Compact Flash won't work with Windows XP

sspratt,

Thank you for using the Dell Community Forum.

Dell's agreement with Microsoft states that we can provide support for the original operating system only.  If you decide to upgrade, then support must come from the vendor of the retail version of the operating system.  I can only suggest using the Windows Update utility to obtain the drivers that you need.

Bob,

Thank you and I understand.

However, let me explain this more accurately. My Inspiron came with Windows XP Home. I put my own copy of Windows 2000 on it immediately. Last week  I  reformated my hard drive and returned it to the version of Windows XP Home Edition that it originally shipped with from Dell computer (using the XP Home Edtion Dell CD that shipped with the Inspiron 8100).

So really...it wasn't an upgrade....I restored it to Dell's factory default.

All Windows Updates and current Service Packs have been applied.

Do you have any suggestion for making my Compact Flash cards work with my factory configured Dell Inspiron 8100.

Thanks,

Sean

 

AHHH! I'm having the same problem now with Windows XP!  GAHH!  This worked before!!  Why not now??

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;257458

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;327947

WIN2000 and XP Service pack 1,2,3,4 etc Disable ISA To PCI IRQ routing. Compact flash is simply 16 bit ISA, 5v PCMCIA.
A registry key was added in Windows 2000/XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) to change IRQ-routing settings for ISA 16-bit CardBus devices, and this registry key affects all CardBus controllers in a computer. Because some types of hardware may include multiple CardBus controllers, problems may occur if the multiple CardBus controllers try to share the same IRQ.

You can use a USB Compact flash reader OR you can Hack the registry to RE-Enable pcmcia IRQ's for ISA.

Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
Locate and click to select the following key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\PCMCIA\Parameters

On the Edit menu, click New, click DWORD Value, type DisableIsaToPciRouting
in the NewValue box, and then press ENTER.
Click to select DisableIsaToPciRouting, click Edit, and then click Modify.
In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.
Quit Registry Editor.
This procedure enables PCI routing for 16-bit PC Cards.
With this feature, you can successfully install 16-bit PC Cards
on computers that are low on ISA interrupts by using a shared-PCI interrupt.

If you disable this feature, the device will display an error code 12 (not enough free resources) in Device Manager if there is not a suitable free interrupt for the card to use. You may have to disable an unused device or port to make an IRQ available for the card. AKA disable Serial or Parallell or both.

I am having the same issue with Windows XP SP1 and two different CF cards in a PCMCIA adapter (IBM Microdrive and a Lexar CF card).

The DisableIsaToPciRouting reg key doesn't alter the behavior either (set either way 0 or 1).

Any other ideas??

(Inspiron 8600c Pentium-M 2GHZ XP+SP1).

Solved my own problem -- It was the Daemon Tools driver I had installed to support virtual CD and DVD drives -- With it installed my Microdrive couldn't get recognized properly!

Removed Daemon tools and reinstalled the driver for my Microdrive and for the CF card and all is well...