Replacing a laptop motherboard......
tardis Mk III -- my Dell Latitude Cpx J650GT laptop -- is running intolerably slow. This is after putting in 512 Mb of RAM a couple of months ago. It's only recognizing the first 256 Mb of RAM. I've tried different memory chips, and it is getting a parity read error at locations 10000000 or 10000020. This leads me to suspect it's a problem with the memory socket, and not the chips.
There are three ways I can fix this problem, in descending order of cost: (1) Buy a new or refurbished laptop, (2) buy another Dell Latitude CPx J650GT if I can find one, or (3) replace the motherboard. I happen to like the model I have, not to mention the docking station and swappable drives I bought for it. (I can take out the CD drive and swap in a Zip drive, a floppy drive, or a second hard drive.)
And so I looked online. overstock.com has a nice refurbished Dell Latitude D620 for $350. amazon.com has a Dell Latitude CPx J650GT for $150. And eBay has a refurbished motherboard for $40 including shipping. I'm going with the last solution. The memory socket should be on the motherboard. Hopefully this will fix my problem, and I'll have a fully functional laptop again. I just hope I can find some clear table space to do the motherboard swap.
There are three ways I can fix this problem, in descending order of cost: (1) Buy a new or refurbished laptop, (2) buy another Dell Latitude CPx J650GT if I can find one, or (3) replace the motherboard. I happen to like the model I have, not to mention the docking station and swappable drives I bought for it. (I can take out the CD drive and swap in a Zip drive, a floppy drive, or a second hard drive.)
And so I looked online. overstock.com has a nice refurbished Dell Latitude D620 for $350. amazon.com has a Dell Latitude CPx J650GT for $150. And eBay has a refurbished motherboard for $40 including shipping. I'm going with the last solution. The memory socket should be on the motherboard. Hopefully this will fix my problem, and I'll have a fully functional laptop again. I just hope I can find some clear table space to do the motherboard swap.