Wireless Card QUESTIONS for i5160

hi all,

0).  my i5160 came WITHOUT a blank pci slot cover (that plastic cover for the PCI slot) - according to dell the reason was that, due to overheating, some owners experienced melting of the plastic inside the slot and so dell stopped providing it!  BUT, as i discovered afterwards, the owner's manual says that it should had been with the system and also must always be used for protection when carrying it!  i tried to contact dell and ask them to send that blank card/cover to me without any success!  their melting excuse does not sound valid to me, since is the temp is that high it would have melt any external pci card intered the slot!  a few months ago i had read in this forum, i think, about a guy who managed to get this plasti blank card/cover from dell; he had also provided the dell/manufacturer part numbers of it, but i cannot find that thread now!  has anybody any info about that matter?  will it be good or bad to keep that slot free?

1).  i recently bought a intel 2200b/g mini pci wireless card for my i5160 but, as the instructions mention, it is only supported for centrino and M platforms!  the ebay shop that sold that card to me says the card will work fine!  i had also a look at intel's website and it seems that it is the late PROset software version 9 that will cause the problem, if any, rather the hardware; so i could install the drivers only and use dell's built in software instead!  but his is my personal explanation only; it may be correct but i wouldn't like to risk it!  so i intend to return that card back and go for the much more expensive dell 1450, for which the following questions exists.

2).  is the 1450 sold in one only version (ie 1450a/b/g) or in two (ie 1450a and 1450b/g)?  i'm asking this because the given part from dell's website for my system is the 1450b/g not the 1450a/b/g - unless this is a type error!

3).  the owner's manual of my i5160 says that a 5GHz card (eg 1450a) should be installed by dell's authourised personell only, whereas a 2.4GHZ card (eg 2200b/g) can be installed by the owner!  why is that?

4).  if i take the risk and install a 1450a/b/g on my own (and deactivate the "a" mode since i'm not interested in it - for legal reasons i must ask for a permission, unless that FCC restriction does not apply in the UK), do i have to replace the antennas that are already installed in my laptop with some others suitable for a 5GHz card, or these antennas are suitable for both cards?

5).  what is the difference of the 1350 and 1370 dell wireless cards?

6).  is there any other card you could suggest for my system?  i went for the intel one cause it is also sold from dell so it is a dell authorised part that will not affect my warranty - or installing another another trade mark does not affect the warranty either?

7).  what about the new Atheros SUPER G+ which is also 108Mbs?

8).  shall i go for a b/g or an a/b/g/ card?  (i live in europe, UK)

 

too many questions i guess,
CHEERS