SystemSoft's CardWizard makes Windows NT friendly on the road

Featured eBooks
NASCIO 2025 Special Report
Changing Workforce
Future of Tech Infrastructure
Insights & Reports
4 steps to successful data governance programs for government
Presented By Carahsoft
Download Now
The agility mandate: How government agencies are rethinking work to deliver faster
Presented By Atlassian
Download Now
By GCN

By GCN

|

The crash-prevention features that keep Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 up and running on desktop computers can hinder operation on notebook computers.

In the meantime, a bevy of utility programs can make NT work more like Win 2000 on notebooks. For example, CardWizard from SystemSoft Corp. nicely patches one of NT's big flaws: inability to work properly with PC Cards.Once you install it and reboot, the CardWizard program becomes a seamless part of the operating system. Well, almost seamless.Whenever you insert a PC Card, a small box with a wizard cartoon pops up, recognizing a new device.The first time you insert a card, you might have to supply some driver disks. After that, removing or reinserting the same card will be hassle-free, even when the computer is on.Not only does NT use the card devices properly, it even makes them hot-swappable, though a few cards will still make you stop their services before you can safely remove them.I tested CardWizard with SCSI cards as well as PC Cards. Each time, once the proper drivers were installed, I could remove and reinsert the cards at will.Bearing in mind the government's use of sensitive documents, I obtained a Fortezza card, which integrates the Type II PC Card military security standard, and tested CardWizard with it. The program treated Fortezza like any other card once the drivers were loaded.With CardWizard running, a network card and a modem card both performed as well as or better than in a notebook running Win98.SystemSoft maintains a list of certified-compatible cards and portable computers, but it's worth noting that half of my tests were on a notebook that is not listed as a supported product. It worked fine.If you run NT 4.0 on a notebook and need to use any type of PC Card reliably, CardWizard will keep you up to speed.

By John Breeden II

GCN Staff

The crash-prevention features that keep Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 up and running on desktop computers can hinder operation on notebook computers.

A notebook demands more flexibility than a desktop in terms of peripheral devices and drivers, yet NT is very rigid in what it allows to run.

Workgroups that have deployed NT on everything, including mobile systems, often encounter performance quirks in their quest for a homogeneous operating environment.

One solution is to migrate to Windows 2000, which behaves like NT on desktop systems and like Windows 98 on notebooks. But agencies are understandably cautious about Win 2000's security holes and other glitches that are still being discovered.







Box Score

CardWizard

Utility for PC Cards under Windows NT

SystemSoft Corp.; Natick, Mass.;

tel. 800-796-0088

www.systemsoft.com

Price: $79 GSA

+ Works unobtrusively with almost any PC Card

+ Makes cards hot-swappable





















NEXT STORY: LAB NOTES

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.