Inspiron 2500 Modem LAN combo mini PCI

Question

Hi,

I have an Inspiron 2500 from the UK, but it only has the modem mini pci card. I want to upgrade to the modem/ LAN combo card but cannot find one that is compatible. They all say compatabile with Inspiron 4000, 8000 etc.

I have read another thread on the forum which recommends the combo mini pci card p/n: 3CN3AC1556, but this only seems to be available in the US. I am unable to find a supplier in the UK, plus it seems to have been discontinued.

Does anyone know where I can get one of these cards or an equivalent card that is compatabile with the Inspiron 2500? Aren't all mini PCI cards compatabile with all notebooks?

Cheers for any help

Dan

johnallg · Answer

Any mini-PCI combo card will work in the 2500 - the one for the 4000/8000 is the same one Dell put in the 2500.

adaze · Answer

Cheers for that - im off to but one right away...

johnallg · Answer

If you end up with the Actiontec combo, the best drivers are linked below in my sig - Lucent 8.30 for the modem and Actiontec/Intel 8255x Ethernet driver for the NIC.

Johnhowell · Answer

Adaze, Johnallg,   A few weeks ago I posted about the combo card - I wish I hadn't.   Dells spare parts are dealt with by a company called Upgrade Options out of Andover I think, anyway they sent me the combo card (unmarked but probably Actiontec) for £104 inc p+p.  After a mix up with delivery addresses etc. it arrived and I installed it.  Windows auto-detect found hardware and wanted the location of drivers - which I had downloaded from Dells website and expanded into a folder - I navigated to this folder and windows could not find a driver - nothing there!  Great.  I think johnallg link goes to the replacement company for Actiontec and I downloaded that driver - much larger file and expanded that into a folder and again pointed windows at the folder - again no driver located.   I was fed up with this situation so I reinstalled the old modem only card and windows did not restart - only a white window stating an error in Explorer please re-installed windows popped up!!   I put in the old Me disk and it re-installed and luckily all the data was still there and dialup worked.  I backed up all data and decided to upgrade to XP.  I did a clean install and formatted the C drive, and loaded all programs back.   After a couple of days of XP the dialup modem kept on coming up with no dial tone.  Using the works computer I searched this forum for this problem and some suggestions to help, but again none worked.   So now I use a PCMCIA ethernet card which works great, but when I get back home to the UK I will have to work out how to correct the dialup problem - or pay £20/month for broadband - which I can not justify - even with the level of internet I do use.   I do not want to use Upgrade Options as I do not want to rebuilt my computer again and I do not think they have repaid the £104 on returning the combo card.   What do I do?   So, sorry for the long tirade but Adaze - just be careful.   John

johnallg · Answer

The Ethernet 8255x driver I point to is for the ethernet chipset on the Actiontec card and is a newer driver on the IBM site then Dell has.  The Lucent driver 8.30 for the modem chipset on that card is from the chipset manufacturer.  Lucent (Agere) made the chipset and that is the newest, most stable, and fastest connecting driver for that modem chipset.  For the modem driver, download the modem830.exe file and run it.  It will install the driver.  For the IBM ethernet driver, run the exe then look for the .inf file.

Johnhowell · Answer

Johnallg,

Regardless, how does this corrupt windows?

The Dell website states that XP has the latest driver. I have loaded the Agere driver and have the Lucent LT modem identifed.

Does this solve the "no dial tone" error I now have? No, your other replies to this error is to buy a new card - but I do not want to go through the rebuilding of the computer again just because of a modem card.

Are PCMCIA cards available for dialup modems like the Xircom I am using for ethernet? This worked straight away with no problems at all - both under Me or XP.

John

johnallg · Answer

If you load the LT driver for the modem and then get no dialtone messages, it is probable (as long as you know the phone jack at the wall and cable to the modem and the RJ-11 modem jack on the 2500 are all good) the modem is damaged and needs replacing.  A PCMCIA modem is a viable solution.  BTW, if you replaced the internal mini-pci with another Actiontec, it would be supported right off as long as the other drivers were loaded and recognized.

Johnhowell · Answer

John,   I assumed the replacement combo card was Actiontec as it was actually unmarked.   I have found a Xircom combined modem/ethernet PCMCIA card for just a few £.  As the present PCMCIA ethernet card works seamlessly I would prefer this option as one major crash is enough for me.   Regards, John

adaze · Answer

I got one from the US for $24 including shipping to the UK, it was an old 3Com one that isnt in produciton anymore, but it works fine. Popped it straight in to XP and it detected it and away I went...

johnallg · Answer

The 3Com cards were a lot better then the Actiontec - Dell even used the 3Com in the Latitude line and left the Actiontec for the consumer-oriented Inspiron line.

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

Inspiron 2500 Modem LAN combo mini PCI

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