You could replace the wireless card with a USB wireless adapter for not 
too many dollars. Then you would end up gaining one or three available 
ports depending on which USB card you bought. Still a lot cheaper than a 
repair shop.

Tom Mayer

Stephen R Stanfield wrote:
> Hello Tom,  I am experiencing same problem; however, I use my laptop 
> on a wireless connection with only one port for a card.
> stephen r stanfield
>
> Thomas Mayer wrote:
>> This information is for general information of members with notebook 
>> computers.
>>
>> I have been fighting a hardware problem with poor USB ports on a 
>> Compaq notebook. After a few months of sporadic operation, the ports 
>> have finally died and I was preparing for an expensive shop repair. 
>> In researching ways in which I could possibly get a converter from 
>> USB to Firewire, I ran across USB 2.0 PCMCIA cards with two USB ports 
>> and a separate power supply for when added power is needed. After 
>> reading some of the professional as well as user reviews, I've 
>> decided that I'd rather spend $20 to $40 on a USB notebook card 
>> rather than much more on a repair. These cards also come as a combo 
>> with firewire included for a few dollars more. They also come with 4 
>> USB ports.
>>
>> Sending this information just in case anyone else runs into a similar 
>> problem.
>>
>>
>> Tom Mayer
>>
>>       
>
>

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