need computer help

[Hippie]

Hey all, I just got a hand-me-down laptop, a Toshiba Satelite 1105, and wanted some advice, as I used to be handy at building desktop computers but haven't done it in some time. My first question is can anyone suggest a website or anything about upgrading this machine, first thing I'm figuring to do is the RAM, but I was wondering if there is anything I can do about the CPU and video processer. My second question is about an OS. I was thinking of getting away from windows. I've seen here people talking about running Google Chrome and others what I believe was a Linux OS with adblockers to ignore popups & ads, which would definately improve performance when I am trying to watch Bruins games online :handclap:. I was looking for input on what works best and cheaply.

Thanks in advance for any help you guys can give me.

 

[passedpawn]

If you want to change the processor, ram, and operating system, you might as well just buy a new one.

Chrome is just a browser (I highly recommend it, BTW!). It runs on windows.

 

[Edcculus]

If you want to change the processor, ram, and operating system, you might as well just buy a new one.

+1

If you just want to upgrade the RAM, tigerdirect.com and crucial.com are good places to start. Both have an option to input the model/brand to find out exactly what type to buy. Just compare the sites, because I've noticed one is somtimes cheaper than the other. I was really happy with Tiger Direct when I ordered memory for some laptops at work. I ended up not being able to use it, but returned it for a full refund with ease.

I'd also download CPUZ, which will tell you what type of memory is currently in the computer, how many slots there are, and the maximum capacity it can support.

 

[Baja_Brewer]

which would definately improve performance when I am trying to watch Bruins games online :handclap:. I was looking for input on what works best and cheaply.

Thanks in advance for any help you guys can give me.

Get a job and pay for cable, Hippie.

 

[dummkauf]

If you want to upgrade anything other than memory in the laptop it would just be easier to buy a new laptop, assuming the memory can even be upgraded. If the memory can be upgraded there is probably a little plate on the bottom of the laptop held in place with 2 to 4 screws. Remove the screws and see if there's a slot for laptop memory.

I'd also skip the download to report on RAM/CPU. That will report all available ports, and most laptops have 1 memory stick soldered in that you can't get to(short of tearing the laptop completely apart) and one open slot for upgrades. So even though the application reports you have 2 memory slots, I would bet money you only have 1 slot you can actually use. Go to toshiba.com and look up your model and it will tell you what type of memory you have.

As far as other OS's, if you're looking for linux the easiest install/setup is probably an Ubuntu installation. There are a million distros out there, but based on ease of use for a non-techie I'd have to say Ubuntu is probably your best option there.

 

[nealf]

Chrome is just a browser (I highly recommend it, BTW!). It runs on windows.

I think he was talking about Google Chromium:

http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os

But, a quick glance leads me to think you need a 64-bit system to run Chromium. So, you might be out of luck there. You could always put Ubuntu on there!

 

[Hippie]

Get a job and pay for cable, Hippie.

I'd love to, do you know anyone hiring?
I'm 15 months out of work

*EDIT* that came off kinda pissy... It was directed at the economy in general & not at you or your joke which I took as such

 

[Brew-Happy]

Here are some of the specs for your laptop

• Intel® Celeron® processor at 1.13GHz
• 20GB hard disk drive
• DVD-ROM drive
• Integrated V.90/56K modem
• Integrated co-processor L2 Cache
• 133MHz processor bus clock speed Memory
• Data/Address Bus Width; 64-bit/32-bit
• Floppy Disk Drive: 3.5”, 1.44MB
• DVD-ROM: Enhanced IDE (ATAPI Interface);
• 14.1”TFT color LCD active-matrix display; internal display supports 1024 x 768 Resolution
• 3D Graphics Accelerator, AGP bus support; 2D Graphics Accelerator, BitBLT hardware, Hardware cursor, Direct Draw support Input Devices
• 2 Expansion memory slots (including main memory slot); 2 PC Card slots support 2 Type II or 1 Type III PC Cards; 32-bit CardBus ready
• Integrated 10/100 Ethernet LAN
• ECP Parallel printer port •
RGB (Monitor) port
• RJ-11 modem port
• RJ-45 LAN port
• Realtek ALC202A Codec Chip; Software sound
• KTT-SO133/128 128MB Memory
• KTT-SO133/512 512MB Memory Other Accessories
• 256MB expandable to 1024MB*
• Intel 830MG integrated controller; 8MB external UMA video memory

Here is a Memory Giants info on memory upgrades: http://www.memorygiant.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.memorySearch&manufacturer_id=85&model_id=-61&submit=Find+Memory You can have Memory Giant or Crucial.com do a scan over the internet to determine how much memory you have installed.

Linux OS options.

I have been researching several distributions (distros) of Linux and there are several that would work for your system. Here is a list of linux compatible Toshiba Satellite laptops: http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/toshiba.html It seems there are a number of Satellite models are compatible with Linux, which is good as they are likely using the same chipset.

Linux OS's
-Ubuntu http://www.ubuntu.com/ Probably the most popular and has the largest forum support in my opinion.
-Puppy Linux http://puppylinux.org/main/index.php?file=Overview%20and%20Getting%20Started.htm REALLY small OS. Can be run off of just the RAM
-ZenWalk Linux: http://www.zenwalk.org/ Another really small OS.
-Xubuntu, Edubuntu, and Kubuntu Other flavors of Ubuntu distros that have specific differences or options

I have tried the first three myself and they seem to be very easy to work with and install. Do some research on the How-To sections of each page and you will find ways to test the Linux OS from a Live CD. In other words, without installing the operating system. I use ISORecorder to burn an image CD of each distro. Link: http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm

Internet Availability:
-Wired: most of these OS's will work with your on board LAN connection, even when using just the Live CD
-Wireless: Do a search for Linux compatible PCMCIA cards and you can find some used cards that should work out of the box with Linux. Example: http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/ndiswrapper/index.php?title=CategoryCMCIA

Upgrade options:
I wouldn't spend more than $50 on this laptop. Newegg and Buy.com has refurbed laptops and netbooks for $300 or less. Although being jobless should limit your spending anyway. Good luck in your job search.

I think what you have is a decent laptop for Linux that can give you the ability to surf the net, send emails, watch online media content, or play simple Linux games. Plus, in the future when you have more $$ you can get a better laptop/computer and do a dual install of Windows and your favorite Linux OS. I think you will have a lot of fun playing with Linux as you are not really limited by options, just hardware.

Good luck!

 

[Hippie]

Brew-Happy, thanks a ton! you went above and beyond! I'll start going through this info... the wireless issue may be a deal breaker unfortunately. that is what we are running for a network, and the machine came with a card, so I'll have to figure that out. So far it seems that I can double my ram to 512MB for around $40, which should make a tremendous difference!

 

[Brew-Happy]

Brew-Happy, thanks a ton! you went above and beyond! I'll start going through this info... the wireless issue may be a deal breaker unfortunately. that is what we are running for a network, and the machine came with a card, so I'll have to figure that out. So far it seems that I can double my ram to 512MB for around $40, which should make a tremendous difference!

No probs. I am finding Linux to be more fun than anything else right now.

Your machine came with a wireless card? If so, do you know the make or model?

 

[Baja_Brewer]

I'd love to, do you know anyone hiring?
I'm 15 months out of work

*EDIT* that came off kinda pissy... It was directed at the economy in general & not at you or your joke which I took as such

No worries, no offense taken! I'd find it hard for anyone to take what I said seriously. I was OT anyway, so I never anticipate a kind response I'd love to land a job right now too

Sorry I cant help you with your computer. Good luck!

 

[Hippie]

No probs. I am finding Linux to be more fun than anything else right now.

Your machine came with a wireless card? If so, do you know the make or model?

the card says it is a Belkin Wireless G notebook card model # F5D7010

This is what SourceForge says:

Belkin F5D7010 Wireless-G Notebook Adapter
Chipset: RaLink RT2500
pciid: 1814:0201 (rev 01)
Driver: ndiswrapper 0.11 and A-Link ftp://ftp.a-link.com/wl54h/WL54driver2.2.6.0.zip
Info
Debian sid/i386, kernel 2.6.7/9, Inspiron 2650. Tried the linux driver (v1.4.3.0) from http://www.ralinktech.com/ – module loaded, interface created, but settings for iwconfig don’t get committed. Tried to get NDIS driver off CD but couldn’t locate/extract INF file. Finally tried NDIS driver for another card using RT2500 (the A-Link above), and (so far) it has worked wonderfully.

Unfortunately, it's greek to me... care to decypher? The way that I am reading it is that I just need to install the driver from the zip file they have linked, but what is the ndiswrapper 0.11 thingy?

 

[Brew-Happy]

the card says it is a Belkin Wireless G notebook card model # F5D7010

It looks like there is a ton of support for this card (depending on version): https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HardwareSupportComponentsWirelessNetworkCardsBelkin#PCMCIA

If you are techie enough, I think you have a machine that could run Ubuntu(or one of the other flavors) for free and still be able to use your wireless network.

Google "Linux + 'interest'" where 'interest' is whatever you have as a hobby or side interest. Could be gaming, photography, code-monkey, whatever. I bet you will find a number of software options that are open-source and free to use. Of course you might be restricted by your hardware from heavy games or programs, but there are still a number of fun packages out there.

I think you could get this machine up and running over a weekend and be able to email, surf, write (OpenOffice.org), draw (Inkscape), photo edit (Gimp), etc. Worse case scenario is being able to surf on your back porch and write the next best novel.

Since this IS a brewing site, I just found out Qbrew is available for Linux. Link: http://www.linux.com/archive/feed/58173 I use Qbrew as it is free and simple. I am sure others would be willing to let us know if other brewing software packages are available for Linux based OS's

Edit: Here is an article on brew software running in Linux: http://hunahpu.blogspot.com/2009/01/brewing-software-on-linux-beersmith.html

 

[Brew-Happy]

the card says it is a Belkin Wireless G notebook card model # F5D7010

This is what SourceForge says:

Belkin F5D7010 Wireless-G Notebook Adapter
Chipset: RaLink RT2500
pciid: 1814:0201 (rev 01)
Driver: ndiswrapper 0.11 and A-Link ftp://ftp.a-link.com/wl54h/WL54driver2.2.6.0.zip
Info
Debian sid/i386, kernel 2.6.7/9, Inspiron 2650. Tried the linux driver (v1.4.3.0) from http://www.ralinktech.com/ – module loaded, interface created, but settings for iwconfig don’t get committed. Tried to get NDIS driver off CD but couldn’t locate/extract INF file. Finally tried NDIS driver for another card using RT2500 (the A-Link above), and (so far) it has worked wonderfully.

Unfortunately, it's greek to me... care to decypher? The way that I am reading it is that I just need to install the driver from the zip file they have linked, but what is the ndiswrapper 0.11 thingy?

I just saw your updated post.

ndiswrapper is a small Linux package that can use the .inf files for your wireless adapter.

You get your computer loaded and stable with Ubuntu. Then, if you have the CD, load it into your computer. Open the CD files and copy the Windows version of all of the files onto your computer. I just made a folder under the Home directory. Then open ndiswrapper and direct it to the .inf file in your folder under the Home directory.

You may have to restart Ubuntu to get it working. Thank fully ndiswrapper has great success with Broadcom devices. Not so much with Dlink tho From experience.

 

[Brew-Happy]

More Info

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=25683&highlight=Belkin+F5D7010

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1116252&highlight=Belkin+F5D7010

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=563547&highlight=Belkin+F5D7010

Note the age on some of these posts tho. I am wondering if your card would work "out of the box" with Ubuntu 9.10. That would be nice!:rockin:

 

[kappclark]

Hippie:

I have the ubuntu 9.1 DVD if you would like it., and just finished building a simple mini box with Ubuntu 9.1 .. very easy.

everything worked out of the box...now want to use for music collection and Squeezebox.

Swing by if you like for some Ed Wort's HPA and a Ubuntu DVD. Hope work situation improves ..