Upgrading from Windows 98' on a refurb notebook?

[BenderGonzales]

Jim,
What kind of wireless card did your wife get for her T22 that was compatible with Win98?

Thanks

 

[JimNtexas]

I edited my first response to mention that we use a 2Wire card that my DSL provider gave us, and a ten dollar Trend Micro PCMCIA card I got at Frys both work fine.

I actually write wifi software for a living, and I have another T22 that I am touching at this moment as I type this. I've found pretty much any PCMCIA wifi card that has a driver for Windows 98 (which is most of them) will work fine.

I have my work T22 setup with ghosted images of Win98SE (you need SE, but you probably have it now), Win2K, and WinXP. The T22 works OK with XP when you have 512M, but I wouldn't recommend it with 256M.

From what you wanting to use this laptop for I just wouldn't spend the money on more RAM an an OS upgrade. It'll work fine as is for watching DVDs, web surfing, email, word processing, etc.

It wouldn't be the best choice to edit the next Pixar cartoon feature, but it doesn't sound like you're into a lot of audio/visual work.

 

[BenderGonzales]

Thanks Jim. I'll find out when it gets here if its got 98 or 98SE. Sounds like if it's got SE then i'll leave it as-is. If the blue-screen of death starts to bug me a few months from now, i'll add some more memory and upgrade to XP.

How hard is it, by the way, to add memory to a T22? I saw on walmart.com that I could get 512MB of SDRAM for around $90.

 

[Famous Dave]

Dude, I have an old laptop. PIII 600 mhz with 192 MB ram. It originally came with Win 98. I installed a full version of XP Pro. I bought a 802.11b PCMCIA and the intenet is super fast. The notebook you have is more than qualified to run XP. I would not install the upgrade version. Rather I would completely reformat the hard drive and install a full version of XP. Keeping 98 would just waste space and maybe cause some hang ups. My laptop was purchased in 1999 and is solid as a rock. Good Luck.
Dave

 

[hyper]

Return it or sell on ebay and get your $ back out of it.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=iB120S1&s=dhs

add the wireless and you're into it for $489. WITH XP, larger HD, CD burner and warranty.

The only way you can make your IBM practical is to use it the way you have it and add a wireless card. Outside of that, you're upside down compared to a new one.

You HAVE to have 98SE to run wireless. You may have it already but upgrade disks were going for $50-90 on ebay. (I have one I'll sell ya cheap)

Upgrading to XP is not cost effecient and unless you're well steeped in driver update knowledge, you'll be frusterated to no end.

You'll be LUCKY if 98 doesn't drive you nuts, and if it doesn't, use a friends computer with XP......and it will.

Good luck

 

[BenderGonzales]

Thanks, i'll take all of the luck I can get. The computer should be delivered Monday. I'll report back what operating system is actually on the thing and you guys can help me get it cranking.

I dont want to pour money into this thing. It's just supposed to be a junk computer that I dont mind banging around the cabin so I can look at flightinfo.com on overnights.

 

[JimNtexas]

How hard is it, by the way, to add memory to a T22? I saw on walmart.com that I could get 512MB of SDRAM for around $90.

I haven't done it myself, but I don't think its hard. I'm not sure it would be worth it though.

 

[BenderGonzales]

Well I got the computer today. It's pretty useless. Windows 98 (standard not SE). Has an ethernet PORT but no card, so I cant even hook it into my home network until I get a wireless card.

I think i'm going to eat the $45 restock fee, call it a lesson-learned, and return the computer.

Unfortunately, I got my taxes back from the accountant today too. I owe Uncle Sam some $$ so I think i'll put off buying a laptop for a while.

Oh well. Maybe next year.