of the issue. I, quite frankly, have come to hate USB.
 
I don't quite hate USB yet, but I do much prefer IEEE-1394 (firewire) -- rated speed is almost that of USB 2.0 and actual performance exceeds it, especially as additional devices are added. Problem is that most of our 1-2 year old Dell desktops do not have 1394 (nor USB 2.0) ports. Fortunately, all of our laptops DO have 1394 ports. Personally, I just need the flexibility of USB 2.0 support on my laptop for miriad and sundry devices support that crop up fairly often. And I'd rather not have to buy another laptop when a < $100 PC Card should do the job.

I'll try out the suggestions next week when I return.

Thanks again.
 
Also to remember with usb devices on the root hub.

For preserving power,XP tries to disable USB when a device is not used.
Sometimes this function does not work and may cause USB devices to fail to respond.
To resolve this issue, disable power management on the USB hub by doing the following:

-Click Start, and right-click My Computer.
-Click Properties, then click Hardware.
-Click Device Manager.
-Double-click the Serial Bus Controllers branch to expand it.
-Right-click USB Root Hub, and then click Properties.
-Click Power Management.
-Deselect Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.

Repeat for each USB Root Hub.

 
addendum....
I finally got a hold of the ebayer that sold me the USB card and he suggested that it might be either a bios problem or the card needing to be flashed.

Sounded a little like a stab in the dark to me. I've never heard of 'flashing' a pcmcia card, and looking at the belkin site I did not see any kind of firmware updates for it.

As for the bios..... I've always been wary of fooling with it. But with the proper instuction I'd give it a try.

Comments?
 
1. A BIOS update, while scary, is advisable if a newer BIOS release is available. In nearly every case you will need a floppy drive which can be problematic for a notebook. Just check the details. Unplug everything not absolutely necessary when doing the BIOS upgrade, and connect to AC power instead of trying this on battery alone.

2. While there might be newer drivers for the PCMCIA card, the notion of &quot;flashing&quot; it in some fashion is a rare event for most PCMCIA cards. Some wireless adapters support flashable firmware, but the only answer to your question lies with Tech Support at the manufacturer's site.
 
Final update:

New Ximeta 120GB Netdisk arrived on a nice brown truck today. Easy install and works like a dream connected either to the Belkin USB 2.0 card or NIC. Haven't tried connecting it directly to the wireless router yet, but expect that to work fine also.
 
Well, the ze5000-USB 2.0 PC Cardbus issue is finally resolved!!

It took several phone calls and emails to HP support, and a rather scathing comment to the HP support satisfaction surveys to get the answer. But I now have the I/O Flex card working flawlessly in the ze5000 PCMCIA slot, and without the need for the external power supply.

It turned out to be as simple as flashing the BIOS with the latest version, KD.M1.81 -- which is really for the model ze5185 and which does not appear in any FAQ or other publically available reference on HP's site. This valuable tidbit of a secret is part of the internal knowledge of the top tier support at HP, who provided it to me.

All works beautifully now. I can easily run my Acom 60GB external USB 2.0 drive or a Sony CD/DVD+RW external, and I suppose pretty much any other USB 2.0 device, from the I/O Flex card. I suspect that most of the other vendors' cards will work as well.

It was a lot of work, and perhaps should not have been necessary if the HP site was more supportive, but it was worth it.

Hope this is a help to other HP (and Toshiba, Sony, etc.) laptop owners with similar problems.

And thanks to bcastner and the rest for all the excellent, and intelligent advice.
 
Great to see there is a solution. I have the same hardware configuration (ze5200) and I understand the I/O Flex card will do the trick with a flash to bios. I was told by hp to buy their replicator (and their promotion says it will ADD USB 2.0!). Now my laptop is at the hp warehouse with a crashed hard drive. How will I know or how will I obtain the KD.M1.81 bios?
 
My local store just informed me the I/O Flex card has been discontinued. Do you have the contact at hp who finally helpe4d you with the BIOS. I would like to get their recommendation (although I may regret it) on what will work and what I have to do to make it so. Thanks, jl
 
jl, the HP tech's name was John, and he called me (probably because of my satisfaction survey comments). But I suspect that you will not be able to get a specific personon the line if you call.

However, the HP SoftPaq that HP says is needed, is SP24353, release date 06-03-2003 ROMpaq BIOS update (the KD.M1.81 referred to). The link to it is --> &quot; Download this and follow the directions listed at this link page.

After updating the BIOS you should be able to use any main vendor's USB 2.0 PC Cardbus card [e.g. Adaptec, Belkin (that is, _IF_, you can find one of theirs that does not have the incredibly difficult to remove sticky goop that afixes the card to the packaging!), SIIG, or D-Link].

To find which version of the BIOS you are running, boot the laptop and press F2 when the option appears during boot (very briefly, I might add). The BIOS version should be listed somewhere on the first screen of the BIOS setup.

Hope this works well for you too.
 
It seemed to me earlier that if it was going to work, it required a BIOS change.

I have had good experiences with HP. But I am incredibly nice when I speak to Tech Support.

Always, nicely, answer the first go-round of questions, and firmly but nicely ask to elevate the question.

Eventually, you will get a clear answer and directions. Including sometimes, &quot;well, you should have bought a different HP prodouct for this use....&quot;

Which, is in fact true.

Again, be nice. The little guy/gal at the end of your phone on the first call is the last person you really need to speak with.

 
bastner,

I fully agree with you on the best way work with support folks, having been one for many years (and frequently, still am :). My conversations with each support tech were, in fact very nice and personable. And I assured them that the frustration I felt was not directed at them, but at HP's reduction in the quality of their on-line information and the accompanying lack of adequate information for the end-user, since the re-invention of themselves as the &quot;new&quot; HP, and that HP does indeed need work in this area.

My comments in the HP survey re-stated exactly that. And as it turns out, were upheld by the facts that:
1) I had already searched the HP support site for reference to a newer BIOS version to that currently on my ze5000, after reading your suggestion (which I greatly appreciate), or for any reference to the problem that I was experiencing, and had hit a dead-end -- no update referenced anywhere on their site for this model, and
2) John, the upper tier tech who contacted me in reference to the survey and the problem being unresolved, confirmed exactly that, and pointed me to a link for the BIOS update for a different model laptop which he said should solve the problem. He said that this would not have been uncovered by my search of their web site, and that it was an internal knowledge item that he was aware of. I thanked him considerably during the conversation, and again via telephone and email after this solved my problem.

It does pay to be nice to the beleaguered and skilled support individuals, and is the right way to behave with any one. It also pays to be persistent and express valid and justifiable frustration with a company's support structure if is found wanting. This is the purpose of their surveys, and helps them become better and stronger in this area, to compete as a vendor.

Again, I appreciate your helpful suggestions regarding the BIOS updates and the MS driver patches. You are very knowledgeable and willing to help.

Thanks.
 
Also, one item I left out in the previous reply:

When I bought the ze5000, it was the highest state of the art available to me at the time, and was in fact a special built order item that took two weeks to be built and shipped. And at that time there were NO laptops available with built-in USB 2.0 support. This did not appear until late 2002 and become readily available until mid to late 2003, depending on the vendor.

This should help clarify my earlier postings.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Part and Inventory Search

Sponsor

Back
Top