Compatibility issue with Dell Laptop E series Models

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Permalink Reply by Magma on October 21, 2011 at 11:02am

Another customer have reported a problem using Dell Laptop with Magma expansion chassis and Cardbus card.
This time the customer is using a Cardbus Card ( PCMCIA host card).
After checking the Device manager it only detects the Magma cardbus card. It is not detecting the chassis.

We have another customer who reported having issue with Dell 54XX, 55XX and 56XX series. It is exactly the same problem, it is not seeing the chassis. The customer tried reformatting the hard drive, re-install the Operating System and flashed the BIOS and yet it still exhibited the same issue.

But when tried with another brand of Laptop such as HP, it worked. HP running Windows XP, Windows Device Manager detects the cardbus card and the chassis, it also recognizes the PCI cards installed in the chassis.

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Permalink Reply by Magma on March 29, 2012 at 4:15pm

Dell E series / models runing Windows7 (32bit and 64bit) or Windoes XP are not compatible.
When connecting the Magma expansion chassis via Cardbus Card it won't see the chassis but it will detect the cardbus card.

Although computer via device manager detects the cardbus without any problem (i.e no yellow exclamation mark) it is unable to recognize the Magma chassis. Regardsless of how many times you updatethe BIOS or tried different combinations and permutations of troubleshooting it won't work at all.

The solution is to use a different model / brand of laptops.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Logan on April 2, 2012 at 7:21am

I had the same issue. Using an old 2slot and 4slot expansion units that was built 7 yrs ago.
My magma works with my old Dell Laptop running WIndows XP. And after switching to new Dell E 5220 my Magma didn't work. Windows Device Manager only detected the first bridge, which is the magma PCMCIA card. It did not detect the Magma expansion chassis. We called Magma Tech Support and spent a lot of hours troubleshooting it and still unsuccessful.
I bought a new hp 8540w running Windows 7 (64bit) and using a new Ecard and new 2slot expansion chassis ( 64bit), and it finally worked.

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Permalink Reply by Olivier Chevallier on August 8, 2012 at 2:53pm

I have a Dell Precision laptop running Windows 7 64 bits and appear to have the same issue trying to use a 2 slot expansion. Is that ever going to be fixed? This is a company laptop, changing it is not an option for me...
I could not find a driver for the EC54 for Windows 7. Is there one somewhere?

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Permalink Reply by Magma on August 8, 2012 at 3:49pm

No driver for Magma EC54 for Windows 7.
Windows 7 itself has already the driver. It installs it automatically.

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Permalink Reply by Olivier Chevallier on August 8, 2012 at 5:01pm

What about the issue I am having? Is that saying the same issue exists with also a Dell Precision and is not going to be fixed?

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Permalink Reply by Magma on August 8, 2012 at 5:32pm

This similar issue exist on some Dell E series (54XX,64XX,65XX, 55XX and etc.)
The problem is not really related to magma hardware. The Magma hardware in this case is not defective. It is more on the laptop's BIOS.
It is something you have to experiment with other brand of laptops to see if the similar issue would occur or not.

 

Here's a list of compatible and incompatible laptops.

http://magma.nfpondemand.com/MRcgi/MRTicketPage.pl?USER=&MRP=0&...

This information was based on reports from various end-users / customers.

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