old computer

Hi.

My friend gave me an old computer which has old connectors for cards (before
pci, long conectors about 20 cm). I think I can't get anywhere an ethernet
card for that so I would like to know can I connect to ethernet port on ADSL
router through serial or parallel port on computer ? Are there some kind of
converters between serial and ethernet or parallel and ethernet or serial
and usb or parallel and usb (I hope that ADSL router has an usb option to
connect) ?

Thanks.

Haris Bogdanovic wrote:
Hi.

My friend gave me an old computer which has old connectors for cards (before
pci, long conectors about 20 cm). I think I can't get anywhere an ethernet
card for that so I would like to know can I connect to ethernet port on ADSL
router through serial or parallel port on computer ? Are there some kind of
converters between serial and ethernet or parallel and ethernet or serial
and usb or parallel and usb (I hope that ADSL router has an usb option to
connect) ?

Thanks.



Why bother trying to reinvent the wheel? Buy an Ethernet card that fits and
be done with it -- they still exist and are not difficult to find (they are
even cheap!). A google search for "ISA Ethernet card" (without the quotes,
of course) turns up many hits. One example:

http://store.ovislinkonline.com/80isaetca.html

A bit of searching even turns up solutions for adding USB ports to an old
ISA system.

http://www.simtec.co.uk/products/EB1161ISA/

Personally, I wouldn't advise putting _too_ much money into this antique
unless you have masochistic tendencies or are _really_ attached to it, but
that is just me.
--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com

Haris Bogdanovic wrote:
Hi.

My friend gave me an old computer which has old connectors for cards (before
pci, long conectors about 20 cm). I think I can't get anywhere an ethernet
card for that so I would like to know can I connect to ethernet port on ADSL
router through serial or parallel port on computer ? Are there some kind of
converters between serial and ethernet or parallel and ethernet or serial
and usb or parallel and usb (I hope that ADSL router has an usb option to
connect) ?

Thanks.



What OS are you going to run. It may be useless and not support XP of
course. Win98SE always worked on old hardware.

I forgot to tell that this computer is not for me, I'm really not that
masochistic but my friend hasn't got any money to spend on computer so I'm
trying to fix something for her.

"John McGaw" wrote in message
. ..
Haris Bogdanovic wrote:
Hi.

My friend gave me an old computer which has old connectors for cards
(before pci, long conectors about 20 cm). I think I can't get anywhere an
ethernet card for that so I would like to know can I connect to ethernet
port on ADSL router through serial or parallel port on computer ? Are
there some kind of converters between serial and ethernet or parallel and
ethernet or serial and usb or parallel and usb (I hope that ADSL router
has an usb option to connect) ?

Thanks.

Why bother trying to reinvent the wheel? Buy an Ethernet card that fits
and be done with it -- they still exist and are not difficult to find
(they are even cheap!). A google search for "ISA Ethernet card" (without
the quotes, of course) turns up many hits. One example:

http://store.ovislinkonline.com/80isaetca.html

A bit of searching even turns up solutions for adding USB ports to an old
ISA system.

http://www.simtec.co.uk/products/EB1161ISA/

Personally, I wouldn't advise putting _too_ much money into this antique
unless you have masochistic tendencies or are _really_ attached to it, but
that is just me.
--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com

Haris Bogdanovic wrote:
I forgot to tell that this computer is not for me, I'm really not that
masochistic but my friend hasn't got any money to spend on computer so I'm
trying to fix something for her.

snip...

But the fact still remains that you can _still_ purchase an old-style ISA
Ethernet card after all these years. And cheaply too. It almost makes me
want to resurrect my old 486 machine from the basement just to get an
impression of how much things have changed over the years. g

--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com

On Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:41:46 +0200, "Haris Bogdanovic"
wrote:

I forgot to tell that this computer is not for me, I'm really not that
masochistic but my friend hasn't got any money to spend on computer so I'm
trying to fix something for her.


Local computer shops are probably throwing away perfectly
good ISA network adapters. Ask them if they have one, it
would be very inexpensive if not free.

On Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:41:46 +0200, Haris Bogdanovic thoughfully wrote:

I forgot to tell that this computer is not for me, I'm really not that
masochistic but my friend hasn't got any money to spend on computer so
I'm trying to fix something for her.

"John McGaw" wrote in message
. ..
Haris Bogdanovic wrote:
Hi.

My friend gave me an old computer which has old connectors for cards
(before pci, long conectors about 20 cm). I think I can't get anywhere
an ethernet card for that so I would like to know can I connect to
ethernet port on ADSL router through serial or parallel port on
computer ? Are there some kind of converters between serial and
ethernet or parallel and ethernet or serial and usb or parallel and
usb (I hope that ADSL router has an usb option to connect) ?

Thanks.

Why bother trying to reinvent the wheel? Buy an Ethernet card that fits
and be done with it -- they still exist and are not difficult to find
(they are even cheap!). A google search for "ISA Ethernet card"
(without the quotes, of course) turns up many hits. One example:

http://store.ovislinkonline.com/80isaetca.html

A bit of searching even turns up solutions for adding USB ports to an
old ISA system.

http://www.simtec.co.uk/products/EB1161ISA/

Personally, I wouldn't advise putting _too_ much money into this
antique unless you have masochistic tendencies or are _really_ attached
to it, but that is just me.
--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com

Any converter for ADSL to parallel port will cost more than a ISA
Ethernet card. A large brick and motar store like CompUSA,
MicroWarehouse or even a small store may have an ISA ethernet card. I'd
send you mine for free if you pay for shipping.

Keep a eye on the Classified section of your local paper because some
people may be selling their PC cheap, which may have parts or simply
better than the one your trying to fix.

In fact, you could put an add in the paper offering to pickup and dispose
of old PCs and PC parts for free. You might end up with lots of junk but
you might be able to make a better PC.

Haris Bogdanovic wrote:
Hi.

My friend gave me an old computer which has old connectors for cards (before
pci, long conectors about 20 cm). I think I can't get anywhere an ethernet
card for that so I would like to know can I connect to ethernet port on ADSL
router through serial or parallel port on computer ? Are there some kind of
converters between serial and ethernet or parallel and ethernet or serial
and usb or parallel and usb (I hope that ADSL router has an usb option to
connect) ?

This looks like a job for eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/D-Link-DE-220PCT-10Mb-Combo-16-bit-Ethernet-ISA-Adapter_W0QQitemZ110289531829QQcmdZViewItem?hash=i tem110289531829&_trkparms=72%3A1205|39%3A1|66%3A2| 65%3A12|240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-ISA-Ethernet-Cards_W0QQitemZ330272350198QQcmdZViewItem?hash=ite m330272350198&_trkparms=72%3A1205|39%3A1|66%3A2|65 %3A12|240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Before bidding, I would probably see if I can find appropriate drivers
for your target operating system.

"Haris Bogdanovic" wrote in message
...
I forgot to tell that this computer is not for me, I'm really not that
masochistic but my friend hasn't got any money to spend on computer so I'm
trying to fix something for her.

Do you have a local freecycle (www.freecycle.org) group? If so then post
there that you need an ISA ethernet card, chances are that someone in your
area has an old one that they no longer need.
--
Brian Cryer
www.cryer.co.uk/brian

Somewhere on teh intarwebs "kony" typed:
On Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:41:46 +0200, "Haris Bogdanovic"
wrote:

I forgot to tell that this computer is not for me, I'm really not
that masochistic but my friend hasn't got any money to spend on
computer so I'm trying to fix something for her.


Local computer shops are probably throwing away perfectly
good ISA network adapters. Ask them if they have one, it
would be very inexpensive if not free.

I know I threw out about a dozen or so along with all the rest of my ISA
cards (except an Adaptec SCSI card that cost me an arm and a leg, I couldn't
bring myself to bin that) a couple of years ago.

Oh, I tell a lie. I have a couple Soundblaster ISA cards. One or two of my
machines still in use have an ISA slot or two. My 1.1GHz Tui Celly on a
133MHz bus (1.46GHz, actually it's running at the moment, I use it to decode
'cable') has an ISA slot.

LOL, that said, I threw away boxes of ISA cards. All my PCs have PCI slots.
;-)
--
Shaun.

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