View Full Version : Laptop resurrection?
JohnnyDrama
03-13-2018, 11:52
I have an old laptop I'm interested in bringing back to life. It's a Compaq Pressario V2000 that I purchased new around 2004. At the time I had to purchase a high end hardware package to accommodate software for a relational database for school projects. After the Windows OS crashed five/six years ago I experimented with Unbuntu and sort of played with it on and off since then but as the hard drive was shot I never got serious. I've recently got it back out with the idea of putting another database on it for reloading.
What I'm wondering, for the computer folks out there, is, how interchangeable are hard drives? I've looked up the part number and found matching parts from $15.00 to $50.00. Am I good to go as long as the pins match and it fits in the space? I don't want to spend a lot of money on this as I don't know how rough the condition this machine may be in. I figure once I replace the hard drive I can do more diagnostics. Is this do-able or am I better off just getting this machine recycled?
If anyone has better ideas I'm open.
Grant H.
03-13-2018, 12:05
Pretty sure that the V2000 series used the IDE/PATA hdd connection, so you will have to find a 2.5" hard drive that still uses that connector.
They are around, and you can get SSD's for them, but they won't have the performance of a SATA SSD.
Unfortunately, they are still sold for legacy hardware, like yours, and aren't going to be cheap.
Honestly, a laptop from 2004 isn't worth putting money into.
It might be fun from a "building a tube radio" standpoint, but even if it was high end in 2004, a $250 current laptop will most likely smoke it in terms of performance. IDE hard drives are not hard to come by, but you may have issues trying to find driver software for the other old hardware, particularly if you want to try to upgrade to windows 7/8/10.
Note: I probably have a HD around that I would be willing to donate to the cause...
Pretty sure that the V2000 series used the IDE/PATA hdd connection, so you will have to find a 2.5" hard drive that still uses that connector.
They are around, and you can get SSD's for them, but they won't have the performance of a SATA SSD.
Unfortunately, they are still sold for legacy hardware, like yours, and aren't going to be cheap.
Honestly, a laptop from 2004 isn't worth putting money into.
^This
I bought a referb Lenovo a 2 years ago for about $250 with a A12 quad cpu and 8gb ram and or another $60 I put a 120 ssd, it takes 15 sec to load.
Your gonna be spinning your wheels and wasting and money at bringing a old machine back up depending on wh at your trying to accomplish you might not even be able to run certain software's due to spec limits. Also don't forget you have to load the OS on a new HD and that's also added expense if you don't have a copy and I doubt win 7/10 would work on it, Ubuntu will but if your just going to do an intrusion package with Kali I don't see much else working on it
JohnnyDrama
03-13-2018, 14:37
Thanks for the replies.
It might be fun from a "building a tube radio" standpoint, but even if it was high end in 2004, a $250 current laptop will most likely smoke it in terms of performance. IDE hard drives are not hard to come by, but you may have issues trying to find driver software for the other old hardware, particularly if you want to try to upgrade to windows 7/8/10.
Note: I probably have a HD around that I would be willing to donate to the cause...
It's funny that you mentioned a tube radio. I'm trying to convince my daughter that a crystal set would make a cool science project for school (I might take you up on that offer).
My motives for trying this project are twofold. One, I'm haunted by the words of a professor I had back in the mid 90s. He was a retired Air Force Lt. Colonel who did a lot with missiles. He said that as computers were being developed, scientists believed the world would probably not need more than seven or eight to handle everything we needed. I figure it's a waste to let that computational power go to waste. It doesn't have to go fast, just go. Even a little (This machine will probably spend most of the time in the garage). Two, I'd like to show my daughter that computers can be "fixed" like any other machine. They aren't magical devices and you don't need a wizard's hat to make them work. So, it's kind of personal. Maybe I need to step away...
To simplify my question, if I were to drop something like this
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DZBMIK/ref=dp_cerb_3
into my computer, would it work? At least a little? That's just something that popped up as I was looking around. I haven't seriously looked into buying something.
As far as operating systems, I was looking at Ubuntu again. I used an Open Office program to build the database before. I figure I can do that again.
Grant H.
03-13-2018, 14:59
Thanks for the replies.
It's funny that you mentioned a tube radio. I'm trying to convince my daughter that a crystal set would make a cool science project for school (I might take you up on that offer).
My motives for trying this project are twofold. One, I'm haunted by the words of a professor I had back in the mid 90s. He was a retired Air Force Lt. Colonel who did a lot with missiles. He said that as computers were being developed, scientists believed the world would probably not need more than seven or eight to handle everything we needed. I figure it's a waste to let that computational power go to waste. It doesn't have to go fast, just go. Even a little (This machine will probably spend most of the time in the garage). Two, I'd like to show my daughter that computers can be "fixed" like any other machine. They aren't magical devices and you don't need a wizard's hat to make them work. So, it's kind of personal. Maybe I need to step away...
To simplify my question, if I were to drop something like this
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DZBMIK/ref=dp_cerb_3
into my computer, would it work? At least a little? That's just something that popped up as I was looking around. I haven't seriously looked into buying something.
As far as operating systems, I was looking at Ubuntu again. I used an Open Office program to build the database before. I figure I can do that again.
Per the description, yes, that will work. Per the picture, no, it will not. Based on the comments and reviews, I expect the picture is wrong and the description is right.
Given your explanation of why, sure, it'll probably work out, and could be good for teaching your daughter.
I understand completely! I have my very first laptop from 2008 that I occasionally boot up. It has data on it that I eventually need to transfer to another drive.
It also has Windows Vista on it. I have a real affinity for Vista.
I've got a Roomba that's not taking a charge that you can fix with her. That's a computer AND a robot!
What operating system are you going to use? There is a chance that if you are installing the latest version of anything that you will not be able to find drivers for all of the components in the laptop.
I think it’s a waste of time, find something else to fix.
I have a real affinity for Vista.
So YOU'RE the one...LOL
Have you figured out how to remove the current hard drive? Some are easy and others...not so easy.
Depending on what you plan to do with it, it might be worthwhile. It won't take much RAM and with an IDE/PATA 2.5" drive, it won't do anything quickly. A new battery would be a deal breaker, so if you do anything with it, it will probably be semi-stationary and used for checking email or posting on COAR15. If you do it, check out some of the lighter Linux distributions like Puppy or Linux Lite.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DUYM3NTAy4
JohnnyDrama
03-13-2018, 18:40
What operating system are you going to use? There is a chance that if you are installing the latest version of anything that you will not be able to find drivers for all of the components in the laptop.
I thought of that. I was thinking of something Linux based. All I really want is to be able to make and run a database. If I can play CDs/DVDs that's a bonus. I don't mind no interwebs connection. That way when Skynet becomes....
@cstone - I've removed the hard drive once already just to see if I could do it. It's two panels and five screws. Pretty straight forward. That exercise inspired me to look into this rabbit hole.
So YOU'RE the one...LOL
And only one [Coffee]
Vista was about as good as Win ME imho. It says somthing when even the gov stayed on XP till just about 5 years ago (USDA anyway).
https://www.ubuntu.com/download/flavours
CDOT should have kept with XP since they got hijacked recently. You can do it and for a few bucks it might be worth it. You should see if you can clone your old hard drive to the new one before you go all out and try and reinstall everything.
I am the one, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Vista and I got along like a house on fire, wheras Windows 8.1-10 is an absolute dumpster fire.
I am the one, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Vista and I got along like a house on fire, wheras Windows 8.1-10 is an absolute dumpster fire.
Don't feel bad, I have not liked a windows product since 3.1.1 and I have my original laptop still but it is much older... and the screen is capable of 16 colors lol, oh and it weighs almost 25 pounds. I so wanted one of the retro commodore rereleases for nostalgia but never saw them released just hyped up.
Don't feel bad, I have not liked a windows product since 3.1.1 and I have my original laptop still but it is much older... and the screen is capable of 16 colors lol, oh and it weighs almost 25 pounds. I so wanted one of the retro commodore rereleases for nostalgia but never saw them released just hyped up.
I still have one that was saved from the landfill.
Never got around to using it since it was out of our families budget to get one.
JohnnyDrama
03-15-2018, 13:34
CDOT should have kept with XP since they got hijacked recently. You can do it and for a few bucks it might be worth it. You should see if you can clone your old hard drive to the new one before you go all out and try and reinstall everything.
Keeping you stuff backed up so you can move it to another machine is good advice to everybody. I moved everything I wanted off that drive a long time ago. It seems like a lot of people think XP was the apex of Windows operating systems. I liked it better than 7 or 10.
Don't feel bad, I have not liked a windows product since 3.1.1 and I have my original laptop still but it is much older... and the screen is capable of 16 colors lol, oh and it weighs almost 25 pounds. I so wanted one of the retro commodore rereleases for nostalgia but never saw them released just hyped up.
You piqued my curiosity on that one. I sold a Commodore 64 with disk drive, monitor, dot matrix printer, and a plotter printer for $50.00 to a guy back about 1998. It couldn't do much, especially by today's standards, but if you knew how to work the plotter printer you could produce pretty cool drawings/diagrams. I ran into someone who does custom engraving work and uses a C64 to operate the engraver. She puts one job on each cartridge. When it's time to go to work she just plugs it in and goes.
SideShow Bob
03-16-2018, 21:55
Don't feel bad, I have not liked a windows product since 3.1.1 and I have my original laptop still but it is much older... and the screen is capable of 16 colors lol, oh and it weighs almost 25 pounds. I so wanted one of the retro commodore rereleases for nostalgia but never saw them released just hyped up.
You want to talk about old lap crushers, I’ve still got a KayPro 2000 gathering dust in my hoarder space. It still booted up the last time I ran across it, the batteries are flatlined, but it booted up when I disconnected them and hooked up the power supply.
My 1997 Digital still boots. 192MB of RAM, 1 GB hard drive, Pentium 100. That thing was a rocket, man!
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