Older Laptop -- How Difficult to Replace CD Drive

[WhipperSnapper]

I have an older laptop that I used while I was in college and I'm wondering if it might be possible to convert it into a wireless Internet surfer. It was made by a now defunct Taiwanese company called Featron. It has a Pentium 233 Mhz processor and 32 MB RAM currently running Windows 95 on a 2 GB hard drive. It is too old to have USB ports. It's always done a fine job with Microsoft Word and I've surfed the Internet on it in the past using a PCMCIA dialup modem. I'm hoping it could handle the newest Firefox. If not then Avant would be fine.

To me the most daunting problem seems to be that the CD drive seems to have died. How hard would it be to replace it with a new CD-ROM drive? Is it as easy as adding an IDE drive to a computer? Do laptops have generic CD drive interfaces? Should I just go looking for a cheap one on eBay? I figure I'd need a CD to install Windows 98SE and any drivers for a wireless PCMCIA card.

Next I'd need to get a wireless PCMCIA card. (I already have a wireless router on my desktop, so that part isn't an issue.)

Does it sound like I could do all of this with such an old notebook? I think my biggest stumbling block is the current lack of a CD drive which prevents me from installing software. After that the next biggest concern would be whether this system would have the power needed to surf the Internet today.

 

[montag451]

To surf the net, shouldn't be that much of a problem.
If all you need the cd drive for is to install win98, then it would be easier to take out the drive and connect it to a desktop using a 2.5 to 3.5 IDE converter.
Copy EVERYTHING you need to the driver cos you don't want to be doing this everytime, then install win from the hard drive - lots quicker and nicer to have win98 on a folder on the hdd.
One thing though - you would have to sys x: where x is the lappy drive that shows up on the desktop - that will put the core DOS files to enable you to boot to the hdd, then you can install win98.
Unless you have a floppy on the laptop, then that last step is unimportant.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Thanks for the idea. I don't have the converter cable and I think I'd prefer to just put a CD drive in the laptop. I wonder what other options I might have for connecting it to a desktop though.

 

[unfalliblekrutch]

if you put the windows cd in another computer, then share that cd drive over your home network, you should be able to install it that way, with your laptop first caching all the files it needs onto HDD before starting the installation process.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally posted by: unfalliblekrutch
if you put the windows cd in another computer, then share that cd drive over your home network, you should be able to install it that way, with your laptop first caching all the files it needs onto HDD before starting the installation process.

How would I hook the two up? The laptop doesn't have a modem at this time (the PCMCIA modem itself stopped working three years ago--not sure if it's the card or the dongle) nor does it have USB.

However, it does seem to have a serial port and a parallel port.

Maybe Montag was right now that I've caught on to the gist of what he's saying--pull out the 2.5 inch hard drive from the laptop itself. Get an external 2.5 drive bay or just a cable to hook it to the desktop, then copy all Windows 98 files over to it plus any needed drivers for a wireless PCMCIA card.

 

[Jiggz]

With todays laptop, CD Rom, DVD/CDrom or DVDRW drives are basically standard including hdd. I'm not sure with older notebooks. The only way to find out if you can dismount or remove the old cd rom from the existing notebook and take a look on the physical appearance and also the look of the connector. You can then compare this with with newer cd roms in the market. If there is a big difference, you can just try searching for notebook repair shops or homepage which carries your type of cd rom using pulled units. As for removing the cd roms, with new laptops, it's just a matter of sliding the lock in the unlock position and sliding the unit out.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

I've already pulled out the CD drive. The issue is where I could find a replacement.

If I were to move forward I think I'd try Montag's idea. Get a 2.5" external hard drive case ($15 shipped) and see if I can copy software onto it from there. If so, then to move forward I just get a wireless PCMCIA card and I should be in business.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

OK. If I go ahead and purchase an external 2.5" hard drive case, how hard would it be for me to copy my Win98SE CD on to it, put it back in my laptop, and then install the OS from there? Would I just need a normal 3.5" boot floppy? Should I expect any problems installing drivers for a wireless card using the same technique?

 

[Bozono]

Originally posted by: WhipperSnapper

OK. If I go ahead and purchase an external 2.5" hard drive case, how hard would it be for me to copy my Win98SE CD on to it, put it back in my laptop, and then install the OS from there? Would I just need a normal 3.5" boot floppy? Should I expect any problems installing drivers for a wireless card using the same technique?

You don't need a 2.5" external case, just the adaptor. Hook it up to your desktop, format with fat, then copy all the cab files to c:\win98install or something to that effect. Include any extra drivers you think you'll need in that directory. Then pop in a Win98 bootable floppy in the laptop and go from there. That's how I recall it was done with win98. Could be wrong.

EDIT: an external 2.5" case may be a better alternative than the adaptor since it's not much more $ and will provide more functionality.