CF on a laptop with Windows 98

This isn't exactly image manipulation related, but Digital Darkroom

seems to be the closest fit to my question.

I have a CF card reader (FlashLink by SimpleTech) that works

perfectly on my desktop computer with WindowsXP. For my 233mhz

laptop with Windows 98, I had to download the Flashlink driver. The

laptop will "see" the card reader as another drive so long as I

don't put in the 512mb CF card. If I put in the reader with the card

installed, it doesn't see the drive. If I put the CF card in

afterward, the light on the card reader goes off and the computer

doesn't read the card. I just checked the reader/card combo on my

desktop and it works just fine.

Anyone come across this dilemma? Any thoughts?

I found some comments ( via google ) that the drivers provided on the cd have some problems...<br>

Try uninstalling the drivers and then go to the simpletech website to find the latest version of the drivers...here's a link...<br>

http://www.simpletech.com/support/support_downloads.php#pr_flashlink<br>

Be careful to make sure you download the correct drivers for your exact model and operating system...hopefully that will fix your problem...<br>

Cheers

I have had some similar issues with PCMCIA cards. The advice to go to manufacturer website for the latest drivers is sound.

Another alternative that seems to work 100% of the time for me is to use a USB reader rather than a PCMCIA.

Also, be sure to use the "Safely remove hardware" icon in the system tray or only remove the devices after shutdown/power off. To do otherwise can cause data still in the buffer to not be written to the device.

You might also check to see if there are any BIOS updates for your laptop.

I've used a PCMCIA/CF adapter with Windows 98, and did not have to load a driver. Windows 98 simply recognizes the CF card as a disk drive. The PCMCIA adapters only cost about $15. I found it inadvisable to boot Win98 with the CF card in place (couldn't remove it without crashing). Otherwise, I had no problems.

You need Windows 98 SE (Second Edition) to recognize USB, and even then it is device-dependent. If you can't upgrade to Win2K or WinXP, don't torture yourselve with Win98 and USB.