removal of ethernet card

[cyber19583]

if i remove the ethernet card on a system, do i need software to reinstall it at a future time or will an O/S such as XP recognize the drivers or whatever else that the ethernet card looks for

 

[roosterman]

that can depend.

xp will recognize a lot of different hardware and install it on its own without the software, but a lot of generic hardware might not install.

its always safe to have the software on hand in case you need it. if your really concerned about it then i would try searching the web and finding the drivers for the card or go to the manufacturers website of the card and see if you can download the driver there in case you need it.


roosterman

 

[JSanguancheu]

This would depend on what brand your NIC card is. Windows XP comes with a lot of the drivers for the more popular models. So if you have a 3Com, Intel, netgear, linksys, etc. you should be fine.

If you have some odd never heard of before brand, then I'd defintely put that disk with the drivers in a safe place or go download the drivers and put them on disk before you pull the card.

 

[JohnWill]

I always store the driver disk with the card if I have an oddball board that I'm putting in the closet.