TARGUS PC CARD SLIMLINE CD

PORT PC CARD SLIMLINE CD-ROM

NW24XCD

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

A. On the bottom of the drive the part number will be either NW24XCD (version 1) or NW24XCD V 2.0 (version 2). The two versions of the NW24XCD use different PC Card/Cables, AC Adapters and PS/2 adapters which are not interchangeable between versions. Also, there is no jumper on the back of the version 2 of the NW24XCD. The optional AC Adapter and PS/2 Adapter are automatically detected on the version 2, if used.

A. 'Under Windows 95/98, ME and 2000, the installation is simple. Connect the PC Card and cable to the drive unit and insert the PC Card into your Notebook PC Card slot. The operating system will detect the PC Card and load the appropriate drivers. Follow the prompts as they come up. Once complete a drive letter will be assigned to the NW24XCD, providing access to the drive. For DOS/Win3.1 or WinNT 4.0 there are additional steps necessary; please refer to the installation instructions in the manual.

A. Once attached to the notebook, you can hear audio CDs from the drive unit itself using either the audio cable or headphones. For personal listening, plug your headphones into the mini headphone jack on the back of the drive unit. For listening through your notebook’s sound system and speakers, connect the audio cable from the mini headphone jack on the drive unit to your notebook’s line in jack. Run the CD audio player application and click play (In Windows 95/98 do the following: Click on Start; select Programs, select Accessories, select Multimedia, select CD-Audio Player).

A. Before you begin the steps below, make sure you've inserted the PC Card with the correct side facing up (PORT Logo sticker should be facing up and FCC Sticker should be facing down). Remove the PC Card from the notebook.

1. Go into Control Panel and double-click on "Add New Hardware"

2. Tell it you do NOT want Windows to search for new hardware. (Win98/ME will search by default)

3. Windows will open a window for you to select your hardware type. Select "Hard Disk Controllers"

4. Windows may build driver information database at this time.

5. Select "(Standard hard disk drivers)" and "Standard IDE/ESDI Hard Disk Controller"

6. Accept default settings.

7. Reboot machine.

8. Re-insert the PC Card card (Port sticker up!) and Windows should detect new hardware and load the driver for it.

A. For Windows NT 4.0 users - There may be a few causes / solutions to this problem. Your system may be running the CD-ROM on IRQ9 which will prevent it from starting up on your system.

To check for this click on START then SETTINGS and open the Control Panel

2. Double click on the PCMCIA icon

3. Double click the PC Card Manufacturer PCMCIA ATA/ATAPI device name, and click on Properties.

4. Click on the Resources tab and verify that the Interrupt is not listed as IRQ9.

If it is listed as IRQ9 then we have an IRQ masking utility to fix this. It can be found in the "WinNT" folder on your CD-ROM driver disk. The utility is called "ARC_IRQ.EXE". Running this utility will fix the interrupt conflict and should start up your CD-ROM the next time you boot Windows NT 4.0.

You may also have a utility called CardWorks or CardWizard running on your system. If so, an update needs to be run so the CardWorks / CardWizard utility can recognize the 24X CD-ROM. The update utility can be found on SystemSoft's website via this address:
http://www.systemsoft.com/l-2/l-3/support-cardwizard-utilities.htm

Once launched, choose the "Registry Customization" option and select the listing for the PORT card cable.

For Windows 95 users - The drivers installed fine but my system does not see the CD-ROM. What's wrong? - A utility called CardWorks may be present in your Windows 95 system. This utility is incompatible with the 24X CD-ROM and must be disabled or removed for the CD-ROM to work properly. Click START, SETTINGS, CONTROL PANEL, ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS, find the CardWizard entry in the list and click the Remove button. If CardWorks is not listed then it can be removed by deleting the "CARDWORK" folder on your C:\ drive. Reboot your system and the drive letter should appear for your CD-ROM.

A. The drive is most likely not getting enough power to operate properly. Check the jumper on the back of the NW24XCD and make sure it is covering the two pins closest to the PC Card Cable connector when powering the CD-ROM via the PC-Card adapter. If the drive is being powered via the PS/2 power cable or optional AC Adapter, then make sure the jumper is covering the two pins farthest from the PC Card Cable connector. Note: the PS/2 power cable may be required for certain laptops that cannot supply enough power to the NW24XCD via the PC-Card cable. Please contact Port Technical Support to determine if an external power cable is required for your system at 1-888-970-PORT, 8:00 am to 8:00 pm EST, or email: TechSupport@port.com

A. Yes, to install NT on your system using the NW24XCD, you will need to move your Windows NT installation files over to your hard drive using one of the following two procedures:

Installing over Windows 95/98:
1. Boot to Windows 95/98 and connect the NW24XCD.
2. Copy the i386 folder from your Windows NT 4.0 CD to an i386 folder on your hard drive.
3. Restart your notebook to MS-DOS.
4. Change to the i386 folder on your hard drive and run WINNT.exe to begin the installation process.

Installing on a re-formatted hard drive:
You will need to follow the StartupDisk procedure to boot up MS-DOS and have access to your NW24XCD. Once that is complete follow steps 2-4 listed above. Note: one of your partitions will need to be formatted as FAT in order for this to work.

A. Windows 95/98/ME/2000 file viewer options are set to HIDE many system type files. To change your settings do the following:

1. In Windows 95/98 Select VIEW in Windows Explorer, In Windows ME/2000 Select TOOLS in Windows Explorer.

2. In Windows 95/98 Select OPTIONS, In Windows ME/2000 Select FOLDER OPTIONS.

3. Under the VIEW tab select the "Show all files" setting.

4. Click OK.

5. Return to Explorer and click on Drive A: or where the diskette files are residing to view all the files.

A. It may. Compatibility with Linux is dependant on an optional PCMCIA package Kernal Module (available from Linux). Several Linux discussion forums and websites have information regarding the setup and configuration of the PCMCIA package Kernal Module.

1. First, create a bootable floppy disk (please refer to your Windows operating manual for specific instructions on creating a floppy boot disk).

5. Then remove the Portable 24X CD-ROM driver diskette from your Floppy Drive and reinsert the CD Recovery Tool Diskette, which you just created.

6. Drag the 4 files on your desktop onto your Floppy Drive icon (3 1/2 Floppy (A))

For version 2 of the NW24XCD: On the CD-ROM driver disk, there is a file called STARTPC.BAT which will enable your CD-ROM drive at any point while in a DOS environment. This file can be run directly off the driver disk. This file will be useful for times when you need to reinstall your operating system or run a recovery CD. To do this, you will need to create a bootable floppy disk (please refer to your Windows operating manual for specific instructions on creating a floppy boot disk). With the boot disk, you can boot to a DOS environment, then remove the boot disk and place the CD-ROM driver into the floppy drive. Once inserted, you can run the STARTPC.BAT file to enable the CD-ROM drive. At this point, you can proceed on reinstalling your operating system or recovery CD.

A. The driver disk image which was included with your CD-ROM is available on our web site at www.port.com/support/tech.asp.

A. Technical Support can be reached at www.port.com/support/tech.asp or email: TechSupport@port.com.

A. This product is covered by the Port one year warranty. If the unit fails to operate as specified contact Technical Support as indicated above. Technical support will troubleshoot the failure and make arrangements if a replacement unit is needed.

WARRANTY: Port warrants this product to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for one year. If this product is found to be defective within that time, Port will repair or replace your product. This warranty does not cover damage from everyday wear and tear, or from transportation by a common carrier.

Under no conditions is Port liable for any of the following: loss or damage to a computer; loss of, or damage to, programs, records, or data; and consequential or incidental damages, even if Port is informed of their possibility.