Will a wireless dongle just "work" on an old Windows XP machine??

StevieP

StevieP

StevieP

Soldato
Joined
2 Jan 2004
Posts
7,789
Location
Chesterfield
A friend from work has obtained an old PC for very basic internet surfing at home but needs to connect it to his BT Home Hub.

Am I right in thinking that something as simple as this will suffice and simply plug into a USB port and just "work"?? (I've not used Windows XP for sooooo long I'm just not sure anymore!)

I tried using some homeplugs but the ethernet drivers weren't even installed so I'm thinking wireless might be the easier option!
 
I wouldn't have thought so, there wasn't much that just worked on XP from what I can remember especially not newer stuff.
 
I cant comment on the above dongle but I have installed many TP-Link wireless dongles on old laptops / computers that dont have wifi built in and they have worked fine.

Go to the Asus website and find drivers for the above device to confirm either way.
 
It certainly won't work without drivers (I remember having to have a CD packed with common wired network card drivers for XP), but if there are manufacturers drivers for XP for the dongle it should work.

It's almost certainly easier if the option to run a wire is there to get an NIC and some drivers for it (PCI NIC's are usually easier to get to work on older hardware than USB ones).
 
As above it depends entirely on whether the OS can recognise the chipset.

Ethernet drivers should be easy to find and foolproof.

The other option would be try to find a "vintage" 802.11a or 802.11b WiFi adaptor, which might have a better chance of compatibility.
 
Thanks for the replies guys - had a poke about and found the Asus one as well as a TP Link one that also supports Windows XP!
 
Most chip set's in common use have XP drivers with no issues. If you've not already done so then consider the registry patch to enable updates on XP for a while longer but realistically unless they have a specific need for XP then get them onto something more modern.
 
Yeah I know it's a short term fix and I've already mentioned the lack of support and that he'd be better off with a newer machine!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom