Restoring an Olde Laptop

[blancostupido]

Hey all,

I've got a Compaq 1090es that I want to restore. I know it's not *that* expensive to just go and buy a new one, but I'd like to have this around as a backup. It crashed about a year ago and I could never find the restore disks till now (1 CD, 1 floppy, Win95, yeah ancient)

During the recovery, it restores up to 41% then stops.......I rebooted/retried a few times....the 1st time, it also got to 41%, then I tried again and it got to 75% before crapping out....then it got to 95% - crapped out.....completed to 100% and told me to (remove disks, duh) and reboot...then said I had an error.

A while back, my Compaq desktop crashed and I remember having to give it a few tries, before the recovery 'takes'....so I'm just wondering is it worth the effort? Possibly a bad/slow CD drive (it always seemed slow)....or floppy drive? Demagnetized floppy?? BTW the recovery 'kit' has remained unopened since it was bought in...ooohh...'97?

If there was a virus, wouldn't restoring the whole thing wipe that out also?

Thanks!

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[KC2OSO]

It sounds like whatever caused it to crash in the first place is still lurking about - whether its a virus or some bad sectors on the hard drive. What does a Scandisk tell you? If there are bad sectors on the drive, it might not be worth it. If the drive is ok, are you trying to save the files on the drive? If not, why not do a format and a fresh install? Just some thoughts...

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[TheKnicks23]

Don't even bother with restoring it. It RARELY works.

Go ahead and re-install 95.

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[Hottub]

If the stuff on there is not too valuable, do a complete disk format.
After the format, install win98-B (or NT 4) Both OS's are quite stable. Never say never.

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[blancostupido]

What does a Scandisk tell you?

ooofff......oh well, my mistake, should have thought of that before I wiped out Windows.....nothing important at all is on this thing anyway.....thanks for the input guys

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[wilee]

What is the error that you are getting? Is it a disk read/write error, a Windows error or are you getting a BSOD?

If the hard drive is at issue, you may be able to replace it (From my lists, it only has a 1.4 Gig HD?) with something larger. 1.4 Gig hardly seems like enough space for even Office 97 and little more...

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[blancostupido]

Well, as it stands, last time I looked at it, it would restore about 1/2-way, then reboot itself and start again and I've gotten an error message regarding a bad CD or CD drive & sometimes I get a screen full of garbage sanskrit characters and such.....

so, I dunno, I might try another hard drive. This project has fallen to the side this past week and it's only something to have around as a backup or maybe if I get it up & running I'll give it to mom. She was telling me about this thing she heard about "Electronic Mail".........

anyway, thanks for the idea

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[JPMNICK]

Unless she REALLY needs it, you are better off getting your mom a cheap desktop. I have seen used PIII's for 200$. Even a new dell is under 500. It will be much more reliable with a MUCH better OS. Easier for her means less supports calls for you:)

I have the same problem with my old IBM laptop. The problem could be one a few things. A bad power regulator, bad fan, overheating, or bad hard drive. I would try the hard drive first if you want.

[Tall_James]

Restoring an Olde Laptop

Take it to the "Ye Olde Laptop Repair Shoppe"


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[Reephdweller]

I never use the restore options, I always prefer to do a complete format and system reinstall. If I am working on a pc that I didn't make myself, I generally go to the website of the pc manufacturer and enter the model number, Dell's website is pretty good at giving you all the software and drivers you need to reinstall your system.

Once I have everything I need, I just format and install windows.

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Maybe you should update to the 10 x 10.

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[ADF]

Format and reload, buddy. Still, I think you have an expensive paperweight on your hands. If you keep it totally clean, you might be able to use it to browse the web and goof around with solitaire.

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