NLC Laptop help needed.. aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrgh!

mwmackenzie · Post by **mwmackenzie** » Sat Nov 02, 2013 4:48 pm

Hi all,

My old laptop is requiring resurecting so that my wife can use it for her new job. I have bought a new power cable which has it charging well, but it seems really slow compared to the new one, even the internet is slow??

Things I have done...
Virus scan
Malware scan
Adware scan

deleted all pics and music off hard-drive to free up memory as it was just about full, still really slow though, is there anything else I should try?

Thanks
Mark

David · Post by **David** » Sat Nov 02, 2013 4:53 pm

I'm sure the IT guys will be along in a minute, but I would re-install the OS. Hopefully you've got a disc to return to factory setup?

Post by **campbell** » Sat Nov 02, 2013 5:19 pm

How old is the old laptop, Mark?

Fluoxetine · Post by **Fluoxetine** » Sat Nov 02, 2013 5:27 pm

Bash the model number into the finder on http://www.crucial.com/uk/ - Up the RAM to whatever the MoBo will support.

(If she doesn't need lots of storage and the MoBo supports sata, also consider switching the HDD to a cheap solid state drive from eBuyer or dabs.com).

Once you've done the above, I'd be inclined to format the HDD as suggested and install a fresh OS.

mwmackenzie · Post by **mwmackenzie** » Sat Nov 02, 2013 7:37 pm

The lap top is from 2003-2004, it's a Toshiba Satelite P100-227 It has an 80Gb HD with 1GB RAM and an intel 1.66GHz processor.

The only disc I can find is the media player restore disc, I don't have the windows disc for it unfortunately

but it is running Windows XP 2002 service pack 3

mwmackenzie · Post by **mwmackenzie** » Sat Nov 02, 2013 7:51 pm

OK Crucial says it can take 4GB of RAM with 2, 2GB cards £50 and a 240GB HD £140.... Then I'd need to buy windows at £70, In this day and age would I not be as cheap getting a new laptop?
Not something I want to do as it's not for me lol... I have a Del with a 720GB Hd and 6GB Ram and intel i5 which I bought 2 years ago which is going great guns and used for work 12-16 hours a day lol....
is there anything I can do without replacing parts, just paid £30 for a charger so for all the above inc the lead I've bought that take me to £290 and I've just taxed her car at £143 for 6 months and she wants a desk etc too for her wee home office..... I don't want to spend masses in case she doesn't like the job or working from home, maybe in the new year she can have some upgrades lol.... If she's nice to me that is lol

P.S. Thanks for all the input guys!

Post by **campbell** » Sat Nov 02, 2013 7:58 pm

Mark,

A laptop from that era is going to struggle to run modern Flash etc. Whilst you might get it going with a clean rebuild, it's not going to be good for much.

In my opinion.

Other opinions are available

Instead, look to some of the established refurb companies for a more up to date spec with a short warranty. I did this when I started the business and came v close to pressing the button. But then eBuyer offered me an Acer, brand new, for £270. Couldn't knock it. And it's served me brilliantly this year

Out of interest...

Cracker at £249 after cashback http://m.ebuyer.com/544438

Or this - lighter but more restricted spec, around £290 http://m.ebuyer.com/495906

tut · Post by **tut** » Sat Nov 02, 2013 8:08 pm

Check the defrag level.

tut

mwmackenzie · Post by **mwmackenzie** » Sat Nov 02, 2013 9:09 pm

Sorry, should have said it's been defraged too

looks pretty clean on defrag, She just needs to to open web pages quickly, doesn't need anything fancy as her work will be done via goole docs, just needs reliable tinterweb, just takes a while to flick between web pages?? Thanks Campbell, I'm really not wanting to spend hunderds of pounds at this point as there is a possibility she might not enjoy working from home with the kids in ..

Post by **campbell** » Sat Nov 02, 2013 11:33 pm

I totally understand, Mark.

However, the interweb is not as light as it once was. Even simple pages demand a fair amount of processor and memory now. Flash is a big culprit but it's not the only challenge.

I hoped to resurrect an old laptop from around 2003 for the kids to use. It was good kit in its time. It can just about manage internet, but the CBeebies site (flash) just cripples it.

So they are about to be granted restricted usage rights on my outgoing business laptop - the Acer I mentioned above - as I move to commission a smashing Asus Zenbook bought for a song in the summer...

Alternatively, if you are feeling organised, you can surely get a simple Linux release installed on the Toshiba, and add Chrome or Firefox. This might do the trick? Also avoids cost of a Windoze licence. If you chose Ubuntu, for instance, you can even make it look like Windows - http://www.pcworld.com/article/2028896/ ... ows-7.html

If you loved her enough, you would

Sanjøy · Post by **Sanjøy** » Sun Nov 03, 2013 10:35 am

Burn Ubuntu to a disc, run it off the cd and see if she can work with it. It comes with Open Office so ought to.
If she can then install it and it will be faster than your i5.

Post by **campbell** » Sun Nov 03, 2013 8:28 pm

Which reminds me. Need to try that with our 2003 HP machine

robin · Post by **robin** » Sun Nov 03, 2013 8:57 pm

If you're using google docs then actually what Sanj says is right - if you can boot a Linux distro on it you can probably do the whole internet thing just fine.

I'm typing this on a 1.3GHz machine and it works perfectly well for interweb stuff (running in this case a linux that is close to Ubuntu).

If it works well enough to risk spending some cash on (i.e. once you've used the LiveCD) then I would tend to think the best improvement will come from installing an SSD - 32GByte ones sub 30 quid and will be big enough for OS install plus a web browser and a few files.

Cheers,
Robin

tut · Post by **tut** » Sun Nov 03, 2013 9:05 pm

Take no notice of Robin, he has just fcuked up my Internet connection, then buggered off home.

<BG>

tut

Post by **campbell** » Mon Nov 04, 2013 12:11 am

mwmackenzie wrote:there is a possibility she might not enjoy working from home with the kids in ..

I overlooked this.

Actually there is a high chance this will pose much greater problems than the setup of the laptop

And it's not just a matter of "enjoyment". Comes down to practicality too.

However this is a whole other topic...but while you fiddle with the hardware, encourage her to really (REALLY) think about how to create space and lack of distraction to actually be able to get any work done. "Working" from home with kids around is far less likely than one might think. Despite best intentions to make it work...trust me...got the T-shirt...

Scottish Elises