A little hardware difficulty with Vista

[Chulanowa]

Hi all,

Recently I purchased a new system for myself (hurrah for tax returns) and so far, it's a pretty nice system. It runs Vista, obviously, and I've encountered a pair of problems. One major, one minor.

First, the major problem is that it doesn't seem to want to install my wireless card. I'm using a ZoNet 802.11g Wireless LAN PCI adapter, and I swear, I've tried everything. The manufacturer's FAQ tells me to NOT install the drivers, that Vista will do it automatically... but that didn't happen. I tried installing from the disk after that... that also didn't help. Downloaded drivers on this machine and networked them to the new one... ALSO didn't work. I know the card itself works, since I'm using it right now. I know the PCI slot is good, I've tested. The issue is there are no drivers and when there are, Vista refuses to find them. Since I need to have internet on the thing to register Vista, it's proving to be a bit of a headache.

Second, less important issue... I can't get my headphones to work. Whether I use the front or back jacks, no matter the setting that ReakTek Audio Manager is on. I had sound, briefly, until the audio manager decided to "help" lol.

I'm really at a loss as to what to do right now. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[sam sarrha]

1. does your hardware say, " VISTA 64 " COMPATIBLE.... did it put the program in the x86 folder

the audio might need to be set up in the BIOS. you've heard that song... 'Blue BIOS'. every time i i put something in my computer i have to mess with the BIOS.

[Chulanowa]

2. Well... Microsoft SAYS it is, and I tend to assume they would know

This is the card in question.

[sam sarrha]

11. i have to make adjustments in the BIOS every time i add any hardware

[Deja Q]

14. I wouldn't assume.

They don't even know when some of their own products' bugs get fixed and just tell people "Wait for the new version and buy it". (not an urban legend; MS is too big to know itself. It can fail for all I care, however.)

[Chulanowa]

3. Small update

I fixed the headphone problem - The jacks were mislabeled. I was listening to the microphone slot and talking to the headphone slot. Way to go, IBuyPower.

For your question, yes, it installed into the x86 folder.

However I noticed that while XP lists the device as a "Network Adapter" in the Device Manager, Vista notes it as an "Other Device -> Network Controller" with hte red exclamation point that tells me there are no drivers for it.

I'm really starting to think I need to pick up a new wireless card, but if I can save money, all the better. There are apparently painfully few people I have at hand who know anything about Vista (which is funny, they all insist it sucks, but can't tell me ANYTHING about it) so any help you can give is appreciated.

For the record, the specific OS is Vista Home Premium 64-bit with a foxconn motherboard (G31MXP Series).

[Why Syzygy]

4. Clarify please..

Do you have any other Internet connection options on the Vista machine?
Is your home network wireless or wired?

Have you installed any other drivers on the new machine?
IOW, you know the function works for other devices?

Security software running resident?

[Chulanowa]

6. In order...

I have an onboard LAN hookup
My home network is wired, and only between the Vista machine, and the XP machine that's next to it

The only drivers I've put in are the ones from the CD, and the ones I got from the manufacturer's website. Neither one worked.

Security software gave alerts when installing - "Are you sure you want to install this driver", and were ignored to allow installation to continue. It's Windows' own security software.

[Why Syzygy]

10. Doesn't Vista come

with either 32 or 64 bit? Did you get the right one? Vista isn't my native tongue, but I love a good pc mystery. I assume you tried update driver from the Device Manager?

Is this the driver you downloaded?
http://www.zonetusa.com/products-165.aspx

[canetoad]

5. OK chulanowa

there are a dozen ways to install drivers. OK, I'm lying, maybe 3 or 4.

1. Disconnect the device, put in CD/DVD, load drivers. Plug in device, wait for bubble that you have new hardware

2. Do the New Device (barf) wizard. Speaks for itself

3. Install drivers, configure device via My Computer\Properties\Hardware

Have you exhausted all sorts of possibilities in the above installs?

[Chulanowa]

7. What I've done...

First, I followed the instructions that came with hte card. They are, as follows.

1) Put the disk into the computer, run the setup program
2) Click all the "next" buttons to install.
3) Reboot computer
4) Connect the wireless card.

According to these instructions, Windows should then give me the "new device found!" dialog, then finish installing the drivers for the thing. Well, it gave me the dialog, but failed to find any drivers. I sent the wizard to look at the disk itself, where the disk installed, and every other possible location I could think of, all the way up to just telling it to search C:\.

So, after all that failed, I uninstalled the driver, then removed the card, rebooted, checked to make sure it was all removed correctly, and rebooted again.

I tried going the opposite route of the instructions - replace hardware, then run the program disk, but that didn't work either. Uninstalled, rebooted.

This time I piped in the manufacturer's latest drivers and followed the same processes above - first I ran the setup without the card connected, then installed the driver and ran the wizard - it AGAIN failed to find anything. I then cleaned it all out again, and ran the install for the drivers with the card present, to no afail.

I definitely am getting the feeling that I'm doing something very simple and very stupid with this, especially given that I'm perfectly used to updating drivers on XP (though it's been a very long time since I got new hardware for it, a few years in fact). I am, however, a vista virgin (where's my 'no entry' sign?) and I think that's throwing me, as well, together with the natural trouble caused by frustration.

If you could give me some sort of walkthrough, "Installing your piece of wireless crap card on Windows Vista for the terminally dumb" guide, it would be nice :D

[canetoad]

8. You have done absolutely everything

I would have done.

Have you tried getting it to the stage when Windows tells you you have new hardware

You let the wizard run, with cd in drive and navigate to the folder that the .inf file is in for your operating system?

[Chulanowa]

9. I might have - I've given it a lot of tries!

But I'll test again to make sure.

And... this is gnawing at the back of my brain, and I have a sneaking suspicion it's the nugget of stupid I was talking about. I've been physically removing the device after I uninstall it. Is this my mistake? When you say "disconnect the device" do you mean to remove the card from the computer, or somethingelse?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

12. What is your audio chipset? Realtek? nt.

[Chulanowa]

13. Thanks for the help, guys

I'm not sure exactly how, or why, but it decided to connect just out of the blue. It was the Ralink drivers that seem to have done the trick, though I'm not sure why they didn't work the first time.

Anyway. off to get adobe pro working