Outfitting the loaner laptop....
Sep. 17th, 2010 06:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
poltr1Now that the "new" laptop is up and running, it's time to get some useful accessories for it. It doesn't have "the modern amenities" -- a built-in modem, network/LAN, wireless, or USB 2.0 -- so I'll need to get these as PCMCIA cards. Thankfully, these are in relatively low demand, so I can get them on EBay for reasonable prices and with little or no competition.
Another nice feature of the laptop is the interchangeable drive bay. It came with a floppy drive module installed. At a laptop specialty shop in Cincinnati, I picked up a Zip drive module and a CD-ROM drive module. (I passed on the docking station because I already have one.) And there's a cable I can get to use the floppy drive module as an external floppy drive -- nice to have, although not necessary. And I can definitely use all the modules I already have for the other Dell laptop, since they're the same model.
I haven't been keeping track of the money I've been putting into this loaner laptop -- I'd estimate $100 so far. But this has kept me occupied and feeling useful. In a way, working on laptops and getting them to work is kind of like therapy to me.
I do this as a hobby. I've often thought this would make a good side business for me. But most people want new laptops, not used or refurbished ones.
Another nice feature of the laptop is the interchangeable drive bay. It came with a floppy drive module installed. At a laptop specialty shop in Cincinnati, I picked up a Zip drive module and a CD-ROM drive module. (I passed on the docking station because I already have one.) And there's a cable I can get to use the floppy drive module as an external floppy drive -- nice to have, although not necessary. And I can definitely use all the modules I already have for the other Dell laptop, since they're the same model.
I haven't been keeping track of the money I've been putting into this loaner laptop -- I'd estimate $100 so far. But this has kept me occupied and feeling useful. In a way, working on laptops and getting them to work is kind of like therapy to me.
I do this as a hobby. I've often thought this would make a good side business for me. But most people want new laptops, not used or refurbished ones.
