"Rory Deol" <rdeol85@gmail.com> hath wroth:

>
>Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>
>> 1. HP laptops normally do not come with IBM wireless cards. Looking
>> at the driver list on the HP site, the ze4600 series came with
>> Broadcom wireless cards. Actually, I'm suprised that the IBM card
>> functions as the current HP BIOS checks for a supported wireless card
>> that has been FCC type certified with the laptop. Anything else gets
>> a nasty pre-boot error message. While the IBM card could work,
>> there's a possibility that antenna connector and the pigtails on the
>> antennas are not exactly matched connectors. Visually inspect the
>> connectors. Sometimes, all that's wrong is that the connectors are
>> not snapped together.

>I did purchase this used. So does that mean that the IBM card is a
>replacement for the original stock card?

Yes. As I mentioned, I'm rather suprised that it works because the
BIOS is suppose to complain about non-certified cards. Note the
Broadcom name on the wireless drivers for the ze4610:
<http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?os=228&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=384 624&lang=en>
Looks like it comes with something called a WL450 card. I couldn't
find any data on this card on the HP web pile (except the drivers).
Nothing on eBay. Very strange.

>Or, could the computer be
>displaying the wrong driver for some reason?

It's possible. There are patches and tweaks to the BIOS (and MiniPCI
card flash image) that allow HP, Compaq, and IBM laptops to accept
non-certified cards. I can't tell from here.

>Also, because I am
>hesitant to open the machine to look for something completely foreign
>to me, is there and external card that would be recommended?

Flip over the laptop. There are several doors on the bottom. One of
them covers the MiniPCI wireless card. Remove screws, lift lid, and
there's the card. If you want to read the instructions, go to:
<http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/manualCategory?lc=en&cc=us&docname=c00372736&dlc=e n&product=384624&lang=en&>
and grab the Maintenance and Service Guide. See 2-7 for wireless card
removal.

My guess(tm) is that there's nothing wrong with the MiniPCI card. The
problem is probably the antenna connectors. Open and inspect. I'll
also guess(tm) that the antenna leads are not even connected and
possibly not present. Don't panic as there are aftermarket antennas
available on eBay, or you can get an external USB or PCMCIA wireless
card.



--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558