X24 Need Help

[ktyler]

I purchased a used x 24 with W2K loaded No CD ROM drive or recovery discs. Recently my harddrive crashed (clicking when I start up)

Took it to a local shop where they replaced drive and tried to load W2K with an external USB CD drive. Booted from disc and would start loading then got message to restart' woulb not completly load. They tried a few other things and kept it for two weeks and then told me that the mother board was probably bad and that I should just repace the laptop. When I turn machine on, IBM screen still comes up. I don't believe it's the MB just problem with instal.

Can anyone offer some advice or reccomendations on a reliable shop? I live in the Houston Texas area. I really like this laptop and am willing to spend a reasonable amount to get it running again.

Also, the origional HD was Travelstar 4200 RPM. Will a 5200 RPM model effect my battery life?

Keith

[pianowizard]

The USB port on the X24 is version 1.1, right? I once tried to install WinXP Pro on my X40 (which has USB2 ports) from an external CD drive that only supports USB 1.1; could get the installation to start but then it halted due to some problem that I don't remember. Later, I tried again using a USB2 external CD drive, and installation proceeded smoothly. So, I suspect you need a faster USB connection in order to finish Windows installation. Unfortunately, since your X24 has only USB1.1 ports, using a USB2 CD drive won't help you get around the problem.

There are ways to install Windows on computers that don't have optical drives and they have been discussed on this forum. Just do a keyword search to find them on this forum.

[Mack]

It works to install Windows from external usb 2.0 cd drive. However, the installation procedure may stop at somewhere because the drive suspends itself. At least that happened to me before. Not sure if that fits your problem description though. But the problem was I had a cheap Philips cd drive. I got around it by buying a quality NEC dvd burner, put it in an external usb 2.0 enclosure. Installation didn't stop or freeze anymore. I know of at least one other guy who also had this kind of installation problem.

So, just for information, can be worth trying to install from different brands of cd/dvd drives.

[asiafish]

Or just buy (cheap on eBay) or borrow and X2 UltraBase, then it will be extremely easy to install.

If you buy one you get the added bonus of a nice docking station with decent (for a laptop) speakers and bootable floppy and optical drives.

While I frequently carry my X without the UltraBase, I wouldn't consider owning one with it.

[LtTPfan]

A 5400 rpm hard drive should not degrade battery performance, in fact it may enhance it slightly. I compared power consumtion data for Hitachi 4200, 5400, and 7200 rpm drives. The faster drives used VERY slightly more power for seeking, reading, and writing; but they had the same idle power consumption so considering a faster drive will be at idle more than a slower one, you may experience a slight increase in battery performance.

The LCD likely presents the largest demand on the battery. Decreasing its brightness to the lowest acceptable level during battery operation will greatly increase battery life.

[wingman]

My previous computer was an X24. I had a USB 1.1 cd-rom which I used to install winxp without problems. Does an error message? What is the message exactly?

When I re-read your post, it seems as though the install takes place and then when you reboot to complete the setup, it won't reboot. Is this correct?

I am just stabbing in the dark here, but did your shop try another HD? I was in a similar situtation myself when my X24 HD died. I got a new HD which came with bad sectors (it is not a problem, its a feature ) I got a new HD for it and viola! no problems.

What kind of HD is it? Go to the manufactuers website and grab the diagnostic tools for the drive.

Keep us posted