Decent laptop 289.99 for first 250 cust [CLOSED]

MyUserNamesTaken

calibrax wrote:

For those of you who (like me) have the Intel Pro 2200BG MiniPCI card, I have a possible solution to your problems.

I installed some drivers from the IBM website for this card (drivers are version 9.0.1.21), and they are MUCH more stable. I didn't have problems as severe as some of you seem to have had, but I find that the range and stability are MASSIVELY improved with this new driver.

ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ywc25ww.exe

When you run it, it will extract the drivers... then go to C:\DRIVERS\WIN\WLANCX2A and run the Setup file. After installing it will prompt you to reboot, then you just connect to your wireless network in the usual way.

Certainly worth a try before you spend money on a new card. Post here if it resolves your problem... I know it has worked for some people on another forum already.

Steve

I was using the older version of this (the one that came with the wireless card). Using just the drivers, my signal strength was always excellent. When I installed the intel software, my signal strength dropped down to good at best (and sometimes unable to connect). The wireless card works better without the intel pap that came with the card, but I will give this updated intel software a try and report back.


Thanks.

MyUserNamesTaken

OK, using the new drivers:

Signal's very good from my living room (router is upstairs, through solid victorian walls). Transfer rate was ok to start with, but dropped to 2Mbps within 30 seconds of connecting. Repairing the connection brings it back to 54Mpbs every time (as it did before).

MyUserNamesTaken

MyUserNamesTaken wrote:

OK, using the new drivers:

Signal's very good from my living room (router is upstairs, through solid victorian walls). Transfer rate was ok to start with, but dropped to 2Mbps within 30 seconds of connecting. Repairing the connection brings it back to 54Mpbs every time (as it did before).

Definitely more stable upstairs. My speed seems to stay at 54Mpbs when in the same room as the router (was dropping all over the place yesterday!). Downstairs, it's useable.


Thanks...it's better than it was.

calibrax

MyUserNamesTaken wrote:

Definitely more stable upstairs. My speed seems to stay at 54Mpbs when in the same room as the router (was dropping all over the place yesterday!). Downstairs, it's useable.


Thanks...it's better than it was.

I suspect that these drivers solve the problem with the card, but that the range issue is down to the quality of the antenna. I tried a PCMCIA card in my laptop yesterday, the connection quality was the same (excellent), but the range was certainly superior to the internal card. Still, it does the job... as my flat is pretty small, the range isn't a problem.

Steve

MyUserNamesTaken

Hmm...what to do?

Turns out PC World hasn't charged me for my laptop yet. My CC statement came through today and it's not there. Called Nationwide to find out what's happening and was basically told that no card authorisation had been requested and PC World hadn't asked for the money. Thing is, PC World couldn't put my laptop through the till so did a manual receipt (old style swiping of the card over a piece of paper to get the card details). They were supposed to call for authorisation, but failed to do this. They also failed to date the receipt. Nationwide's now looking into how long PC World has to take the payment and if not dating the transaction has any effect on whether they get paid should they present the cc manual receipt. Apart from the undated manual receipt, PC World has no record of me purchasing the laptop from them for £289. I'm not on their system. However, when I returned the second laptop for replacement due to HDD failure, they issued me with a till receipt for £579.99.


What should I do?

Update: Nationwide has just called to inform me that PC World has until the 23rd Sept 2005 to put this transaction through (6 months from the date of the transaction). However, due to the lack of date on the manual receipt, Nationwide think that this transaction will never be put through. They also said that should PC World try to put it through after the 23rd September because there is no date on the receipt, Nationwide will refuse to pay it, as I bought something else in PC World when I purchased my laptop and that has shown up on my CC statement (in other words, Nationwide know the date of the transaction, even though it doesn't show it on the manual receipt). Staff at Nationwide think I've got this laptop for free. In fact, PC World sent me a £50 voucher for selling me a secondhand laptop the first time around, so they've actually paid me to take the laptop away. Even worse, if this replacement packs up within 28 days of me receiving it, I could take it back and get a refund of £579.99 (due to them giving me a new receipt for that amount.) I wouldn't do that, though....I'm honest


Calibrax, my wifi signal is fine now, btw. Many thanks for that.

MyUserNamesTaken

Re: Making the DVD RW Region free, I'm using DVD Region and CSS Free to do that job.

calibrax

zaccy wrote:

Having taken the base off the laptop I can see that it will be an easy job to tape the antennae inside the base. The seller of the 2915 cards on ebay reckons they will work without antennae so I'll try that first.

I seriously doubt you will get much range without an antenna... even with an antenna, the range is not as good as it is with a PCMCIA card. No harm in trying though!

zaccy wrote:

The DVD burner is a TSST TS-L532A (Toshiba/Samsung) and not a NEC 6500A as stated on the PB site and as yet I can't find any region free firmware.

Mine is a Matsh..ita UJ-840D (remove the dots from the name, stupid forum won't let me type it!) It seems like PB just fitted whatever was available at the time.

zaccy wrote:

The heat sink and fan is easily taken out by removing the four silver screws with springs fitted. This reveals the Sempron in its socket 754, a processor upgrade is very easy as you only have to remove the plate that gives access to the memory in order to remove the four screws and not the whole base, the PB site says a Mobile athlon 64 can be fitted to the mainboard so that should be a good upgrade.

I think you mean the plate that gives access to the PCI slots. Good news about the upgrade possibility... I assumed the processor wouldn't be upgradeable. Cool!

zaccy wrote:

I have found a couple of niggling defects that probably need a driver or Bios update, The touch pad does not always scroll IE webpages and the keyboard is sometimes slow to respond (I have updated with the latest Bios 1.06)

Odd. I haven't had any problem with my keyboard or touchpad... although I can't comment on the IE problem, as one of the first things I did when I got the laptop was to install Firefox.

Thanks for the post, some good info there.

Steve

amit_1

wow that would be good if you get a free laptop if PC world dont charge+ You got a £50 voucher from them lol

MyUserNamesTaken

My DVDRW is an NEC ND-6500A, my HDD is a WDC WD400UE-00HCT0, which isn't the same HDD as was in the laptop I had replaced due to HDD failure (which had a Scorpion HDD in it). My first two laptops had the Toshiba Samsung DVDRW drive, though.

The wifi card worked without antennae on my second laptop (first replacement), but was weak. Saying that, I had an excellent signal and 54Mbps transfer rate at all times when I fitted the antennae on that one. Maybe I should have ran the wifi card without antennae on this one first.

The laptop I have now (second replacement) is definitely not the same, in terms of hardware, as the first two I had. This one didn't have Splinter Cell set up as an exception for windows Firewall, either. Seems to me the laptop I have now is newer stock. The ones they originally sold off at £289.99 were old stock laptops that had originally been sold with a games pack (hence splinter cell being there).


I've never had any problems with the touchpad or keyboard, either. Could it be due to your BIOS update? Saying that, like Calibrax, I don't use IE6.

amit_1

wait let me get this striaght if you got some game called splinter cell than your laptop is a old 1 and not a new 1. I dont think that my laptop has a game called splinter cell on it never came with it. How do i check what make hadrware i have can i do it with out opening the laptop again?