Compaq Presario 1200 works much better in WIN2000 but XP loads all the DRIVERS ...

[NICKel]

So I am trying to help out a single mom in our building and they have this relic of a laptop Compaq Presario 1200 ..... I have tried UNBUNTU and PUPPY LINUX, and even an nlited version of XP. But each task takes almost 20-30 secs to process. I have tried WINDOWS 2000 and it actually runs ok so my first choice would be that.... However, it is not finding the drivers and I wasn't paying attention while I had xp loaded to note all the missing drivers.

My question is this .... If I reinstall xp. Is there a way to copy the driver folder and then introduce it to WIN2k install say through a USB stick? Or should I just handwriting the the DLL's that are used in XP and try to safe those to flash?
Sorry if my question seems naive.... I just don't have a lot of time to devote to this and was looking for the quickest workaround to get win2k running

thanks
in advance.

 

[Billb2]

I'd try HP's site for drivers.

I think they even have one of those "find your drivers" programs you can run there.

 

[NICKel]

I'd try HP's site for drivers.

I think they even have one of those "find your drivers" programs you can run there.

thanks for the thought but there is a warning that the machine is only supported with WINDOWS ME.... I have tried to reuse the drivers but I am getting some exclamation points still.

 

[lxskllr]

What drivers do you need? You might be able to get them from individual device makers. If it were me, I'd try a little harder to get (X)Ubuntu working. It's a nice O/S, and will solve a lot of potential virus problems. It's getting to the point 2kpro isn't supported anymore. If you're gonna use a non compatible O/S, it would be better if it were modern imo.

Edit:
A quick Google indicates Puppy has been successfully installed by others. That would be a speedier choice for sure.

 

[SonicIce]

whats the exact model because some of the presario 1200's have 2K drivers

What drivers do you need? You might be able to get them from individual device makers.

this

 

[NICKel]

What drivers do you need? You might be able to get them from individual device makers. If it were me, I'd try a little harder to get (X)Ubuntu working. It's a nice O/S, and will solve a lot of potential virus problems. It's getting to the point 2kpro isn't supported anymore. If you're gonna use a non compatible O/S, it would be better if it were modern imo.

Edit:
A quick Google indicates Puppy has been successfully installed by others. That would be a speedier choice for sure.

I mentioned in my post that I had installed puppy, but it had a lot of hiccups.... just system slow downs that I could prob live with, but she isn't very computer literate. I don't know if she could accept that day to day experience.... I am going to install 2000 again and see what drivers come up...

 

[Blayze]

I used to use an old 1270 Presario with Windows 2000. All of the drivers were found during the install. Never had any luck installing Linux on the machine, and XP was too slow.

 

[tcsenter]

A very high percentage of Windows XP drivers compliant with the WDK/WDM specs were fully compatible with Windows 2000.

 

[postmortemIA]

The issue with 2000 is processor cooling. I got all drivers for my laptop, which is not meant for 2000. but i had to use third party software to prevent my CPU from running over 60C just after bootup. And fans were loud too... 2000 simply does not do good jub at sending HLT commands to CPU that are used to idle the CPU.

 

[sonoma1993]

how much and type of ram does this machine use? If you can, add more memory to the machine. also what size and speed hdd?

 

[NICKel]

I used to use an old 1270 Presario with Windows 2000. All of the drivers were found during the install. Never had any luck installing Linux on the machine, and XP was too slow.

I was really surprised too ....

Unbuntu and Puppy install but they are just to slow to use.... I think the machine is maxed out at 128mb too. I think the 4.3 gig hard drive maybe part of the bottleneck too.

 

[tcsenter]

Depending on the model number, the Presario 1200 series could support from 160MB up to 320MB maximum RAM. Might just try to find a cheap used notebook on Ebay from circa 2003 ~ 2004 era for $150.

Or just install Win98SE with all the updates.

 

[lxskllr]

Or just install Win98SE with all the updates.

It's probably getting to the point where ancient O/Ss are as secure as modern. You'll have the OSX obscurity running 98SE :^D