Hi Teberts,

I'm looking at the manual and it appears to me that your PC takes regular cards, not low-profile. But you should check the back of your system just to be sure. A regular PCI card is about 4 inches tall and a low-profile card about 3".

Anyway, wireless PCI cards are pretty much all the same and I frequently suggest people get the brand that matches your wireless router. Any electronics retailer will have them. And, yes, the PCI card should be faster than a USB adapter.

There are several different speeds of wireless, e.g. "b", "g" and "n".  "n" is the newest and fastest wireless connection speed. 

The USB device you have apparently is a slower protocol than the laptops.

Osprey,

Thanks for the update. Not sure which manual you are looking at but the desktop is definitely a "slim" version and I purchased a wireless card at Staples and it was to big. I have a netgear wireless router so maybe I will go in that direction. The Dell support guy could not definitely tell me which card the Vostro 200 used.

There are a couple cards that take either a full size or low-profile backplane. I ordered one from Amazon and installed it in a friend's desktop (SFF Optiplex). I'm not sure whether local stored carry these.

My option is always better more useable hardware that wont be obsolete anytime soon.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/404483/Universal_WiFi_Range_Extender_-_Refurbished

Its a ronco set it and forget it. No drivers needed.

You use this bridge and hook the supplied ethernet cable to your machine.