User manual for older Compaq laptop?

Hi Guys,
Does anyone know where I can get hold of a User manual for a Compaq
Presario 1234 online?
I have searched the Compaq site and I can find manuals for extra bits
like Blurtooth but not the manual for the actual laptop.
Any clues?
Cheers,
Steve

On Apr 16, 5:58 am, "Steve" wrote:
Hi Guys,
Does anyone know where I can get hold of a User manual for a Compaq
Presario 1234 online?
I have searched the Compaq site and I can find manuals for extra bits
like Blurtooth but not the manual for the actual laptop.
Any clues?
Cheers,
Steve

I can't find it either, but if you're trying to resolve a problem,
perhaps we can help.

Hi Paul, Thanks for the reply.
No major problem with it as yet. Just niggles.
Things like which button to press when the message on screen says, "It
is now safe to turn off your computer".
Through trial and error, I found it was the ESC key. Any other
keystroke seems to get the scandisk screen for improper shutdown the
next time it fires up.
Oh, and finding what key gets you into the BIOS at start up.
Also, manuals sometimes have tips for reviving a dead or dying
battery.

Try F10 at the Compaq Logo on bootup to enter the BIOS.

HH

"Steve" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi Paul, Thanks for the reply.
No major problem with it as yet. Just niggles.
Things like which button to press when the message on screen says, "It
is now safe to turn off your computer".
Through trial and error, I found it was the ESC key. Any other
keystroke seems to get the scandisk screen for improper shutdown the
next time it fires up.
Oh, and finding what key gets you into the BIOS at start up.
Also, manuals sometimes have tips for reviving a dead or dying
battery.

On Apr 19, 5:44 am, Steve wrote:
Hi Paul, Thanks for the reply.
No major problem with it as yet. Just niggles.
Things like which button to press when the message on screen says, "It
is now safe to turn off your computer".
Through trial and error, I found it was the ESC key. Any other
keystroke seems to get the scandisk screen for improper shutdown the
next time it fires up.
Oh, and finding what key gets you into the BIOS at start up.
Also, manuals sometimes have tips for reviving a dead or dying
battery.

HH answered the Bios question. And you answered the shutdown one. I
suppose that leaves the battery to me.
Not good news on that score. There are several myths associated with
bringing these batteries back to life, that don't work well, if at
all. The best way is to get a new battery. The one way that works, IF
you have decent soldering experience is to crack the battery open and
replace the cells. But that's a risk. And it's not a freebie.

Thanks HH. I'll try that next time I turn the lappy on.

Paul, Yes, I agree there are a lot of Urban myths about reviving
batteries.
The thing is that amongst all the dross, you sometimes find a few
jems.
One laptop I had, can't remember if it was a Compaq M300 or a Toshiba
4200 had this thing where if you slid the button over as you would
normally do to start the laptop but held it against the spring for a
minute or so, it drained the battery to zero and then it would charge
fully. Getting a new battery is always an option but with these older
lappies, how sure can you be that it will work? How sure can you be
that it isn't partly a fault of the charging curcuit so a new battery
won't be all that much better than the one you already have?
Maybe I'm just a cheapskate (Listens for sounds of agreement) but
after paying £25 for the laptop, I don't really want to pay out
another £50 for a battery. I guess I'll just try a few charge - drain
cycles and see what happens.
Thanks for your help guys.
Steve

On Apr 19, 5:14 pm, Steve wrote:
Thanks HH. I'll try that next time I turn the lappy on.

Paul, Yes, I agree there are a lot of Urban myths about reviving
batteries.
The thing is that amongst all the dross, you sometimes find a few
jems.
One laptop I had, can't remember if it was a Compaq M300 or a Toshiba
4200 had this thing where if you slid the button over as you would
normally do to start the laptop but held it against the spring for a
minute or so, it drained the battery to zero and then it would charge
fully. Getting a new battery is always an option but with these older
lappies, how sure can you be that it will work? How sure can you be
that it isn't partly a fault of the charging curcuit so a new battery
won't be all that much better than the one you already have?

The odds are more in favor of being a dead battery, vs a dead charging
circuit. IIRC and FWIW, the last presario 1200 series I cracked open
had a separate board for the battery charger, which the laptop won't
power on without (it turned out that it was loose on that laptop,
causing it to shut down when pressure was applied to the palm rest,
and reseating that board did the trick). So if the laptop works,
chances are the charging circuit in OK.

Maybe I'm just a cheapskate (Listens for sounds of agreement) but
after paying £25 for the laptop, I don't really want to pay out
another £50 for a battery. I guess I'll just try a few charge - drain
cycles and see what happens.
Thanks for your help guys.
Steve

One thing you might look to is a bios upgrade. Every once in a while
they muck with the battery charging and power management. So as to
make the comp run longer by using less juice.

Battery controller firmware
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/s...&os=20&lang=en

Bios upgrade.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/s...&os=20&lang=en

Well, would you look at that?
After checking and downloading the files from those links, (Many
thanks) I found another update specifically addressing the failure to
shut down at the "It is now safe to turn your computer off" screen.
One last query though, before I do the BIOS upgrade, how can I tell if
the BIOS has already been upgraded and if it has, will upgrading again
with the same file cause any problems?
Cheers,
Steve

On Apr 20, 1:35 am, Steve wrote:
Well, would you look at that?
After checking and downloading the files from those links, (Many
thanks) I found another update specifically addressing the failure to
shut down at the "It is now safe to turn your computer off" screen.
One last query though, before I do the BIOS upgrade, how can I tell if
the BIOS has already been upgraded and if it has, will upgrading again
with the same file cause any problems?
Cheers,
Steve

Bios update programs are generally written such that they will tell
you if the existing version is newer, or the same. Flashing the same
version will do no harm, though there is rarely a need.

I believe also, that the system info in the bios setup screen will
tell you the rom revision. And I think, the creation date. Most users
are scared of bios updates (or don't know how to find them), and don't
do them. So the odds are in favor that you have the firmware that
shipped with the machine.

mc" wrote in message
news:6TyTh.34620$AS6.19645@trnddc04...
I just received a satellite 225 cds...it still works...does anyone know if
there is a user maual available to download.?
mc
Below is the link to the page to download the manual for the satellite 225
cds
laptop.
Just copy and paste into the address bar of your browser
http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/t...ngdgnj.0&ct=DL