Author Topic: gateway ta6 laptop (Read 38926 times)

holt · « **on:** December 18, 2015, 02:54 PM »

i have a gateway ta6 laptop, a.k.a. model cx2724. i know it's slow but it's all i've got. it has two 500mb ram sticks. according to this link, my max upgrade limit is two 1-gb ram sticks. before i commit to buy them, can anyone confirm if i can get two 2gb or 4gb ram sticks instead?

tomos · « **Reply #1 on:** December 18, 2015, 02:57 PM »

have you tried any other site e.g. http://www.crucial.com

holt · « **Reply #2 on:** December 18, 2015, 03:19 PM »

found this. still a 2gb (2 x 1gb) limit.

holt · « **Reply #3 on:** December 18, 2015, 05:44 PM »

I recently acquired the Gateway TA6 laptop, with problems:
-Napster shows up in Control Panel Add/Remove programs and nowhere else and refuses to go away.
-PC MightyMax 2009 shows in systray (lower right desktop) and nowhere else and refuses to go away.
-It is a Win XP Tablet, and I would like to disable the Desktop 'Tablet PC Input Panel' somehow.
-I will never use the Motorola fax feature in systray and wonder how to disable it.
-How can I selectively disable McAfee safe web browsing?
Any helpful sugs would be greatly appreciated.

IainB · « **Reply #4 on:** December 18, 2015, 06:20 PM »

Interesting.
The definitive guide as to a laptop's specification for things like RAM, bus, CPU and other features will usually be the specifications pages in the full User Guide (not a brochure).
If you do not have a hard or softcopy of the guide (the softcopy would usually be a PDF file), then it should be easy to download one from the manufacturer's site.
You will need to be able to correctly identify the laptop. Correct identification tags are usually displayed on difficult-to-remove stickers on the laptop underside or maybe sometimes in the battery compartment, and some of them will probably also be displayed in the system details in the operating system.

Identification tags for any given build of laptop will include things such as (for example):

Model Number
Serial Number
Manufacturer ID (e.g., DELL and Gateway have their own peculiar ID numbering schemes).

For confirmation of identification, knowing the Operating System in the original as-built model might help, though this would probably be independent of hardware specs (i.e., the hardware specs wouldn't necessarily vary if there was a different OS installed).
From experience, armed with the above information, documentation and system drivers (even for old laptop models) are usually easy to find and download from the manufacturer's support website.

So, I would suggest that you go to the Gateway Official Support Site: Worldwide
Then:
1. Select your country.
2. On the next page that appears, select on the horizontal Support bar the Drivers & Downloads "button".
3. On the next page you will see that there are 3 options to:

Search by Serial Number or SNID (I would guess SNID is a DELL-specific ID and relates to the as-built spec.)
Search by Product Model
Select my product from a list

You will eventually get to the CX series of numbers, and the search granularity seems to stop at CX2720 for your model, so it should be included there.

However, when I went through these steps assuming country-US and took the third option where I assumed that the OS was a Vista version and 32-bit, I drew a blank.
From the menu that appeared below on that page, I selected the Documents tab and was presented with a list that included these download links:
Gateway Notebook Hardware Reference
Gateway User Guide Gateway Notebook

Annoying, these documents were "generic" documents and neither of them referred to hardware specs. - which I found quite surprising.
I didn't inspect the other documentation listed as it was all labelled "Generic UG".
By the way, you can also download system drivers (software) and a BIOS update from that site, so my visit there might not have been a complete waste of time.

I then did a duckgo search for Specification for Gateway Model ta6 laptop cx2720, and came up with this link: http://gatewaycomput...ikia.com/wiki/CX2720
I'm unsure whether it is authoritative, but it does state there that RAM is:
1GB PC2-5300 DDR2 memory standard (max 2GB)
- so it seems that you are probably stuck with that max RAM constraint.

You could consider a potential workaround to the constraint (to some extent) by installing a fast (C10 min.) memory card - that laptop apparently has an Integrated 5-in-1 Card Reader - and using that as a Ramdrive, but I am unsure whether that would give a useful performance improvement. You'd have to "suck-it-and-see".

Shades · « **Reply #5 on:** December 18, 2015, 06:41 PM »

If the limit is 2x1GByte RAM modules, that is the limit then. if it is old, it likely only supports the DDR2 notebook version of RAM modules. This is an old hardware format, which means they are expensive, because they aren't produced anymore. Second hand RAM is likely what you will end up with. If you think there is too much crap on the laptop, download all the drivers from the manufacturers website and store these on a pen drive, get the windows key from the bottom of your laptop (if that is still readable, else find a piece of software to retrieve your Windows key), find the installers and keys from the software you want to keep, backup whatever data you already put on the laptop and re-install.

Such a "fresh" start will make the laptop more enjoyable. You won't have to bother with finding ways to get rid of crap the previous owner installed, you can use the AV solution you like, etc. etc. My advice is always to put as much RAM in your new PC/Laptop as you are able to afford. Not only will you enjoy using the PC/Laptop longer, it will have more re-sale value (especially with laptops). So, find out which model of RAM your laptop uses from its manual and find two RAM sticks of 1 GBYte, the hardware in your laptop cannot handle any other RAM memory configuration. Buy something else and you have thrown good money out of the door. Don't think it will be easy to resell the wrong memory module configuration or expect to get a decent price. Remember, it is only expensive when you buy it...

General advice:
If you want to know what the specifications of your laptop are, look at the site of the manufacturer or manual. In the manual, you usually find which type and model of RAM will work with your laptop. The manufacturer usually has support, where you can download drivers, updates, manuals etc. Other websites will do their best effort to have all this info available, but as long as there is a manufacturers support website, why bother going somewhere else.

IainB · « **Reply #6 on:** December 18, 2015, 06:58 PM »

I recently acquired the Gateway TA6 laptop, with problems:
-Napster shows up in Control Panel Add/Remove programs and nowhere else and refuses to go away.
-PC MightyMax 2009 shows in systray (lower right desktop) and nowhere else and refuses to go away.
-It is a Win XP Tablet, and I would like to disable the Desktop 'Tablet PC Input Panel' somehow.
-I will never use the Motorola fax feature in systray and wonder how to disable it.
-How can I selectively disable McAfee safe web browsing?
Any helpful sugs would be greatly appreciated.
-holt (December 18, 2015, 05:44 PM)

Well, the scope of your post seems to have just expanded to become a classic bundle of problems - which I would normally avoid trying to help with as remote support can become a real time bandit and I don't want to get sucked in by the vortex they create.

However, having gone as far as I did above, I would suggest that, with the symptoms you describe, having an unknown quantity of software in a laptop, you should suspect the worst and act accordingly - you may have a virus or a hijack virus and that would put you on the back foot, as it were.
To take and maintain control of the situation, I recommend that you therefore download and install and run, one at a time/one after the other, in this order:

If you do have a virus, then a common behaviour is that it may try to block downloads/installs, in which case, if you cannot complete the first step (download, immediately install and then immediately run MBAM), then you will need to take out the drive and treat is as virus-infested as a portable USB drive to a secure computer already installed with the above software, which can then be run to clean that hard drive. I have done this to successfully disinfect and expunge viruses and expunge PUPS (Potentially Unwanted Programs) on several infected/hijacked hard drives for friends.
You should use RevoUninstaller to delete and expunge other unwanted or annoying programs (e.g., Norton Anti-Virus or "Security" software) that may have hooks deeply embedded in the registry - RevoU seems to be the best FREE tool for this.
Then use CCleaner to tidy up the registry and remove all the excess system detritus that most badly neglected PCs will tend to have accumulated. This can sometimes have a surprisingly significant performance improvement for many of your applications and sometimes even the OS, and on a neglected PC can generally free up a considerable chunk of disk space.

As a penultimate cleanup step, open a Run window and run the windows cleanmgr.exe, and select the option to delete restore points (it deletes all but the very latest restore point). You can do that in CCleaner also, but cleanmgr is a good belts-and-braces precaution in my view, as it can sometimes clean up a few bits not necessarily caught by CCleaner. This can generally free up a considerable chunk of disk space.

The final step should be to optimise hard disk performance - run the Windows defrag.exe and automate this by setting it in the options to run every couple of weeks (automatically controlled via Task Scheduler). On a neglected PC this can generally make a useful performance improvement, potentially affecting the performance of most/all applications.

holt · « **Reply #7 on:** December 18, 2015, 08:39 PM »

The laptop was a freebie, and i can use it to look for something new and affordable. But for now, i think i'd like to upgrade the ram at least from 1gb (2 x .500) to 2gb (2 x 1gb), for $11 per ram stick plus s/h.

The freeware RevoUninstaller killed PC Mighty Max 2009 from running and i deleted its folder. I also successfully wiped out all Napster traces. I will never use the tablet screen writing feature and am not sure if it is safe to disable or remove, but it would save some ram. I am still trying to disable the Motorola fax from auto-starting.
Thank you to everyone for all your help.

dr_andus · « **Reply #8 on:** December 18, 2015, 08:46 PM »

I am still trying to disable the Motorola fax from auto-starting.
-holt (December 18, 2015, 08:39 PM)

WinPatrol might be able to help you with that, but I can't make out from the website whether there is still a free version.

Edit: Oh, yeah, there is still a free version.

holt · « **Reply #9 on:** December 20, 2015, 01:17 PM »

I added freeware WinPatrol, and thank you.

This is a Gateway tablet Win XP laptop. On boot up, the laptop will reach the pre-Desktop screen where you are to choose your user name icon and click on it, and it will say this:

Windows XP.
To begin, click your user name.

After you log on, you can add or change user accounts.
Just go to Control Panel and click User Accounts.

A small 1/6th-screen virtual keyboard also appears that I don't think belongs there and don't know how to get rid of. You can right-click at the top of it and move it around, but if you put any of it off-screen it realigns to the screen edge. It always loads/appears a little slower than the parent screen, suggesting separate origins. To right- or left-click at the top of it or the parent screen produces no sub-menu, but when you click on some virtual keys they change color. I added the picture by clicking first on the virtual 'print screen' (PrtScn) key to grab a shot of it. Clicking on virtual ctrl-alt-del (in sequence) produces a message to just use the pc tablet Windows Security button. Free RevoUninstaller can't 'target' it there. Whatever it is, I see no need, and it may be tying up ram. What is it and does it belong there, or what's the use of it, or how do I remove or disable it?

gateway ta6 laptop

Shades · « **Reply #10 on:** December 21, 2015, 06:46 AM »

That is Microsoft's virtual keyboard to help you log in to your system. This keyboard is helpful when you only have your stylus to type in your password. Looks to me like your keyboard isn't detected (fast enough) and that Windows XP is helping you out by activating its virtual keyboard instead.

I don't think your computer has the option in BIOS, but you could try to see in there if there is an option for the BIOS to wait until all USB devices have registered themselves with the BIOS before it continues booting your computer. There will be an option to select if you want to do a slow boot. That could give the keyboard also enough time to register itself properly. By doing this, Windows XP shouldn't show the virtual keyboard anymore to help you log into your Windows account.

Once you logged into Windows, check if you can change this behavior by checking the options of virtual keyboard and the Windows boot routine. The 'Control Panel' should get you access to both.

holt · « **Reply #11 on:** December 21, 2015, 10:21 AM »

i think i'll leave the virtual keyboard alone, and thank you for the information. did i mention this laptop was a freebie and came with no manual or advice. this morning, the front glass screen fell out onto the keyboard. it was almost comical although i was horrified. i put it back into place and pressed it down into a black sticky border. it left a few tiny black streaks under glass along the bottom edge of the screen, which i decided not to try to remedy. to force it loose again using a flat edge paint scraper could crack the glass. i'm thinking either to let it fall out again someday, and then clean the streaks, and tape it down next time...or...a repeat could add more streaks. some sticky black residue was around the outside, and nothing would touch it but acetone on tissue paper. it's all cleaned up except for the very faint and tiny streaks under glass at the extreme bottom edge of the screen. might be best to tape it all down to avoid a worse predicament. it has been quite a learning experience.

in spite of this, i think laptops are not so bad. if i ever get a newer one, i'll just try to avoid a 'tablet' design.

holt · « **Reply #12 on:** December 21, 2015, 09:19 PM »

The top/outer layer of screen glass started to fall out of the frame again, just from being on for three hours from the heat of normal operation, and I would appreciate a few suggestions please.

holt · « **Reply #13 on:** December 24, 2015, 04:55 PM »

I would like to run a backup/clone copy of the laptop's hd somehow, but I'm unfamiliar. Do you use a toaster-style device to drop both the laptop hd and the cloning hd into? Or do they make a master/slave IDE kind of hd ribbon cable to plug into where the laptop's hd goes, so you can just plug in two HDs? But the laptop hd uses a different plug shape (for a 10 year old Gateway TA6, while the cloning hd would be IDE. Or what would someone suggest? If I have to use a USB port and take all night, I can do that too.

That's a thought; can I just get a USB adapter to plug into the external HD, and then where would the HD power jack get its power from?

I replaced the malfunctioning DVD+RW player/burner with an identical used like-new unit so it works now; it is older and slower technology, and took 40 minutes to transfer 3 gb of files from a DVD disk to the HD, but it's better than nothing. Replacing the unit was easy, except for the snap-on plastic external bezel, which took 2 hours of nerve-wracking work with a pile of little bitsy screws and tools and a magnifying light to get the bezel off the old unit without breaking its three concealed delicate little plastic fish hook prongs, but I finally succeeded.

I'm making good progress resurrecting this old laptop and appreciate everyone's help very much.

Shades · « **Reply #14 on:** December 24, 2015, 08:14 PM »

Cloning in itself isn't hard to do, there are many pieces of software that can do this (free and commercial) and if you take the time to properly identify which hard disk is which (including reading any message that software presents to you), there isn't much that can go wrong. However, if you do this wrong, you are in real trouble...that is, if you mind losing your data.

Finding someone that still has a mainboard with IDE ports that work will be harder. If you are sure the laptop uses IDE, you can even use the laptop itself, but you might need to take it apart to connect both the master-slave drives. And keep it like that for as long as the cloning procedure will take. If you do find someone with such a mainboard, you might still have a problem. Connecting both drives to the same hard disk controller will reduce the time to do the cloning considerably, so that would be the preferred option.

Connecting an IDE HD from a laptop onto the IDE hard disk controller of a desktop PC, might require you to alter the IDE cable. Had to do this on occasion when connecting laptop HD's to the IDE port of the Amiga home computer. Don't assume blindly that the IDE cable for a desktop PC is immediately usable in a laptop. Some lines in a standard IDE cable are meant to transfer power and it is not a given that those lines are in the same spot. Often I had to remove one of the IDE connectors find the cables for power, loosen them from the rest of the cable, twist that part of the cable and use a connector from the laptop IDE cable to be able to use the laptop HD in a desktop.

It is easier (and neater) to take the hit in cloning speed and use an external USB device to do the cloning. If all you want to do is making a backup, than don't do cloning. There is much more backup software available that is much simpler in use and faster too. Anyway, when you have a computer, it really is a good idea to invest in a portable hard disk to make backups on. Reliable and simple, what is not to like?

holt · « **Reply #15 on:** December 25, 2015, 12:02 AM »

I see what you mean about USB and HD backup. While I was away from the laptop the outer plastic monitor sheet fell out again, so I put it to one side. What I mean is, there is a second outer clear layer of plastic to view through, and the adhesive -which is in the form of a 1/8" strip around the perimeter- has degenerated into black sticky goo, and the clear outer plastic sheet keeps falling out onto the keyboard. So I left it out. The actual glass of the monitor which is underneath/inside seems to be fine without it.

holt · « **Reply #16 on:** December 27, 2015, 09:34 PM »

I keep touching the touchpad accidentally with the base of my thumb and everytime I do that the cursor jumps halfway across the screen and it beeps at me, so then I have to grab the external mouse and put the cursor back where I'm typing. I tried blocking the pad with a post-it note and an index card but it didn't block it.

tomos · « **Reply #17 on:** December 28, 2015, 04:33 AM »

I keep touching the touchpad accidentally with the base of my thumb and everytime I do that the cursor jumps halfway across the screen and it beeps at me, so then I have to grab the external mouse and put the cursor back where I'm typing. I tried blocking the pad with a post-it note and an index card but it didn't block it.
-holt (December 27, 2015, 09:34 PM)

have a look at the mouse/trackpad settings, they can sometime be 'desensitised'

Shades · « **Reply #18 on:** December 28, 2015, 05:17 AM »

If push comes to shove...you could remove its driver and disable the device in the Windows Device Manager. That means though that you will not be able to use the trackpad at all. Be sure to carry a working computer mouse with you the whole time when you decide to go drastic like this.

holt · « **Reply #19 on:** December 28, 2015, 09:30 PM »

Can't find any way to adjust sensitivity, but thanks it was worth a look. Rather cover the touch pad somehow than drastic uninstall of drivers; cursor 'jumped' half a screen three or four times just typing this. How would one block it physically? It 'senses' right through a post-it and index card.

tomos · « **Reply #20 on:** December 29, 2015, 04:29 AM »

^ It's a while since I used XP, but that should be possible:
http://www.makeuseof...touchpad-windows-xp/

Shades · « **Reply #21 on:** December 29, 2015, 06:33 AM »

It sounds like your computer is more or less falling apart already. Open it further and disconnect the power to the track pad. Even more drastic

dr_andus · « **Reply #22 on:** December 29, 2015, 06:41 AM »

Another option: Turning a crappy old Windows PC into a full-fledged Chromebook with CloudReady | Ars Technica

holt · « **Reply #23 on:** December 30, 2015, 05:47 PM »

Yes. Making the best. When I touch the main pad and move my fingertip, the cursor stays in one place and vibrates, then jumps unpredictably. To its right is a narrow vertical column with up and down chevrons that apparently does nothing. Below these are a long horizontal bar that corresponds to mouse left click, and to its right is a shorter bar that gives a page submenu. I'm seriously considering uninstalling the touch pad driver, as I found no 'disable when usb or mouse connected' option.

I installed Revo uninstaller free, as advised. Will that enable reinstallation of tablet drivers at any future time if needed? I'd feel better uninstalling, if I knew it could be restored. Other than that, I'm still wondering how the tablet 'senses' and if I could cover it with a plate of something instead of pulling the drivers and possibly destabilizing anything else.

holt · « **Reply #24 on:** January 02, 2016, 07:26 AM »

If push comes to shove...you could remove its driver and disable the device in the Windows Device Manager. That means though that you will not be able to use the trackpad at all. Be sure to carry a working computer mouse with you the whole time when you decide to go drastic like this.
-Shades (December 28, 2015, 05:17 AM)

Is this it? Synaptics PS/2 Port TouchPad. "Sample rate 100 reports/second".