cf18 mk2 pcmcia port problems

hi there,

had a look through old threads, but didn't dig through the many many old threads. couldnt find anything new...

i am having issues with one of my pc card ports.
i have had a sierra wireless aircard 850 in one port, and a cheapo bluetooth card in the other port.
the other day, the port that i usually have the sierra card in stopped working.
when i put the sierra card in the faulty port, the sierra software says "failed to communicate with device". thinking it was the card at fault, i put the bluetooth card in, and windows didnt even recognise the card.

is this a software/driver issue? or am i going to need a new motherboard

 

I would go into Device Manager and uninstall all the COM ports... Then reboot... Check to see if anything installs (with the cards out) then go ahead put your cards in one at a time the way they were before and let them install.

Let us know...

 

thanks for the quick reply.
i tried that and its still giving the same error message. could the port be damaged?

 

You can look down into the PCMCIA slot to see if there are any bent pins. I have seen that happen before. If so... You MAY be able to straighten them out. You may need to take it apart to check closely.

 

Whatever else, you almost certainly won't need a new motherboard. The PC card socket detaches easily from its connector.

 

just had a look inside, it appears that one of the pins is slightly bent and has been pushed in.
without pulling it apart, im not sure whether it is fixable. could i pull it out? or should i replace the pcmcia ports...

if they need replacing how could i go about getting new pc card ports??

 

You can try this one of two ways. The best way would be to take it apart, separate the PCMCIA assembly and do it under a 10X magnifier... Or you could try a dental pick or long needle nosed pliers.