archived post from SillyDog701 Message Centre

[timsco2827]

Im trying to get help setting up a small network on the linspire forums which they have recommended an ethernet solution... they say that according to the fic faqs I have ethernet ports on my twin a440s but I dont see them so maybe im missing something. please help

Thanks,
TS

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[Tidus]

There's a misunderstanding here!

You see on the right side of your laptop where the modem port is, just below the fan vent? That is actually also able to accommodate a Mini PCI LAN card, which aren't fitted to all A440 models, in fact, they're as rare as a dodo!

LAN cards were fitted to some models, but the majority of them had modems in. 99% of the A440's i've worked on had modems, about 2 of them had LAN cards fitted. They (were) an optional extra, and even on eBay, there's just been an A440 for sale with one fitted, the first one for as long as i can remember!

You'll have to shell out for a USB to Ethernet adapter, a PCMCIA adapter, or go the whole hog, and set up wireless, and get a PCMCIA WLAN card, i don't recommend USB ones, they're crap, and keep overheating! If you're gonna get an Ethernet adapter, i recommend SMC, their adapters are awesome, and usually don't need drivers under WinXP, but probably will under Linspire.

Don't you DARE buy D-Link, you'll regret it, they are absolute tripe!

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[timsco2827]

Thank you thank you thank you sooooo much for clearing that up Tidus!!!!

I hate to be a nag but Im compelled to ask while I am here... Any tip on where I might be able to scoop up 4 of those 256meg ram sticks you once mentioned on here for an a440 512mb upgrade??? Also... perhaps a silly question... but did you have to cast any hoodoo on the few you have accomplished this on to get it to take or should I be expectant of blue skies and sunshine with 512mb all the way by simply pluggin the sticks in??? 512 would certainly go better than the 128 im running now thats for certain.

My appologies if askin this in this thread isnt quite kosher. Just simply a followup question that poped in spare of the moment so I tossed it in.

Thanks again,
TS

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[Tidus]

Ah, the cutomer who asks endless questions! Seriously mate, i love people like you, it keeps me busy, and i can spread my knowledge, and baffle you with techie jargon! Only kidding, i'll do it as non-techie as possible!

As you may well know from my posts on here concerning the A440 and RAM upgrades, it's a bit of a dark area. Some machines will happily take what you chuck at them, and others won't, like my old A440, as i found the other week. I got hold of a stick of DDR 2700 512MB for my P4 2.6 GHz Toshiba Satellite laptop from our company shop, plus a stick of PC133 SD-RAM SODIMM 256 for my A440, which is a P3 1GHz, she's quite an old girl now, she's pushing 6 years old come February.

My Toshiba (Toshiko) accepted the single 512 stick i gave her, but Natsuki, my A440, refused to accept the 256MB stick, along with one of my other 128MB sticks, i had a total of 256MB, made of 2x128. I was hoping to get her to 384, but no, she stamped her silicon feet, screaming, "NO, DADDY!", POST beeping her socks off, so i had to give in, and stick with the single 256 stick.

So, now, i still have 256, but as a single stick. Most other A440's i've done have accepted 1x128 & 1x256 gladly. Not that it matters anyway, Toshiko, my Tosh, has 5 horizontal lines across her TFT panel, but as soon as i get a new panel for her, the A440 is being retired, she's screamed at me that she's too old numerous times, and has now started constantly blue screening at me, so it's time i gave her up, she's tired! I've changed her RAM, CPU, hard drive, everything, and she still seems to be too tired and old to carry on, but i'm too reluctant to rip her apart for spares for customers, i love that poor thing, i've worked with Tiny laptops for many years now, and she is my piece of Tiny history.

Upping yours to 256 should be enough, although to get it higher, you may need to update your BIOS. If you put a combination of RAM in that yours doesn't like, it'll either POST beep the memory error beep at you, which is constant long beeps, separated by a second gap, sort of like beeeeeep - beeeeeep, and she'll keep doing it, or Windows won't show the full amount. And Linux, as my missus will tell you, does all sorts of weird stuff, from kernel panicking, to locking up!

It's a dark area, but i can help you! The memory you need is: PC133 SO-DIMM 144 Pin, i'd recommend you upgrade to at least 256, Windows and Linux will run much better! And, i know for certain, your A440 will accept 256MB in either 2x128 combinations, or a single 256 stick, so don't worry about that. It's going more than that that causes me to go tense!

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