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novahifi

Baseband Member
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I want to connect my Dell 2002 laptop with windows XP to our home internet connection which is tiscali broadband in the UK (in London).

I am aware that a router is needed to achieve this. I already have an old router, but it has no documentation or disks or anything with it and I don't know whether or not it should.

I also don't know whether or my laptop has an inbuilt wireless capability or whether I will have to buy one of those wireless connection cards to install.

Do I need to buy a new router and a laptop wireless card? Are there any particularly good makes routers and laptop cards for my purposes.

Thank you very much.
 
go to support.dell.com and enter your service tag that you will find on the bottom of the laptop on a sticker with a barcode on it. The code is alphanumeric and should be 5 or 7 characters: example 1234GW7

There you can find out what was purchased with the laptop including the wireless card, or lack thereof. also, you can find warranty information and service history.
 
Just go into your devise manager and it should tell you weather or not you have a card or not. If not obvisly yes you will have to buy a card if you want wireless (which I rahter have wired, but thats what a laptop is for no wires :)) Anyways if you do have a network card I reccomend you go with Linksys. I have never had a problem with them EVER. I have owned a router for 8 years now (ever since I was 8) and I love that thing. Even know I modded it over the years with uncaping and unregistrated (to clean tracks (you dont need to know about what this dose or even need it)). Anyways taht is all my suggestions, I hope these help.
 
Thankyou everyone...

I checked the service tag and in a long list of parts it said "NO NETWORK CARD." Does that mean that it has no inbuilt wireless capacity?
 
novahifi said:
Thankyou everyone...

I checked the service tag and in a long list of parts it said "NO NETWORK CARD." Does that mean that it has no inbuilt wireless capacity?

It probley dose you should probley tell us the make of the laptop :) It would help us a great deal to help you :)
 
novahifi said:
The laptop is a Dell Inspiron 2650.

I belive so, but I have no idea really. If someone from the forum can help you out with this I pulled up specs that are located http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/notebooks/0,39023984,10001414,00.htm there and if they want to look and see. Thats as far as I go with laptops, cause I have personaly owned one, sorry :(

My guess is yes though. I think you should go try and get one, and if it dosen't work just return it.
 
You really need to calm down, it's just forums and its for helping people. Oh and by the way bigger text dose not help your cause I can read size 12pt the same as I can read 72pt...So try to "lower" your tone please :)
 
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