Hi Fred.
Your drivers will likely include a dos based utility, for example with
3com's it will look like 3c9xxcfg.exe or 3c5x9cfg.exe or from Realtek
like rset8019.exe which will allow you to set data rate, duplex y/n/auto
and possibly irq, dma & io address.  The utility will complain if it
can't find the card.

A cross over cable betweent the laptop 's PCMCIA nic and the pc's nic
will enable you to do an addtional set of tests depending on if you data
rate and duplex status is compatable.  Install TCPIP on the PC and give
it a static address. Likewise the Laptop, taking care that the ip adress
settings are compatable.  Now you can even test data throughput.   Flip
the ip address config on desktop to obtain using dhcp when you are done
and the DSL installers will love you.

Install Zonealarm on your Pc before they show up and they might even be
willing to mentor you on its config before they leave.  Under no
circumstances should you be running DSL/cable internet without a
firewall like Zonealarm.

Matthew

Hahnel, Winfried (W.A.) wrote:

>                 I've had to install a NIC in my Win98SE computer for DSL
> that I've ordered.  They will be utilizing this NIC for their "modem".  How
> do I verify the NIC will be OK before they come here?  Are there diagnostics
> I can do?  I do have a laptop with NIC from work in it if that helps.

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