Monday, April 11, 2005, 11:08 PM
Since there is only one memory slot on a Solo 1200 Laptop, the max extended memory is 256MB PC-133 144pin S)-DIMM.
Though this unit was not made with a DVD Drive it is possible to remove the existing drive and install a DVD-ROM. The DVD Drive I would suggest for the Solo 1200 laptop is the 8x QSI DVD-ROM Drive GW P/N: 5502295. Updating to the newest Bios (version 27.02) and Windows XP will also help in recognising the drive. I have also successfully installed QSI CDRW/DVD Combo drives on this unit. Note this was based on a trial and error process. It may work for some units and not others, don't know why.
For the Solo 1200 Laptop you may install virtually any size 9.5MM Slim laptop hard drive. However, in my testings the largest drive I have used on this unit is a 40GB 9.5MM HARD DRIVE.
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( 3 / 2242 )Tuesday, March 29, 2005, 11:30 PM
The Solo 2150 only comes with one upgradable memory slot and 32MB on board. The maximum memory usable on this unit is 288MB (32MB on board & 256MB in open slot. Memory type 144pin pc-100 so-dimm).
Located under the memory bay is also the mini pci slot, use this slot to upgrade to a modem or a modem/nic combo.
The recommended Modem/Nic card for this unit is Action Tec mini pci modem ethernet combo. If you only wish to change/upgrade the modem, Action Tec is also the brand of choice. However, in my testing I have also found the 3COM Mini PCI Modem/Nic combo card to be adequate with the appropriate drives. Click here for information on replacing memory or mini pci card.
The Solo 2150 is a breeze when upgrading the optical drive. When purchasing a drive make sure the drives faceplate is flat and straight. Also you do not need to purchase a drive with the caddy just simply use your existing caddy. The Solo 2150 optical drive is held together by two screws on each side and one in the rear. Simple remove these screws, slide the drive away from the rear of the caddy and install your new drive. I've successfully upgraded the Solo 2150 with a DVD, CDRW & CDRW/DVD combo drive using brands such as Toshiba, LG, Panasonic and Teac. Also incase you have some zip disc laying about zip drives are also available for this unit and is used interchangeably with the optical drive.
If the money is available it is possible to upgrade the 12.1" LCD (LP121SA) Version of the Solo 2150 to a 14.1" LCD (LP141XA). The easy way to do this is to remove the lcd along with the palmrest as one piece. This requires removing; keyboard, LCD cable from motherboard and the screws holding the palmrest from the top and bottom of the chassis.
The Original Solo 2150 with the mPGA Intel Celeron CPU is not upgradable beyond a 466MHz mPGA cpu. However,the revivions (version 1.5) is upgradable to an 800MHz mPGA-2 cpu. To get to the CPU you must first remove the keyboard and then the heatsink which will expose the CPU(proceesor).
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( 3 / 3663 )Saturday, March 26, 2005, 12:47 PM
One of the most common use for a laptop is web surfing. However, the amount of memory installed on a laptop will decide how many programs/web pages you are allowed to open at any given time. Too little memory will cause freeze-ups and lagging.
The Gateway website gives two 128MB PC-100 144 PIN SO-DIMM (256MB RAM) as the max combination. However, I have succesfully tested the unit with a combination of one 256MB & a 128MB PC-100 144 PIN SO-DIMM for a total of 384MB MEMORY. The Solo 2500 memory slot is located on the bottom left corner of the laptop. You will need a phillips screw drive to open the memory cover.
So your Solo 2500 needs more storage space. Laptop hard drives can now be found from 6GB to 100GB, anything lower I would not recommend. For the Solo 2500 the maximum hard drive recommended is a 20GB 9.5MM SLIM 2.5 INCH 4200RPM NOTEBOOK HARD DRIVE. Just to give an idea; 1GB of storgae will hold approximately 285 MP3 files. Click here for Solo 2500 hard drive replacement directions.
A DVD upgrade is definetly possible for the Solo 2500. The brand drives to consider are; Toshiba, Torison & Panasonic. Regarding a CDRW/DVD Combo upgrade, I would suggest a 24X CDRW/DVD combo. The drives I have tried are Toshiba SD C-2202/2302 DVD drive
Since the Solo 2500 was never made with a internal modem or ethernet. Upgrading the Solo 2500 with a Modem, Ethernet(NIC) or WI-FI requires purchasing these device in a PCMCIA Card format. Another solution for Modem/Nic is the port replicator which comes with the modem ethernet.
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( 3 / 5077 )Friday, March 25, 2005, 06:05 PM
The purpose of this blog is to share personal comments or ideas related to Gateway and Dell laptops. Laptops-we-R will not be responsible for how this information is interpreted or used. In other words we will not be liable for any read on this blog page.[ add comment ] | permalink |
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