[rshaffer61]

The recovery partition is hidden from the manufacturer. The only way to find it is using disk management and that is why I asked you to try it. Now that it is there most likely it is the original OS installed at the factory. Is there a sticker of some type on the bottom of the laptop with the OS and serial number on it? That would be the original installation.

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Yeah, the sticker is for Vista of course. 97403032k is the product serial number.

I tried accessing disc management on the winxp one (it's also a Toshiba) but got some kind of error about not being able to access the logical disc management. I'm not too worried about that one tho, I don't think I ever put much personal stuff on it. I also remember it has been through a lot of people and was a huge headache when I first got it (it came with ubuntu for some reason, even tho its sticker is for xp, and when we tried to put xp on it we had to go thru a lot of nonsense including replacing the motherboard or something crazy... as you can tell I didn't participate much in that process haha). I think I'd used it almost exclusively for note taking, which is not all that sensitive data.

[Wumbo]

Yeah, the sticker is for Vista of course. 97403032k is the product serial number.

I tried accessing disc management on the winxp one (it's also a Toshiba) but got some kind of error about not being able to access the logical disc management. I'm not too worried about that one tho, I don't think I ever put much personal stuff on it. I also remember it has been through a lot of people and was a huge headache when I first got it (it came with ubuntu for some reason, even tho its sticker is for xp, and when we tried to put xp on it we had to go thru a lot of nonsense including replacing the motherboard or something crazy... as you can tell I didn't participate much in that process haha). I think I'd used it almost exclusively for note taking, which is not all that sensitive data.

[rshaffer61]

I tried accessing disc management on the winxp one (it's also a Toshiba) but got some kind of error about not being able to access the logical disc management

Was XP a upgrade on that system?

[Wumbo]

No, I think it is what it originally had (if a sticker for XP is anything to go by). The XP toshiba's product serial number is 750584479H (model PPS10C-LS101E). I am pretty sure it has had more than a few parts replaced even before I got it 5 years ago. It loads programs very quickly... I think the only reason I was annoyed with it was that it got very hot quickly and was too noisy for a classroom. Sadly those are sort of important issues especially the former.

Edited by Wumbo, 23 December 2012 - 10:02 AM.

[Wolfeymole]

Yeah, the sticker is for Vista of course.

I also remember it has been through a lot of people and was a huge headache when I first got it (it came with ubuntu for some reason, even tho its sticker is for xp

This is confusing Wumbo, is the sticker for Vista or XP?

[Wumbo]

We are talking about two laptops here, Wolfeymole. The one I inherited from my brother (a little newer) is Vista and I've just ran the recovery. The other one is much older that I also got for free a long time ago (but which came with many problems that I had to ask for the help of someone I know who understands hardware well). I can be reasonably certain of the history of the one I got from my brother, but I have no idea how many hands the other one has passed through.

[Wolfeymole]

Ok this number model PPS10C-LS101E) is a Portege S100 that has XP on it.

http://209.167.114.3...S10C-LS101E.htm

Which box are we now talking about mate?

[rshaffer61]

The one I inherited from my brother (a little newer) is Vista and I've just ran the recovery

Did the recovery work on this one?


The other one if heat is the issue have you used a can of compressed air to blow out the vents and open the bottom compartments to blow out the internal part of the laptop? It may just be filled with dust and clogged vents. Also is it on a hard surface when used with nothing impeding air flow around it?
A simple suggestion would be to purchase a laptop cooler for it to sit on when in use. Another possibility is the fan may need clean out but that requires opening the laptop up to get to it.

[Wumbo]

The recovery for the Vista is still in progress, but I'm pretty sure it's successful. It's just "checking my computers performance" as part of its routine Vista is starting for the first time schtick.

Yeah, I have definitely seen increased performance in computer towers where I took the trouble to clean the fan. That can be a real problem. I don't need to use this old laptop, but I would definitely advice anyone who wanted to take it off my hands about these two things.

I currently use a very low-power Acer laptop that I have had for a year, which serves me very well. It happens to be the only laptop I've gotten brand new so I actually know what changes it has been through... For these two old ones, I just want the peace of mind that I could give it away or leave it alone without thinking about whether or not I left any phone numbers names pictures or the like on it. It always amazes me where you can find stuff you deleted a long time ago just because programs tend to automatically make copies in various random places (thumbnails, avatars, etc).

edit: alright Vista is up and running. It is being finicky (I pressed windows key + e and it decided I don't have enough permission to do that even though the only account is the admin account), but that is what you get with the OS to begin with!

Thanks for your help.

Edited by Wumbo, 23 December 2012 - 10:34 AM.