Wireless adapter for Powerbook

[cdeburg7]

I'm new to this forum so I hope I'm explaning this issue correctly..

I have a Powerbook G4. It doesn't have an internal wireless card so I bought a Linksys wireless adapter to plug into the side of my computer when I first got the computer. It worked fine for years. I recently reformatted the hard drive and now when I insert the wireless adapter it no longer will allow me to connect to the internet. I'm aware that Linksys doesn't have drivers for Mac users so I'm confused as to how I got it to work in the first place. I don't remember installing any third party software, but I may have, it was a few years ago. Does anyone have any suggestions what I should do to allow me to use my linksys card in my Mac? I've heard of Orangeware but I'm not sure if that's the solution. The adapter is a WPC54G. Thanks for your help!

Oh one last thing, when I plug the card in, an icon appears in the top right corner that shows something is plugged into the port but doesn't allow me to click on it and search for wireless connections.

 

[viggen61]

I'm new to this forum so I hope I'm explaning this issue correctly..

I have a Powerbook G4. It doesn't have an internal wireless card so I bought a Linksys wireless adapter to plug into the side of my computer when I first got the computer. It worked fine for years. I recently reformatted the hard drive and now when I insert the wireless adapter it no longer will allow me to connect to the internet. I'm aware that Linksys doesn't have drivers for Mac users so I'm confused as to how I got it to work in the first place. I don't remember installing any third party software, but I may have, it was a few years ago. Does anyone have any suggestions what I should do to allow me to use my linksys card in my Mac? I've heard of Orangeware but I'm not sure if that's the solution. The adapter is a WPC54G. Thanks for your help!

Oh one last thing, when I plug the card in, an icon appears in the top right corner that shows something is plugged into the port but doesn't allow me to click on it and search for wireless connections.

What does System Profiler show installed in the slot? Also, when you reformatted, did you also upgrade the version of OS X, or install new? It might be possible that when you first got the machine, you had one version of OS X, and with the reformat and re-install, some of the drivers may have been dropped from the later releases.

If your G4 can take an AirPort Extreme card, they go pretty cheap on eBay. If yours only takes the original AirPort card, they usually sell for more than they originally did, about $100, last I looked. That would be your most reliable option, if not the cheapest.

 

[merl1n]

I'm new to this forum so I hope I'm explaning this issue correctly..

I have a Powerbook G4. It doesn't have an internal wireless card so I bought a Linksys wireless adapter to plug into the side of my computer when I first got the computer. It worked fine for years. I recently reformatted the hard drive and now when I insert the wireless adapter it no longer will allow me to connect to the internet. I'm aware that Linksys doesn't have drivers for Mac users so I'm confused as to how I got it to work in the first place. I don't remember installing any third party software, but I may have, it was a few years ago. Does anyone have any suggestions what I should do to allow me to use my linksys card in my Mac? I've heard of Orangeware but I'm not sure if that's the solution. The adapter is a WPC54G. Thanks for your help!

Oh one last thing, when I plug the card in, an icon appears in the top right corner that shows something is plugged into the port but doesn't allow me to click on it and search for wireless connections.

If the icon appears as you stated, the card may just have to be configured in System Preferences -> Network

 

[cdeburg7]

What does System Profiler show installed in the slot? Also, when you reformatted, did you also upgrade the version of OS X, or install new? It might be possible that when you first got the machine, you had one version of OS X, and with the reformat and re-install, some of the drivers may have been dropped from the later releases.

If your G4 can take an AirPort Extreme card, they go pretty cheap on eBay. If yours only takes the original AirPort card, they usually sell for more than they originally did, about $100, last I looked. That would be your most reliable option, if not the cheapest.

When I reformatted the hard drive I used the original disc that came with my PB so I can't imagine that any drivers were removed. I can look into getting an AirPort extreme card, but I thought I'd try to figure it out with the card I have now since I know it worked before.

 

[cdeburg7]

If the icon appears as you stated, the card may just have to be configured in System Preferences -> Network

Thank you for replying. Could you elaborate on the system preferences -> Network configuration? I'm trying to connect it to a wireless Netgear router in my apartment- like it used to be connected to. I don't fully understand all the options in the "network" display so maybe you could walk me through it?

 

[merl1n]

Thank you for replying. Could you elaborate on the system preferences -> Network configuration? I'm trying to connect it to a wireless Netgear router in my apartment- like it used to be connected to. I don't fully understand all the options in the "network" display so maybe you could walk me through it?

First see if it is listed on the left pane in Network. If it is, proceed. (This is for the Airport Card, mileage may vary. Also, I don't know if you can configure your card with this, but you can try. You may need the disc that came with your card to configure it.)

1. Select it in the left column. If it is off (red), click the button on the right to turn it on.

2. Click Advanced and add your network name (the SSID of your router) and type of security.

Close the Preferences, and go to the icon in your Menu bar. Use the drop down to join your network.

I'm guessing here, but this seems reasonable.