Compaq Armada 110

[iMac600]

Got it for free, seems the only problem it has is a missing up arrow key, even the battery works.

700mhz Celeron Processor

192mb RAM

10gb HD

Still not sure of the other specs. It was slow as hell earlier but it seems to be running pretty well with Windows FLP. More details as they arrive.

 

[LCGuy]

Not a bad machine

 

[Temetka]

That'd be a good linux / Win2k machine.

 

[iMac600]

Ok, it won't boot up into any OS it seems. I decided to take a look into the BIOS but someone's set a BIOS password on it. Luckily a program called "CmosPwd" can crack it, but I have to shoehorn Windows 98 on there first.

Apparently these also take DESKTOP CPU's, so I may open it up later and see if I can throw in a full Pentium III. Otherwise I also have a 700mhz Mobile Pentium III that can fit it.

For the record Windows FLP is actually pretty decent, runs about the same speed and efficiency of Windows 2000 with the application support of Windows XP.

 

[iMac600]

3rd time lucky. Windows 2000 installed from my disc, ran the BIOS update which cleared the BIOS password and now the machine seems to be running perfectly. Battery is operational as well, haven't got an exact run down figure but it's enough to take it off AC, hunt around for another one and throw it back on AC anyway.

For the record, the IT manager also has a Sharp Notebook (Pentium 1) and a Toshiba Satellite (Pentium 1) that he's also about to throw out. Worth picking one of these up?

 

[chris]

Pick up both, they don't take up much space even if you can't use them.

 

[Cory5412]

Although if you have to choose, take the Toshiba. Those things in the 486/P1/PII era are pretty epic.

Anyway, congrats on the pretty good laptop, especially one with battery life to speak of, and congrats on getting it going!

 

[dpatten]

For the record, the IT manager also has a Sharp Notebook (Pentium 1) and a Toshiba Satellite (Pentium 1) that he's also about to throw out. Worth picking one of these up?

I've got my Toshiba Satellite 205CDS which is a Pentium 100 machine that I bought back in the day (Don't ask how much...) It still runs Windows 98 great. I'd bag the Toshiba if I were you.

 

[iMac600]

I'll head up there tomorrow and probably bag the Sharp and one of the 2 Toshibas (both are exactly the same model, spec). One of them looks like it's already been pulled apart a little so I may give that one a miss.

Still working fine, battery seems to be pretty strong and hardly used, but it's shutting down at 70%. The BIOS has a battery calibration tool so it may be a simple process of using that.

Funnily enough it has an ethernet jack that was covered over. The cover slid out when I serviced it last, but connecting an ethernet cable to it does seemingly nothing. So I guess it's not ethernet enabled which is a little strange considering it's fairly recent.

Only other grapple is that the system should be able to do 1024x768 and the graphics card is well capable of it, but the LCD panel doesn't seem to. I can set it to 1024x768 but the actual display will be outside of the LCD's viewable region, although it can be used by moving the mouse to the edges of the viewable area so the display "scrolls". I think there has to be a way to fix it, somehow, but I can't work it out.

It looks fantastic otherwise. No scratches or scuffs, a missing key that still works anyway... it's actually a very nice system. Still wondering if I should install Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PC's now that the BIOS update is in place, just so it has a more recent operating system with a little more capability.

 

[LCGuy]

I'd go with the Toshiba. I remember back in primary school, all our teachers had Toshiba Satellites, the old gray ones. They were awesome.

As for the ethernet jack, a lot of low end PCs are like that. A while back I refurbed a Toshiba Satellite Celery-M 1.5 (i think it was, anyway) for a customer and it had the same thing. I removed the cap and plugged it into my network, just to see what would happen, and nothing happened. A look at the guts of it later on revealed that there was no ethernet circuitry on the machine whatsoever.

 

[iMac600]

I'd go with the Toshiba. I remember back in primary school, all our teachers had Toshiba Satellites, the old gray ones. They were awesome.
As for the ethernet jack, a lot of low end PCs are like that. A while back I refurbed a Toshiba Satellite Celery-M 1.5 (i think it was, anyway) for a customer and it had the same thing. I removed the cap and plugged it into my network, just to see what would happen, and nothing happened. A look at the guts of it later on revealed that there was no ethernet circuitry on the machine whatsoever.

Aye, these are the same Toshibas. Just need to find a power supply for it and it'll be good to go. He'll probably keep them up there for a week or so before they go to the crusher, so i'll try and snap up them all if I can (probably give one to a friend, to the brother, etc).

Shame about the ethernet jack for sure, that would have been the icing on an already very sweet cake. Looks like I may need to get a PCMCIA one, then it should be just fine.

Battery is calibrating now, seems to be charging to 40% (10% more than when the machine shuts down unexpectedly) and still going. Chances are it'll make it a decent way according to the calibration info, maybe around 70% or so. More if i'm lucky.

EDIT: Good news. Battery calibration is currently draining the battery down in stage 2 reconditioning. Even with all power saver features disabled it's going on 2 hours battery charge. Bloody beautiful.

 

[iMac600]

Verdict is in. The battery, at the time of manufacture, held 4500mAH. The battery now holds about 4100mAH. Confirms my theory that the battery wasn't used all that much.