Toshiba laptop aggravation
in [Design]
|
From: Joerg on 11 Mar 2010 11:41 John Larkin wrote: > On Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:49:37 -0800, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> > wrote: > >> Richard Henry wrote: >>> I have three Toshiba laptops due to ignorant purchases over time. All >>> three have a mousepad in front of the keyboard which has an auto-click >>> function - if you tap it with a finger, it moves the focus to the >>> current cursor location. The problem with all three is that during >>> normal 10-finger typing, thumb movement near the pad causes an >>> inadvertent auto-click, messing up my typing. >>> >>> I want to turn the auto-click function off. Anybody know how? >> >> Hoping it works like on my laptops: Go into the Control Panel -> Mouse >> -> Hardware -> Tapping -> uncheck the box "Enable Tapping". That's it. >> >> While at it you might as well turn off other over-sophistications such >> as "click lock". That's what I do the instant I get a new laptop, even >> before installing any apps. > > I just bought four used Win98 laptops. They have real parallel ports > and floppies, and '98 programs can do direct port i/o, so they are > handy for lots of things. I use them to run uP background debugger > pods. And I use them as "print servers" with my Epson wide-carriage > fanfold printers (copy file from XP onto a floppy, carry over to > laptop, print.) The Epson Windows USB drivers always install in Polish > or some strange language that I can't understand, and don't seem to > want to print in fast mode now matter how you play with them. From the > laptop parallel port, they print full blast with no drivers at all. > It's much simpler here. I use a Barricade firewall-router and it has a built in parallel port so the old HP-Laser mutated into another network printer. > I use them with real PS/2 mice. Those mousepads are awful. > Some had those rubber sticks, I think IBM did that. I always liked the trackball in my old Compaq but one more hard landing finally brought it to its knees, big crack around the enclosure, HD loosened and battery fell out :-( > It's weird to buy a computer for less than a scope probe. > Watch the old batteries. At that age some start leaking and must be disposed of at the transfer station. -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam. Use another domain or send PM.
From: Jim Thompson on 11 Mar 2010 11:53 On Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:41:51 -0800, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> wrote: [snip] > >It's much simpler here. I use a Barricade firewall-router and it has a >built in parallel port so the old HP-Laser mutated into another network >printer. > [snip] I used to do that, then I got an hp P2015dn (double-sided printing) which came with a network port. ...Jim Thompson -- | James E.Thompson, CTO | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | | | Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat | | E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 | The only thing bipartisan in this country is hypocrisy
From: D Yuniskis on 11 Mar 2010 12:10 Hi John, John Larkin wrote: > On Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:38:49 -0700, D Yuniskis > <not.going.to.be(a)seen.com> wrote: > >> John Larkin wrote: >> >> [win98 laptops] >> >>> I use them with real PS/2 mice. Those mousepads are awful. >> Most mousepads are sited in the wrong place. But, then >> again, with a laptop you haven't much choice... >> >>> It's weird to buy a computer for less than a scope probe. >> <frown> We discard laptops with anything less than a Piii. > > Right. Big companies unload, sometimes, thousands of working laptops. > Brokers buy them by the pallet, refurb, and resell them with a > warranty. They can be handy to have around sometimes. It doesn't take > a Core Duo to wiggle bits on a parallel port. I had a decent older laptop with *built-in* AC power supply (eliminates the problem of having to buy replacement batteries for something that is rarely used :< ). But, I opted to discard it in one of my periodic "purges". I've held onto a Compaq "Portable 386" (lunchbox, not the luggable). Big, yes. And had to hack the BIOS to get support for even a 300 *MB* disk. But, keeps two ISA slots available for me (something I don't have in any of the other machines, here). Unfortunately, I don't have another machine with a 5" floppy so I can't create the "SETUP floppy" to reinitialize the CMOS now that the battery died. (<frown> I was smart enough to save images of all the floppies -- but forgot to save a drive that could write them... other than the one in the Compaq!) I am hoping, someday, to have time to see if I can hack a USB 3" floppy drive to accept a 5" drive, instead (no idea how closely the controllers in those floppies are wed to the actual 3" drive! I don't expect much joy...) > You can get a clean working '98 laptop on ebay for around $50. A > refurb IBM from a broker, with 6 month warranty and a good battery, > goes for about $250.
From: Joerg on 11 Mar 2010 12:01 Jim Thompson wrote: > On Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:41:51 -0800, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> > wrote: > > [snip] >> It's much simpler here. I use a Barricade firewall-router and it has a >> built in parallel port so the old HP-Laser mutated into another network >> printer. >> > [snip] > > I used to do that, then I got an hp P2015dn (double-sided printing) > which came with a network port. > The heavy duty printing is done by a Brother MFC which has a LAN port. It has an impressive throughput. But the HP warms up faster and most of all has no fan because its low throughput doesn't cause it to get hot. The Brother's fan keeps running at least 5mins and the things sits right next to me. -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam. Use another domain or send PM.
From: Joerg on 11 Mar 2010 12:09
D Yuniskis wrote: > Hi John, > > John Larkin wrote: >> On Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:38:49 -0700, D Yuniskis >> <not.going.to.be(a)seen.com> wrote: >> >>> John Larkin wrote: >>> >>> [win98 laptops] >>> >>>> I use them with real PS/2 mice. Those mousepads are awful. >>> Most mousepads are sited in the wrong place. But, then >>> again, with a laptop you haven't much choice... >>> >>>> It's weird to buy a computer for less than a scope probe. >>> <frown> We discard laptops with anything less than a Piii. >> >> Right. Big companies unload, sometimes, thousands of working laptops. >> Brokers buy them by the pallet, refurb, and resell them with a >> warranty. They can be handy to have around sometimes. It doesn't take >> a Core Duo to wiggle bits on a parallel port. > > I had a decent older laptop with *built-in* AC power supply > (eliminates the problem of having to buy replacement batteries > for something that is rarely used :< ). But, I opted to discard > it in one of my periodic "purges". > > I've held onto a Compaq "Portable 386" (lunchbox, not the > luggable). Big, yes. And had to hack the BIOS to get > support for even a 300 *MB* disk. But, keeps two ISA slots > available for me (something I don't have in any of the > other machines, here). > You can still buy PCs with ISA slots. And you will be able to for a loooong time. ISA is here to stay because of many industrial uses. > Unfortunately, I don't have another machine with a 5" floppy > so I can't create the "SETUP floppy" to reinitialize the CMOS > now that the battery died. (<frown> I was smart enough to save > images of all the floppies -- but forgot to save a drive that > could write them... other than the one in the Compaq!) > > I am hoping, someday, to have time to see if I can hack a > USB 3" floppy drive to accept a 5" drive, instead (no idea > how closely the controllers in those floppies are wed to > the actual 3" drive! I don't expect much joy...) > In a desktop the controller can do it, at least in my Dell here (Foxconn mobo). But the BIOS does not support 5-1/4" :-( [...] -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam. Use another domain or send PM. |