NETGEAR MA311 - Network adapter - PCI - 802.11b
Netgear in denial about problems
Like &quot;electronics fan from Holmdel, NJ United States&quot; I too have had problems installing both the Netgear MA 311 and the DG 824m router.  I finally got the router installed but only after I ignored the instruction pamphlet and used commonsense and trial and error.  To date, the MA 311 refuses to install on my Windows 2000 machine and I have wasted way too much of my precious time trying. Windows 2000 recognises there's a new piece of hardware there, and that it's a network adapter but won't load the drivers.  In both cases, whenever I call tech support (here in Australia) I am met with every excuse - it's the OS ... it's the PC ... it's my stupidity - and a reluctance to admit that there are problems with software compatibility on some machines. However, if you read their release notes in the latest firmware, they admit that there are some issues with Windows ME .  This also extends to Win98 and, as far as I can tell, Win 2000. They also told me the router isn't compatible with my ADSL providor and said I should have checked on their website before I paid 600 bucks for the gear. Turns out it IS compatible - it works... what more can I say? - but only if you don't follow their instructions.  I'm sure the MA 311 is a great piece of equipment provided you've got a middle-of-the-road machine running Windows XP but I'd be very wary if you have anything else. Maybe if they weren't in denial about the problems, they'd be able to provide decent support for those of us who encounter them.