and also I managed to upgrade the RAM as well.. add another 1 Gb..

It runs most stuff..

but now I think I need to get rid of it..

coz I just try and play Starcraft 2 using it...

well it runs.. but... LAGGY..

hope it helps..

Cheers,

p0c1

anyone manage to get a 160gig hard drive in the sateliite M30 ??

jon

The DVD Multi Writer drive now only works as a CD drive and does not recognize any DVD's like Luiz Gamboa !!

I suspect this has happened after an online upgrade to Windows XP SP-3 was done.

Does any one of you have a similar experience ? If yes, what was the solution done ?

Would also like to know your experience of RAM upgrade from 512 MB (pre-installed). What new RAM size will help for typical home use ?

Thanks in advance.

(Try any reputable PC repairer. -PZ)

In reply to Kurt's question re memory, it will take 2 x 1Gb DDR400 Sodimm (this memory is downwardly compatible for the M30 - Mine is the PSM30A-7101E [harman/kardon] model.

I'm currently trying to find out what is the largest Hard Drive the BIOS will recognise - does anyone know ? - The original spec suggested 80GB and I would like to put a 160GB drive in it.

Oh yes, it is a good choice even in 2008 and it works well with the extra memory, now 2GB, in it.

When I get around to it, I might look for a faster DVD-RW for it, it still has the original which is a bit slow.

Anyone have a spare copy of the original CD's for it (Recovery and Drivers) I need a copy as I lost mine.

So far the only things that have failed are the hard drive and the battery. All easy fixes - I swapped out the hard drive myself, and had the battery repacked for Php2,400 (around $49).

Does anybody know which memory of 1GB or (2X1GB) I need to buy for this M30?

Thanks for your help.

(Ask for help at Toshiba or at a Memory specialist. -PZ)

Any help much appreciated!
Tina

Tina

And just about a while back, the laptop died on me. I've tried hard enough to revive it, but it doesn't look like this baby will ever live again.

Never buy any Toshiba machine.

problems:
－heating is a major problem
－heavy
－lots of bundled softwares that you should get rid of
－I don't know about the price now but it was expensive in 2004.
－battery has died, it can only work for

In general, it's an elegant machine. I had to change the HDD because it crashed down (too much emule and BT) and now I plan to upgrade its memory.
I have had it for 3 years and I plan to use it for another couple of years.

First of all, the screen is a beauty, nothing beats the glassy widescreen wxga display for watching movies. Games look nice too although they get stretched due to the widescreen. The only problem i've had with the screen is that when the laptop is closed the screen rubs against the keyboard and has left marks on the glassy surface of the screen. They are only visible when the monitor brightness is down though, so thats ok. Then the glare picks up and that can be annoying, but u can live with it.

The graphics card was great, now i wish it was better. my model has the geforce fx go 5200 64mb card. It plays many many games, have played hitman 2, all the need for speed games including the newest one.... for most wanted u can only set the setting halfway, but thats alright, and many other games, too many to mention.

The CD/DVD drive is a little too slow for me, I wish i could burn things faster. Its a little loud at times, but the acoustic silencer helps a little. Also dont put any discs with homemade labels into the drive unless u like to listen to a tractor engine. The disks are unblaanced due to the labels and they make a lot of noise when they spin fast, like whne watching homemade dvds.

People complain about the speakers.... what do u expect... its a laptop, the sound is great, of course almost no bass, but then thats to be expected... only complaint is that the volume should go louder, its not loud enough at times when ther eis lots of ambient noise around.

This laptop is a beast.... I dropped it from about 6 feet onto a hardwood floor with no consequences while it was turned on. Well there are three small, barely noticeable scratches on the top cover but thats it. I was carrying it from one room to another, holding it over my head, with the power adapter in my hands too, and the cord hooked onto the knob and pulled the laptop out of my grip... .the laptop was still on working perfect when i picked it up.

Now here are the problems. ... my hard drive, 80 gigger, physically crashed about a week ago.. so that makes it about a year and 5 months after the purchase and about a year since the drop incident. the read head has crashed against the platter, so now ill have ot pay 500$ to get the data recovered which i really need. I decided to buy a 100 gig toshiba 5400 rpm drive, which works like a charm. The 100 gig is clearly faster than the 4200 drive originally in the laptopl and the power consumption is lower too surprisingly.

second problem is sometimes, the cd/dvd drive freezes, and the laser wont move.... dunno why that happens... but popping the disc out and reinserting it solves the problem... and the last problem is there is a little flap on the left side, and the little locking clips broke off after about 5 months... so now it just flaps and i cant lock it in place... but ive gotten used to it. oh one more thing... wireless driver support for 2200BG intel card sucks on linux, and the sd slot doesnt read mmc. also the pcmcia card slot is longer than usual, so the audigy 2 nx or something like that pcmcia card doesnt fit, unless u get revision C.

anyway... good laptop to buy... ive seen it for very low prices now... i paid 2600 canadian dolalrs for it, but ive seen it for 1700 now.

hope u enjoy this review... if anything email me.

So far, so good, it is light and the screen is big. But I got my laptop for about $2000.

What I don't like is my camera card will not fit in the slot. Oh well I can plug my camera to the usb port to download. I love the 17" very clear screen.

The sales person told me it has a 3 1/2 hour battery life - I have yet to test that part.

So far, i love it. my only complaint is the short battery life, and the tinny-sounding speakers. but, for the price, i was hard-pressed to find something that did what i wanted for the money (i run an online magazine).

i love the widescreen, the weight, and the alloy casing is fabulous for a butterfingers like me. haven't dropped it yet, though *touch wood*.

(Hi Joanne. Don't forget that the information is almost a year old, which probably explains the price drop. -Paul Zucker)

I had the DVD drive replaced because it stopped working after 3 weeks. At the beginning it was extremely slow until one day it just ceased to work. The warranty covered it and am happy to say it works relatively fine now. I believe this specific DVD/CD combo (from Matshita/Panasonic BTW) has had its problems.

Now, one of the issues that I have not seen here; that I have never thought about; and that now I believe is somewhat important. The HD is positioned exactly below the left hand, so after a couple of hours work, your hand will be as hot as the HD, and the feeling of that sucks...

On a good note, I loved the "glassy" screen on the special edition...it just looks nicer...

Cheers...
Victor

I agree with 4200rpm being a bit slow.

The main feature I think that recommends it is the WXGA with CSV. Great for watching DVD's and the like.

However, if you're after a longer battery life and increased portability and performance. Have a look at the Tecra M2 series.

if you really want one (becuase you like its looks or whatever, and i wouldnt blame you if u fall for its looks), you could wait till june because the word is that toshiba may make the m30 available to non-retail partners, which could mean cheaper models. but toshiba wont guarantee that, and is subject to them being able to meet sales goals for the m30.

other than that, there a few other widescreen options to look at, such as hp nx7010, acer aspire 2001 (although i think the acer is a rather old and underpowered model, and a new moel should have been released to replace the 2001 like elsewhere, but that hasnt happened yet, if it will happen), the asus m6000n or the asus w1000n (out maybe mid-may).


the hp and acer use radeon 9200, which is comparable to the geforce 5200 on the m30, but the asus use radeon 9600. the asus should also be cheaper than the toshiba as well.