Windows 2000 and Wireless Networking

So a while back I bought a lat C600, its a good laptop (was I just sold it) before it went I changed from a PCMCIA WIFI NIC to a neat little internal Mini PCI Broadcom NIC, installation went a bit cockeyed as the Dell Wireless Utility install decided I didnt have the correct hardware installed (???), however I just pointed the add new hardware wizard at the driver location and it installed quite happily, albeit without the Dell Wireless utility, however as the OS is XP I just used the windows zero config to enable the card and all was good.

 

So whats my problem, well my 2 kids also have Lat C600's ( i do like them a lot) and my sons PCMCIA card was a bit buggred so I decided to invest in another MiniPCI card, from the same place i bought the last one and identical in everyway.

 

I installed the card by pointing the add new hardware wizard at the driver location and the card installed, again, with no problem.

 

However his laptop has Windows 2000 on it, and this of course does not have the windows zero config.

 

So i googled and found the link to download the Dell Utility program for wireless NIC's, I checked my card was supported and proceeded to download it, 52 MB in all and a slow 64K download speed.

 

But again I got the message about " no suitable hardware installed" and the software wouldnt install, this left me in a bit of a quandary, I cant use the card as 2K doesnt have WZC and I cant find the software needed.

 

In the end I swapped the card into my daughters machine which has XP on it and gave my son the PCMCIA NIC that was in her's.

 

I ask you, does Dell do a Wireless Utility program for the broadcom 1435 wireless mini PCI Nic, or am I going to be forced to upgrade the laptop to XP ( i see Bill Gates rubbing his hands together).

 

Or do Microshaft do an equivalent of the WZC for windows 2K

 

Thanks for reading

 

Webman