Okies, I just read the MotD, and I'd like to help.

It seems to me that the best outcome would be for him to upgrade to the M400, and if I understand the MotD, that needs about US$140.

I'll kick in $70*. So ... calling on others to top that up.

@ CMJ: Do you want this to come through the normal donations box, or would it be better to have it come through "off Island"?

D.


*No strings, i.e. even if this doesn't raise any other amounts.

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The lunatics are taking over the asylum! Come with?

I support the effort to get a new laptop--in my book, investing in a newer and more capable computer is usually the more desirable choice. However, I just have a couple questions. Like, the screen mask. What is it? Is it the layer of clear plastic that your finger touches when you poke the screen? Or is it the frame around the edges that holds that screen against the laptop? I'm guessing it's the latter, or possibly both are components of the screen mask?

Secondly, if replacing the screen mask is all you need to keep this laptop functional (and the keyboard?), is it at all possible to buy thick plastic for a lot cheaper and cut it to what you need? Or putting some powerful adhesive to cover the crack? Just duct-tape the frame if it's snapped? Or in the case of the transparent part, packaging tape?

I know it's what my sister would call, "a very ghetto solution," but I'm asking is that basically, if it's possible, couldn't you save money that way?

Again, I wholeheartedly understand not wanting to do something like that and going for a better laptop. Seriously, a 2004 device that you're still using? Really?

The M200 is a tablet, isn't it? Yowch.

I've been saying and saying and saying that I'll donate, and I do have thirty or so dollars tucked aside, but I don't have a credit card, and so I've got to go find someplace that sells those little cards PayPal uses to let you deposit money. Now that at least some of my finals are over I'll find a day to go and do that.

I'm not sure whether these links are any good, or whether CMJ's already done a search, or... but anyways,

£73.67 ex VAT http://www.porthale.co.uk/products.asp?partno=P000388420
£42.86 Ex VAT http://www.xma4education.co.uk/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=TOSP000388420
$79.95 http://www.impactcomputers.com/p000388420-rb.html

And in poking around I heard something about being able to use a newer part to replace the P000388420, one that costs about $70 to the $100 for the older? I have no idea.

Anyways, money. I'll get on that.

After further research, it turns out the M400 isn't gonna cut it - it uses a resolution of 1024*768, no good at all for making graphics. It was the M4 I was thinking of, but you can't get them for love nor money. The M7 is an upgraded version with widescreen.

(incidentally, who the hell thought that was a good idea? It's bad enough that we switched to landscape monitors. You ever seen a webpage wider than it is long?)

The screen mask is the layer of clear plastic protecting the LCD panel. You don't poke it with your finger - there's a digitizer, which interacts with a pen thing. The pen thing doesn't have batteries - it's powered by an electrical field put out by the screen sitting in my lap, woohoo. Duct tape is out of the question, I'm afraid. :-/

The keyboard is still in rice; new keyboards are about thirty bucks. The bloody thing is riveted together, so it's gonna be pretty hard to dismantle and diagnose properly.

A 2004 laptop is honestly more than fast enough for what I need it for. I run Linux, so there's no need for top-end hardware.

Well alrighty then. You're the one using it, clearly you know best what's needed.

In the absence of advice to the contrary, I'll poke my contribution through the usual donations box at my next log in.

D.

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The lunatics are taking over the asylum! Come with?

The first time I used the computers in my college library, I was impressed by the massive 24-inch monitors and their fancy new square shape. It took me two minutes to remember that monitors used to always be like that and widescreen was the fancy one.




Touche.





This tells me you either own a desktop too, or you don't play many other computer games.

No desktop - well, not one I use as a computer, anyway. We've got an old P4 hooked into the telly, and MAME running through that, with a nice two-player arcade joystick. It's a pretty sweet setup! You can have a lot of fun with last decade's hardware. . Also it's great for parties.

's done. Hope it helps.

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The lunatics are taking over the asylum! Come with?