Ruggedized laptops questions

[Gunner Asch]

My very elderly Armada 1700 laptop (250 mhz, 512 megs memory, win 98)
is getting very tired. The floppy drive is about done (replaced 2x
already) and the gigantic 40 gig harddrive is full...lol. Its been a
very good machine for the type of field use that I do, but its time to
get something else. Ive used the old girl for the past 15 yrs with
absolutely no issues, other than the battery pack died about 14 yrs
ago..but I generally simply plug it into the wall anyways when using
it.

Ive been offered either a Dell E6400 XFR or a
General Dynamics/ Itronics VR-2, 2.0GHZ Toughbook

I can buy either of them for $50 out the door. One of my
surplus./recyling places offered them to me last Friday.

Anyone have any experience with either unit/brand?

Thanks!

Gunner

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Mon, 11 Apr 2016 18:36:03 -0700, Gunner Asch <gunne...@gmail.com>
wrote:

No personal experience with either one of those particular models,
but for your use I'd take the toughbook over any Del, hands down.

[Jim Wilkins]

"Gunner Asch" <gunne...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1ojogbtkfbq4enlgn...@4ax.com...

I have no experience with the E series, but I've seen a stack of D
series Dell Latitudes that looked like retired jousting targets, yet
still worked.

--jsw

[Terry Coombs]

How about Lenovo ? The wife has been using a Tosh A215-S7437 , but it's
been having issues - she blocks the fan the way she holds it and it
overheats . So a couple of days ago I ordered her a Lenovo refurbed T420
with Win7 Pro 64 bit OS . I have a Lenovo LCD monitor on my shop comp and I
like it ...

--
Snag

[Jon Elson]

I've had good results with a Dell Latitude D630. Not ruggedized, but I've
dragged it around quite a lot, works great. I bought it used off eBay, no
disk, and added an SSD. SSDs are faster than spinning drives, and also a
lot more rugged. My battery worked fine for some years but finally has lost
a lot of capacity. I can still run it for 10 minutes or so on battery,
though.

I pretty much ONLY use it when travelling. I use mostly Dell desktops from
eBay. My last desktop ran 24/7 for 12 years before I decided I needed to
replace it before it would die one day. It is still chugging along at my
mother in law's.

Jon

[Gunner Asch]

Thanks!
There is one vote, against the Dell (which Ive always had good luck
with btw)

Anyone else?

[raykeller]

"Gunner Asch" <gunne...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1ojogbtkfbq4enlgn...@4ax.com...
>

Im replying on a Dell Latitude E6400 and I like it
dual core I5
Does everything I want it to
Been months since I even turned on my quad core desktop
It is not rugedized
After a quick check on google it looks like the same machine ruggedized
I really like dell laptops as they are very easy to work on / upgrade and
great availibility on parts
Dell are built so they can be serviced if they need it and easy to upgrade
to the max the motherboard will handle with basic tools(mostly just a
screwdriver)
Dell is real good about having downloadable disasembly and reasembly
instructions clear down to the cpu
That is a great price!

[disne...@bwilson.com]

On Mon, 11 Apr 2016 18:36:03 -0700, Gunner Asch <gunne...@gmail.com>
wrote:

>

>My very elderly Armada 1700 laptop (250 mhz, 512 megs memory, win 98)
>is getting very tired.

Whoa, upgraded from '95, eh? I'm surprised you couldn't find something
better in the dumpster... ten years ago.

>Ive been offered either a Dell E6400 XFR or a
>General Dynamics/ Itronics VR-2, 2.0GHZ Toughbook
>
>I can buy either of them for $50

Why not work for 4 hours and buy something brand new? Oh, right. LOL

>out the door.

Good to hear that's an all inclusive price. You gotta watch out for
those guys who'll sneak in an extra nickel for a mouse pad.

>One of my
>surplus./recyling places offered them to me last Friday.

Obviously they know all about you making $75 an hour. Try offering
them TWO trash bags of soda cans.

>Anyone have any experience with either unit/brand?

Too late, all those people got culled in 2012.

[rbowman]

On 04/11/2016 09:23 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:
> There is one vote, against the Dell (which Ive always had good luck
> with btw)

At least with the Dell you can find a battery easily.

[bBzmS⚛← Ｍｉｇｈｔｙ ╬ Ｗａｎｎａｂｅ →⚛zRjQI]

disne...@bwilson.com wrote on 2016-04-12 01:23:
> On Mon, 11 Apr 2016 18:36:03 -0700, Gunner Asch <gunne...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Ive been offered either a Dell E6400 XFR or a
>> General Dynamics/ Itronics VR-2, 2.0GHZ Toughbook
>>
>> I can buy either of them for $50
>
> Why not work for 4 hours and buy something brand new? Oh, right. LOL

Gummer is just a two-dollar whore.

[Gunner Asch]

<plink>

You really need to find a hobby that gets you off your ass.
I'm cleaning my shop, organizing my end mills and Kennedy boxes, and
starting restoration of my Venture 224 sailboat.

Pity that you are stuck in the rec room at the Home for the Severely
Retarded. Or did they change that to Special Needs?

Gunner

[Gunner Asch]

And you suck dick for a quarter.


>
>
>
>

[Gunner Asch]

On Mon, 11 Apr 2016 22:23:35 -0500, Jon Elson <el...@pico-systems.com>
wrote:

Thats what I was considering. Ive had Dells that were bulletproof. In
fact, this machine is a Dell 4600.

The reviews of both machines say the General Dynamics is a heck of a
lot faster, but the screen is fairly low resolution..which doesnt
bother me in the least.

Gunner

[Jim Wilkins]

"Gunner Asch" <gunne...@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:8pipgbt9obphevjmp...@4ax.com...

What are their operating systems?

[Ignoramus3555]

I had great luck with Lenovo. My current one is 8 years old, fell many
times in my truck, I use it daily, etc. I had to change the hard drive
to an SSD, fan twice, and keyboard once due to heavy use. Overall I am
extremely happy.

i

[wouldnt...@bwilson.com]

On Tue, 12 Apr 2016 03:09:34 -0700, Gunner Asch <gunne...@gmail.com>

Answer the question, weasel. Why do you spend so much time on Usenet
when you should be working to pay your bills?

[Jim Wilkins]

"Ignoramus3555" <ignora...@NOSPAM.3555.invalid> wrote in message
news:cfWdnRXDoMKtRZHK...@giganews.com...

>I had great luck with Lenovo. My current one is 8 years old, fell
>many
> times in my truck, I use it daily, etc. I had to change the hard
> drive
> to an SSD, fan twice, and keyboard once due to heavy use. Overall I
> am
> extremely happy.
>
> i

I use older business-class (thick, heavy) laptops as portable TVs,
with external USB tuners and 7 Media Center. The more suitable ones
have 15" screens, SSDs for the operating system and terabyte spinning
drives in the CD bay to store recordings, plus an ExpressCard slot to
add USB3.

Off-the-air HD recordings average 6-7 GB per hour. The USB3
ExpressCard I use will support one bus-powered portable external hard
drive at a time and transfers at 120 MB/S, probably limited by the HDD
and laptop's bus speeds.

The common and otherwise highly regarded Dell D630 lacks ExpressCard
and has mono sound and a 14" screen. The D820 is the oldest, slowest
(cheapest) machine that will do everything I want (no games) with
64-bit Windows 7 and 8GB of RAM.

If you buy an Auto-Air power supply you can operate in a vehicle or
from a 12V jump starter. I have a Broadband2Go cellular modem that
provides mobile Internet access, limited by a fairly small monthly
data allowance and Sprint's poor coverage.

1280x800 resolution is good enough for me on a 15" screen. My Dell
D830 has a 1680x1050 screen that will show two full pages of a .pdf
manual but I need reading glasses to use it, and TV doesn't really
look any better than at 1280x800 on it, though it does on the 22"
external monitor.

--jsw

[Ed Huntress]

BTW, my old Latitude has been temporarily (maybe permanently) retired
because one corner of the display has gone a little haywire -- it
displays an annoying rainbow pattern over an inch or so over one
corner the screen.

What can be done about that?

--
Ed Huntress

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Mon, 11 Apr 2016 20:19:07 -0700, Winston_Smith
<inv...@butterfly.net> wrote:

>On Mon, 11 Apr 2016 18:36:03 -0700, Gunner Asch wrote:
>
>> Ive used the old girl for the past 15 yrs with
>>absolutely no issues, other than the battery pack died about 14 yrs
>>ago..but I generally simply plug it into the wall anyways when using
>>it.
>>
>>Ive been offered either a Dell E6400 XFR or a
>>General Dynamics/ Itronics VR-2, 2.0GHZ Toughbook
>

>No exerience with either but some with Dell. I have the Vostro 1000
>which is a pure bottom end machine. It's done what I need and has been
>remarkably reliable with just one bitch.
>
>The factory battery lost it's ability to take a charge at about 3
>years. Plugging it in didn't due it, the machine just bitched it
>wanted a new battery and refused to boot.
>
>I bought a brand X off the internet and it gave me a reasonable number
>of years service.
>
>The point it the brand X has gotten so it can't take a charge either
>but it's happy on line power.
>
>I have to conclude there is some circuitry in the Dell battery
>(obviously for charge control, etc) but something extra that monitors
>the battery and tells the computer to be stubborn to sell a battery.
>The brand X probably has nothing beyond basic battery function needs
>and doesn't snitch to the operating system.
It's been my experience when their battery dies it turns into a low
resistance shunt (almost a short) that pulls the voltazge down too far
to eun the computer. Sometimes the solution is as simple as left over
right. Put the battery in your left hand and pitch it over your right
shoulder. The laptop fires up fine with the battery totally missing
and the PS plugged in.

There are of course exceptions - where the system won't boot at all
without a charged battery.

[JAiBo⚛← Ｍｉｇｈｔｙ ╬ Ｗａｎｎａｂｅ →⚛rHJnk]

Gummer is a $2-whore and a pathological liar:

Mark Wieber - Gummer's Lies
<http://alt.machines.cnc.narkive.com/XZyYopTA/mark-r-wieber-a-k-a-gunner-cliff-notes-version-9>

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Mon, 11 Apr 2016 22:23:35 -0500, Jon Elson <el...@pico-systems.com>
wrote:

>Gunner Asch wrote:
>
>>
>> My very elderly Armada 1700 laptop (250 mhz, 512 megs memory, win 98)
>> is getting very tired. The floppy drive is about done (replaced 2x
>> already) and the gigantic 40 gig harddrive is full...lol. Its been a
>> very good machine for the type of field use that I do, but its time to
>> get something else. Ive used the old girl for the past 15 yrs with
>> absolutely no issues, other than the battery pack died about 14 yrs
>> ago..but I generally simply plug it into the wall anyways when using
>> it.
>>
>> Ive been offered either a Dell E6400 XFR or a
>> General Dynamics/ Itronics VR-2, 2.0GHZ Toughbook
>>
>> I can buy either of them for $50 out the door. One of my
>> surplus./recyling places offered them to me last Friday.
>>
>I've had good results with a Dell Latitude D630. Not ruggedized, but I've
>dragged it around quite a lot, works great. I bought it used off eBay, no
>disk, and added an SSD. SSDs are faster than spinning drives, and also a
>lot more rugged. My battery worked fine for some years but finally has lost
>a lot of capacity. I can still run it for 10 minutes or so on battery,
>though.

I'd put a qualifier on there - MOST SSDs are faster than MOST rotating
disk hard drives - but there are a lot of very slow SSDs on the
market, along with some pretty fast rotating disk drives - where the
comparison between the two would definitely favour the rotating disk.

As far as reliability, the jury is still out. The SSD in all
likelihood will survive more abuse, but again, the rotating disk drive
may very well outlast many of the SSDs currently on the market. Some
models have had a pretty high failure rate.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Mon, 11 Apr 2016 22:23:59 -0500, "Terry Coombs" <snag...@msn.com>
wrote:

I have had EXCELLENT luck with the higher end Lenovo Thinkpads, going
way back to the IBM days. Not so sure about their cheapest products,
but refurbed off-lease high end units are pretty affordable and run
just about forever.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Mon, 11 Apr 2016 23:32:10 -0600, rbowman <bow...@montana.com>
wrote:

And from most replies it seems that is a very necessary benefit --

I have had no problem getting batteries for any major brand.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

Replace the screen. Dell parts are supposedly easy to find.

[Jim Wilkins]

"Ed Huntress" <hunt...@optonline.net> wrote in message
news:qe1qgbtdt9f6t5k0n...@4ax.com...

> On Tue, 12 Apr 2016 10:10:27 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
> <murat...@gmail.com> wrote:

.............

>
> BTW, my old Latitude has been temporarily (maybe permanently)
> retired
> because one corner of the display has gone a little haywire -- it
> displays an annoying rainbow pattern over an inch or so over one
> corner the screen.
>
> What can be done about that?
>
> --
> Ed Huntress

I haven't encountered hardware video problems on any of mine, so
that's a repair shop question. Replacement parts appear to be
available at reasonable prices and are not overly hard to install.
http://www.amazon.com/LATITUDE-LAPTOP-SCREEN-SUBSTITUTE-REPLACEMENT/dp/B003TP4RSO

Some D630s reportedly develop strange video issues from NVIDIA Quadro
NVS 135M chip or solder joint degradation, if allowed to run too hot.

--jsw

[Steve W.]

Replace the LCD, that's usually a sign that the LCD has a mechanical
failure.

--
Steve W.

[Terry Coombs]

Reviews on this model were excellent ... it has most of the available
high-end options , like the I5 processor and 4Gb of RAM . Now if I can
figure out how to get it to talk to my XP machines I'll be happy . I'm not
even sure if this thing has antivirus ! Win7 is a foreign country for me ,
but we'll learn to navigate it .

--
Snag

[Matt Singer]

And not earning a goddamned dime doing any of that!

Stupid scrounger...

[Jim Wilkins]

"Winston_Smith" <inv...@butterfly.net> wrote in message
news:espogbh87ihoq7i12...@4ax.com...

> On Mon, 11 Apr 2016 18:36:03 -0700, Gunner Asch wrote:
>
>> Ive used the old girl for the past 15 yrs with
>>absolutely no issues, other than the battery pack died about 14 yrs
>>ago..but I generally simply plug it into the wall anyways when using
>>it.
>>

>>Ive been offered either a Dell E6400 XFR or a
>>General Dynamics/ Itronics VR-2, 2.0GHZ Toughbook
>

> No exerience with either but some with Dell. I have the Vostro 1000
> which is a pure bottom end machine. It's done what I need and has
> been
> remarkably reliable with just one bitch.
>
> The factory battery lost it's ability to take a charge at about 3
> years. Plugging it in didn't due it, the machine just bitched it
> wanted a new battery and refused to boot.
>
> I bought a brand X off the internet and it gave me a reasonable
> number
> of years service.
>
> The point it the brand X has gotten so it can't take a charge either
> but it's happy on line power.
>
> I have to conclude there is some circuitry in the Dell battery
> (obviously for charge control, etc) but something extra that
> monitors
> the battery and tells the computer to be stubborn to sell a battery.
> The brand X probably has nothing beyond basic battery function needs
> and doesn't snitch to the operating system.

Lithium batteries need circuitry to protect them from overcharge,
too-deep discharge and excessive charge or discharge current. The
circuits to do that track State of Charge (SoC) by monitoring current
and voltage and can report them to the laptop.
http://www.ti.com.cn/cn/lit/ds/symlink/bq2058.pdf
That handles the real-time control while a slower-responding PIC etc
would determine and remember SoC and inform the parent device.

As the battery ages and degrades the SoC value becomes inaccurate
unless the battery is fully discharged and recharged to recalibrate
theSoC estimate to the measured actual capacity. Eventually the
supervisory circuit can completely lose track of the battery's
deteriorating condition and transmit nonsense.
This shows you what the battery reports:
http://www.hwinfo.com/

I have some old batteries that need to be reinserted a few times to
nudge their voltage up enough with the initial qualification test for
the charging circuit to accept them.

Dell laptop chargers contain a Dallas memory chip that tells the BIOS
the charger's power rating when the laptop boots, via the center pin
of the power connector. If the comm link fails the laptop may assume
it's on the lowest capacity charger, run at half clock speed and not
charge its batteries. The higher power charger gets quite toasty
charging a nearly depleted battery even with the laptop Off.

--jsw

[YouStillB...@bwilson.com]

He's always *talking* about "restoring" things. In his mind talking
about doing many things makes up for not having anything done.

Anyway, when will we be getting some stories about millions of
nautical miles of sailing on all the huge lakes near Taft? Oh wait,
he'll say he's planning a trip to Hawaii on one of his trailer prizes.
Hell, he'll probably say he's done it several times and set some
records to boot!

[Jim Wilkins]

"Terry Coombs" <snag...@msn.com> wrote in message
news:neja2c$m54$1...@dont-email.me...

> cl...@snyder.on.ca wrote:
>
> Reviews on this model were excellent ... it has most of the
> available high-end options , like the I5 processor and 4Gb of RAM .
> Now if I can figure out how to get it to talk to my XP machines I'll
> be happy . I'm not even sure if this thing has antivirus ! Win7 is a
> foreign country for me , but we'll learn to navigate it .
>
> --
> Snag

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Master_Control_Panel_shortcut

At work the lab laptops were former front office Thinkpads and Toshiba
Satellites, which served us well and didn't permanently hog bench
space. I added a pull-out keyboard tray for this one for easier
typing, and modified a padded chair to roll under it. I went with Dell
when large batches of used top-end office machines and their
accessories flooded the market, not because they are better than other
brands.

While they lack good gaming video the thick and heavy business laptops
are nearly as expandable as desktops but use much less power, which
for me translates to less spent on UPSs and solar panels.

--jsw

[Terry Coombs]

Jim , I did the desktop shortcut from the link above , we be jammin' !! I
now have access to all the other comps in the network .
THANK YOU !
--
Snag

[Steve Walker]

On 4/11/2016 9:36 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:
>
> My very elderly Armada 1700 laptop (250 mhz, 512 megs memory, win 98)

> is getting very tired. The floppy drive is about done (replaced 2x
> already) and the gigantic 40 gig harddrive is full...lol. Its been a
> very good machine for the type of field use that I do, but its time to

> get something else. Ive used the old girl for the past 15 yrs with

> absolutely no issues, other than the battery pack died about 14 yrs
> ago..but I generally simply plug it into the wall anyways when using
> it.
>

> Ive been offered either a Dell E6400 XFR or a
> General Dynamics/ Itronics VR-2, 2.0GHZ Toughbook
>

> I can buy either of them for $50 out the door. One of my

> surplus./recyling places offered them to me last Friday.
>

> Anyone have any experience with either unit/brand?
>

> Thanks!
>
> Gunner
>


I would buy both, keep the Dell, and sell the Toughbook to me for cost
plus shipping. <G>

[Gunner Asch]

Guys..Im looking for a tough, well built, gnarly, heavily protected,
armor covered laptop. Not just a "laptop"

Gunner

[Gunner Asch]

On Tue, 12 Apr 2016 06:12:48 -0500, Ignoramus3555
<ignora...@NOSPAM.3555.invalid> wrote:

>I had great luck with Lenovo. My current one is 8 years old, fell many
>times in my truck, I use it daily, etc. I had to change the hard drive
>to an SSD, fan twice, and keyboard once due to heavy use. Overall I am
>extremely happy.
>
>i

Thanks Iggy.

[Terry Coombs]

Well , for a while there everything was showing up in the network . Now
we're back to it only showing itself . Have to do some research , surely
there's a reliable way to connect a Win7 comp to a network of XP machines .

--
Snag

[Gunner Asch]

On Tue, 12 Apr 2016 21:24:56 -0400, Steve Walker <Im...@home.com>
wrote:

You want one? He has at least 5 of them on the shelf. I can get you
one at my cost if you want it.

Gunner

[Gunner Asch]

On Tue, 12 Apr 2016 22:31:10 -0700, Gunner Asch <gunne...@gmail.com>
wrote:

Ill get the full particulars and post em here. Ill be going down there
early in the morning.

Gunner

[ZuLdG⚛← Ｍｉｇｈｔｙ ╬ Ｗａｎｎａｂｅ →⚛OpGAl]

You need to have the "Network Discovery" turned on.

In Windows 10, go to "Control Panel", click on "Network and Sharing
Center", then on the left hand side click on "Change advanced sharing
settings".

Make sure you have checked "Turn on network discovery" and "Turn on file
and printer sharing".

Make sure you click "Save changes" when you are done.

Your computer will start looking for all connected computers and printers.

You also have to make sure your installed firewall is set to the correct
security level to allow "network discovery" and "file and printer
sharing". Otherwise your firewall will make all the network computers
and printers disappear again.

You need to tell your firewall that you are on a "private network". If
you say you are on a "public network" (like you are using a public WiFi
hotspot), your firewall will block all network connections to your computer.

You can restrict how certain folder or hard drive can be shared on the
network (who on the network can access, and password protection to gain
access). Right click on the folder or hard drive icon, choose
"Properties", and then "Sharing".

[Terry Coombs]

That's all been done , thanks for verifying I have it configured correctly
.

--
Snag

[kFUth⚛← Ｍｉｇｈｔｙ ╬ Ｗａｎｎａｂｅ →⚛oWobY]

Another possibility is that your "Windows Firewall" is also turned on at
the same time you are running your own firewall program.

Go to "Control Panel" and make sure "Windows Firewall" is turned off
(your own firewall program should have turned off your Windows Firewall).

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Tue, 12 Apr 2016 22:05:38 -0700, Gunner Asch <gunne...@gmail.com>
wrote:

Get a Panasonic toughbook. - or an Amrel Rocky if you can get a
surplus unit. or a Getac Rugged Military Laptop NB-M220-5 . If you
are stuck on a Dell, look for something like the Latitude E6420 XFR,,
or an XFR D630..

None of them are CHEAP, but good tools seldom are. The XFR630 and the
CF30 toughbooks are both available for under $500 - not bad for a
$3500+ laptop (new government price)

[DKclJ⚛← Ｍｉｇｈｔｙ ╬ Ｗａｎｎａｂｅ →⚛qhzbQ]

Gummer is a cheap $2 whore. Which part of that don't you understand?

[Jim Wilkins]

<cl...@snyder.on.ca> wrote in message
news:nb3tgb9h58s6bjqfh...@4ax.com...

If a plastic Armada lasted him this long he shouldn't have any
problems with a magnesium Latitude.
--jsw

[Gunner Asch]

On Wed, 13 Apr 2016 14:25:58 -0400, cl...@snyder.on.ca wrote:

>>>just about forever.
>>
>>Guys..Im looking for a tough, well built, gnarly, heavily protected,
>>armor covered laptop. Not just a "laptop"
>>
>>Gunner
> Get a Panasonic toughbook. - or an Amrel Rocky if you can get a
>surplus unit. or a Getac Rugged Military Laptop NB-M220-5 . If you
>are stuck on a Dell, look for something like the Latitude E6420 XFR,,
>or an XFR D630..
>
>None of them are CHEAP, but good tools seldom are. The XFR630 and the
>CF30 toughbooks are both available for under $500 - not bad for a
>$3500+ laptop (new government price)

\
So you dont think the General Dynamics/ Itronics VR-2, 2.0GHZ
Toughbook is very good?

http://www.ruggedpcreview.com/3_leaders_itronix.html

http://www.ruggedpcreview.com/pdfs/GD_Itronix_GD6000.pdf

[Gunner Asch]

Larry..what do I do with your love child?

Gunner

[Jim Wilkins]

"Gunner Asch" <gunne...@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:96etgbde1ciosg73i...@4ax.com...

It's a flashback to 2007. Drivers for obsolete XP-era hardware can be
a real problem when you install a new operating system. Even if you
stay with what it came with you may find that some functionality is
missing with stock MS device drivers. I couldn't add an external
monitor without hunting down an Intel video driver for similar, later
hardware in Vista.

This shows what additional software you need to make a Windows 7 clean
install work right on a slightly newer Dell laptop:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/driver-sets/latitude-d-series-laptops/latitude-d830-windows-7-64-bit/

--jsw

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Wed, 13 Apr 2016 14:27:27 -0700, Gunner Asch <gunne...@gmail.com>
wrote:

Not saying they are no good - I think those are Cop Computers,
aren't they? They are "vehicle ruggedized" where the ones I mentioned
are "military grade Field Tough"

General Dynamics generally makes pretty decent stuff. The General
Dynamics Itronix VR-2 is a semi-rugged notebook computer released on
June 6, 2007 - so it is "semi rugged" 9 year old technology. It is not
a "ToughBook " it is a "GoBook"

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

If you want a rugged General Dynamics unit you want an XR, not a VR.

[Jim Wilkins]

"Jim Wilkins" <murat...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:nemh11$uo2$1...@dont-email.me...

> "Gunner Asch" <gunne...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:96etgbde1ciosg73i...@4ax.com...

>> \
>> So you dont think the General Dynamics/ Itronics VR-2, 2.0GHZ
>> Toughbook is very good?
>>
>> http://www.ruggedpcreview.com/3_leaders_itronix.html
>>
>> http://www.ruggedpcreview.com/pdfs/GD_Itronix_GD6000.pdf
>>

A little digging reveals that it has a SATA-I hard drive interface,
meaning you could clone its hard drive onto a good modern SSD.

Computers with older IDE/PATA drives should probably be avoided unless
you already have a stock of spares.

The laptop beside me which has a 2.00 GHz T7200 CPU and a Micron SSD
boots to the desktop in 20 seconds, almost half of which is the BIOS
selftest, and shows live TV in 35 seconds from a cold start.
--jsw

[Steve Walker]

On 4/13/2016 1:39 AM, Gunner Asch wrote:

<SNIP>

>>> I would buy both, keep the Dell, and sell the Toughbook to me for cost
>>> plus shipping. <G>
>>
>> You want one? He has at least 5 of them on the shelf. I can get you
>> one at my cost if you want it.
>>
>> Gunner
>
> Ill get the full particulars and post em here. Ill be going down there
> early in the morning.
>
> Gunner
>

Yes, if it has the core duo processor. Paypal okay, or other method of
payment?

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

ree 12 volt UPS units are 350 or 500Va in most cases. I have not seen
a 12 volt 1kva unit in the last 10 years in the business. A few 24
volt units perhaps - but most of them are 850va units All of my 1kv
units are 36 volts or more - 4 that I have in use here are 48 and one
is 54 volts.

[Gunner Asch]

On Wed, 13 Apr 2016 21:18:31 -0400, Steve Walker <Im...@home.com>
wrote:

Paypal is fine. Let me see what I can get and we will work it out.

Gunner

[Gunner Asch]

They call them "Toughbooks". And yeah...one of the earlier machines
was a Gobook. The GD8000s were released in 2011 and are alleged to be
tougher still. Now that I know more about them..Ill see what my guy
has. He had a stack of them and we fired one up and it booted XP just
fine, had previous owner data in it so he has to format the drives as
a matter of business policy. Hell..he may have the GD8000s..which is
what Ill buy if so.

Gunner

[Tom Gardner]

On 4/11/2016 11:23 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:
> Thanks!
> There is one vote, against the Dell (which Ive always had good luck
> with btw)
>
> Anyone else?
>

Dells are super easy to get parts for and easy to repair.

[Gunner Asch]

On Thu, 14 Apr 2016 03:32:37 -0400, Tom Gardner <Ma...@tacks.com>
wrote:

Most Dells are..but the types of machines we are discussing...not..so
much.
Or so Ive been told by a recyling tech..who has hundreds of Dells come
through the doors each week

[raykeller]

"Gunner Asch" <gunne...@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:smnugb16cih6jms8n...@4ax.com...

Easy to check
Download thew manual from dell.com

[Jim Wilkins]

"raykeller"
<whiney_will_have_his_nose_in_my_ass_in_3_2_1@leftards_are_loosers.com>
wrote in message news:neo9cr$69l$1...@dont-email.me...

Dell service manuals are very good, but the key is finding dealers who
strip old computers and sell the parts, for instance:
http://www.machinaelectronics.com/store/

Amazon has a good selection too.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Wed, 13 Apr 2016 19:30:57 -0700, Gunner Asch <gunne...@gmail.com>

The VR2 you referenced is NOT a toughbook. It is a GoBook. That is
what I was referring to - The first part of my post was a direct quote
from a General Dynamics brochure for the VR2 series.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Thu, 14 Apr 2016 03:32:37 -0400, Tom Gardner <Ma...@tacks.com>
wrote:

Qualify that with "some" or perhaps "most" - definitely not "all" -
on one or the other counts.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Thu, 14 Apr 2016 02:13:01 -0700, Gunner Asch <gunne...@gmail.com>
wrote:

The term "Dell from Hell" comes from those exceptions. Those that
use non-standard parts - and particularly if the label is worn so you
can't read the service ID number or whatever they call it. You can
have 15 dell computers (in certain cases) with the identical model
code, and all 15 can be different inside. Different Wifi card,
different bluetooth, different video, - giving a combination right
there of 9 different combinations. - then different screens too - and
often more than just 2 options on several of the components.

Means you can't just oder a bluetooth for a model X and get the right
part. Sure, it might fit - but then you need to go searching for the
right driver because the pre-install on the system is for a "different
computer" so does not have the driver you need.


Been there, done that, and wore out the t-shirt.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

Perhaps there is a good reason certain used parts are so plentifull?
Beyond the fact that there are more lease returns than there is a
market for.

[Tom Gardner]

I guess that I've been lucky so far. I've repaired about 15 with no
issues. Mostly keyboards, upgrades and a few motherboards.

[Jim Wilkins]

<cl...@snyder.on.ca> wrote in message
news:5dgvgb1214k019dlj...@4ax.com...

I've heard that the consumer line is much worse for that than the
business models. Except for the CPU and video the options in my Dell
collection are on plug-in cards that can be swapped around. I have an
extra 2.5GHz T9300 CPU to install if one of them really needs it.

DXDIAG will save a list of all your hardware and its installed
drivers. The Yip guides I mentioned are good references for what
should be installed. I keep track of my progress by editing the DXDAG
report.

--jsw

[Steve Walker]

okay. Thanks.

[Gunner Asch]

Shrug...I bought 2 of them yesterday. Cost me $60 each as they were
missing their power supplies..so had to spend another 4 hours hitting
computer shops to find (2) appropriate power supplies for $20 each.

Im keeping one for myself..and if the gent wants the other one, Ive
already put his in a modestly padded TI computer case, along with the
power supply. $60 plus whatever it costs to ship it. Neither of them
have operating systems on them..the 128gig hard drives were pulled,
formated (company policy) and then replaced and he also increased the
memory to 2 gigs for me.

Ill be installing either XP or Win 7 on mine, and can do the same for
him, or he can install whatever he wants when he gets it.

And yeah...its called a semi-rugged, designed to be used in vehicles
such as UPS trucks, carried by utility workers and whatnot. Heavy
bastards.

http://ruggedpcreview.com/3_notebooks_itronix_vr2.html

These have wifi modules in them and I believe they include GPS.
Sound cards of course
I do not know if they have the hard drive heaters, but they do have
DVD RW drives

There is a radio card of some sort plugged in above the DVD-RW drive,
so Ill have to find out what it is. Updates/drivers are still very
much available and Ill be installing them all in my machine.

http://www.flextronicssupport.com/

According to the data stickers on the bottom, both machines were made
in 2008. Neither is scarred, dinged and the bottoms are absolutely
mint. The harddrives had minimal information on them before being
formatted, so I believe they were either shop stock or very little
used.

If the gent does NOT want the laptop..Ill either install it as a
utility computer in one of my sailboats or sell it locally.

Gunner


Gunner

[Gunner Asch]

On Fri, 15 Apr 2016 17:44:40 -0400, Steve Walker <Im...@home.com>

Still want one? If so, do you want to do the operating system or
should I..and which one do you want, XP or Win 7?

Gunner

[Gunner Asch]

On Sat, 16 Apr 2016 18:16:42 -0700, Gunner Asch <gunne...@gmail.com>
wrote:

Im currently running (1) under Windows 7, and have it automatically
playing TED talks, over on the corner of my desk, as Im typing this.
Audio is good, video is good and its running on a 300mbs external wifi
"dongle" plugged into one of the two usb slots. I had zero issues
installing all the drivers, despite them being listed as for XP OS.
The plug in radio thingy...keeps coming up as a broadband WIFI device,
but Im not sure if its the right driver. More soon

[Jim Wilkins]

"Gunner Asch" <gunne...@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:fv97hblg76hji3ppq...@4ax.com...

Good for you. I had to find Vista drivers for some things.

The old Win7 laptop beside me is playing Wagner's opera Tannhauser on
PBS.

[Steve Walker]

On 4/17/2016 1:58 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:
<SNIP>

>> Still want one? If so, do you want to do the operating system or
>> should I..and which one do you want, XP or Win 7?
>>
>> Gunner

I have a bunch of xp pro disks, but no win 7 disks. I'll install XP pro
myself, as I don't really want to spend more for win 7 than the laptop
costs. It's going to be a beater out in the garage.

[Gunner Asch]

On Sun, 17 Apr 2016 19:49:24 -0400, Steve Walker <Im...@home.com>
wrote:

>On 4/17/2016 1:58 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:
><SNIP>
>>> Still want one? If so, do you want to do the operating system or
>>> should I..and which one do you want, XP or Win 7?
>>>
>>> Gunner
>
>I have a bunch of xp pro disks, but no win 7 disks. I'll install XP pro
> myself, as I don't really want to spend more for win 7 than the laptop
>costs. It's going to be a beater out in the garage.
>

The more I work with mine, the more Im impressed with the little
bastard. Ive been watching playing TED talks for the past 5 hours as I
work, and doing various other ops..not a stutter.

Give me an address and Ill box it up and ship it to you. Ill burn off
a CD with all the drivers and other data I could find on these and
include it.
I like this thing well enough..Im browsing Ebay for a vehicle doc for
this. I dont think either of these have GPS installed, and am looking
on Ebay for a plugin GPS module (USB).
If you want..Ill also burn a Win7 -32 dvd and include it in the
package. Its now "no longer supported"..more or less and one simply
installs it and within 30 days..goes to MS and :Validates" it...which
Ive done on 3 other computers using the same disk, with no issue.

Gunner
gunne...@gmail.com

[Michael A. Terrell]

Gunner Asch wrote:
>
> I like this thing well enough..Im browsing Ebay for a vehicle doc for
> this. I dont think either of these have GPS installed, and am looking
> on Ebay for a plugin GPS module (USB).

I bought one of these, and it works great:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/272190165001

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

[Gunner Asch]

On Mon, 18 Apr 2016 11:08:21 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
<mike.t...@earthlink.net> wrote:

>
>Gunner Asch wrote:
>>
>> I like this thing well enough..Im browsing Ebay for a vehicle doc for
>> this. I dont think either of these have GPS installed, and am looking
>> on Ebay for a plugin GPS module (USB).
>
>
> I bought one of these, and it works great:
>
>http://www.ebay.com/itm/272190165001
>

I saw those, but figured I needed something with a bit of a cord on it
so I could mount the puter on the seat/dash/cabin and the antenna
outside or on the dash

http://www.ebay.com/itm/182058308030

[Michael A. Terrell]

Gunner Asch wrote:
>
> On Mon, 18 Apr 2016 11:08:21 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
> <mike.t...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> >
> >Gunner Asch wrote:
> >>
> >> I like this thing well enough..Im browsing Ebay for a vehicle doc for
> >> this. I dont think either of these have GPS installed, and am looking
> >> on Ebay for a plugin GPS module (USB).
> >
> >
> > I bought one of these, and it works great:
> >
> >http://www.ebay.com/itm/272190165001
> >
>
> I saw those, but figured I needed something with a bit of a cord on it
> so I could mount the puter on the seat/dash/cabin and the antenna
> outside or on the dash
>
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/182058308030

I tested it inside the house, with is covered with an aluminum skin.
Unless the glass in the cab of your truck blocks all RF, it should work
fine. Your cell phone works OK, inside, doesn't it?

[Gunner Asch]

On Mon, 18 Apr 2016 15:39:27 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
<mike.t...@earthlink.net> wrote:

>I tested it inside the house, with is covered with an aluminum skin.
>Unless the glass in the cab of your truck blocks all RF, it should work
>fine. Your cell phone works OK, inside, doesn't it?

The truck/van does tend to block RF a bit...I think the window tinting
has some form of metallic composition, but if I keep the cell above
dash level, it works well enough. Open the door and get out..I get one
full additional signal bar. Shrug

But Ill be driving a big E350 van in a week or so and it only has
windows on the rear doors, the driver/passenger doors and the
windshield..and its a very long van. Hence Id like a bit more range.
It has a skylight..which I thought I could mount the sensor in. Most
of the sats are to the south/south east as I recall..and when I travel
to the northwest/west...I tend to lose sat signals on occasion.

Gunner

[Steve Walker]

On 4/17/2016 7:56 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:
> On Sun, 17 Apr 2016 19:49:24 -0400, Steve Walker <Im...@home.com>

<SNIP>

> Gunner
> gunne...@gmail.com

<SNIP>

Message sent to the above address. Let me know if you get it and I'll
send my address to the same and send the paypal funds.

[rbowman]

On 04/18/2016 10:58 AM, Gunner Asch wrote:
> I saw those, but figured I needed something with a bit of a cord on it
> so I could mount the puter on the seat/dash/cabin and the antenna
> outside or on the dash

It shouldn't make a difference for you but the BU-353 is discontinued.
It has an older chip set and won't work on Windows 8/10. It's fine on 7.
The newer BU-353-S4 is $29 on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/GlobalSat-BU-353-S4-USB-Receiver-Black/dp/B008200LHW/

It's fairly sensitive. I used it to develop a AVL interface for MDT's
and could get a position from my desk which is in an old brick building
with a metal roof. It pumps out standard NMEA sentences on a virtual COM
port which will work for most applications.

[rbowman]

On 04/18/2016 02:57 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:
> Most
> of the sats are to the south/south east as I recall..and when I travel
> to the northwest/west...I tend to lose sat signals on occasion.

No, the GPS birds are MEOs with a hair under a 12 hour orbit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Positioning_System#Basic_concept_of_GPS

There's an animation of the orbits and what you see from a hypothetical
point. Most GPS receivers with a display will show you the positions. If
you're on the side of the mountain or in a canyon and can only see half
of the constellation either you won't get a fix or it will be
inaccurate. The same applies for urban canyons.

What is to the south are the WAAS geosynchronous sats. I'm at N47, so
they're low on the horizon and the system isn't very effective. What it
does is broadcast a correction from know ground monitoring stations like
DGPS. You should be in a lot better place to benefit from WAAS.

[Martin Eastburn]

Sats are all over, but the antenna has to touch with 3 or more.
I get some tree interference driving with a GPS in portable mode.
The car GPS uses an outdoor antenna already and is solid. I say
solid, complaints might be turned off.

Remember they cover the globe. GPS in Alaska and points south!

Martin

[Gunner Asch]

On Mon, 18 Apr 2016 20:30:59 -0600, rbowman <bow...@montana.com>
wrote:

Many thanks!

Is win 7 expired or is it still requiring a keycode to activate it? I
installed a copy on this laptop and it refused to take the keycode
that came with it.

[rbowman]

On 04/18/2016 09:47 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:
> Is win 7 expired or is it still requiring a keycode to activate it? I
> installed a copy on this laptop and it refused to take the keycode
> that came with it.

No, mainstream support ended January of last year. What that means in M$
speak is there will be no more service packs, enhancements, or new
features. Extended support goes until 2020.

Is it an upgrade version or a full install? Upgrades assume you had a
valid XP or Vista install.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31402-clean-install-upgrade-windows-7-version.html

A couple of suggestions for workarounds on an upgrade version.

[Gunner Asch]

On Mon, 18 Apr 2016 22:53:35 -0600, rbowman <bow...@montana.com>
wrote:

They wiped the hard drive then reinstalled it. I have a couple
computers running on a copy of Win 7 32 (with the same ID number) and
figured I could put the same number on this one. Shrug. Wouldn't
take it on activation. Both the other computers...cant remember what
I did to activate the second one, nothing special as I recall, so
figured they weren't activating anymore..anything goes, so to speak.
I've got 28 days to figure it out..shrug

Gunner

[Gunner Asch]

On Mon, 18 Apr 2016 19:29:57 -0400, Steve Walker <Im...@home.com>
wrote:

What do you figure the shipping is gonna be? The laptop in the travel
case is about 7 lbs give or take a bit. Putting it into a cardboard
box and padding it well...adds what..a couple pounds at most?

My zip is 93268

Gunner

[Gunner Asch]

On Mon, 18 Apr 2016 20:30:59 -0600, rbowman <bow...@montana.com>
wrote:

Thanks for the heads up. Noted for future reference!

Gunner

[raykeller]

"Gunner Asch" <gunne...@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:pfabhb1l71emtbf23...@4ax.com...

Probably wrong version of 7 to match the keycode

[Michael A. Terrell]

More likely that the product code was retired by Microsoft. They
claim that a code was used too many times, and want another $70 for a
new code. They tried that on me. A new, sealed package with the
holographic sticker was refused. However, for the slight fee of...

that is why I started buying off lease Dell business computers. They
have a Dell OEM code that Microsoft can't turn off, per their contract
with Dell. An original Dell disk from Ebay, and I don't have to worry
about activation.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Mon, 18 Apr 2016 20:47:10 -0700, Gunner Asch <gunne...@gmail.com>
wrote:

Win& wll ALWAYS require a KeyCode to authen ticate it. The key has to
match the version - pro or home ultimate etc, as well as OEM
pre-installed, OEM setup disk, or retail - and it needs to match if it
was SP1 included or not in most cases.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Mon, 18 Apr 2016 22:53:35 -0600, rbowman <bow...@montana.com>
wrote:

Mainstream support or not, authentication is still required.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

If Gunner is willing to lie, he can phone activate the system - when
they ask how many systems have been installed withtheis copy of
windows, if he lies and says 1, it will authenticate -

[Michael A. Terrell]

cl...@snyder.on.ca wrote:
>
> If Gunner is willing to lie, he can phone activate the system - when
> they ask how many systems have been installed withtheis copy of
> windows, if he lies and says 1, it will authenticate -

MS refused to do that for me. They insisted that it had to be
invalid, because there had been to many reinstalls of that group, and
that I would have to pay them for another new copy.

[gray_wolf]

Find an app called Chew7 v1.1
it should solve your problem.

[raykeller]

"Michael A. Terrell" <mike.t...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:_bydnSbv2Nbz1YvK...@earthlink.com...

I forgot about that
It was a corperate key IIRC

[Michael A. Terrell]

raykeller wrote:

>
> Michael A. Terrell" wrote:
> >
> > More likely that the product code was retired by Microsoft. They
> > claim that a code was used too many times, and want another $70 for a
> > new code. They tried that on me. A new, sealed package with the
> > holographic sticker was refused. However, for the slight fee of...
> >

> > That is why I started buying off lease Dell business computers. They

> > have a Dell OEM code that Microsoft can't turn off, per their contract
> > with Dell. An original Dell disk from Ebay, and I don't have to worry
> > about activation.
> >

> I forgot about that
> It was a corperate key IIRC

Yes. All you have to do is have a disk for the OS version on a Dell.
I paid $100 for this computer over five years ago, and it's about time
to retire it. I bought a couple Dell Optiplex 780 mini towers for under
$50, each, delivered. With a 64 bit operating system they will take up
to 16 GB of RAM. They have dual core processors, and four GB of RAM. The
install of Win7 was easy, but I have to instal a virtual machine for XP
so I can run most of my software. 32 bit software is supposed to run on
win7 64 bit, but it refused to install most of what I use at least
weekly.

[pyotr filipivich]

"Michael A. Terrell" <mike.t...@earthlink.net> on Wed, 20 Apr 2016
09:12:00 -0400 typed in misc.survivalism the following:

Aren't computers "fun" - program developers fixing things which
didn't need fixing, and making "improvements" which aren't.

--
pyotr filipivich
The fears of one class of men are not the measure of the rights of another.
-- George Bancroft

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

Just tell them you have had so many problems with their product on
this machine you have had to re-install it on a regular basis.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Tue, 19 Apr 2016 16:32:23 -0700, "raykeller"
<whiney_will_have_his_nose_in_my_ass_in_3_2_1@leftards_are_loosers.com>
wrote:

That is a "restore disk" not an "install disk". You are installing an
image of an installed and authenticated system - only works on
machines that match the original pretty closely.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

The problem with a lot of older software is it attempts to write
directly to the hardware. That worked well in Win98 - and certain
calls worked on XP but not a chance on Win7. Everything has to address
an API or whatever they call it

[Steve Walker]

On 4/19/2016 6:40 AM, Gunner Asch wrote:
<SNIP>

> What do you figure the shipping is gonna be? The laptop in the travel
> case is about 7 lbs give or take a bit. Putting it into a cardboard
> box and padding it well...adds what..a couple pounds at most?
>
> My zip is 93268
>
> Gunner
>

Sorry I didn't see this sooner to respond.

Looks like $25.00 should cover it.

Let me know if it's okay, and I will paypal $75.00



United states postal service:

$18.75
Priority Mail™
Large Flat Rate Box
23-11/16" x 11-3/4" x 3"
12" x 12" x 5-1/2"



FedEx (dropoff at FedEx office)

1. Ship From / To

From: Taft, 93268, United States | To: Muskegon, 49441, United
States on April 25, 2016.

2. Package and Shipment Details

Package Details: 1 package, 9.00 lbs, Your Packaging, 15 in x 12 in
x 6 in, 50.00 USD. value


3. Rates and Transit Times

Amounts are shown in USD
Select Delivery Date/Time Service Rates

End of day(4 Business Days) FedEx Ground® 18.33

[Gunner Asch]

On Tue, 19 Apr 2016 13:00:35 -0500, gray_wolf <g_w...@nospam.com>
wrote:

>
>Find an app called Chew7 v1.1
>it should solve your problem.

Just tried to download it and Avast claims its malware.

http://thehacksking.blogspot.com/2013/02/chew7-v12.html

`

[Gunner Asch]

On Thu, 21 Apr 2016 19:44:02 -0400, Steve Walker <Im...@home.com>
wrote: