my guess is that they don't want it to work in vista so they can sell new
hardware.
a lot of manufactures are getting on that band wagon.
"PTravel" <ptravel@travelersvideo.com> wrote in message
news:%23zg$Z%23mbHHA.5044@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> Why is it that so many hardware manufacturers seem to know less about
> Vista than I do? I've had two instances, now, in which the information
> provided by the hardware manufacturer was simply WRONG, and I was able to
> get the hardware in question working just fine.
>
> 1. Netgear: I have a GA511 gigabit PCMCIA NIC. When Vista is allowed to
> install it, device manager reports that it's working, but it doesn't.
> Manually tweaking the registers for the NIC got it working with the Vista
> default driver, but I couldn't force it to 1-gig only operation -- it
> would lock up unless allowed to autodetect. When it would autodetect
> 1-gig, it would report the speed as 10 mbps (though actually running at
> gigabit speeds). However, autodetect was unreliable -- half the time it
> would connect at 100 mbps. Repeated contact with Netgear was futile. I
> finally reached a knowledgable tech who told me, "Oh, yeah -- I know about
> that. I'm trying to work something out." Finally, I decided I'd play with
> other drivers for the GA511 chipset, and found an internal alternative
> driver in Vista that works perfectly (except for the false speed report,
> but that's cosmetic only). I can now force the NIC to default to 1-gig
> and it works reliably. So, no new driver necessary.
>
> Way to go, Netgear! How many customers did you lose because you know less
> about your products than they do?
>
> 2. Adaptec SlimSCSI 1480b Cardbus SCSI adapter. I've got some old HP
> scanners lying around. They're very good scanners and I don't want to
> replace them. I used to use them in an XP laptop with an Adaptec 1460c
> PCMCIA SCSI adapter. That card can't be installed under Vista on my new
> laptop. The Adaptec website has a page that lists Vista compatibility for
> its various products. It indicated that, though the 1460c wouldn't work
> underVista, Adaptec's 1480b adapter would, and there were downloadable
> drivers available on the website. I found the card on eBay (great deal --
> $35 for a card that retails for over $200) and went to the Adaptec website
> to download the driver. Well, Adapatec has changed the website -- now the
> Vista page says that it is working on a driver and will have one out
> eventually, but the card will not work with Vista now. Great! Just for
> kicks, I downloaded an old NT driver for the 1480b and installed it.
> Bingo -- Device Manager reports it's working perfectly. I plugged in my
> oldest HP scanner, a LaserJet IIcx that is about 15 years old. Vista
> recognized (despite it not being plug and play!) and installed the right
> driver. All my HP software works perfectly, including the very useful
> Deskcopy utility. So, no new driver necessary.
>
> Way to go, Adaptec! How many customers did you lose because you know less
> about your products than they do?
>
> What is it with these companies? What are their technicians doing,
> anyway? I'm not a computer professional, and I can get their stuff working
> under Vista. Why can't they figure this out?[/color]