I have a Compaq Presario 2100 series laptop (2110us) that is locking up when I try installing a wireless networking card into the PCMCIA slot. I have tried several different brands (Linksys, D-Link, Trendnet) giving the same symptoms. Here is how it goes:

I install the supplied software as instructed and then shut down my laptop. Next I insert the network card into the PCMCIA slot and turn on my laptop. The laptop fan and lights go on but the monitor is black. Also the harddrive activity indicator light is inactive. The system just hangs. But when I eject the wireless card, my laptop boots normally most of the time. Sometimes it starts to boot and then hangs anyway. To remedy, I simply shut the machine off and restart without the card in the PCMCIA slot and all is fine.

One important point: outside of the PCMCIA card issue, my computer seems to work as it should without any problems.

My laptop did not come with the built in wireless feature that was available in some other notebooks of the same model.

Any suggestions about what might be going on with this laptop's PCMCIA and how I might fix it?

Also, on the bottom of my laptop is a compartment cover which houses the mini pci port for wireless lan. My laptop did not come with this mini pci wireless lan card from the factory, but it has the port. Could I just purchase the mini pci wireless lan card and install it? Or is the process more involved. I do notice that the service manual on the Compaq/HP website shows an on/off switch for the integrated wireless located on the front, right corner of the laptop, which mine does not have, though there is a cover over the location where the switch should be. Also, the same service manual shows an antenae that is supposed to get plugged into the mini pci wireless card. I do not see an antenae when I open the cover to the mini pci port.

Thank you in advance.