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Quatech PCMCIA Products, PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) is the standard for a class of rugged, credit-card sized memory and peripheral cards designed to fit into expansion sockets of mobile computers. The standard allows desktop computers to access technology used in mobile computers including laptops, hand-helds, pen-based, and notebook systems. The cards, which are compliant with the PCMCIA standard, are called PC cards. The current release of the standard is PCMCIA 2.1. PC cards can be classified according to size. They have been defined as Type I, Type II and Type III. Each PC card is 54 mm in width, but the height varies based on type. Type I cards are 3.3 mm thick and are usually memory cards such as FLASH and STATIC RAM. Type II cards are 5mm thick and are typically peripheral function I/O cards such as serial, parallel, fax-modem, and LAN. Type III cards are 10.5 mm thick and are usually rotating media such as hard disks. Quatech manufactures a line of serial products for RS-232, RS-422/485 and EPP Parallel Port. Please refer to the appropriate section for more information regarding each product. Quatech manufactures a full line of Internal PCMCIA Interface Adapters to bring this technology to your desktop computer.

I/O Cards

Express Cards

Communications - PCMCIA

PCMCIA Solid State Memory Card Drive

Type I, Type II, Type III Quatech Internal PCMCIA Interface Adapter

PCMCIA Usage Under DOS Mode of Windows 95/98
(Most Quatech PCMCIA Cards are fully supported under Windows 2000 and XP)

Many Quatech customers have bought PCMCIA cards for use with a DOS application. However, certain DOS programs will not run from Windows 95/98 environments, even from a Windows 95/98 DOS box. However, when the system is started or restarted into DOS mode, the Card and Socket Services the Windows 95/98 environment uses are stopped. So when the system is in DOS mode, the customer will be unable to configure the PCMCIA card and cannot execute his DOS application.

Quatech recently addressed this problem by taking a look at a couple of options the customer could use. The first would be to use the DOS enabler, which is provided on the diskette that comes with the Quatech PCMCIA card. This option only works if the system uses an Intel 82365 PCMCIA controller chip. If the user is uncertain about which PCMCIA controller is installed on the system, please contact the manufacturer of the system. The drawback to this method is that "hot-swapping" is not supported.

The second option involves purchasing a version of DOS Card and Socket Services and installing them for DOS mode use. This option does not rely on the type of Socket controller used. If the DOS Card and Socket Service drivers are required, they can be obtained from Quatech, who resells Cardsoft by Systemsoft.

The following application notes are based on the use of the aforementioned Cardsoft drivers. However, every effort has been made to address each mentioned part of Card and Socket Service generically. If the user chooses to use Card and Socket Services from another vendor, such as Phoenix Technologies or Databook, then there may some confusion as to which driver will perform the tasks described in these notes. If there are questions about the drivers, please consult the Driver Manufacturer's User's Manual or contact their Technical Support department.

Please read through the following situations carefully:

1. If you wish to use the PCMCIA card under Windows 95/98 and can operate your application from a DOS box or Window:

Follow the standard Windows 95/98 installation procedure for the card, as described in that card's User's Manual. Insertion of the card should bring about a dialog box and a prompt for a driver. Use the .inf file to install the PC-Card into Windows 95/98. No installation of DOS PCMCIA drivers should be required, and under no circumstances should you try to use the DOS enabler from within a DOS window.

2. If you want to use the card under DOS mode, meaning the machine is started into DOS or Command Prompt, and will not be using the card under Windows 95/98:

First determine what type of PCMCIA Socket controller chip is installed in the system. If an Intel 82365 PCMCIA controller chip is installed, try using the enabler to configure the card. If an Intel 82365 chip is present and successful configuration of the card occurs, you will be able to run your application. However, keep in mind that using this configuration option, "hot-swapping" is not supported.

If using the enabler does not work, then you should obtain a version of Card and Socket Services. Install Card and Socket Services on your system, then try to install your Quatech PCMCIA card under DOS using the instructions found in that card's manual for "installation of the DOS Client Driver." Remember that the DOS Client Driver can be used to configure the card ONLY in DOS mode.

Important Tip: Many Card and Socket Services, such as CardSoft, will allow a user to select which type of drivers to install by using "Custom Install". The only parts of the Card and Socket services drivers required for Quatech PCMCIA cards are the Card Services driver, the Socket Service driver, and a driver to tell Card Services which resources may be allocated for the card. ATA drivers and Flash Card drivers are not needed to operate Quatech PC-Cards. Generic client drivers, which are usually supplied with Card and Socket Services drivers, should not be installed.

3. If you want to use the Quatech PC-Card in both Windows 95/98 and Windows 95/98 DOS Mode:

The card should be installed within the Windows 95/98 environment as described in the PC-Card's User's Manual. Once installation is complete within the Windows 95/98 environment, click on the START button, select "SHUT DOWN," then select "Restart the computer in DOS Mode." First try the enabler to see if the card will configure using it. If the card cannot be configured using the enabler, you need to obtain and install DOS Card and Socket Services. (You must run the install program from the command or DOS prompt, as directed in the Card and Socket Services manual.) Once the installation is done, install the DOS Client Driver for your Quatech PC-Card, following the instructions provided in that card's manual.

When the system is started to Windows 95/98, it will start-up using the DOS Card and Socket Services and will use the card's DOS client driver to configure it. When Windows 95/98's SYSTEM and WIN.INI files begin to execute, the DOS Card and Socket Services drivers are essentially "put to sleep" and the Windows 95/98 32-bit Card and Socket Services drivers will be used. When it becomes time to use the PC-Card under DOS mode, click on the START button, select "SHUT DOWN." Then select "Restart the computer in DOS Mode." Windows 95/98's 32-bit PC-Card drivers will be shut down and the DOS Card and Socket Services drivers will be reactivated ("awakened") and used for DOS mode operation.

To start the system in DOS or Command Prompt mode, press the F8 key when the message "Starting Windows 95/98" appears. A Windows 95/98 Start-up menu will appear. Select "Command Prompt Only" from the list and press ENTER. The DOS Card and Socket Services drivers will be used and the Windows 95/98 32-bit Card and Socket Services will not be used.