Can anyone recommend a really reliable USB-based ethernet dongle? I want to use it to set up PCs whose operating systems I've just installed. A lot of times the OS hasn't installed the right driver for the ethernet card and so you can't get online. I could use the USB based ethernet dongle with Driver Genius to collect all the needed drivers, including the ethernet card. Hopefully such a thing is available at NewEgg or someplace like it.
USB wireless dongles aren't really the best things, but you can occasionally find an ok one. The Rosewill ones on Newegg sound good, at least by the writeups for it. I haven't heard of that brand before, but it looks like a decent buy. Very decent price too!
I've tried numerous drivers without success. The USB-based ethernet card idea is so that I can get online and look for drivers without having to keep rebooting into Win 7 or Ubuntu. It's also so that I can run Driver Genius, which often automatically locates drivers very quickly. In Win 7 DG found all my latest sound and video drivers. It even found the latest software for my Microsoft keyboard and mouse. It would be great to be able to use it to find my ethernet driver for Win XP. I've found several of these cards on Newegg, but wondered if anyone here had used any one in particular that they can recommend. Also, I'm not doing anything wirelessly. My network is wired only. Everything hooks up via ethernet ports. The computer is a debranded HP a1650e, which I bought as a no OS PC. Win 7 and Ubuntu are running great on it. It's only XP that has some probs still. XP runs, but neither eithernet nor sound work. If I can get ethernet to run in any way shape or form, getting the sound to work should be a snap since DG will likely find that driver just fine.
I think USB Ethernet dongle is good. because it gives you mobility but if you use it the compromise with the bandwidth. and some dongle not support some operating system driver that a problem other wish its fine.