Novatech 8640 laptop problems

[triff]

Hi All,

I have a novatech (well i think it is, it seems to match other photos i've seen of them). It works alright, just a couple of niggeling things, the battery is not recognised, it's as though it isn't even there, windows doesn't see it, if I unplug the power the laptop instantly dies. I would have thought this was a dodgy battery, but the internal wireless doesn't work either, again no sign of it in windows, it's as though it simply isn't there....could there be an internal problem, any ideas how to fix it?

Thanks,

Alex

[Madpeter]

on the bottom of the laptop there should be the model code so we can find out what laptop you have.

if the code is missing or damaged

fire up cpu-z
http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php
and take a screene like this (but for the motherboard)
http://raymond.cc/images/cpuz.gif

from that we will be able to help.

(based on details so far it could be)
1: windows has not got the drivers installed for the motherboard and so does not know the battery and wireless is there.
2: a fault on the motherboard <_<

[triff]

Hi MadPeter,

Thanks for getting back to me, screen shot as requested:

http://www.triffitt.com/mboard.JPG

Underneath I've got the model number 8640, and s/n PNB307009620.

Interestingly there is nothing in the device manager which isn't recognised, hence my suspcion it's hardware.

Many thanks,

Alex

[NeilX90]

Alex,

Are you sure your laptop actually *has* wireless capability ? A lot of these older Mitac machines had an optional slot under the keyboard or a panel on the base to add a PCI NIC card. It might be that yours simply doesn't have one. If it has worked before... disregard !

The battery is an easy, if not particularly cheap, fix. Google 'Mitac 8640 battery' and pick whichever takes your fancy.

[Baggpuss]

tried taking the battery out completly and putting it back in? also did you get any driver cd's with the laptop? may be a wireless driver on there

[NeilX90]

It would show up as an unknown device if that were the case. Alex says he doesn't have any unknown devices so it's a case of:

a) It's broken so badly that it won't show up in the Device Manager or,

b) It's not fitted

Wireless was an option on those older Mitacs - although all of them have the antenna, not all have the optional card.

I hope I'm wrong and it is just a driver issue !

[triff]

Hi All,

Thanks for the responses. Not 100% certain about the laptops wireless capability, it has an wireless symbol/led on the top and a keyboard shortcut on F1.

As for the battery I am not keen on shelling out to buy a new battery when I'm not convinced it will work, can anyone take some multimeter readings from their laptop and let me know what I should be seeing, that way I can be sure that a new battery is the answer?

Many thanks,

Alex