is this a good laptop

it was my moms its a dell insporion 1100.i have no idea about laptops always only had ones that was very very old.also what os can i install on it?it has xp on it now but im going to reformat it cause well my moms stuff is probaly still on it and im sure it was personal

Doesn't seem like a bad system at all, especially if yours is configured with some of the options like a cd writer.

http://reviews.cnet.com/Dell_Inspiron_1100/4505-3121_7-21127907-2.html?tag=glance

All I know is I can put my Slax CD in my sister's Inspiron 8200 and boot up. It seems to run Slax okay.

Some say it's difficult to port an OS to a laptop. Maybe because of the proprietary hardware.

my big problem is my isp is netzero and they dont have options for linux .i aways forget this

If Linux can use the modem you ought to be able to use your ISP. I think most modems on PCs are half-baked "win modems" and Linux may not be able to use them.

I have full hardware modems in my machines and I've never had trouble with any ISP when I use Red Hat Linux. I've never used Netzero but I think they are all alike. In fact I think Netzero uses the same phone numbers for access as Hypercon, which is the ISP I currently use.

Some ISPs, and I think Netzero is one, try to get you to download software but I don't think it's necessary. I've never downloaded any ISP software. All you should need is your account name and password.

i tryied to just use dail up networking with netzero but it always says wrong password they must add something to it in there software

It may be your username. For most ISP's I've used you need to add "@netzero.net" or "@netzero.com" or whatever.

For instance my login name at Hypercon is:
<myusername>@hypercon.net

One of the reasons I chose Hypercon over Netzero is that Hypercon tells you how to log on, although it may not be easy to find. Maybe if you look around long enough on Netzero's site, you can find it.

By the way, it seems all dialup ISPs are bad, except maybe EarthLink, and EarthLink costs $22 per month. EarthLink once had an offer of $10 per month for six months, so I signed up. It worked pretty well but after the price went up to $22, I cancelled. Maybe if I strike it rich, I'll sign up again.

i almost cryied like 20 minutes ago i think comcast had a add saying 8 meg cable here now but they must mean other area id love 8 meg cable

no luck at all i tryied a few pw combations.i hate there software

raggie33 said:

it was my moms its a dell insporion 1100.

Click to expand...

Gaaa!

Remember my "Dude, I ain't gettin a Dell?" thread? It was a friend's Inspiron 1100 that started this.

It's a decent machine EXCEPT that the 3-pin power connection in the back of the machine is FRAGILE. It's soldered directly to the mobo with very little strain relief, so a fair amount of flexing of the cord can snap the connection right off the mobo. The symptom is that the AC power light doesn't come on and it refuses to charge the battery.

In order to get at this #$^@ connection you have to tear the laptop completely down and pull out the mobo to access the solder points for that connector. I've repaired this particular connetor three times now and it just broke again. Be very gentle with the power cord!!

that sucks man i sure hope my dad didnt break it already lol

that unit will run mandrake 10.1 as my neighbor uses it on one.
but you need a real isp aol,netzero,peoplepeecee dont qualify.
they require their spyware/advertising crap and clumsy dialer software.
look for a local company.btw a real isp will simply give you a list of numbers,a username,and a password.

The 1100 is a terrible laptop. Wife bought one because it was cheap. I have replaced about half of it already and its only two years old (one year warranty). It is a desktop in a laptop case, too hot running CPU and huge fans which sucks battery life, very inefficient system board design, my 1GHz laptop is faster than her 2.4GHz. The keyboard, hinges and touchpad have all worn out from her doing school work on it in the evenings. Its one the worst laptop I have ever seen and I have owned several myself, used several company provided, serviced them for a couple companies, etc.