Vista woes continued... Compaq Presario Laptop Memory Card Reader

T

Tzzird

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
May 9, 2006
Messages
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I was pretty excited when I first installed vista. Every few days, however, I find something wrong with my system that I need to fix.

I'm currently trying to read a memory card from the built in reader. It is a standard SD memory chip. I even tried a separate microSD card (placed into a SD converter) and come up with these same results:

No drive shows up in "My Computer".
In the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon in the bottom right tray, the system detects a PCMCIA IDE/ATAPI Controller. On the bottom it reads "PCMCIA IDE/ATAP Controller on Texas Instruments PCI-1620 CardBus Controller with UltraMEdia." I will assume this is my memory card reader.

Any ideas on how to get vista to read my card so that I can access the files?
 
My laptop model is R3240US. Compaq does not list my laptop as "Vista capable." There's gotta be a way to make it work though.
 
People wanting to install Vista on laptops should really run the Vista Upgrade Advisor before they do so. Incompatible device get reported. When they get reported you get presented with a manufacturer link where you'll possibly find a generic device driver which will allow the component to work under Vista.

I've a Compaq/HP laptop here too. There's no Vista Touchpad driver for it. Vista Upgrade Advisor directs me to the Synaptic website, where I can download a generic driver for the thing.

I've found no trace of a suitable driver for your Card reader, though. Simple solution? Disable the thing and grab a USB based card reader to use instead of the built in one ;)
 
You didn't say which version of Vista you have (would be nice if people would do that) meaning 32 bit or 64 bit, but... based on my own recent experience with owning a Gateway laptop with a Texas Instruments media card reader (they pretty much own that market for those controller chips), I found salvation at PlanetAMD64.com at one point.

Here's what worked for me for Vista 32 bit editions:

ftp://ftp.acer-euro.com/notebook/ferrari_4000/driver/cardread.zip

Here's what worked for me with Vista 64 bit editions:

ftp://ftp.acer-euro.com/notebook/ferrari_4000/driver/winxp64bit/pcmcia_cardreader.zip

Give it a shot, you might be surprised to find it working just fine, as I did. Note those are two different files: the first is for 32 bit editions as noted, the second for 64 bit. It might say XP x64, but it works, and both versions are digitally signed by Microsoft.

Good luck, and report on your results too, if you can...
 
And if it doesn't work, it's not the end of the world nor is it the end of any possibility of running Vista on the laptop. As mentioned earlier there are other alternatives.
 
I have vista ultimate 32 bit.

Thanks for the link Ghost, but it didn't work for me. It installed without error, but as soon as I tried to put in a memory card, my computer produced the same results I previously mentioned.

Catweazle: Were you able to fix your touchpad issues? I did a bit of research (and started a thread last week too) on touchpad problems with vista. It seem that the right side of my touchpad that is dedicated to scrolling won't scroll anymore. Windows sees it as one entire thing. In my research, I went to the synaptics site at some point. If I remember correctly, I couldn't find a driver that would work for my touchpad on there. Do you happen to have a link of a working driver from Synpatics?

Also: I just realized that my CD/DVD ROM is not detected by vista! This sounds pretty ridiculous considering I used a DVD to install the damn OS! I installed it last week some time, and didn't realize it until now. I guess I didn't have the need for it since that time. Upon installing vista onto your HP/compaq laptop, did you have any issues with the dvd rom?
 
The generic driver listed by Synaptic didn't address any fancy functions provided by proprietary software which was preinstalled on the laptop. Basic functionality only. Sorry I can't give details, but I only had Vista on the thing for a short while, as a test, and I NEVER use the touchpad anyway. I use a USB mouse, because I detest touchpads with a passion!
 
Catweazle said:
The generic driver listed by Synaptic didn't address any fancy functions provided by proprietary software which was preinstalled on the laptop. Basic functionality only. Sorry I can't give details, but I only had Vista on the thing for a short while, as a test, and I NEVER use the touchpad anyway. I use a USB mouse, because I detest touchpads with a passion!
Click to expand...

My laptop was meant for portability, and lugging around a spare mouse detracts from this. Also, I'm a teacher with a very small teacher's desk, so every square inch of that desk must be utilitized properly!

No ideas about that DVD drive?
 
heh heh...

I use a USB mini-mouse, and the space it takes up in the laptop bag is barely a bulge. It's a weensy rodent, but a perfectly usable one.

I have no solution for you DVD problem, I'm sorry to say. It's likely to be a storage controller incompatibility, perhaps. Check device manager for any 'unknown devices' reported. Again, the Upgrade Advisor probably would've detected it and perhaps offered a solution.
 
Thank god you're a night owl Catweazle, most people respond only when they're at work.

I looked in Device Manager and there's an exlamation sign where my DVD device is. I tried looking for a driver through the vista search process to no avail. I even tried removing the driver and letting windows reinstall it and ended up with this error:

HL-DT-ST DVD+ RW GCA-4040N ATA Device Failed

Can you tell what brand it is based off the failure notice?
 
That seems to be an LG GCA-4040N which you'll find numerous reports about it having problems of some sort or another. Try finding a firmware update on the LG website, I'd suggest.

Edit: By the way. It's about 4PM here in Australia. I'm at my desk ;)
 
Ugh, it's one of those drives, eh? No wonder... :p

Had two in two different laptops, they are simply pieces of shit, no ifs ands or buts about it and everyone knows it. They're a mishmash of technology from LG, Lite-On, Hitachi, and Samsung parts. The peeps at the CDFreaks forums hate 'em, and the peeps at the Firmware Page avoid 'em like the proverbial plague, so, if you ever get the opportunity to get a better one - Directron.com is a good source for laptop drives at really cheap prices - I would suggest doing so.

Not sure what's going on with that hardware really, but it doesn't sound good. And hey, I only sleep like 4 hours a day sooo... :D
 
Ahhh... just like an American to assume that everyone else on the internet is in the United States as well. Apologies.

Thanks for all your help by the way, if I haven't mentioned.

The microsoft link provided me with the answer to the CDROM problem. I finally found the registry key tucked away nicely under a plethora of subcategories. Deleted the "upper" and "lower" filters, restarted, and viola, my DVD rom is back and in perfect shape! In the explanation of the problem, I think it mentions something about having burner software installed before upgrading (yes yes, i know... should have done a clean install).
 
I'm thoroughly pleased you've posted this, Tzzird. It's the first instance I've seen of what was also a problem during the migration to Windows XP, and the solution is the same.

Great stuff.

I'd agree with the suggestion of replacing the drive if at all possible, by the way.
 
Tzzird said:
(yes yes, i know... should have done a clean install).
Click to expand...

AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT, SONNY!!! :D (JUST KIDDING)

Ok, enough with the caps.

Besides, I live in Las Vegas, two blocks from the heart of the city in downtown. Why sleep? :D
 
I'll be honest with you: CSI, and all that stuff that supposed "Happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas"? It's bullshit, 'cause I've been here 10 years and we simply don't have the kinds of crimes they make up on that show. In all the years I've been here, no one has ever done a face plant off a casino roof, and I think that happened in season one, the first episode actually.

TV... man they are always filming something in this town, always, always, always.

I've seen the whole crew and the cast also in various locations around town. They do a pretty good job of roping off the crowds and keeping them outta the camera's eye for most of the stuff, but it's fun to see how many people and how much equipment it takes to film just 30 seconds of footage. Hours if not days to set it up, a few seconds of "Action!" and then it's done and wham, tear it back down again and move it.

Reminds me of my youth when I worked on a carnival for 6 months, same principle: Shut it down on Sunday night, spend the next 12 to 36 hours on teardown, hop in the rigs and move it to a new location, take a day off, spend a day putting it back up, spend a few days using it, Sunday night rolls around, wham, repeat.

Fun stuff though, with a lot of great memories of scaring beautiful woman silly - I worked on a "dark ride" with a cart that went inside. After being inside for 20 mins or so, I could literally "see in the dark" and put that ability to good use snarling right in a woman's ear. Oh man... talk about fun... but that's another thread and GenMay material...

</off_topic_so_far_he's_looking_for_odoe_or_Major_to_drop_anytime> :D
 
bbz_Ghost said:
Oh man... talk about fun... but that's another thread and GenMay material...

</off_topic_so_far_he's_looking_for_odoe_or_Major_to_drop_anytime> :D
Click to expand...

I've always wondered what people talked about in GenMay... or how many people actually sign up for it. Worth it?
 
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