# updating a laptop?



## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

DD gave me her old laptop. It's a compac with windows ME, but has none of the disks to reinstall. She's had some problems with it so she bought a new desktop. The laptop doesn't have a lot of memory and runs slow. 

Now I'm wondering since the laptop hasn't cost me anything, if it would be worth it for me to spend a bit to upgrade the memory, install windows xp, etc. I'm thinking it would be great for putting my personal records on. It would not be connected to the internet so no worries about a hacker getting in.

Any suggestions?


----------



## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

It depends on whether the processor is fast enough to justify an upgrade and how expensive the memory modules for that machine are. Can you post the brand and model?


----------



## Teresa S. (Mar 2, 2006)

It depends on how you look at it. It will probably be too slow to run Windows xp. Maybe Windows 2000, but that's it.

Xp system requriments:

â¢ Pentium 233-megahertz (MHz) processor or faster (300 MHz is recommended) 
â¢ At least 64 megabytes (MB) of RAM (128 MB is recommended) 
â¢ At least 1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available space on the hard disk 

If you are going to BUY xp, upgrade memory, etc....You could buy a new computer for the same amount~!  If I were you, I would try looking at Dell's website or Dell's outlet.


----------



## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

It a compaq. I can't find a model #. It has a spot that says "MMX intel inside pentium processor". On the front it says Compaq Armada 1590DMT. It has both CD and disk drives. It's 7 years old. Is it to old to mess with?

How do I find out the speed, etc.?


----------



## Teresa S. (Mar 2, 2006)

In short, yes. Once again, It MIGHT run Windows 2k, but I look for it to go out of support soon. I would buy a new/refurb computer.


----------



## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

That machine is pretty slow. You aren't going to run WinXP or 2000 on it, nor will you be running a contemporary Linux desktop environment with a graphical interface. Here's what you have:

*Processor:* Intel Pentium 166 MHz MMX
*Memory:* 16 megs internal, with a memory expansion slot. It uses EDO SODIMM memory, and can take up to a 128 meg module in the expansion slot, for a possible maximum memory of 144 megs.
*Video:* Cirrus Logic C&T 68554; 2 M; VGA
*Hard Drive:* IBM IBM-DTNA-22160; 2.1 GB; EIDE

That machine will run best with Win98 Second Edition. I would not recommend doing an install over your ME, since backward compatibility is almost certainly not supported. If you need to keep what's in your hard drive then you should install Win98 specifying a different directory than c:\windows, but your best bet is a fresh start.

If you have difficulty sourcing a free copy of Win98SE then PM me and I'll steer you in the right direction.

After installing you should install any updates you can get. Microsoft no longer supports Win98 for new updates, but they still have downloads available. You can visit Microsoft's Win98 page here:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/downloads/default.asp

Additionally there is an "unofficial" aftermarket service pack for Win98SE:

http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/Unofficial-Windows-SE-Service-Pack.shtml

Good luck!


----------



## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

I don't understand most of what you wrote. I know how to use my favorite programs, but that's as far as my computer knowledge goes. I have windows 98 disks left over from an old computer. Also windows 95. Should I totally reformat the hard drive and do a new install? There is nothing on the hard drive that I need to keep. I would like to upgrade as far as I can and then start fresh with no old data on it. 

It has USB 2.0 CardBus PC Card Adapter. Does that do anything? 

How much upgrading can this unit take? Is it expensive and is it worth it? 

Keep in mind that the only reason I have this machine is cause it's a freebie. I am not in the market to buy a laptop so it's either use this one or none. 




Nevada said:


> That machine is pretty slow. You aren't going to run WinXP or 2000 on it, nor will you be running a contemporary Linux desktop environment with a graphical interface. Here's what you have:
> 
> *Processor:* Intel Pentium 166 MHz MMX
> *Memory:* 16 megs internal, with a memory expansion slot. It uses EDO SODIMM memory, and can take up to a 128 meg module in the expansion slot, for a possible maximum memory of 144 megs.
> ...


----------



## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Yes, a reformat would be your best bet.

That machine still has utility value. With a clean install of Win98SE that machine can access the Internet, access email, and type & print reports. If you don't have use for it yourself, there is always a deserving high school kid in every community that would be delighted to have it.

As far as upgrades, there are really only a few things you should be thinking about; more memory, USB ports, and possibly a CD drive. 

Before considering memory you should find out how much you have right now. The easiest way to do that is to reinstall Windows, then right-click on the My Computer icon and select Properties. You will see the memory amount listed under Computer on the General tab. You should be looking at about $20 for 64 megs of that type of memory, and perhaps twice that for a 128 meg module.

I would suggest that you get a cardbus adapter to USB, since USB ports weren't listed as standard with your machine. Those adapters aren't expensive and will interface many devices, including an external CD drive. Here's one such adapter for about $10 that comes with Win98 drivers:

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=4602V-BP&cpc=SCH

I noticed that your machine didn't come with a CD drive. It's difficult to get along without one these days. With the above adapter you can interface an external USB CD drive, which again aren't expensive. The first link below is for a USB CD-ROM for $23.50, and the second link is for an external USB CD burner with built-in memory card readers for about $30 (very cool!):

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=BLK-24XEXT-CDR&cat=CDR
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=MC-602&cat=CDW

Either one of those external drives would make terrific upgrades for that machine.

As I said above, that machine still has utility value. You can still travel with it and access your email on the road. There is no justification for discarding it.


----------



## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

Maybe it has been upgraded in the past. It has 2 USB ports, a disk drive & CD drive. About the only thing it needs is more memory. It runs slow, only connects to the web at 28k. I wish I could make it connect at 56k.



Nevada said:


> Yes, a reformat would be your best bet.
> 
> That machine still has utility value. With a clean install of Win98SE that machine can access the Internet, access email, and type & print reports. If you don't have use for it yourself, there is always a deserving high school kid in every community that would be delighted to have it.
> 
> ...


----------



## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Spinner said:


> Maybe it has been upgraded in the past. It has 2 USB ports, a disk drive & CD drive. About the only thing it needs is more memory. It runs slow, only connects to the web at 28k. I wish I could make it connect at 56k.


You're in pretty good shape then. Hold off on the memory until we know exactly how much you currently have.

A modem upgrade isn't that big of a deal. You can probably find a 56K external modem inexpensively, either serial or USB. That would probably cost less than a cardbus modem. Check at eBay.


----------



## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

How do I find out how much memory it has?


----------



## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Spinner said:


> How do I find out how much memory it has?


 Right click on My Computer icon. Then click on System Information, When the prompt pops up on top make sure you click on System. That will give you ALL the info from the Computer Processing Chip to the Amount of Ram Memory, to how much memory on the Drive itself.


----------



## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

It's different than the way you described it. I clicked on my computer, then performance, but it tells me that it has: 

32.0 MB of RAM 
95% free
file system is 32-bit
Virtual Memory is 32-bit
PC Cards is 32-bit

Is there something else I need to look up?


----------



## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

I just found the system information. 

It says:

Pentium(r) Processor GenuineIntel ~166 Mhz
Total Physical Memory 31.51 MB
Available Physical Memory 96 GB
Total Virtual Memory 1.82 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.82 GB


----------



## Teresa S. (Mar 2, 2006)

Spinner said:


> I just found the system information.
> 
> It says:
> 
> ...


Don't start doing what I am going to say to do until Nevada, gary, Kung, or another computer tech who has more expirence with computers than I do confirms my opinion.

I would put AS much memory in that computer as it can hold. (I believe Nevada ssaid that it held 177 mb? Forgive me if I am wrong.) The hard drive in that system is very small (Close to 2 gb) and most of your "virtual memory" is just eating away needed hard drive space, so after you do the memory update, I would lower the amount "virtual memory". (I can give you directions on how to do this after the memory update is finished.) Once again, please let a more expirenced computer tech (Gary, Kung, Nevada) on here confirm my opinion before you startjust to be on the safe side.


----------



## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

According to this RAM can only go as high as: memory expandable to *128MB* All I did was put in the Model # in a Google search and came up wioth the specs  

ARMADA 1590DMT 
Workstation
Compaq Computer Corporation 22 Sep 1997
34454 

Tested and Approved with the following Novell products: 
NetWare Client 32 for DOS/Windows(v2.12) NetWare Client 32 for Windows 95(v2.11) 

Product Description 
The Armada 7300 is a family of high performance notebooks offering 150 and 166MHz Pentium MMX processors with 256 L:2 Cache, and 12.1" TFT displays. Models include either a 1.6 or 2.1GB hard drive, 16 or 32MB of EDO memory expandable to 128MB, a Lilon battery, and 1.44MB floppy drive. An integrated 33.6Kbps Data/14.4 Kbps Fax modem is available in most countries. 

This system was tested with the Novell operating system(s) which were currently shipping as of the test date. System realtime clock and BIOS support Year 2000. 

Test Configuration 
Product/Model/Rev ARMADA 1590DMT/1590DMT/Rev. A 
CPU 1 Intel Pentium(r) with MMX(TM) Technology; 166 MHz 
Hard Disk Drive 1 IBM IBM-DTNA-22160; 2.1 GB; EIDE 
Host Bus Adapter Embedded IDE 
Video Adapter 1 Cirrus Logic C&T 68554 ; 2 M; VGA 
Bus Type 2 PCMCIA 
Computer Type 1 NoteBook 
Floppy Type 1.44 MB 
Mother Board Revision A 
RAM 16 MB 
ROM BIOS 586P 
System Test Kit Version


----------



## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Teresa S. said:


> Don't start doing what I am going to say to do until Nevada, gary, Kung, or another computer tech who has more expirence with computers than I do confirms my opinion.
> 
> I would put AS much memory in that computer as it can hold. (I believe Nevada ssaid that it held 177 mb? Forgive me if I am wrong.) The hard drive in that system is very small (Close to 2 gb) and most of your "virtual memory" is just eating away needed hard drive space, so after you do the memory update, I would lower the amount "virtual memory". (I can give you directions on how to do this after the memory update is finished.) Once again, please let a more expirenced computer tech (Gary, Kung, Nevada) on here confirm my opinion before you startjust to be on the safe side.


It appears that you have 32 megs of memory, which is entirely believable. That means you have a 16 meg module in the expansion slot, in addition to the 16 megs integral to the mainboard.

You can remove the 16 meg module from the expansion slot and replace it with a 128 meg module. That will give you a total of 144 megs if memory (128 in the expansion slot + 16 on the mainboard = 144). That's the maximum you can have with that machine.

I'm seeing that memory at eBay for anywhere from $40 to $100. Here is one that appears to meet your machine's specifications, although the auction says it's for a Toshiba machine. The seller guarantees compatibility so ask before you buy to make sure.

http://cgi.ebay.com/TOSHIBA-Tecra-s...6QQihZ018QQcategoryZ99255QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


----------



## Teresa S. (Mar 2, 2006)

So, am I confirmed?


----------



## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Teresa S. said:


> So, am I confirmed?


Apparently spinner is prepared to max-out the memory at 144 megs, but while using Win98SE I'm not sure if all that memory will be used. It depends on what applications get installed. Of course adding a 128 meg module certainly won't hurt anything, but it turns out there's a big price jump from a 64 meg module ($20) to a 128 meg module ($70). 

My only concern is that this is a fairly dated machine. The wisdom of sinking a lot of money in that machine is the main issue. I was hoping that a few others would weigh-in on this. I hate telling people how to spend their money.

OpenOffice will require the maximum memory. I believe that 128 megs is the minimum. I can't imagine a system with anything less than OpenOffice, so if it was my machine I would probably add the 128 meg module.


----------



## Teresa S. (Mar 2, 2006)

Nevada said:


> Apparently spinner is prepared to max-out the memory at 144 megs, but while using Win98SE I'm not sure if all that memory will be used. It depends on what applications get installed. Of course adding a 128 meg module certainly won't hurt anything, but it turns out there's a big price jump from a 64 meg module ($20) to a 128 meg module ($70).
> 
> My only concern is that this is a fairly dated machine. The wisdom of sinking a lot of money in that machine is the main issue. I was hoping that a few others would weigh-in on this. I hate telling people how to spend their money.
> 
> OpenOffice will require the maximum memory. I believe that 128 megs is the minimum. I can't imagine a system with anything less than OpenOffice, so if it was my machine I would probably add the 128 meg module.


I had 64megs installed on my old windows 98se machine and it wouldn't even use 32megs of it. :shrug: If it was my machine, I too would get as much memory as it could handle. I would also consider upgrading to a bigger hard drive. [prophead]


----------



## Kung (Jan 19, 2004)

And that's the thing...if you max out memory, that's $70. Another hard drive (a good one) would run you anywhere from $50 to $100. That's $175 to $200 for that laptop.

And that amount right there is about half the price of a new laptop (from HP or Dell), which will get you a LOT more than you're ever going to be able to get out of that old laptop.


----------



## Teresa S. (Mar 2, 2006)

Teresa S. said:


> I would buy a new/refurb computer.


  Exactly Kung, that's what I thought at first. (and still do think) It would cost maybe about another hundred bucks to get a new/refurb laptop, but it would be faster, newer, safer, etc..... and it would also save you money in the long run. :dance:


----------



## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

Thanks for all the advice. 13 yo GS now has the laptop. He's using it for a game machine. Maybe someday a better deal will come along. It's not like I needed the laptop, (but it might have been fun.)


----------

