Using a PC Card in Windows NT (with CardWizard)

You can make your PC Card easy to use with the PC Card support software called CardWizard.

CardWizard minimizes user intervention in configuring many PC Cards. CardWizard provides the following:

Using mass-storage PC Cards
To use a removable mass-storage PC Card such as an ATA, an SRAM, or a Flash memory card for the first time, you need to format the card as follows:
  1. Start CardWizard.
  2. Select the PC Card that you want to format in the "CardWizard" window.
  3. Click Actions.
  4. Click Format...
  5. Click Start.

To start CardWizard for Windows NT, do as follows:

  1. Start Windows NT 4.0.

  2. Click Start.

  3. Move the cursor to Programs and CardWizard for Windows NT.

  4. Click CardWizard for Windows NT.

The menu bar for the "CardWizard" window includes File, View, Actions, Options, and Help options. Each option provides CardWizard functions to perform actions with cards, modify user-selected options, and obtain help.
Quick launch

After you have installed CardWizard for Windows NT, you can start it by clicking the CardWizard icon. The CardWizard menu appears on the taskbar, to the left of the CardWizard icon. To start the wizard application, click the menu once with the left mouse button.

Another way to start CardWizard for Windows NT is to double-click the system tray icon with the left mouse button.

Self-check

If you have a problem configuring your PC Card, click the Wizard button in the "CardWizard for Windows NT" window.

Each time you click the Wizard button, a series of self-checks is run to ensure that all necessary components are installed and working properly. CardWizard then analyzes the computer to verify that there are resources available for PC Card configuration.

Click this button to fix most PC Card problems. Even if CardWizard cannot automatically solve a problem, it can pinpoint the problem exactly so that you or a technical support engineer can fix the problem more easily.
Note: If the PC Card device driver is the PC Card point enabler, you cannot use the PC Card with CardWizard. To use such a PC Card, use the PC card support function of Windows NT rather than CardWizard. For details, PC Card Activator.

PC Card properties

You can see the attributes, resources, drivers, and memory card utilities that are loaded for PC Card support in the "PC Card Properties" window.

To open the "PC Card Properties" window, do the following:

  1. Start the CardWizard.

  2. Select Properties from the "Actions" menu.

  3. From the "Card Information" panel:

    1. Click the right mouse button while the cursor is on an inserted card icon.

    2. Click Properties.

The "Properties" window provides information about the attributes and drivers associated with the selected PC Card.

Attributes

Slot The slot number and assigned name for the slot
Card The type of this PC Card
Manufacturer The manufacturer of the PC Card
Function The function of the PC Card
Hot-swappable The capability for hot swapping the PC Card
IRQ The interrupt request being used (if relevant)
Port The I/O address associated with a communication port (if relevant)
Capacity The memory or disk capacity of the mass-storage PC Card (if relevant)
File system The file system of the mass-storage PC Card (if relevant)
Volume label The volume label of the storage drive in the mass-storage PC Card (if relevant)
DOS device The communication port (for example, COM 1) or drive letter used by this device (if relevant)

Name

When you select device drivers, the following information is displayed:
Driver The full path to the driver for this PC Card
Version The version for the current driver

Hot swapping the PC Card

You can use any one of the following PC Cards as soon as you insert it into your computer:

You determine whether the PC Card is hot-swappable in the "Attribute" subwindow in PC Card Properties.

PC Card Activator

PC Card Activator is an easy interface for switching between CardWizard and the PC Card support function of Windows NT. To switch to the PC Card support function of Windows NT, do as follows:

  1. Start Windows NT.

  2. Click Start.

  3. Move the cursor to Program and CardWizard for Windows NT.

  4. Click PC Card Activator.

  5. Follow the instructions on the screen.
Note: With the PC Card support function of Windows NT, you can use a PC Card that is not supported by CardWizard. However, you cannot use some PC Cards, such as a CardBus Card, and some PC Card functions, such as network PC Card hot swapping.

Enhanced power management

The principal feature of power management is to prolong the life of your computer's battery. CardWizard for Windows NT provides enhanced power management in the following ways:

See the following table for details:

ATA, SRAM, and Flash memory card Modem card LAN card SCSI card
Hot-swappable Non-hot-
swappable
Cold insertion1 OK OK OK OK OK
Stop Note 2 Note 2 OK Not OK Not OK
Standby mode OK OK OK OK OK
Suspend mode Note 2 Note 2 OK Note 3 Note 3
Hibernation mode Note 2 Note 2 OK Note 3 Note 3
Note:
1Insertion while the computer is powered off.
2 If the card is in use, you cannot stop it. A warning message appears.
3The computer enters standby mode instead of entering suspend or hibernation mode.

Stopping the PC Card

If you are removing a PC Card, you must first stop it. If a PC Card is removed before it is stopped, the system might freeze or data might be lost.
Note: You can stop only one card at a time. After invoking stop, you cannot stop another card until the first stop has either completed or failed.

To stop a card, select Stop from the "Actions" menu.

The stop function powers off the PC Card. If data on the card is lost, this function is disabled or rejected. This function is related to the power management support of the PC Card; for details, Enhanced power management.