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58601
May 24th, 2011 21:00
Express card not detected
I've just bought a PCI Express card-to-RS232 port adaptor but my Dell Studio 1737 (running Windows 7) doesn't detect it and it doesn't appear in the device list.
I've tried:
* 'Add a device' via control panel - not detected.
* Scan for hardware changes via device manager - not detected
* Add legacy hardware via device manager - message 'Could not find any new hardware'
* Plugging the adaptor card into another Dell laptop and a Toshiba laptop - detected automatically and installs OK in both.
This is the first time I've used the expresscard slot in my computer, the pins in the slot all look OK and the card inserts smoothly. Device Manager lists several Intel ICH9 Family PCI Express Root Ports so it appears the express card facility exists.
Details on the adaptor:
StarTech 1 port native express card RS232 serial adaptor card with 16950 UART part EC1S952. I bought this brand/model because Dell actually sell it in the USA but can't/won't supply to me in Australia.
Any ideas about how to fix or to check whether the express card slot is working properly?
Regards,
DELL-Terry B
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May 25th, 2011 14:00
GeoffBray
If possible try another Express card on the system and see if it works alright. You mentioned that you tried the card in two other notebooks, what operating system are installed in the two other notebooks, do they have Windows 7 or some other OS? The reason I asked is that I found the Users Manual for the card from the following link.
www.startech.com/.../EC1S952.pdf
According to the users manual there is no support for Windows 7.
Supported Operating Systems Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista (32/64-bit
TB
GeoffBray
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May 27th, 2011 23:00
Thanks Terry,
I checked with StartTech and they confirm the card is compatible with Windows 7 - they hadn't updated the manual to say so.
I had previously tried another card from another manufacturer and it also wasn't detected on my Dell with Win7 but also not detected on another Dell with Vista but was detected on a Toshiba with Vista.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I expected the protocols for auto detecting an express card would be the same for every version of Windows since XP or 2000 and the only differences are in the software that's installed after detection. I'm not getting to that stage. Is there any option or switch in Windows that turns off auto detection of express cards? My machine auto detects USB devices OK.
Regards,
Geoff
DELL-Terry B
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May 31st, 2011 19:00
The problem is not so much that the express card being compatible with Windows 7. It is that the notebook isn't listed as being compatible, which may be the reason why the card is not being detected correctly.