* Dr. Internet columnist Steve Blass points a reader to some USB-to-PCMCIA adapters for EV-DO * Help Desk columnist Ron Nutter offers advice on using USB drives to fix workstation issues
* Are there USB-to-PCMCIA adapters for EV-DO?
By Steve Blass
Q: I bought a new laptop without a PCMCIA card slot and need a way to connect my PCMCIA-based EV-DO broadband wireless card so I can travel with the new notebook instead of the old one. Are there adapters available?
A: Yes, there are USB adapters for some EV-DO cellular modem cards that will let you use the PCMCIA modem card. Depending on the card and service provider, you may be able to use one of these adapters.
To read Steve’s response in its entirety, please click here.
* Using USB drives to help fix workstation problems
By Ron Nutter
Q: In trying to keep the necessary tools with me when working on user or network problems on the company network, I started out by keeping a laptop with me with the tools I normally use installed. There are times that I don’t have the laptop with me, so I have created a couple of CDs with the same tools but this means that I then have to install the software and sometimes debug when things don’t work right. In some cases, installing the software isn’t what I would prefer to have to do. Is there another option besides the two that I have used?
A: You can look at two other options. Using a Knoppix CD (or one of the similar options that are available in the Linux arena) you can get access to the local file system of a desktop or laptop computer in most cases and look at most network issues.
To read Ron’s response in its entirety, please click here.
