• Old laptop . . .

    From RJH@21:1/5 to All on Sat Jul 17 10:10:12 2021
    Very rarely use a laptop nowadays, but I will be needing one to attach an OBD USB reader to my car. I happen to have an old Atom based Samsung NC10 which I think (looking at cpubenchmark) *just* meets the minimum spec (Pentium III
    400, WinXP) of the reader. Couple of Qs:

    If it doesn't run the reader software/hardware, what would you recommend as a half-decent laptop for this purpose? Portability, availability of spare batteries, and decent build would be my priorities. Budget say £200.

    If it does work, I wouldn't mind shoeing in an SSD - just because I can, not expecting much in terms of performance. What's the easiest way to clone the existing SATA WinXP HD to an SSD? been well over a decade since I looked into this, and a quick google suggests it's more art than science . . .

    --
    Cheers, Rob

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Theo@21:1/5 to RJH on Sat Jul 17 12:01:20 2021
    RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
    Very rarely use a laptop nowadays, but I will be needing one to attach an OBD USB reader to my car. I happen to have an old Atom based Samsung NC10 which I think (looking at cpubenchmark) *just* meets the minimum spec (Pentium III 400, WinXP) of the reader. Couple of Qs:

    That's probably OK. OBD readers aren't very taxing, although the software
    can be a bit lazy.

    If it doesn't run the reader software/hardware, what would you recommend as a half-decent laptop for this purpose? Portability, availability of spare batteries, and decent build would be my priorities. Budget say £200.

    Look at old Thinkpads, which are fairly bulletproof. Something like an X2?0 where ? depends on how new you want to go (X200 = 2008, X280 = 2018).
    There's a large Thinkpad modding community - eg https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/
    which should have info on spare batteries etc. You can even buy aftermarket motherboards to upgrade old machines!

    Or the machines garages use to read OBD readers are often Panasonic
    Toughbooks. They can be a bit pricey though, even used.

    I have some OBD software on a ~2016 9" Windows 10 tablet with Bay Trail Atom CPU, which was £40 new. It's not the most responsive ever (particularly OBD apps designed for mouse on the touchscreen), but it's nice and small for
    using in a car. If that's a suitable form factor an upgrade might be a
    Surface Pro 1 or 2 (*not* Surface RT) although the batteries are essentially impossible to replace on these (have to unglue the very fragile screen).
    There may be other tablets that are easier to service. I think there are
    some Windows Panasonic Toughpads (avoid the Android ones) although probably pricey again.

    Theo

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From newshound@21:1/5 to RJH on Sat Jul 17 12:20:51 2021
    On 17/07/2021 11:10, RJH wrote:
    Very rarely use a laptop nowadays, but I will be needing one to attach an OBD USB reader to my car. I happen to have an old Atom based Samsung NC10 which I think (looking at cpubenchmark) *just* meets the minimum spec (Pentium III 400, WinXP) of the reader. Couple of Qs:

    If it doesn't run the reader software/hardware, what would you recommend as a half-decent laptop for this purpose? Portability, availability of spare batteries, and decent build would be my priorities. Budget say £200.

    If it does work, I wouldn't mind shoeing in an SSD - just because I can, not expecting much in terms of performance. What's the easiest way to clone the existing SATA WinXP HD to an SSD? been well over a decade since I looked into this, and a quick google suggests it's more art than science . . .

    On SSDs, new ones usually come with a copy of Acronis that's tied to the hardware. I've done a few and have never had a problem.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From RJH@21:1/5 to All on Sat Jul 17 12:20:57 2021
    On 17 Jul 2021 at 12:20:51 BST, "newshound" <newshound@stevejqr.plus.com> wrote:

    On 17/07/2021 11:10, RJH wrote:
    Very rarely use a laptop nowadays, but I will be needing one to attach an OBD
    USB reader to my car. I happen to have an old Atom based Samsung NC10 which I
    think (looking at cpubenchmark) *just* meets the minimum spec (Pentium III >> 400, WinXP) of the reader. Couple of Qs:

    If it doesn't run the reader software/hardware, what would you recommend as a
    half-decent laptop for this purpose? Portability, availability of spare
    batteries, and decent build would be my priorities. Budget say £200.

    If it does work, I wouldn't mind shoeing in an SSD - just because I can, not >> expecting much in terms of performance. What's the easiest way to clone the >> existing SATA WinXP HD to an SSD? been well over a decade since I looked into
    this, and a quick google suggests it's more art than science . . .

    On SSDs, new ones usually come with a copy of Acronis that's tied to the hardware. I've done a few and have never had a problem.

    Thanks - think I may well have scrubbed it (if it was there) but I'll take a look.
    --
    Cheers, Rob

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From RJH@21:1/5 to All on Sat Jul 17 12:19:53 2021
    On 17 Jul 2021 at 12:01:20 BST, "Theo" <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:

    RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
    Very rarely use a laptop nowadays, but I will be needing one to attach an OBD
    USB reader to my car. I happen to have an old Atom based Samsung NC10 which I
    think (looking at cpubenchmark) *just* meets the minimum spec (Pentium III >> 400, WinXP) of the reader. Couple of Qs:

    That's probably OK. OBD readers aren't very taxing, although the software can be a bit lazy.

    If it doesn't run the reader software/hardware, what would you recommend as a
    half-decent laptop for this purpose? Portability, availability of spare
    batteries, and decent build would be my priorities. Budget say £200.

    Look at old Thinkpads, which are fairly bulletproof. Something like an X2?0 where ? depends on how new you want to go (X200 = 2008, X280 = 2018).
    There's a large Thinkpad modding community - eg https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/
    which should have info on spare batteries etc. You can even buy aftermarket motherboards to upgrade old machines!

    Or the machines garages use to read OBD readers are often Panasonic Toughbooks. They can be a bit pricey though, even used.

    I have some OBD software on a ~2016 9" Windows 10 tablet with Bay Trail Atom CPU, which was £40 new. It's not the most responsive ever (particularly OBD apps designed for mouse on the touchscreen), but it's nice and small for using in a car. If that's a suitable form factor an upgrade might be a Surface Pro 1 or 2 (*not* Surface RT) although the batteries are essentially impossible to replace on these (have to unglue the very fragile screen). There may be other tablets that are easier to service. I think there are some Windows Panasonic Toughpads (avoid the Android ones) although probably pricey again.

    Theo

    Excellent - many thanks. I think I'll steer clear of tablets - this sort of thing looks to be ideal:

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304023794196

    (£130 Lenovo Thinkpad X240 Ultrabook i5 2.29GHz 8GB 500 HDD 12.5"LED Windows10)

    --
    Cheers, Rob

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Raj Kundra@21:1/5 to Theo on Sat Jul 17 14:12:54 2021
    On 17/07/2021 12:01, Theo wrote:
    RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
    Very rarely use a laptop nowadays, but I will be needing one to attach an OBD
    USB reader to my car. I happen to have an old Atom based Samsung NC10 which I
    think (looking at cpubenchmark) *just* meets the minimum spec (Pentium III >> 400, WinXP) of the reader. Couple of Qs:
    That's probably OK. OBD readers aren't very taxing, although the software can be a bit lazy.

    If it doesn't run the reader software/hardware, what would you recommend as a
    half-decent laptop for this purpose? Portability, availability of spare
    batteries, and decent build would be my priorities. Budget say £200.
    Look at old Thinkpads, which are fairly bulletproof. Something like an X2?0 where ? depends on how new you want to go (X200 = 2008, X280 = 2018).
    There's a large Thinkpad modding community - eg https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/
    which should have info on spare batteries etc. You can even buy aftermarket motherboards to upgrade old machines!

    Or the machines garages use to read OBD readers are often Panasonic Toughbooks. They can be a bit pricey though, even used.

    I have some OBD software on a ~2016 9" Windows 10 tablet with Bay Trail Atom CPU, which was £40 new. It's not the most responsive ever (particularly OBD apps designed for mouse on the touchscreen), but it's nice and small for using in a car. If that's a suitable form factor an upgrade might be a Surface Pro 1 or 2 (*not* Surface RT) although the batteries are essentially impossible to replace on these (have to unglue the very fragile screen). There may be other tablets that are easier to service. I think there are some Windows Panasonic Toughpads (avoid the Android ones) although probably pricey again.

    Theo

    Panasonic CF-19, which can be laptop or tablet.

    It is used by all car diagnostic people. Core i5 2.6Ghz, 8GB,120GB SSD, Touchscreen with stylus (finger operated) win10, new PSU £170 Delivered
    to you. These are ex RAC, so lid is orange.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Theo@21:1/5 to Raj Kundra on Sat Jul 17 17:45:54 2021
    Raj Kundra <raj@kundracomputers.co.uk> wrote:
    Panasonic CF-19, which can be laptop or tablet.

    It is used by all car diagnostic people. Core i5 2.6Ghz, 8GB,120GB SSD, Touchscreen with stylus (finger operated) win10, new PSU £170 Delivered
    to you. These are ex RAC, so lid is orange.

    I wondered if you'd have something ;-)

    What version of Toughbook CF-19? There appear to be 8 generations, from
    2006 to 2017.

    Theo

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Raj Kundra@21:1/5 to Theo on Sat Jul 17 20:40:02 2021
    On 17/07/2021 17:45, Theo wrote:
    Raj Kundra <raj@kundracomputers.co.uk> wrote:
    Panasonic CF-19, which can be laptop or tablet.

    It is used by all car diagnostic people. Core i5 2.6Ghz, 8GB,120GB SSD,
    Touchscreen with stylus (finger operated) win10, new PSU £170 Delivered
    to you. These are ex RAC, so lid is orange.
    I wondered if you'd have something ;-)

    What version of Toughbook CF-19? There appear to be 8 generations, from
    2006 to 2017.

    Theo

    Mk6


    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303858348009

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Theo@21:1/5 to Raj Kundra on Sat Jul 17 21:44:59 2021
    Raj Kundra <raj@kundracomputers.co.uk> wrote:
    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303858348009

    The vehicle mounts on those look nice. If I had a van or a boat where I
    needed to rack the laptop and charge it while driving around, they would be quite handy. Some of them even let you have roof mounted antennas for the
    GPS and LTE (I assume).

    THeo

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From newshound@21:1/5 to RJH on Sat Jul 17 22:44:56 2021
    On 17/07/2021 13:20, RJH wrote:
    On 17 Jul 2021 at 12:20:51 BST, "newshound" <newshound@stevejqr.plus.com> wrote:

    On 17/07/2021 11:10, RJH wrote:
    Very rarely use a laptop nowadays, but I will be needing one to attach an OBD
    USB reader to my car. I happen to have an old Atom based Samsung NC10 which I
    think (looking at cpubenchmark) *just* meets the minimum spec (Pentium III >>> 400, WinXP) of the reader. Couple of Qs:

    If it doesn't run the reader software/hardware, what would you recommend as a
    half-decent laptop for this purpose? Portability, availability of spare
    batteries, and decent build would be my priorities. Budget say £200.

    If it does work, I wouldn't mind shoeing in an SSD - just because I can, not
    expecting much in terms of performance. What's the easiest way to clone the >>> existing SATA WinXP HD to an SSD? been well over a decade since I looked into
    this, and a quick google suggests it's more art than science . . .

    On SSDs, new ones usually come with a copy of Acronis that's tied to the
    hardware. I've done a few and have never had a problem.

    Thanks - think I may well have scrubbed it (if it was there) but I'll take a look.

    IIRC on my last one the software was a download anyway. Presumably
    Acronis sell a license to the drive manufacturer, and the "free"
    software checks for a valid drive.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)