Wireless & laptop queries

sunni

Hello

I was wondering if anyone could give me any help. My brother has given me an Acer Aspire 3000 laptop and I'm wondering is this wireless? How do I know the spec of this laptop and memory etc?

Also I'm changing ISP's (due to tiscali's increase in price) and is it possible to connect to broadband using two different laptops at home? If so, do I need to purchase something to be able to do this?

Thanks alot in advance.

Sunni

Pete*G_4

sunni wrote: »

Hello

I was wondering if anyone could give me any help. My brother has given me an Acer Aspire 3000 laptop and I'm wondering is this wireless? How do I know the spec of this laptop and memory etc?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Acer+Aspire+3000

sunni wrote: »

Also I'm changing ISP's (due to tiscali's increase in price) and is it possible to connect to broadband using two different laptops at home? If so, do I need to purchase something to be able to do this?

Thanks alot in advance.

Sunni

If you sign up to a new ISP for wireless broadband (most are these days) then you'll get a router, which will probably have several ethernet ports on the back. You can either plug in the laptop(s) to the ethernet ports for a wired connection, or if the laptop(s) are wireless enabled then you can connect wirelessly :rolleyes:

If the laptops aren't wireless enabled, then you can order a cheap USB Wifi dongle for under £10 from places like Amazon, or you can pick up a PCMCIA card which will set you back around £20 on ebay, or considerably more if bought new.

-TangleFoot-

sunni wrote: »

How do I know the spec of this laptop and memory etc?

Use this.

Pete*G_4

-TangleFoot- wrote: »

Use this.

why, when Google has all the answers?

MsRed1

Just checked CNET. It's wireless ( IEEE 802.11b , IEEE 802.11g ) and HD is small, 40GB. External hard drives are really cheap now.

-TangleFoot-

Pete*G wrote: »

why, when Google has all the answers?

1. I can't find any reviews.
2. The support section of the Acer UK web site indicates that the aforementioned has two wireless chipsets. In other words, it may or may not be an optional component.

welshryda

YEp definately wireless enabled.

The_Mighty_Gusset

sunni wrote: »

Hello

I was wondering if anyone could give me any help. My brother has given me an Acer Aspire 3000 laptop and I'm wondering is this wireless? How do I know the spec of this laptop and memory etc?

Sunni

Right Click on the 'My Computer' icon and select 'Properties'
'General' gives you the basic spec
Click on the 'Hardware' tab then 'Device Manager'
click on the little '+' symbol next to 'Network Adapters' - that's where you'll find out if there's a wireless card - and what it is.

Alternatively, you could just switch the thing on, and when you get the little tellys down in the bottom right hand corner, right click and select 'Open Network Connections'
Is there a 'Wireless Network Connection'
What does it say ?
Right Click on it and work through the options.

If you've got a wireless router in your home you can connect as many laptops to it as you like (within reason !).

sunni

Thank you all so much for your help

I've found out the following:
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Version 2002 Service Pack 2
AcerSystem Mobile AMD Sempron (tm)
Processor 3000+
1.58 GHz, 448 MB of RAM

Network Adapters: Broadcom 802.11g Network Adapter
SIS 900-Based PCI Fast Etherent Adapter

Think I need more memory installed? Is it easy to do?

-TangleFoot-

sunni wrote: »

Broadcom 802.11g Network Adapter

That's your wireless adapter. According to the manual the button to switch it on and off can be found on the front of the chassis to the left of the audio sockets.

More memory would certainly help; the graphics processing unit appears to be 'borrowing' 64MB of it. Crucial can tell you what's compatible, sell you a module or two and will also provide instructions - but you'll have to figure out which panel to remove by yourself.

Pete*G_4

-TangleFoot- wrote: »

1. I can't find any reviews.
2. The support section of the Acer UK web site indicates that the aforementioned has two wireless chipsets. In other words, it may or may not be an optional component.

http://www.mynewcheap.co.uk/products/details/acer-aspire-3000-pro/1962/

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2710

http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/acer-aspire-3000/4507-3121_7-31532504.html

all found via google. also, searching for Acer Aspire 3000 on ebay throws up several for sale, many with their spec listed.