Q & A on Del laptop purchase

Tim

I'm planning to get a Dell Latitude CPi from someone here on the board, and have seen a lot of the same model on eBay the past few weeks. I need answers to a few questions so I can get the right parts to get this computer tuned up good once it is here.

1. I'm planning to get a Wireless NIC card for the PCMCIA slot. I've heard that the Orinoco Gold is a good card for a wireless network. Does that card have an Ethernet plug? I'd need a way to plug an ethernet cable into this computer for internet access when not doing wireless things. The USB port will be hooked up to a webcam, so I can't use it for the internet connection.

2. The best Dell specs I can find on it say it can handle up to 256 MB of PC100 SDRAM total in its 2 SODIMM slots. I thought they could take more memory.

3. The Dell website spec sheets listed processors up to only 300 Mhz P2's. This one, like many others on eBay, has a 366 Mhz P2. I don't know how much the other technical things about the computer changed with those 2 different processor power levels.

4. How hard is it to change a keyboard? Or should I let a computer shop do it?

I'll think of more questions soon.

primesuspect

Well, I can answer #1 right off the bat:

I don't think there is such a thing as a combo wired/wireless PCMCIA card.

Another consideration - that laptop is very old, you might have to make sure that any network card you get is a Type II card instead of a Cardbus card. You'll have to double check, but that laptop might not be cardbus capable, and you'll have trouble finding an older-style type2 wireless networking card. You'll have to get a seperate wired and wireless card.

2: 256mb of ram MAX it is. 128mb in each slot total - a limitation of machines from that era.

3: Probably not much

4: Not hard at all. if you have a small screwdriver, you'll be able to do it. You work on cars, right? Same thing, smaller scale

maggie99635

Here is a link to the specs http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/pmojav/ it looks like there is a PC Slot. No mini pci and a builtin modem not ethernet. So you will have to buy PC Cards. Dell has pretty good documentation. Once you get it the site should be easy to navigate. The forum isn't bad either. I have an Inspiron 8200.

Tim

Here's what the Dell site says about the PC card slots:

PC Card controller Texas Instruments PCI 1131 CardBus controller
PC Card connectors 2 (type I or type II cards can be used in any combination; type III cards can be used only in the bottom connector).*
PC Card connector size 68 pins
Cards supported 3.3-V and 5-V
Bus type PCI
Bus speed 33 MHz
Data width:
PCMCIA
16 bits
CardBus
32 bits

So it seems it can handle a Cardbus card. Cardbus is the new standard design?

In what situations would you have cards in both slots at the same time?

When they say "PC Card", they mean the PCMCIA slots, right? I can't think of any other slots on the computer that might be it.

If I have to get one PCMCIA card to connect to an ethernet cable, and another card for wireless access, that's okay. I just want to know ALL the details before I lay out any cash for anything.

I've been reading about wardriving, and already downloaded a copy of NetStumbler 0.4.0 . That's the only thing I'd need a Wireless card for.

Any suggestions on which brands / models of cards would be good for these 2 purposes?

I am going to a computer show this weekend, and may buy a 128 MB memory stick for it. And PCMCIA cards for ethernet and wireless access. If all they have is PC133 memory instead of PC100 memory, will the PC133 work fine in the PC100 slots, like it does in desktop computer SDRAM sticks?
Any other tips or things I should look for?

maggie99635

Yes PCMCIA is the PC slot. For Memory you need 144 pin Sodimms 64MB
EDO • Unbuffered • Non-parity • 60ns • 3.3V • 8Meg x 64
Got this off the Crucial site. Dell wanted the service tag to check the memory. http://www.crucial.com/store/MPartspecs.Asp?mtbpoid=D93B6FD78C0EB3BE&WSMD=Latitude+CPi&WSPN=CT154174
Well the info on the dell tech guide gives you more options.

Tim

Can I use 128 MB sticks of memory? Since there are 2 slots and the computer can take 256 MB it seems like I can. I'll write down those memory specs and take them to the computer show with me this weekend.