New here... be gentle
I decided to resurrect my Dell Inspiron 6400 from 2007 (bought it for Christmas 2006) that was being used to hold up a desk lamp in the basement. (don't laugh)
After reading these forums (and having used Dell laptops for years at work), I took the plunge and upgraded just about everything.
- Upgraded the 80gb 5400rpm drive to a 7200rpm SSHD Seagate Momentus XT (500GB)
- Upgraded the 2GB (PC2-4200) to 4GB (PC2-5300)
- Upgraded the CPU (T2050) to C2D T7600
- Upgraded the GPU (nVidia) to ATI x1400/256MB
(Note: I took the time to disassemble and repaste the GPU module)
- Cleaned/lubed the motor on the fan (3-in-1 electric motor rated stuff)
- Firmware updated on everything (motherboard, DVD drive, HDD)
- Added the Dell bluetooth 355 (2.0+EDR) model
While I was at it, I replaced the LCD inverter. The laptop cover/bezel was replaced (NEW) and so was the palmrest/tackpad. Keyboard was original and just needed some DEEP cleaning.
Now, for the "issues":
- After loading the "sp4" combined update, I noticed that my Windows Installer Service is bad, so, I had to unregister/register it and then everything worked. Anyone else notice this?
- I had 2 different Seagate Momentus XT drives. One is a "g1" and one is a "g2", the "g2" works, the "g1" was VERY hot and the drive kept disappearing. I "think" this might be a SATA-1 thing or possibly firmware. Thoughts on drive generations?
- I am hunting for a 54mm ExpressCard USB3 adapter that is flush fit. Any suggestions? I think the NEC still works.
Any help with these 3 items would be really appreciated.
I decided to resurrect my Dell Inspiron 6400 from 2007 (bought it for Christmas 2006) that was being used to hold up a desk lamp in the basement. (don't laugh)
After reading these forums (and having used Dell laptops for years at work), I took the plunge and upgraded just about everything.
- Upgraded the 80gb 5400rpm drive to a 7200rpm SSHD Seagate Momentus XT (500GB)
- Upgraded the 2GB (PC2-4200) to 4GB (PC2-5300)
- Upgraded the CPU (T2050) to C2D T7600
- Upgraded the GPU (nVidia) to ATI x1400/256MB
(Note: I took the time to disassemble and repaste the GPU module)
- Cleaned/lubed the motor on the fan (3-in-1 electric motor rated stuff)
- Firmware updated on everything (motherboard, DVD drive, HDD)
- Added the Dell bluetooth 355 (2.0+EDR) model
While I was at it, I replaced the LCD inverter. The laptop cover/bezel was replaced (NEW) and so was the palmrest/tackpad. Keyboard was original and just needed some DEEP cleaning.
Now, for the "issues":
- After loading the "sp4" combined update, I noticed that my Windows Installer Service is bad, so, I had to unregister/register it and then everything worked. Anyone else notice this?
- I had 2 different Seagate Momentus XT drives. One is a "g1" and one is a "g2", the "g2" works, the "g1" was VERY hot and the drive kept disappearing. I "think" this might be a SATA-1 thing or possibly firmware. Thoughts on drive generations?
- I am hunting for a 54mm ExpressCard USB3 adapter that is flush fit. Any suggestions? I think the NEC still works.
Any help with these 3 items would be really appreciated.
