Gaming Use wireless card on Windows 98SE laptop

[chrisman01]

I recently downgraded a Dell Latitude CPx from Windows XP (which it could barely run) to Windows 98SE. It runs much smoother, and I have all the drivers EXCEPT for my Dynex Wireless G DX-BNBC card.

I've been trying to install Kernelex, which would allow me to install some XP apps, and may let me install the driver as well. However, it won't let me install Kernelex unless I have an internet connection. It tries to download MSLU (Microsoft Layer for Unicode), even though I installed it myself offline by DLing it on another computer. This means I need some sort of 98SE driver for the card, unless there's a way to get the Kernelex installer to recognize that I already installed MSLU.

There are other PCMCIA wireless cards that work on 98SE, so I know it's possible.

Is there any way to get the wireless card to work without using Kernelex, or is there a way to install Kernelex without having it attempt to connect to the internet?

Note: I don't want to re-upgrade it to XP. XP SP3 takes up far too much space on the 12GB hard drive.

Originally, according to the sticker on the bottom of the laptop, it had Windows NT 4.0. Once I got it from the lab it had Windows 98, with most of the drivers missing. I upgraded it to XP, which worked for a while, but it soon became apparent that with all the updates and service packs there'd be hardly any disk space. So, now that I live in a dorm, I figured I'd work on it so we could use it on the projector to watch Hulu and such. Since there was hardly any disk space, I decided to DOWNgrade it back to 98SE.

Now I realize there aren't any drivers for my wireless card. The CPX doesn't have an Ethernet - or even a modem - port, so the wireless card is the only method of going online.

(Unless I can find an NT 4.0 iso... would the card work with that? XP is just plain too slow on this 10-year-old beast.)


So, yeah. I just want to get this Dynex DX-BNBC to work on 98SE. Any help, guys? I can't find much info over Google, so you, my fellow geeks and computer nerds are my last chance to help me figure this out

---

just in case anyone is wondering, I AM still using the modern Acer 5739g. I just brought the old beast with me to hook up to the projector, so none of us would have to use our school computers and could keep working/gaming while watching movies

 

[playallday]

Running Windows 98 is a very, very bad idea. It has a lot of exploit holes that haven't been fixed (and never will be).

Go get Ubuntu for free.

 

[chrisman01]

I've been considering it a lot, but this computer is very, VERY old, so I don't know how it will run...

Also, how much disk space would it take up, anyway?

 

[playallday]

I've been considering it a lot, but this computer is very, VERY old, so I don't know how it will run...

Also, how much disk space would it take up, anyway?

It's a lot faster then Windows XP. It should run fine. Maybe install Ubuntu Netbook Remix if you really think it won't run well. UNR takes only takes like 3GB.

 

[chrisman01]

DLing UNR as I type this! Thanks, I didn't even know about that version!

The CPx only has a CD-RW drive (that can swap with a floppy drive

), and if memory serves correctly the regular edition of Ubuntu is bigger than 700mb

A few things worry me, however: Will I be able to find the drivers for my 8MB ATI Rage Mobility graphics card, will the resolution be correct, seeing how big the CPx's screen is, and will I find the drivers for the PCMCIA wireless card?

Just thinking out loud.

EDIT: Never mind, 9.10 regular edition is still 690mb. I'll stick with UNR, though, since it requires less disk space.

 

[myuusmeow]

Damn Small Linux will run on pretty much anything (A quick YouTube shows a guy running it with 32MB of RAM) and is only 50MB (yes megabytes). It isn't just the operating system itself either, it comes with Firefox and stuff. You can install it to a USB stick and run it straight off of there too.

 

[chrisman01]

Damn Small Linux will run on pretty much anything (A quick YouTube shows a guy running it with 32MB of RAM) and is only 50MB (yes megabytes). It isn't just the operating system itself either, it comes with Firefox and stuff. You can install it to a USB stick and run it straight off of there too.

LOL, that wouldn't be wise for me. USB 1.0

I was actually about to DL Xubuntu, too, until you brought that up... Turns out UNR uses openGL, which the ATI Rage Mobility M1 isn't very good at.

hmm... Xubuntu is more of a fully fledged OS, but it would take about a third of my hard drive... I'll try DSL via a CD for now. Thanks for the help guys!

 

[BlackDave]

Dang

I agree on Ubuntu

By the way the regular version of Ubuntu Is just under 700mb so that it can fit a regular CD

 

[chrisman01]

*snip*
Dang

I agree on Ubuntu

By the way the regular version of Ubuntu Is just under 700mb so that it can fit a regular CD

That's WAY newer than mine. This is my CPX:

http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Latitude-Notebo...m/dp/B00005UJYF

Back on topic: I'm having trouble installing the wireless card driver on Damn Small Linux

 

[chrisman01]

2 in the morning, and I gotta work at 8am tomorrow... ugh... does anyone know how to get this Dynex DX-BNBC to work on Damn Small Linux?

 

[Originality]

Wow, this is bringing back memories of my old Toshiba Portégé 7010CT: 299Mhz CPU, 160MB RAM (32+128), 80GB HDD. Naturally I upgraded the RAM and HDD myself. It runs XP fairly well, and can even be persuaded to play movies with some clever codec tweaking. Designed for 98 though.

You could try getting the drivers online and putting them on via USB. Otherwise you might want to invest in a PCMCIA Ethernet card. I've got a few of every PCMCIA card laying around on top of the Portégé... never to be used again...

 

[Sterling]

Wow that looks like the laptop I have at home... I have a wireless card on it, but it doesn't support WPA2. :/ It works though.

 

[toejam316]

My suggestion? Chuck Linux on it. The hardware is ancient and should by all rights just work, and Linux is well known for running well on old hardware.

 

[raulpica]

2 in the morning, and I gotta work at 8am tomorrow... ugh... does anyone know how to get this Dynex DX-BNBC to work on Damn Small Linux?

Just try Ubuntu 9.10. It should already have all the drivers (especially the WiFi one) included in it.

 

[chrisman01]

2 in the morning, and I gotta work at 8am tomorrow... ugh... does anyone know how to get this Dynex DX-BNBC to work on Damn Small Linux?

Just try Ubuntu 9.10. It should already have all the drivers (especially the WiFi one) included in it.

Yup, I'm switching from DSL to Xubuntu 9.10. Literally the same as Ubuntu, but designed to run on older laptops like this one. Unfortunately that means I'll have to sacrifice 1/3 of my 12GB hard drive

One of my friends has suggested Slax, but I trust the -buntu family more, since I've had more experience with them. Slax and DSL are more for diagnosing computers from a USB or CD, not full-fledged installed-to-HDD operating systems. Missing drivers, somewhat unfinished feel, and DSL has actually been very clunky for me, with freezing windows and just plain not listening to my terminal commands.

 

[moose3]

The Dynex website mentions win2k drivers, so if you can't get xbuntu (also what I'd try) you could see about getting a hold of a copy of win 2k.

If you can find documentation on the chipset that mfg uses for the wireless card, then you might be able to find a generic driver. Might have some luck at a website like driverguide.com in finding an old 98 driver.

 

[Raki]

If you don't want to go the Linux way -> go for Windows 2k, it's a NT based system, so the possibility is high, that many drivers will run, if your system came with NT 4.0

 

[chrisman01]

I think I'll stick with Linux, unless I can't get the DX-BNBC working within a week...


EDIT: *CUT* TOTAL dead end. I was redirected to a forum from another Linux forum, and I thought I had finally found an answer. However, it was for Mac OS X, not Linux. D'OH! SO CLOSE!

Anyone willing to help me out?

 

[chrisman01]

Or... Xubuntu can randomly stop working, by loading to a black screen and a mouse pointer then stopping... I tried everything but it won't work anymore

I loved how it worked better than 98SE and XP combined, too. It had the friendliness and good graphical effects of XP but without freezing, and the speed of 98SE without looking and feeling extremely obsolete....

Then it randomly corrupted itself, it seems

Well, I found a copy of 2000. Essentially 98 with better security and working drivers. I LOVE Linux, but I guess I'll have to install 2000 because nothing I did with the Dynex drivers worked. Even with ndiswrapper... I wanted to try Wine (which has worked for me before on other computers for installing drivers), then I got this "black screen of death".

I was REALLY looking forward to having an old Linux laptop I could mess around with without worrying about ruining anything important, too

 

[Raki]

Or... Xubuntu can randomly stop working, by loading to a black screen and a mouse pointer then stopping... I tried everything but it won't work anymore

I loved how it worked better than 98SE and XP combined, too. It had the friendliness and good graphical effects of XP but without freezing, and the speed of 98SE without looking and feeling extremely obsolete....

Then it randomly corrupted itself, it seems

Well, I found a copy of 2000. Essentially 98 with better security and working drivers. I LOVE Linux, but I guess I'll have to install 2000 because nothing I did with the Dynex drivers worked. Even with ndiswrapper... I wanted to try Wine (which has worked for me before on other computers for installing drivers), then I got this "black screen of death".

I was REALLY looking forward to having an old Linux laptop I could mess around with without worrying about ruining anything important, too

Win 2k is based on the NT Kernel - Windows 98 is based on the Windows kernel, which is worse than the NT Kernel