Hi guys its me again Ok i bought a Dell Latitude L400 off a mate for £20 (somehow i feel ripped off) Anyways i have a bunch of questions to ask, but first its specs Processor type: Intel Pentium III Clock speed: 700MHz Ram: 256MB (NONE UPGRADABLE) Hard disk: 20GB Question 1) The laptop has Windows XP Pro Service pack 3 installed, but is so damned slow, its not not worth using it, thats why i feel ripped off. Now i want to install a Linux distro to it, but which one ? I tried to install Ubuntu with Wubi in windows, but install fails I tried Damn Small Linux, nope. Another OS, i could use is Windows 98 (should handle it no probs), but then if i connect it to the internet, i have the problem of old and new virus and spyware/malware to contend with, ofcourse none of the current software will work on 98. Question 2) It also has a weird slidy thing at the rear right hand side, near the LAN jack i think its for a WiFi PCMCIA card, but im unsure, could anybody clarify this and give me a suggestion please. Question 3) There is only one USB port and its V1 of the USB standard, do you think resoldering a V2 USB port to the motherboard will be worth it ?. Question 4) The battery is knackered (best way to sum it up) I have to leave the power plugged in when using it, asoon as i take it out to run on battery power it fails and dies, even when i have given the charge over 2 hours. The cheapest battery i found for it was £60 and i aint paying that much if im not keeping the laptop, an alternitive was to run on Solar Power by hacking the mains cable into a solor panel (i have an electronics friend who can help me with this). I was going to use the laptop for busines use, actually all i wanted it for was a small mobile office with PIM software so i could keep my customers address and notes on it, nothing flash or special. Thanks to anybody who can help and or offer suggestions And i really hope this was posted in the right section regarding Software and Hardware MaxTech
Yes, you paid £20 too much for this laptop. Not that it will not work but what is the point in having a laptop if it has to be constantly connected to the mains? Unless of course all you are trying is to save space... XP will need at least another 256MB to run properly (it can run with a 700Mhz CPU but needs the RAM). If you cannot plant it in your laptop don't use XP. Linux with XFCE. You can try Xubuntu if you want an easy ride. However, most main distros offer the XFCE as an optional desktop manager. Other small desktop managers - Fluxbox, IceWM and others.... When installing format all partitions and start afresh. Installation should then run smoothly. If you care about the content of the 20GB drive, back it up first. NO!!! You cannot use Windows 98! Sorry.... please do not use windows 98. it is one of the worst creations ever and no longer supported by MS (I wonder why? :doh. It is susceptible to all PC ailments of any kind! This is the PCMCIA expansion slot. It takes type 1 or 2. Try and find a manual on Dell's site to find out what this means. The card can expand other things beside LAN - extra USB, etc... Will you be soldering a new port or a new controller (chip)? Why bother? Insert an expansion USB PCMCIA card. V1 should suffice for this type of laptop. In other words this type of Laptop will not benefit from USB2. Could also be a faulty charging circuit. But as the battery is old, it is probably gone. Back to my fisrt point - no point in a laptop unless it is mobile and can live for a while without the mains. Is this a wind-up? get it :doh: ? Aren't you going a bit too far for this has been laptop? In any case, it will still have to be permanently connected to a power supply... back to point 1, eh? No problem with Linux. Simply use OpenOffice and for PIM I am sure there is a Linux equivalent. In short, unless you are going to use Linux and a very light desktop manager, or you are trying to save some space, go for a very small form factor desktop which will hide neatly under a desk. I am sure you can build one yourself. You can opt for windows (meh) so you will need a minimum of 700Mhz CPU and no less than 512MB RAM. Graphics card can be as low as 64MB. Simple NIC and off you go. Otherwise you can do the same but use Linux. Safer and will work better even on old hardware...
Yeah i shoulda haggled n got it to £10 :chk: Ive changed my mind with it, im gonna use it as my Office Computer away from my Main Desktop PC, i have space for it, and now dont mind it being plugged in, i have an alternitive device in mind for a mobile office that i can take on the road and then sync back to the laptop. Yes i see that, thats why i wanted Linux on instead. I looked for Xubuntu, but it seems i gotta pay for the cd, i cant download an iso and burn it myself, i found a link that said Xubuntu was renamed Jaunty Jacolope, well i have that version (two infact) one for slow computers and a more uptodate V9, for beefy computers like my main desktop. Yes thats true Windows 98 does suffer from the mother of all PC ailments. Will do, oh n while im there, ill have a look around the site, see if theres a Motherboard BIOS upgrade, thanks for telling me its the PCMCIA slot too. Yes i see that now, the laptop wont boot from USB Flash drive either so ill leave the USB port alone, and install a 4 port adapter instead, adding a USB mouse (tho the touchpad is easy to use) then i can use the USB port to transport file to n from my other computer. Hmm, never thought it could be a faulty charging circuit, ill get my electrician freind to have a look, yes the battery is old, i spoke to the mate i bougt it from, he told me the guy who used to own it before him, worked in an office and had it plugged in all the time, so i think the battery has been overcharged and damaged it, but as i said i dont mind it being plugged in now, as i have an alternitive solution to a mobile office, and just use the dell as a base station instead. LOL, yes i was being serious about solar power, then i could still use the laptop while out n about without worry how much battery i have left, say im on the road using it for 8 or 9 hours a day, i dont want to use a customers electric. Yeah i just kinda started getting into Linux, by running a Live CD, n liked it, Yes i have Open Office installed on my main desktop, i use that alot, much cheaper than Microsofts Office. Yes your right, i suppose i could build a small but powerful computer to keep under my desk and still run it as my office computer, but funds are tight at the mo, and my business hasnt started yet, im just working out what i need in terms of cash before getting started, i still need a business plan sorted out. Thanks for your help and tips, im sure ill manage with what i have now armed with some better knowledge about my (rubbish) laptop, ill make it work. Thanks once again MaxTech
If you up your ram to 512, then Xp would work,But i would install a lite version.. Also what about windows 2000 or 2003... They also would work.. As for Linux ,you could try Dream linux Xfce or TinyMe linux..
Thanks for your help GhostMan, but im afraid to say i cant upgrade the memory, digging around i found this link Dell Latitude L400 memory upgrades | Latitude L400 Dell RAM memory and just to say what it says on the website I did state at the beginning of my query that the RAM was NONE UPGRADEABLE, and was a Latitude L400 Model, but thanks for your suggestion anyway, ill look into the Linux distros you have suggested, but i have since reformatted the laptop and put Windows XP Pro on it, Im going to use it as a base for my business stuff, so doesnt really require internet access, just my main OpenOffice and PIM software at the mo. Thanks for all your help MaxTech
I usually just buy my electronics such as notebooks that seem to have varying prices over at Gobid. I find auctions to be more of a money saver compared to buying directly. Just be warned though, they only ship at US to Canada.
Thanks for the tip, but i live in the United Kingdom, yeah i suppose auctions is a way, but i dont trust Ebay, ill ask around the computer shops in my town, see what they say, anyways the laptop is doing fine i just got it to do up and make it earn me some money rather than spend money on it. Thanks MaxTech
