> Oh. hmm.. You mean the same card when transferred from one pc to another
> causes different behaviour?  Be afraid.

OK, here's more data: 
AMI bios 1.00.03.AX1Z		vs. AMI BIOS 1.00.10.AX1 

Cards: 3Com 3c509 AUI/TP vs. 3c509 aui/tp/bnc (COMBO)

   Card  \		Bios
          \	1.00.03.AX1Z      |	1.00.10.AX1
-------------------------------------------------------------
(COMBO)     |                     |
AUI/TP/BNC  |(not tested yet)     |      Works fine
            |(but i trust it)     |
-------------------------------------------------------------
AUI/TP      |                     |
            | Works fine          |      Fails
            |                     |

Now the AUI/TP looks newer than the COMBO. Newer asic, etc. Worrisome.
The cards fail either netbsd or freebsd with the *same error* -- reading 
0x30a returns all 1s, as though the card is not going to come on line. 
The initial reads of hardware address etc. all return the correct values. 


Boy these 3com cards are awful -- one problem after another.
Recommendations for a better cards would be welcome. 

I can't get the 3COM program to admit that the newer ones do plug and
play. The programs docs don't mention plug and play.  So i can't get it
turned off. The 1.00.10 bios has a menu for plug and play, and the 1.00.03
bios does not. This looks to me like i'm getting screwed by a newer
bios+newer card combination? I have tried turning all the automagic junk
off on the 1.0.10 bios but still no luck. Anyone have the program that
allows you to rewrite the bios? I'd be happy to back out to the 1.00.03 
bios if there were any way to do it. It's stored in flash memory.

thanks
ron