Hard Light Productions Forums

Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Stealth on September 04, 2004, 06:00:47 pm

Title: laptop
Post by: Stealth on September 04, 2004, 06:00:47 pm
my friend gave it to me ;)

(http://www.swooh.com/lorenzo/hlphosted/laptop1.jpg)
(http://www.swooh.com/lorenzo/hlphosted/laptop2.jpg)
(http://www.swooh.com/lorenzo/hlphosted/laptop3.jpg)

running windows 98.  pentium 3, with 64 MB ram.  nice if (for anything) to take notes at college and such :)
Title: laptop
Post by: Setekh on September 04, 2004, 07:26:21 pm
Hehe, very neat. Handy to have something like that to lug around - especially if you have no qualms with taking it places (as many do with shiny new cutting-edge laptops). And if that's running 98, you can still play cool games like Commander Keen on it. :D
Title: laptop
Post by: Stealth on September 04, 2004, 07:55:57 pm
hell yeah :D

it runs freespace and starcraft too ;)
Title: laptop
Post by: MatthewPapa on September 04, 2004, 08:19:51 pm
YEA, STARCRAFT!
Title: laptop
Post by: Stealth on September 04, 2004, 08:26:12 pm
are you making fun of me?  or are you really a starcraft player?

if so, we need to play.  very soon.  and you live in houston, that's even better :nod:
Title: laptop
Post by: Martinus on September 04, 2004, 09:23:03 pm
[color=66ff00]Got a Thinkpad T21 off Ebay for 250 quid (GBP) a while back. 'tis a P3 800 and it's very handy for uni.

Unfortunately I've installed X-com: UFO on it so work might take a while. :D
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Title: laptop
Post by: MatthewPapa on September 04, 2004, 09:54:02 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Stealth
are you making fun of me?  or are you really a starcraft player?

if so, we need to play.  very soon.  and you live in houston, that's even better :nod:


Yea, I LOVE starcraft. We need to play sometime.
Title: laptop
Post by: Ghostavo on September 04, 2004, 10:01:52 pm
1 vs 1 vs 1? :nervous:

Nice laptop :p
Title: laptop
Post by: Liberator on September 04, 2004, 10:48:56 pm
really quite nice, what graphics chip does it have?  also, you never said the processor speed.  Pentium 3 suggests 700-800 mghz
Title: laptop
Post by: Ghostavo on September 04, 2004, 10:53:04 pm
at 64 megas of RAM I doubt that, probably more around 500Mhz / 450 Mhz
Title: laptop
Post by: Kosh on September 05, 2004, 12:17:41 am
My laptop has a 2.4 GHz P4 and 384 MB of RAM :p
Title: laptop
Post by: Stealth on September 05, 2004, 02:15:20 am
Quote
Originally posted by MatthewPapa


Yea, I LOVE starcraft. We need to play sometime.


hell yeah!  we need to go to Netzone one of these days and play there.  it's like $6.00 an hour, but they have comfortable chairs, very good computers, fast connection, it's great :)  but yeah.  starcraft is probably the only game i can say i'm good at.  been playing it fairly often for over two and a half years.

as far as processor:  to tell you the truth, i really don't know.  usually you know how computers go through the bootup process and they display RAM and processor speed before they boot up windows... well the laptop doesn't do that, it asks you for a password, and when you enter it it goes right into windows 98, so i never really bothered to find out what processor it has.  i'll do that tomorrow morning.  it has a DVD drive though, so i can watch DVDs ;)
Title: laptop
Post by: Liberator on September 05, 2004, 02:33:03 am
That almost guarantees that it's a 6-700 mhz processor.  But you need to bump that memory ASAP, take it from me, I got a Compaq with a DVD in it and it only had 64 MB of RAM.  It would play like 5 mins of the DVD and then either hang or crash outright.  Also, make sure you've got a decent player.  I like PowerDVD(i got a copy with my GF4MX).
Title: laptop
Post by: StratComm on September 05, 2004, 02:34:08 am
Stealth, if the laptop is just going into hybernation or sleep when you think you're turning it off, you aren't getting the remedial effects of a boot-up sequence.

Of course, not all computers display processor info at startup.  I know none of the ones my family owns does.  Best place to look though is in the system properties or system info panels, if bios doesn't display it outright.
Title: laptop
Post by: Cyker on September 05, 2004, 02:53:57 am
Quote
Originally posted by StratComm
Stealth, if the laptop is just going into hybernation or sleep when you think you're turning it off, you aren't getting the remedial effects of a boot-up sequence.

Of course, not all computers display processor info at startup.  I know none of the ones my family owns does.  Best place to look though is in the system properties or system info panels, if bios doesn't display it outright.

Could get wcpuid to check also...
Then again you can just say "CPU speed? Who  cares?! I just got a free laptop!!" :D
Title: laptop
Post by: Gloriano on September 05, 2004, 04:01:26 am
Free laptops are always nice:)

I have laptop for work only so (1.4 GHZ pentium M), XP pro
Title: laptop
Post by: Hippo on September 05, 2004, 08:36:01 am
heh... its IDENTICAL to the laptops our teachers have...

Now would be a bad time to point out i spend 3 grand for my laptop? :p
Title: laptop
Post by: Martinus on September 05, 2004, 09:26:12 am
[color=66ff00]Do bear in mind that the laptop's processor speed may not be reported correctly if the chip has clock throttling.
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Title: laptop
Post by: Stealth on September 05, 2004, 09:53:40 am
Liberator:  yeah i use powerDVD on the laptop too ;)  Actually i've watched a few DVDs, and as long as i set the power settings on 'high' (high processor speed, high monitor brightness, etc.) the DVDs run fine!  if i set it on a lesser setting,then it does lag a bit.  i usually just plug it in :p  but yeah i had intended upgrading the RAM one day.

Strattcom:  I'm not THAT n00b you know ;) :D
but a lot of non-custom built computers, Compaq, HP, Toshiba, etc. both laptop and desktop, particularly back a few years, didn't display information at startup, they'd display the brand name, and then just start the operating system.  most times the company had their own little custom-BIOS and everything.  pissed me off, which is why every computer since the first one i've built myself.
Title: laptop
Post by: IceFire on September 05, 2004, 10:30:27 am
A good buy.  Toshibas in my experience are rock solid machines that do what they are supposed to with few problems.

Even the new ones seem to have a good rep so far.  Definately a good buy!
Title: laptop
Post by: vyper on September 05, 2004, 10:39:38 am
What IceFire said.

I used one for work last year during the summer and it would take anything thrown at it, both software wise and literally!

Nice.
Title: laptop
Post by: Stealth on September 05, 2004, 10:46:36 am
Quote
Originally posted by IceFire
A good buy.  Toshibas in my experience are rock solid machines that do what they are supposed to with few problems.

Even the new ones seem to have a good rep so far.  Definately a good buy!


what makes it even better is the fact that i didn't buy it :D
Title: laptop
Post by: Kosh on September 05, 2004, 03:23:22 pm
Quote
Of course, not all computers display processor info at startup. I know none of the ones my family owns does. Best place to look though is in the system properties or system info panels, if bios doesn't display it outright.


All major OEM's have a BIOS setting called "quiet boot" turned on by default. It hides that info from being displayed during POST. I always turn that dumb thing off.
Title: laptop
Post by: Stealth on September 05, 2004, 07:02:53 pm
well i haven't figured out how to do anything outside of windows in this thing.  like, it starts up, and RIGHT AWAY it says "Toshiba" for about two seconds... then it says "Press F2 for boot sequence"... (if you press F2 it takes you to a menu with 'boot from CD', 'boot from disk', 'boot from hard drive', etc. etc.).  if you let it continue, it brings up a black DOS screen with "Password:" at the top.  you have to then type your password.  i haven't yet figured out how to change this.  if you enter the wrong password twice, it shuts itself down.  if you enter the right one, it goes to the windows 98 start screen.  

i remember reading a long time ago that to reset the password (or to change it, or something) you should take the battery out, then hold the power button for 30 seconds, then put the battery back in.  or something like that.  because i'm getting sick of typing "britneyspears" every time i load it up ;)  (previous owner's password ;) :p)
Title: laptop
Post by: MatthewPapa on September 06, 2004, 10:15:12 am
Quote
Originally posted by Stealth


hell yeah!  we need to go to Netzone one of these days and play there.  it's like $6.00 an hour, but they have comfortable chairs, very good computers, fast connection, it's great :)  but yeah.  starcraft is probably the only game i can say i'm good at.  been playing it fairly often for over two and a half years.
 


That game is a Classic. I have more hours on that game than many of the other games I play combined. I will have to brush up on my skills a little first as I have not played in a while, but we should play it sometime soon. Where is Netzone? There is a pretty good place called Cyberium near Stratford and Memorial Dr.
Title: laptop
Post by: Stealth on September 06, 2004, 10:42:23 am
Netzone is on the northwest side, in the Willowbrook AMC 24 parking lot (right next to Willowbrook mall) on 249 and 1960.  

i have to admit, i've been playing a lot of WC3 lately ;)  so i'll need to brush up my skills too :D.  if you want we could play a few games online, want to hit one up tonight? let me know.
Title: laptop
Post by: Martinus on September 06, 2004, 10:42:33 am
Quote
Originally posted by Stealth
well i haven't figured out how to do anything outside of windows in this thing.  like, it starts up, and RIGHT AWAY it says "Toshiba" for about two seconds... then it says "Press F2 for boot sequence"... (if you press F2 it takes you to a menu with 'boot from CD', 'boot from disk', 'boot from hard drive', etc. etc.).  if you let it continue, it brings up a black DOS screen with "Password:" at the top.  you have to then type your password.  i haven't yet figured out how to change this.  if you enter the wrong password twice, it shuts itself down.  if you enter the right one, it goes to the windows 98 start screen.  

i remember reading a long time ago that to reset the password (or to change it, or something) you should take the battery out, then hold the power button for 30 seconds, then put the battery back in.  or something like that.  because i'm getting sick of typing "britneyspears" every time i load it up ;)  (previous owner's password ;) :p)

[color=66ff00]Personally I'd google for a user manual for your model.

Popping the battery erases the CMOS which is a device that saves all the BIOS settings. It should work but I don't see why it won't let you access the BIOS (Lappy's don't use DEL for the BIOS key most of the time).
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Title: laptop
Post by: Stealth on September 06, 2004, 11:49:29 am
Quote
Originally posted by Maeglamor

[color=66ff00]Personally I'd google for a user manual for your model.

Popping the battery erases the CMOS which is a device that saves all the BIOS settings. It should work but I don't see why it won't let you access the BIOS (Lappy's don't use DEL for the BIOS key most of the time).
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no to erase the CMOS you'd have to pop the backup battery, which is in a screwed compartment.  i'm talking about the main battery.  the main battery runs down on laptops all the time... i'm pretty sure it wouldn't erase the CMOS ;)  or there'd be some pretty pissed off laptop owners :D

it won't let me access the BIOS, because, of course, it's a Toshiba... and they don't like you adjusting settings by yourself, they want you to call their tech support team, and pay money .
Title: laptop
Post by: Martinus on September 06, 2004, 06:00:48 pm
[color=66ff00]Was thinking in general terms there so I didn't elaborate when I said battery. :o

Looks like you press ESC as the machine boots then F1 when it prompts to get into the BIOS on a Toshiba. There seems to be variations on that theme; some using just ESC and some using both ESC and F1 at the same time.

Know the exact laptop model?

Thankfully documentation for my Thinkpad is pretty thick on the ground and it's well supported by Linux.
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Title: laptop
Post by: Stealth on September 06, 2004, 08:40:29 pm
hmmm yeah i haven't really taken the time to mess with the laptop much.  other than installing the PCMCIA wireless network card, and deleting some stuff, i haven't done much, not even change the background! :p

but thanks for the ESC & F1.  i'll try that in a few minutes, and let you know how it goes :)