Tablet PC Upgrade question

[mjwebb007 0]

Just wanted to get some opinions...

 

I have a Fujitsu Stylistic 5020D Tablet PC.

 

Processor Upgrade Question:

Currently it is equipped with a Pentium M 733 (1.1 GHz 2MB L2). I am pretty sure I can upgrade to any of the socket compatible Pentium M processors but I think I will leave that alone since I kind of like the ULV aspect of the processor (Tablet is rated for around 6 hours and it pretty much does that). But please let me know what you think about that.

 

Memory Upgrade Question:

512MB DDR-333 Installed. Ordered 2GB of Crucial DDR-333 to add some horsepower. Really no questions about that.

 

Hard Drive/OS Upgrade Question:

40GB 4200RPM Fujitsu HD installed. Ordered a WD Scorpio 120GB 5400RPM HD. Stuck with 5400RPM for battery drain and capacity reasons (less drain than a 7200 and came in a 120GB size). My question on this topic is it has Windows XP Tablet Edition 2005 on it. I want to upgrade to Vista Home Premium. First I don't have my Tablet disc (got tablet from my mom when her doctors' office upgraded their systems, so no one has any idea where the recovery disc and WinXP discs are) so I am not sure how feasible it is to just clone the drive from the 40GB to the 120GB (which would be necessary if I was just swapping out the hard drives). Second does anyone have any idea if Vista's drivers would support this tablet? I would ask Fujitsu but they have pretty much already stated they are only producing drivers for current models. If Vista is not an option, any suggestions on easiest way to clone the drive?

 

That is enough for now I guess. Thanks.

[Myke 0]

I actually just attended a Microsoft seminar yesterday where Vista was 1/3 of the 5-hour conference. The guy was running it on laptop that didn't really have too much power in it, and it ran just fine. Microsoft actually has a few tools you can run to check both your hardware and software to see if they are compatible with Vista.

 

Another cool thing to note is that if you buy the business version of Vista, it comes with 4 licenses for VM (yes, I'm aware that VM is a free download), which you can install certain OS's on if a needed program cannot run on Vista.

 

This next comment does not apply too much to you, seeing as you just ordered 2 GB of RAM, but it's mad cool. Windows Vista has a new function which other versions of Windows did not have. It's called ReadyBoost. Basically, it allows you to use a USB Key as RAM; so if you have a 1GB USB key, you can use up to 850 MB of it to function as RAM, provided that it has enough free space on it, obviously.

 

I hope that this somewhat helped answer your question. I have been very hesitant about trying Vista, but after yesterday's presentation, I can't wait to try it out.

[Myke 0]

I forgot to address your last question about cloning the HDD:

 

The best program that I have used to clone a HDD was Acronis MigrateEasy. It's a very simple and easy to use tool which operates outside of the Windows environment and does not take too long to perform. When I cloned a laptop's HDD, I had to purchase 2 IDE converters (one for each HDD) and place the HDDs in a tower. It worked like a charm and is now the only program I use to clone HDDs.

 

I highly suggest NOT using Norton Ghost, as it did nothing but cause problems.

[mjwebb007 0]

Thanks for the info. I know about the ReadyBoost ability and since my Tablet has a MS/SD slot on it I am planning on using a 4GB MemoryStick Pro card for that. I read that 4GB is the max and they recommend maintaining at least a 1:1 ratio (i.e. if you have 1GB use at least a 1GB flash media). It is my understanding that you can use any type flash media as there are some Vista-ready motherboards that have a chip built in already (Asus has some) and I have seen some testing where people used SanDisk SD and MS Pro cards... I also think my tablet is powerful enough and will use the Vista Advisor software to figure it out. Unfortunately I can't get Fujitsu to tell me whether Vista drivers support my hardware. They want me to by a new Vista capable model.

 

That program works when going to a larger hard drive right?

[Myke 0]

Yes, the cloning application works as long as the new HDD is of equal to or larger than the original HDD's size. Just make sure you know what you are doing when you take your tablet apart and with setting your jumpers right. Other than that, it's rather straight forward.