"Reconfigure every Windows machine" my behind! That's a crock of feces, I tell you!

Gotta love Windows-only network admins...

But the "Ensure compatibility with non-Cisco NICs" checkbox does not mean that if it's unchecked, ONLY Cisco cards will work. It means they MAY NOT work. Airport cards support Cisco authentication, which may be the only thing needed.

I'd find someone to borrow an Airport card from, install it and the latest Aiport software on your powerbook, and see if it works.

tooki