The DUB-C2 is a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 2-port CardBus adapter that upgrades notebook computers to the new and faster USB standard. This card is designed to
1 Roll the dice
This card has worked flawlessly on at least two of my friends' computers, a top-of-the-line ThinkPad and a Dell Inspiron 4000. Alas, it's a different story on mine.
I have an HP omnibook 500, and when I first plugged this thing in, the machine instantly turned off, as if I had reset it. I think it screwed up my COM2 port, too. Now, when I want to use it, I have to shut down to put it in, then reset my machine, turn it on, and pray. It usually turns off abruptly during the Windows XP logo screen at least once, and I have to reset everything and do it again. Once I get everything up and running, it works really well, but it is a real pain to get to that point.
Again, on other systems it seems to work really well, but you may not have such good luck.
2 Cheap construction and faulty electronics
Upon seeing the last few gigabytes of our laptops' hard drives dwindling down, my friend and I invested in external Iomega USB 2.0 120GB hard drives. Our computers were only USB 1.1, so we decided to look for an option to allow ourselves the speed of USB 2. The D-link DUBC2 was the cheapest and simplest solution, and for about 30 dollars we both purchased one. Now my friend's card came to him in good shape, but mine arrived with the plastic casing not even closed around the ports. In fact, I couldn't even hold it together with tape. The construction is second rate. I couldn't comment on the transfer rate, because I never paid too much attention. It didn't seem too fast, however. Finally, into a few weeks of usage, the card began to lose connection with the drive or any device connected to it if anything was moved - the computer or the cable. This is a major, major pain with a mobile computer. I would not recommend this product whatsoever, albeit for my own defective product and for the fact that someone would ship it in the condition it was in. Spend the extra money for a quality card if you really need it.
3 Slower than UBS 1.0 on my Sony PCG-FXA32 Laptop (XP)
1. Windows XP had difficulties to validate the drivers that came with the cd-rom.
2. After installed the drivers, the transfer rate between the Sony laptop and a USB2 external cd-rom was many times slower than the USB 1.0 port.
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4 does not work on old BIOS
Try to install it on my Compaq EVO N600c laptop running Win 2000 professional and keep crashing. Called Tech Support wait for 30 minutes and was told BIOS need to update BIOS before it will work. Ask what BIOS and version it will support and was told that thet did not know and I should contact Compaq. Updated BIOS from Compaq and still does not work. Returned product and will not deal with DLINK again.
5 Easy installation, does what it's supposed to do
This card installed without a hitch on my Windows XP Home Gateway laptop. Installed the driver from the CD, turned off the system, inserted card, powered back on, and the two high-speed USB ports were ready to use. Note that there's no external power jack on this card, like some USB 2.0 pcmcia interfaces have - so some users might have problems using devices that need to draw substantial power from the port. All I can vouch for is that my wireless mouse and external DVD+R drive (which has its own AC adapter) both work fine.
