hi, well, trying to download 50 was just to make sure i had alternative choices. the data sheets list all the compaq models involved but superseding softpaqs may or may not still be valid for the earlier models, as i understand it so far.
i have one D500, two D510, one D530, and another 530 that needs work, to try and get fully updated.
but first i would like to try things out on a Deskpro EN P3 733, as i have 6 or more of those and it doesnt matter if i mess up with the bios or chipset softpaqs if i learn something useful in the process.
the install order i am going to manually try with the 733 is BIOS, CHPS, GRPH, NETW, SCRD, but will change that of course as necessary.
but anyway, i think today i will try to destroy a 733
i only have a couple days more to get a 520 working well enough to get me back onto ebay selling and into an online bank. Paypal is not a problem yet but i think theyre pretty forgiving as vast numbers of poor folks around the world (including me!) dont have SSE2 and TLS1.2 enabled for their browsers yet. but ebay.co.uk seem to be always making changes to one thing or another and causing unnecessary problems.. anyway thats been my experience over the last 12 years selling on there.
i have now at last figured out a list of 9 essential softpaqs to try on the 4 different systems, at least its my list at the start. can you guess which 9 softpaqs are on my 'essential list'?
i have an 'additional list' of 11 less likely ideal choices and then 33 on another list that were downloaded with the others but are currently being regarded as surplus. my 'additional list' is
¬
28092
28818
29343
30969
31745
32652
34070
35952
PRO2K3XP_32
WDM_A404
win2k_xp14103
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the last 3 may be duplicates of ones which are proper softpaqs (ie. SP prefixed). there is one SCRD i could not find when i looked a second time so have not downloaded it for the additional list, that being AUD_ALLOS_5.10.0.6020_PV_RealtekAC97.exe but the length of the file name seems daft to me and if 5.10.0.6.6020 is the actual softpaq version then that also may be the same as an SP i already have.
HP didnt always work for me (sometimes said 'TLS1.2 needed'). i used driverguide a lot, avoiding the big 'download now' buttons.. but after 15 completed it now fails to fully show the 'pick the pics' security thing, so no further than that do i get
also used the very good for datasheets site cwcyrix.duckdns.org/ftp-archives/ftp.compaq.com/pub/softpaq/ etc, etc, to download softpaqs. unlike the others that site was always brick slow for me, but it did get there eventually if i restarted at least once per download.
i have been using opera 12 for a long time as well as opera 21 on two of the bases. 12 has mostly been ok for the recent downloads but 21 installed on XP-SP3 with drivers not yet updated doesnt work at all well. i used to use 21 on a 520 without major problems but it was on an XP prior installed partition with i assume enough updating of drivers having been done.
i use the old favourite Powerquest a lot but working when tired one night i accidentally deleted the wrong partition so it was bye bye XP along with the much relied upon Opera 21 install! there is a free partition undelete utility called 'Find and Mount' which finds it ok so i have been able to rescue files but mounting and booting does not work. i have used it experimentally to do a similar rescue on a 530 and it quickly mounted a deleted partition and booted just fine. i think Acronis True Image might get the 520 hard drive to reboot so i can check what drivers were on there enabling 21 to work unhindered. i will keep the 520 drive untouched until i can get to try an Acronis rescue.
many thanks for the great reply. much appreciated
