X61 has a PCMCIA slot right? But I can't insert my Creative Sound PCMCIA sound card???

I bought the Creative Audigy 2 PCMCIA soundcard for notebooks but I tried inserting it today and it wouldn't go in all the way. It goes in fine but there is about 5mm of it still exposed and doens't trigger Windows to install any drivers. I know it is not in all the way because pressing the the eject stick doesn't do anything.

What's going on?

EDIT 1: Okay guys...my bad. It does fit. I just had to use a lot of force to get it in there so much force that I was afraid I was going to damage the card or the slot. It had fit so easily with my Toshiba.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions everyone.

EDIT 2: Another problem related to the PCMCIA slot is that it is REALLLLLY TIGHT. After gettting it in, it is VERY difficult to pull it out. The eject stick is useless. It can't push it out. The only way is to pull and it takes a considerable amount of force. I'm worried it might break.

Can anyone comment if this is the same with their X61 or T61 or R61, etc... laptops?

 

The X61 has an Expresscard slot, which is newer and different from the older PCMCIA slot.

 

I'm pretty sure that is not correct. If you look at the X61 datasheet from Lenovo, it specifies PC Slot, which is the same as PCMCIA.

 

Yeah. Tallshorty, are you sure you didn't accidentally buy an ExpressCard sound card? I know expresscards look like they fit PCMCIA slots from the front but they don't fit in all the way.

 

don't know if this helps or not: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExpressCard

..." The ExpressCard interface is not backwards-compatible with CardBus devices, which presents a problem for those who may purchase a new system only to find that their devices do not work with the new slot design."...


ETA: the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio notebook uses an available ExpressCard/54 slot while the Audigy 2 notebook uses a Type II CardBus slot (PCMCIA slot). The X61 spec sheet says it has 1 Type I / II PC card slot with 34mm ExpressCard via
adapter, 1 secure digital card slot.

Did the card work? Could it just be that it doesn't fit in the slot completely?

 

This is what I have: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,1746178,00.asp

I'm very confused. The X61 has a type I/II PCMCIA slot and the soundcard is a type II PCMCIA card, but it doesn't go in all the way. The soundcard fit fine in my old Toshiba laptop with also had a PCMCIA slot. with the X61, there is about an extra 5mm of the card exposed. Nothing happens when I try to insert it

 

Slots
1 Type I / II PC card slot with 34mm ExpressCard via
adapter, from lenovo's website

 

A search for Audigy in the forum found a poster with the following comment (but I think they had a T series)

..."The Audigy notebook card sticks out the side of the laptop about 1 inch."...

 

What does that even mean? "with 34mm ExpressCard via
adapter"? I know you can purchase a PCMICA to expresscard adapter, is that what they mean?

 

Yep. It does stick out normally. It is not flush. It stuck out from my Toshiba laptop as well but it sticks out an extra 5mm on my X61. That's why it isn't in all the way.

 

Okay guys...my bad. It does fit. I just had to use a lot of force to get it in there so much force that I was afraid I was going to damage the card or the slot. It had fit so easily with my Toshiba.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions everyone.

EDIT: Another problemed related to the PCMCIA slot is that it is REALLLLLY TIGHT. After gettting it in, it is VERY difficult to pull it out. The eject stick is useless. It can't push it out. The only way is to pull and it takes a considerable amount of force. I'm worried it might break.

 

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I had to join to say thank you to tallshorty, and that I had the same issue. I've been struggling for a while to get a smart-card reader into my T61, and I came across this thread. Mine stuck out just a few millimeters. With a large amount of pushing force I was able to get it in and working. I didn't have any issue ejecting it though like you did, tallshorty. I just push the eject button and it comes out.

I've used this smart-card reader in another laptop (Toshiba Satellite) and it just slid in. With my ThinkPad I had to push hard enough that I feared damaging something. I also had to cross my arms to get more strength (push the card into the left side of my laptop with my right hand while pushing the right side of my laptop with my left hand).

 

The T400 models also have this issue - they are very tight, and you have to use more force than I'd like to seat it properly. Bad design, Lenovo. You should plug a card in, let the device driver install, and then unplug and plug back in about 20 times. This seems to loosen it up a bit.