I have a PC with just USB 1 .I have bought a USB 2.0 PCI card with four external and one internal.
I am using windows XP service pack 2 and it is up to date as far as microsoft update is concerned.
I have never fitted a PCI card but i have been told it's simple so i am bound to screw it up.
I know about unpluging everything wait ten minutes and wearing a anti static strap .The card comes with no instuctions only a tiny CD rom which seem to have drivers for 98 but not XP.

My question is should XP SP2 recognise the card automatically? or do i still have to load a driver.
The PCI card is a safecom SU2PA-PS and has a ALi chip.

I would be grateful if some tech savvy person would be kind enough to help an idiot.
Thanks
bob

Most newer hardware identifies itself to XP and XP looks up the information on drivers within its own list of drivers. If it doesn't find the information it needs internally, it usually searches the net to find the information it requires. Most new hardware today doesn't require the instllation of a driver disk unless its something out of the ordinary, and I don't see that as the case with your card.

I would suggest taking all the precautions you've stated, insert the card, close up the box, and start it up. It should know what it needs and autoamtically install it. Worse case, it'll be looking for drivers it can't find and be looking for some direction from you for help.

Give it a try, you have nothing to loose......... bart

ps: By the way great lighthouse story..... I'm from the US and I can believe it!
Also been a lurker for many years, the site is a great resource, your note compelled me to join!

Great to have you here!
and thanks for the info.

Just a few days ago I installed a 6-port Adaptec USB 2.0 card (5 external 1 internal) in an uncle's PC (which is incidentally one of my OLD PCs, an 800mhz P2 - gasp it's slow - and only had two USB ports to start with) and the thing worked completely automatically with Windows XP SP2.

I kept expecting to have to install some drivers to get USB 2.0 speeds, but it just worked automatically. I actually TRIED to install something off the CD and all I could get was a USB monitoring utility (which was nifty in itself, as it did a tree view of all your USB controllers, hubs and devices and indicated what speed they were in).

If you ever have a dedicated home office and decide you want to start tinkering around with PCs, I strongly recommend purchasing anti-static office grade carpet tiles. I haven't had to worry about static in my office for over a decade - you simply can't generate any. And a friend who also likes working on PCs, but who also had a habit of blowing computer parts all the time, switched to new carpet and since then he's been accident free. :-)

Wow i never new these existed, they sound great.
you learn something new everyday at RC.
hey that could be the sites motto...

Not just your remote learns at Remote Central.