Help Upgrading presario c500 series notebook - Page 12

Hi all and welcome to the board dsk0,

QHN is correct. I have never paid much attention to it though as the revision number isn't very informative overall, at least in this case.

The de-white listed BIOS is an awesome thing, I just wish I could use it on my C500. Unfortunately, if I recall that particular one is for BIOS F.25, and some of us have boards with an F.26. Even if we only had F.25 we couldn't flash it.

I've tried to use BIOS recovery to restore to an earlier version and re-upgrade to get rid of my white list, but it never has worked for me.

I am not positive if those particular antics are against board policy though, truthfully, so I won't go too much into any details unless QHN or someone else okays it. Heh

As for your board, sadly you have the "black sheep" of the boards. If you are interested at all in upgrading your system you would need to grab 441695-001 or 445605-001 (with the former being the better choice). You'd probably be stuck with the white list again, but at least you'd be able to build the system up some.

Just my two cents!

Regards,
O Shadow Fox O

Hi again,
 

Today  I tried AVG's driver update service and it told me I have 15 drivers out of date. I did not feel like paying the $30 dollars they want to update them until I had checked if there was a way to do it for free.

 

 I went to HP's web site and tried there but it would not recognise the configuration of my updated c500, probably because it never came with the T7200 dual core processor.

 

 So my question is, is there a way to update these system drivers myself?

 

 Thanks,

 

 John

I don't see what the T7200 has anything to do with the update of drivers. Just use whatever is being available for the standard Compaq C500 on the HP/Compaq site and you should be all set.

And if you really need the devices to be updated, then just go through devices manager, write down the devices model / part number and chase them individually on the net. My motto, unless you really have an issue or sure of the improvement, don't go updating drivers just because it says there is an update

cheers ...

Thought this might be appreciated here.

 

 My son who lives in Scotland damaged his c500, broke a hinge and at the same time gained a dead part on the screen!

 

 So I suggested that I'd just get him a new laptop as a screen replacement and new hinge would cost more than the c500 is worth but he said no, he would like it fixed.

 

 I found a cheap c500 on ebay in the UK which had plenty of issues but a good screen and hinges and thats where it started.

 

 It took a few hours on the phone to my son and my mother running them through the tear down and rebuild procedures (which produced a few complications) but eventually my son had a perfect working c500 and my mother had a completely knackered one that did boot up to BIOS.

 

 I might have lost a few years on that phone call but it was an amazing moment when my son started up his c500 and declared it was perfect. He has never tried to , never mind repaired anything before. Hopefully this will be a life lesson that he will have learnt and remember.

 

 Thanks all,

 

 John

absolutely

cheers ...

Hi all,

So it's been a while for this thread and maybe that's a sign, but I just wanted to pop in and toss something fun on the pile (at least to me, your mileage may vary).

One of my co-workers just tossed an HP Pavilion DV5218nr in my lap and will be giving me a second (they were twins, so to speak) next week. The first thing I thought when I looked down at it was "Wow, it's a garish, ugly C500." Oh if only I had known...

After leeching her files off the hard drive and returning them to her, I got it home and began digging. It doesn't just LOOK like a garish, ugly C500, it practically IS one. I won't go into deep details (except to note that the motherboards APPEAR to be cousins and C500 boards MAY work in these, albeit with empty case notches where ports would be) but suffice it to say my curiosity was piqued.

Unfortunately, I am again cursed with the weakest possible board as stock (i940GML, demonstrated by GMA 950 graphics and an ability to BOOT 3 GB, but only use 2 GB as reported by Windows). However, I am already deep into plotting experiments and upgrades (including replacing the horrifically shattered screen).

If there's any interest, I may create a thread to give details, but the age of the system (6ish years) means even the BEST upgrades might not be worth it for some. Still, as a curiosity and a means of making old systems "breathe" again (similar to our C500 efforts), it might be worthy. Faster Core 2 Duo's, even from the early generation, are still usable for some purposes even now.

The biggest possible up shot is that there appears to be at least ONE board with discrete nVidia graphics available (as opposed to the all-Intel C500 series boards), but the cooler would need to support it... We'll see.

And to anyone who still checks this thread or finds it looking for info, just maybe this'll spark interest in upgrading ANOTHER line of aged but potentially useful hardware!

Regards,
O Shadow Fox O

Even with only being able to use 2GB or less of memory, they would make excellent Linux boxes....

Hey saugen,

Fair enough point. Also, and while it's not STRICTLY legal it is somewhat common, it could be workable as a PC/Mac crossover as well. Just to poke around with OS X, I recently purchased a mid-2006 iMac and learned it is essentially identical hardware wise to these machines (the NB is an i943GML: Support for C2D -it's running a T5600- and 64-bit, but a hard ceiling of 2 GB of RAM). The C500 is the ONLY cross-over system I got to work flawlessly up to Snow Leopard 10.6.7 (10.6.8 caused a kernel panic and was unbootable).

In either case, as I noted, there's definitely life in these old machines still. I'm really excited and made my "refit and repair" purchases last night, including two motherboards (including a refurbed nVidia one), a new screen, and keyboard.

I'll launch a new thread when I get started and have some info, and if it goes anywhere, great. If not, at least I tried to bring some more knowledge. Thanks for the reminder though! It's often easy to overlook Linux in the Windows world, despite that fact that more than ever Linux is viable and not anywhere near as "scary" as it was even a few years ago.

Regards,
O Shadow Fox O

Just put away (both still work) IBM Thinkpad 390 2626 w/ Puppy Linux and a Toshiba Sat 1400(with another distro,,damned if I can remember what was on it now)..both worked well..it was the operator (me) that was having some problems finding stuff..anyhow, ran out of room

Dear OShadowFoxO, c500 fan and all the others,

 

As promised I come back to give some feedback about the SSD I bought (Samsung 830 128 GB). I just installed it and my C500 is faster than ever.
It boots up Seven Pro x64 to the login screen in just 25 seconds, not that bad for a 6-year-old laptop

Now you can get offers on 128 GB SSDs for as little as 50 $/€, so it can be a valuable upgrade.

My WEI ratings : 5.0/5.0/3.6/3.2/7.2

Hey qapmoc,

That's awesome news, and pretty much in line with all the information I had myself.

My DV9700 flies with the Crucial M4 128 GB I put in it, so I imagine the results are pretty similar with the C500. That coupled with all the info in this thread about the C500 (which has proven invaluable with my work on the above mentioned DV5000) just goes to show that sometimes old hardware isn't too old after all.

All it needs is a little TLC and some upgrades.

Long live old hardware! Heheh

Regards,
O Shadow Fox O

*crazy people with good old running hardware *

Dear all,

A nice effect of the SSD is that it heats up way less than a regular hard drive.
But the laptop fan still starts for a few seconds when doing nothing but scrolling a webpage, then stops, then starts again ... it's boring.
Do you know if there would be a way to manage fans by software on the C500 ?
I spent a lot of time searching the web, tried NHC and SpeedFan but none of them find the fan nor are able to control it.

Hi qapmoc,

Generally speaking, if the system starts the fan there's a reason for it. With your T7200 being identical to my C500 setup, I see the same behavior. The T7200 and higher is obviously at the upper limit for the cooling system in the series. Mine is in Florida right now with my girlfriend so I can't directly check it, but I recall it hovered on the border between 45 and 55 C at idle, and 50 C seems to be where the fan routinely kicks on to provide more direct cooling.

You COULD attempt to find ways to stop the fan, but you should be aware that it might interfere with the CPU cooling by stopping it willfully. Despite my efforts to provide better CPU/Heatsink interfacing, there wasn't any apparent way to reduce the temps once you hit this point in CPU power. I just learned to accept it as the cost of having a much more capable system than the C500 originally was.

I am finding similar behavior in my experiments with the DV5000's a co-worker gave me, though I am not AS high as the C500 since the only chip I had laying around was a T5600.

All that being said, certainly keep hunting if you wish, but my recommendation is simply not to mess with it. Despite us knowing what we know about the systems, they behave as they do for a reason and while there are certainly times they behave poorly... By and large they continue to function without fail because they are working the way they should.

Just my two cents.

Regards,
O Shadow Fox O

well said

cheers ...

OK - I wanted to add my experience since I've recently benefited by the various uses experiences and subsequent modifications noted in this thread!

Six years ago I purchased a new c552us that came equipped with an Intel Celeron 530 M, MS Vista, 1GB Memory (2 X 512 MB), and a 5,400 hard drive.
Within days of my purchase, I registered here, and found out the process of ditching MS Vista OS for MS XP Professional. Through the user experiences on this forum, I was able to pretty effortlessly make the transition, and operate for six years pretty problem free. Anyways, the mods I made the first week I owned my C552us it were:

* Ditching MS Vista for XP Professional (32 Bit Version),
* Adding 2 X 1GB Memory for 2 GB Total,
* Swapping out the 5,400 RPM hard drive for a 7,200 hard drive.
* Replacing the internal DVD/CD player with a HP DVD Writer I found used on Ebay,
* Upgrading to F24 Bios.

Since the upgrades, it's been my workhorse, serving me well as my primary computer for 6 years.

My c552us has literally been all over the world with me, from the hottest places on earth to the coldest places, and like others have written in this thread, besides it's bulletproof reliability, I've also greatly appreciate the LOUD front firing speakers. The factory internal sound card & speakers have been loud enough to allow me to listen to streamed internet radio and talk shows without needing external plug in speakers - greatly appreciated as it's one less thing to pack and carry. The sound card/speakers are loud enough that I frequently bring it into the bathroom, place it on a sink bank, and clearly hear talk radio shows over the sound of a showers running water.

Well, a few weeks ago the original motherboard died, and I was crushed. It was like losing a close friend. Hell we traveled the world together and I couldn't just trash him ;-)

So I started researching purchasing a new motherboard, and in the process I found this thread about upgrading the CPU - what a lifesaver!!!!.

OK - so my original motherboard was a: 445605-001 with a i943GML Northbridge - Manufactured 2006-10-18 REV 1

I was able to find the same board NEW on Ebay; a 445605-001 with a i943 GML Manufactured 2007-03-14 for $55 Shipped (pic below).

I also found a vendor that had a Intel Core 2 MOBILE CPU T5600 1.83 GHz CPU for $13 Shipped. I could have went with a faster dual core processor that also had more cache, BUT, I was very concerned about internal case temperatures. So I went conservative, and went with a combination that OShadowFoxO said kept internal case temps pretty reasonable.

Here's a link to specs of the processor I picked:
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Core_2/Intel-Core%202%20Duo%20Mobile%20T5600%20LF80537GF0342M%20%28BX80537T5600%29.html

In addition to the CPU upgrade experiences on this thread, I also found the following webpage very valuable to help me in my CPU pick:
Link to 445605-001 CPU Socket and processors that will fit in it:
http://www.cpu-world.com/Sockets/Socket%20M%20%28mPGA478MT%29.html

I swapped out the bad motherboard for the new one, added the "new" T5600 CPU, and my old friend is up and running like a champ!



So now that I'm up and running I've been thinking... I know I'm a somewhat limited with the 533MHz FSB speed, but, the last mods I'd like to make (if possible) are:
* Bumping the memory up from 2 GB to???
NOTE: In post 224 of this thread, "C500 fan" writes in his signature line that he has bios F26 and 4GB of memory.
Hmmmm, I wonder how that's working out for him, as in if he's able to utilize ALL of the memory, as well as where he found that BIOS version??? I see he's running Windows 7 64 Bit OS...He hasn't signed on for five months now - wish I could ask him!

* Replacing the Broadcomm B/G internal wireless card to a internal wireless card with "N" capability.

INTERNAL WIRELESS CARD UPGRADE

Regarding upgrading the wireless from B/G to N, I've found the following page at HP Austin TX.
It's for a SoftPaq Upgrade (sp38054) to, among the many models listed, the C500 Presario.
The SoftPaq allows the following: "Provides driver version 11.5.0.34 for Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965."
LINK: http://bizsupport1.austin.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareDescription.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodTypeId=321957&prodSeriesId=3318986&swItem=ob-57882-1&prodNameId=3435847&swEnvOID=1093&swLang=8&taskId=135&mode=4&idx=3

The Intel 4965 is a A/B/G/N PCIe Mini Card that operates in 2.4GHz and 5.0 GHz spectrum, here's the specs:
LINK: http://www.intel.com/products/wireless/wireless_n/overview.htm

I've been doing some initial research on this, and first off I notice I'd need to add a third antenna wire - and that seems like a small and easily fixed issue. BUT, what I've noticed from researching on Ebay is that there are many manufacture specific versions of the Intel 4965 (IBM, Toshiba, HP to name a few), in addition to a "generic" (for lack of better words) version of this card. Has anybody on this thread explored this conversion?
Edited by fast_dave - 2/25/13 at 2:37pm

Fast_Dave,

 

 Hi, I have been keeping an eye on this thread but have not had much to report lately.

 

 I was going to further upgrade my C500 with an SSD but then decided to buy my wife a Samsung Tablet for christmas and thought that the C500 would be used a lot less after this so did not  bother. Long story short though the Tablet did not really work out for us as our phones do pretty much what the tablet does and are always more handy, also what the tablet could not do the C500 does. So the tablet was returned and the C500 is restored to main computer. Also got a Samsung  7500 series 3D LED Smart TV and that is excellent especially when paired with the soundbar. I am still finding new things that it can do!

 

 Anyway back to your questions,

 

 I got the Bios F26 when I installed the 441695.001 motherboard into my C500 as the main part of my upgrade, it was already installed on the new motherboard.

 I do have 4GB of ram but only 2.99GB is useable, however as ShadowFox explained it is more efficiant to run two 2GB sticks than a 2GB and a 1GB.

 I see that you replaced your 441605.001 board like for like so as ShadowFox's post No 129 your board will only support 2GB max, you need the 441695.001 board to get more ram.

 My C500 is running excellently with Windows 7 64 bit and is very stable, I have so far had no issues. It really is about as fast as I need it to be (I don't play games on it)

 

 I will sometime soon revisit the SSD upgarde just to see how much faster it is.

 

 I will check out the wireless card upgrade first with your info as a starting point as I suspect that might be why the smart TV does not see the laptop through the wifi but it does see our phones. I have so far not tried to fix this issue but I would like to get that sorted as it would be nice to use the TV as my laptop display. Although in saying that the TV has a great browser on it, it just lacks a user friendly keyboard.

 

 Please keep us updated with any news on the wifi upgarde.

 

 Cheers,

 

 John

 Who also listens to the radio on the C500 when in the bath

Hey guys, and welcome to the forum fast_dave!

Anyway, C500 fan covered the basics in his post pretty handily. 441695-001 is the only one of the three boards available for this model that will support 4 GB of RAM (2.99 GB usable, 256 MB shared for video). Unfortunately, unless you want to replace the board again, 2 GB is as high as you can go with the i943GML.

That being said, it could be worth the time/effort to upgrade since you have done it already. You know what you're doing, and 445605-001 can be kept as a spare in case the other board dies. 441695-001 also offers SLIGHTLY improved video performance (due to a higher clocked GMA 950 in the i945GM vs. the i945GML).

As far as the wireless card, I'd be very interested if it would work. I seem to recall TRYING my 4965 in my C500 and it gave me the BIOS message about an unsupported card. I MAY be wrong. I got around that message in my DV9700 by getting a de-white listed BIOS for it, but cannot find one with a higher revision number for my C500. Since I have BIOS F.26, it's a no go to get higher. IF you install it and it works, more power to you. You CAN run it with just two antennae, but you won't get MIMO functionality out of it.

At least, that last part is my experience with the wireless card in my HP 630, which has only one antenna for some reason. It occasionally dumps the signal down to nothing, but it's more an issue in Linux than Windows (whether it's Linux in general or just CentOS 6.3 on its own, the wireless performance is REALLY buggy).

Anyway, I think that about covers everything you asked, fast_dave. We're more than happy to help out with any info we can on these excellent, excellent machines. I think, while we all love our C500's, we all agree on one thing above all: The speakers are some of the best ever found in a laptop!

Regards,
O Shadow Fox O

Damm, nothing for five months and now I am replying to my own posting.

 

 Thanks to fast_dave for the info on this potential further upgrade and wetting my appetite to try it as soon as I could.

 

 I did a bit of research on the Intel 4965 wifi card and cannot see any reason why it would not work in the C500 as the drivers are listed as being for the C500.

 

 I personally always try to go for parts from another HP product as it has always worked for me in the past.

 

 I found all the parts available on my favorite auction site and will get back to you when they arrive and are installed.

 

 I purchased a 4965AGN MM1Wifi card from a Dv6000 for $6.66 and a 3 wire antenna set from a Dv9000 for $2.45 ( I now they might be a bit long but I will make them work)

 

 Not bad all in less than $10 including delivery.

 

 Now I can't wait for the mail man to deliver my goodies.
 

 Cheers,

 

 John

I will definitely be interested to see whether or not it works. I don't have access to most of my hardware at this point because of some issues at the house. Fortunately that should be resolved shortly.

Of course, the other issue is that right now my C500 is running Mac OS X. Heheh

Intel Wi-Fi cards have little/no support under OS X, the only thing that I got to work was a Broadcom wireless G card.

I would be interested to see what you guys will post for performance. In nearly EVERY case, I have found that there is no significant speed up between Wireless G and Wireless N. While Wireless N connections DO report higher bit rates on the connection, file transfers consistently show the same throughput (about 5-6 MB/s with some fluctuation up or down).

Anyway, post your results, new information is good!

Regards,
O Shadow Fox O