pcmcia network card

In some laptop models if the external cable was not attached, the PCMCIA card will not be recognized. Attaching the external cable to the PCMCIA card allowed the computer to recognize the adapter.
This is the intended operation; it allows the card to stay resident inside the computer and not consume computing resources or battery power until you are actually ready to use it. Removing the cable serves the same purpose as removing the card from the computer and without the cable attached, the card does not become active.

Check that your computer's 32- bit PCMCIA drivers are enabled.
Do this by opening the System Properties dialog (Start/ Settings/ Control Panel/ System)
and clicking the Performance tab. The PC Cards (PCMCIA) field should indicate
32- bit. If ?DOSCompatible Mode? or ?No PCMCIA Sockets Installed? is indicated,
you need to update your system. Depending on which condition is reported, use one
of the following procedures.
?No PCMCIA Sockets Installed?: Open the System Properties dialog
(Start/ Settings/ Control Panel/ System) and click the Device Manager tab. Verify that a
PCMCIA Socket is listed and that the Properties indicate ?working?. If not, use the Add New Hardware Wizard to install your PCMCIA support.
?DOS Compatible Mode?: Open the PC Card Properties dialog (Start/ Settings/ Control
Panel/ PC Card). The dialog for loading 32- bit drivers should pop up. Load the 32- bit
drivers.
After performing the update procedure above, reboot your PC and try inserting your
card again. To verify the card has been recognized, go to Control
Panel/ System/ Device Manager and the card should now appear under "DAS
Component."

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