All,

Please forgive the naive question, but I'm completely new to digital photography.

What does it take to get a laptop with built in PCMCIA slots and running Windows 95 as the O/S to read the various types of flash memory media? Specifically, I need to know about any additional software and hardware.

Trying to make sense of it all... Thanks for your help!

-- Chris Hardage (sracer01@yahoo.com), July 08, 1999

Answers

Chris, I don't know what type of memory you specifically want to use, but here are the three major types. Smart Media cannot be used in PCMCIA slots. No adapters exist. There are adapters that allow it to be used in the floppy drive. Compact Flash is usable with an adapter that will cost $10-$15. Windows will recognize the card and install the necessary drivers. ATA Flash memory is the same as CF, except that it is a type II PCMCIA device that requires no adapter. Just plug it in. Windows will install drivers just like it does for a CF card in an adapter.

-- Steve (tuna-boat-captain@ibm.net), July 08, 1999.

Actually, there are a couple of SmartMedia PCMCIA adapters available - Microtech sells one, and I think Ariston as well. Microtech is at www.microtech.com

-- Dave Etchells (detchells@imaging-resource.com), July 08, 1999.

Thanks for the correction, Dave. I had not seen or heard of these.

-- Steve (tuna-boat-captain@ibm.net), July 09, 1999.