archived post from SillyDog701 Message Centre

[tiny5650]

Tidus,
I would like to upgrade the HD in my Tiny 5650. Is this possible? Is there a Service Manual available so I can take it apart? I live in a small town in Utah, USA so these things are not available here.
Thanks

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[Tidus]

You're in luck, my friend!

I do have a service manual, and it is possible to upgrade your hard drive! Customer satisfaction is our No.1 priority!

The only thing is, because your machine is only a Pentium 2, you will most likely be limited to the maximum size hard disk you can install. What is the current size? The service manual says it can come with up to 10GB, so you will be lucky if you can get it up to 20GB. I remember working on one of these 4 years ago, but the only thing it needed was a new inverter, the DC-AC transformer/starter for the screen CCFT (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Tube) backlighting.

Let me know the full current specs of your machine, and i'll work it out, and i'll see KJC's former owner, Choi, see if he knows, he's been running the business since it started 34 years ago, i've only run it the past 3/4, since he retired, so he'll be able to help us both.

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[tiny5650]

Tidus,
This particular machine is equiped with a Celeron processor 400Mhz, PhoenixBios 4.0 Rel 6.0, 64Mhz Ram and a 4.5Ghz Fujitsu disk drive. I have a memory slot open so I can add needed memory and I have located the disk drive. It is running Windows 2000. It is a perfect size for our motorhome and has been very reliable.
Earl

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[Tidus]

There is an upgrade in sight, i can see it!

Your hard drive is upgradeable up to 10GB, as far as our guys and the service manual tell me, and your RAM to 128MB (Possibly 256!) Running Windows 200 on 64MB? Is it not slow? If you also plan to upgrade your operating system, to Windows XP, i recommend upgrading your RAM to at least 256, even on 128 it is slow, with default themes, appearance and animation settings. You'll probably need a faster processor too, and your machine's CPU won't go any higher, so you will need a new machine, too. Although Windows 2000 Pro is a wonderful OS, it was meant for business use, but is good for home too, i personally, in your situation, would stick with it, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

You have a motorhome? Cool! Do you live away from, well, home, or is the motorhome your main home?

LoL, that sounded weird! If you still want a service manual, let me know. I'm not really supposed to be supplying these to customers, they're internal only! That's how much i care

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[tiny5650]

Tidus,
Thanks for the reply. I found the Service Manual and I really do appreciate your swift response to my problem. Yes, this machine was v-e-r-y slow especially when I approached the storage threshold of the hard drive. Then it was inane! I'll get the parts and plug them in.
We use our motorhome mostly for weekend trips. Kanab is located Within 75 miles of Lake Powell, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Parks. But this trip will be to visit relatives in Texas. Because of that trip, I purchased Street Atlas with GPS software. That in itself takes 2 Gb! Katie bought the farm then! as they say.
So again, many thanks for being there and being of such service to these machines.
Have a great day,
Earl Decker
KD7ZJW

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[tiny5650]

Tidus,
I added the memory boards to the 5650 and they work great. I decided to keep it to 256K and not push it. However, the new problem I have is that I forgot the password to get into setup (F2). I looked in the Service Manual but did not see any light there. Do you have any idea how I can reset that password?
Earl

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[Tidus]

I'm afraid you're going to have to remove the CMOS battery!

This battery is the battery that keeps the BIOS settings stored in ROM. Removing this will reset all your BIOS settings, but will wipe all the passwords, so you will be able to get into Setup again. The thing is, getting to the battery, the laptop needs to be disassembled slightly. I haven't stripped one of these laptops in 4-5 years, and the service manual isn't very clear, but i'll help as much as i can remember.

First, disconnect ALL power sources, including the AC adapter, and the battery (Your battery must be knackered by now, this machine is so old! Unless you have replaced it, of course!)

Flip the machine over, and towards the front, for the trackpad, there's 2 screws. One near the battery, and one in the middle of the front. Then unsnap the trackpad, from the front, and lift her off, unclipping the trackpad wire from the I/O board (the battery is wired to this, we need to find it!)

Remove the keyboard. There are no screws holding it in, it should slide out, then remove the keyboard interface cable from the socket (the socket may be a clamp type, that you'll need to release first, don't just pull the cable!) Then we need to remove the heatplate, under the keyboard.

There are 4 big screws, on springs. DON'T remove these, these will release your whole heatplate/CPU heatsink & fan assembly, and if we do this, you'll need to replace your CPU thermal grease. There should be some tiny Philips screws. Remove these. We only want to remove the silver metal sheet (heatplate).

Now, we need to look for the battery plug. It is located where one of the speakers is plugged in, and i think it's the same size. The battery looks like 3 button cells, shrink wrapped in green plastic (most are, but it could be a different colour!), attached to a red wire, and a black wire.

If you can find it, disconnect it, leave everything for 10 mins, re-attach the battery, and reassemble the laptop, reversing the instructions above. You should then be able to get into your BIOS setup, by hitting F2, without the password!

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[tiny5650]

Tidus,
You're correct, the Service Manual is not very clear. I followed the procedure you gave me and I can now get into the Bios setting screens. By the way, I have a new battery, I have to be careful lifting the notebook with the screen unlatched else the flex in the device breaks the connection of the battery. I do not usually do this however. Other than that, I can now proceed with the installation of the new hard drive. More on that later.
Thank you again for your enormous assistance.
Earl

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