Is a 10 year old laptop past its best before date? My 10 year old is experiencing great difficulties with wi-fi. It seems to get connected ok but is really really slow and doesn't seem to play Youtube or any videos very well. (I was also told it is a "G" and not an "N" whatever that means.)
10 Year Old Laptop
- Thread starter SkyRider
- Start date
If the internet connection is good, it could be that windows is corrupt and a format and reinstall could do it. If the HD has ten years it could be on its way out. I would download the diagnostic for the HD first and test it its easy and fast.
Its 5 years past shelf life.
A 10 year CPU and 1GB Memory cant keep up with today's browser, plugins and memory hogging sites in the internet. Its like trying to push a Lada to go 120+ Kms on the highway keeping up with traffic flow without the Lada shaking or falling apart.
You can get a cheap new laptop for around $300 these days.
A 10 year CPU and 1GB Memory cant keep up with today's browser, plugins and memory hogging sites in the internet. Its like trying to push a Lada to go 120+ Kms on the highway keeping up with traffic flow without the Lada shaking or falling apart.
You can get a cheap new laptop for around $300 these days.
What he said. It's not all about internet abilities. When we're talking about Youtube videos, your video card and CPU have to be able to process the information the internet sends it. If they can't handle it, you could be pushing 1Gbps in to your laptop from your connection and getting the same result. Just checking out my activity monitor here, playing a 1080p video on Safari is burning 350MB of memory and 11-18% of CPU. And this laptop is just over a year old.
One of my notebooks is a Thinkpad t60 from about 2008 or so.
It was running like crap so i swapped out the old hard drive and put in an ssd and then i installed windows 7 from scratch.
With win 7 i find you can keep installing over and over again on older pcs.
When the 20 digit activation code is rejected because its been used before all you do is call the 1800 India microsoft support centre tell them you installed a new hard drive and they'll do a work around thing to activate your win 7.
I find these old core 2 duo machines from around 2008 or so work very well with a new ssd installed.
And i find you dont need the system drivers disc either. Windows 7 figures out what drivers your system needs and installs them for you.
As for wifi a lot of older laptops have motherboard wifi that gets a bit clunky and erratic. But there's an easy work around. Just stick in a usb wifi in a usb port and you're good to go.
It was running like crap so i swapped out the old hard drive and put in an ssd and then i installed windows 7 from scratch.
With win 7 i find you can keep installing over and over again on older pcs.
When the 20 digit activation code is rejected because its been used before all you do is call the 1800 India microsoft support centre tell them you installed a new hard drive and they'll do a work around thing to activate your win 7.
I find these old core 2 duo machines from around 2008 or so work very well with a new ssd installed.
And i find you dont need the system drivers disc either. Windows 7 figures out what drivers your system needs and installs them for you.
As for wifi a lot of older laptops have motherboard wifi that gets a bit clunky and erratic. But there's an easy work around. Just stick in a usb wifi in a usb port and you're good to go.
Went to Fortune Computer a couple of months ago. Asked them to install the USB N150 wireless adapter for me. They spent an hour unsuccessfully trying and finally gave up.
The laptop currently has Lubuntu 14.04 O/S, was originally Vista.
If it is the operating system then I suggest you upgrade to Ubuntu ( free on the internet ) If it is a wifi problem you may be able to find old wifi receivers that look like USB keys for $10 at used computer shops. The computer buying landscape has changed drastically in the last year or two. Everyone has a computer and sales have slowed down. The manufacturers are not offering really good deals anymore. At the low end is the E1 chipped computers that can be had for about $400-425 Sometimes they have better computers for about that price and not always advertised specials. Check the Best Buy and Future Shop websites. The computer prices dip in March and there are better deals around that time.
See my question in tomorrows Trivia thread on Lada cars and see if you can answer it.
See my question in tomorrows Trivia thread on Lada cars and see if you can answer it.
I agree with the guy above who watches me masturbate...
I have a 10+ year old laptop that I have installed Ubuntu on, and it works marvy.
I have a 10+ year old laptop that I have installed Ubuntu on, and it works marvy.
Technically, you may be able to upgrade some of the parts like the hard drive, wireless card and RAM. On the other hand, you could easily spend more money on new parts (assuming they fit in your older model laptop) instead of just buying a brand new laptop. If you end up buying a new laptop make sure to wipe the hard drive of the old one. Lots of old data can stay on the hard drive even if you format it. There's a free program called Derek's Boot and Nuke (DBAN) that will do the job. Or you can take out your aggressions on the laptop and take the sledgehammer to it. Again, make sure the hard drive is smashed good.
I have Lubuntu 14.04 on my laptop. I wanted Linux Mint 17 but my friend said that my laptop can't handle Mint 17.
There are still a handful of Niva Cossacks zipping around Downsview & Thornhill. Got tailgated by one the other night near Bathurst & Carville.
I was 16 yrs old, I knew were the gas went and Daddy took care of the rest. It was white.
but ask away, I just want to watch your signature cat. Boy is he fantastic. He looks like my boy at home and seems to be as interesting.
Tech Source has an ad now for a refurbished Core 2 Duo laptop (Windows 7) for $149.
