Laptop boost
 

I want to run a Sartin type program in a windows version and not currently for sale

I have a older IBM Think Pad that I purchaused used at a computer show
It came with windows 98
This was fine for the dos program Val 3 The developer of the windows program told me it would not work on windows 98 So I upgraded to windows xp Pro

The program works but its is very slow and the computer locks up
running this program
I have asked around and the typical answer is you need more memory

these are the specs for the computer that I can find


Intel Pent.II processor
331MHZ
192MB ram

Question
Poking around I found a tap in the control panel that lets me adjust for visual or proformance
If I click for best proformance but scarafice Visual would be fine as I just want to run a very basic text type screen

anyway I think I need more memory
Is there any kind of external memory gizmo or do I need to open the computer ?

Thanks I would rather not have to upgradee again as I bet almost all the time from home
now But I do like to take a labtop with me when I go to tracks

Format the hard drive then install Windows 98 SE back on to that old laptop and try to run Validator without asking anyone else next time.

I would have done that as You advice me but, As I told you

1 Its not Validator or Val 3 or any Dos program
2. It needs either windows 2000
or EX
3. I can't put windows 98 back in anyway I don't have a reinstall disk

Please don't tell me what to ask ok ?
I don't understand your attitude

hey bill how was everything a work today

Hey Buddy
 

Busy They sent me all over. Just got home around 5
long day

Bill

Very basic install
 

Provided the laptop in question has its product key intact and stuck on the laptop itself, any place that does repairs should be able to format the hard drive for you and do a fresh install of the operating system that the product key is for at a small charge. If the OS was Win 98SE I say go with that, it was the OS of the time the unit was made. Its best to not bogg down a older machine with a newer OS because it will make the laptop slow, there is nothing you can do thats better to boost a P2 but return it to a fresh state like it was when it was original.

Thanks Fast
I'm sure that would work however as I said
The program wlll not work in windows 98or 98 SE

I have a computer at work that is Windows 98 that we use for just a label machine, I have no doubt if I load Val3 on it that it would work, why would you think windows 98 would not work with these programs. I once had Windows 98 on my computer at home long ago and never had a program not work.

Bill needs quite a bit of computing power as this is a bit more than a programable calculator.

Bill,

Numerous modern Windows software will not work (or work well) on Windows 98, not with the low amount of memory and processor speed in your laptop.

One reason for not working on Win98 is sometimes that programming tools want to support Unicode (languages and symbols other than Roman alphabet) and Win98 does not natively support Unicode (requires an add-in). My RDSS software requires Win2000 or WinXP+, for this reason.

Further, if Vector is anything like RDSS, it likely requires more memory and processor power than what you have. Personally, I would not run a reasonably powerful database/computational program under WinXP with anything less than 512Mb of memory and a processor several generations newer than your laptop.

Unfortunately, I image the cost of an upgrade to memory, processor, OS (and possibly hard drive), is not worth the effort, since a new laptop would likely be the same price and more reliable.

I'd recommend saving your pennies for a new, good laptop.

Ted

I have to agree with Ted here. You current Laptop needs more computing power. I order computer workstations for the company I work for. All these machines run Windows XP Professional. I try to configure these with a minimum of 512MB memory. Windows XP loves memory and really the more the better.

Since notebooks with color screens have come down greatly in price since they were first introduced I would just by a new notebook instead of upgrading. Look around, but I am somewhat partial to Dell notebooks myself.
Check their website and you will see many options that may be in your price range.

Great,
Its about time there is a windows program that does not involve stupid copy and paste if you want to print something out. Also better if the programer is willing to post and read messages to this board like this one does. I am not meaning to knock Guy now that he is no longer but rather send kudos along for work done right. If I were selecting a new laptop for such to take to the track it would be a pent. M. with the larger cell battery.

Yes a Windows program will solve many of the printing problems and also some of the crashing problems that some people experience. With the newer printers being introduced it would be a challenge to print anything in DOS.

Windows allows the programmer to put in additional features that would be very difficult to do with the DOS program. To me a Windows based Sartin Methodogy program would be something I am looking forward to.

Thanks Ted
Yes I understand your point My great friend Baum who helped me out very much with "The bambino" computer as we call it Also pointed out that it runs very hot. He added a program that monitors the heat the computer is creating and It was showing VERY HOT
Baum told me to get a fan that plugs into a usb and it will help
cool the Bambino But I will give the bambino to Brooks so he can
work some races on his own with Val 3 or Speculator

Too many issues just trying to run Val 3
I'm sure I need at least 512 to run Vector
Bill

As a software junkie, I gotta ask, what is Vector and what are my chances of test driving it?

Jim

Vector
 

Vector is a Sartin style windows program That is still in the developmental states

It is not ready for sale but the creators are members of Pace and Cap
I know they know your interested Thats all I can tell you right now

Hi Bill,

Thanks for the reply. It looks interesting from the screen shot. Best of luck to you with it.

Jim

Just for the record, Guy's last version of Spec, Spandx, (and Spec150, which I released to tweak a few things), both print their output to all Windows printers and printer drivers (I print sometimes to my PDF converter). Not that I've ever been a fan of printing Val or Spec readouts, and not recommending unnecessarily prolonging the life of these old DOS programs, but for those who want printouts...

Ted

Bill,

What's the model number on the thinkpad? Let me check out the memory. It's available pretty cheaply these days, either used or new. You do have to go inside the computer, but on most modern thinkpads its a pretty simple plug in chore. It won't be blazingly fast, but should run OK in the 300 mhz range if you can get around 256k in it. I play with a lot of thinkpads and will be happy to check it out and find what you need and get you easy instructions if its possible to do.

Dick

Bill,

I notice you said on another thread that the speed and processor is all you have. Look on the bottom of the computer. There should be a sticker or IBM logo, hopefully with the word type, followed by 4 digits (usually all numbers), followed by 3 digits (usally a mix of letters and numbers).

If you can't find that, boot it up and try START, PROGRAMS, ACCESORIES, SYSTEM TOOLS, SYSTEM INFORMATION. Copy off the info out of the summary and send it to me. What I'm giving you is from Windows 2000, so yours may be a little different. I don't have XP.

Dick

Hello Dick

Thanks.. I just sent you tha info in a Email
Thank you for your help .

Bill