PCA Forums

Hi

My friend has a Toshiba laptop and it's badly out of shape, thisngs are messed up in a big way and the only solution I see is a reformat and reinstall of Win98. Problem is: I'm not all that comfortable around laptops. She doesn't have the original Toshiba install CDs. I do have Win CDs and I have done a reformat/reinstall 100 times on a regular PC. What I'm afraid of is:

- Do these Laptops have custom hardware or configs which will prevent me from just installing Win as in a normal PC?

- Can I fdisk/re-partition a laptop disc like a PC disk?

- What about all the internal modem/LAN and other stuff, will I need to get custom drivers?

Basically if I can install a new system like on a PC I have no probs but I don't want to fromat her drive and then be left hanging woth no OS. I haven't even fugured out how to get into the BIOS on the damn thing (it's definitely not DEL, lol )

Any tips, words of caution or encouragament welcome

Cheers

KC

A laptop format and re-install is basically just like doing one on a regular desktop PC (with the possible exception of some high-end IBM laptops, because of security features).

The problem you'll run into is that Windows will likely not have generic drivers for the onboard devices. Depending on how old the lappy is, Windows MIGHT have a sound driver, and the touchpad is generally not a problem.

Most generic video drivers that come with Windows don't work properly on lappies. Even if it finds the right driver for the chipset, it's probably not optimized for that particular LCD display. I've had a LOT of experience with this. You almost always want to try to find the video drivers for that specific laptop. It might work okay with a generic driver, but the colors may look like mud, or you might see visual artifacts.

If it has an internal modem, it's probably a software modem and you'll need the correct driver which Windows won't have. If it's a PC Card modem, you can get drivers from the manufacturer's web page.


First thing you need to do is go to the Toshiba website and hope that they have the individual drivers for that laptop available for download (they usually do). You usually need to look it up by the ACTUAL model number which is printed on the bottom of the lappy next to the serial number (the model number on the lid is usually a general one only).

Failing that, if you can get into the Device Manager on the lappy with the current install of Windows, write down the chipset or model number for each device (sound, video, modem, etc). You'll have to look for drivers from the chipset manufacturer.

Another good place to look is here: http://www.driverguide.com/

Might also be worth contacting Toshiba and see if they'll be willing to send you a driver CD or maybe a System Restore CD for that lappy.

Hope this helps...

Thanks FP, much appreciated, as usual

KC

I have a newer Toshiba laptop and OS installs, etc are the same as any desktop, no probs. You can also get a recovery disc from Toshiba if you'ld like but it's not necessary. All drivers for their notebooks are available at their website and it's very easy to do. They also have a tech support forum with great tech support as I've used it twice and someone answers your post quickly with the answer.