Upgraded Acer 3680 Celeron CPU to a T5300!

hai ellalan...
i want ask you again if you do not mind
i want to upgrade my harddisk too,, can i upgrade from 80gb to 320gb???

whether there are limits to upgrade the hard drive???

 

Yes, you can as long as your new hard drive is 2.5" laptop hard drive.

 

Hi...

Just a question.

My laptop states 943i/940GML when I ran the CPU-Z application. Am I ready to go with a dualcore proc, or am I limited to singlecores?

 

You can use a dual core processor.

 

All right. So I stumbled in here after doing a search by motherboard part number from HWinfo32. I'm looking at upgrading my laptop with some new components from parts machines, ebay, etc (it's a battle-worn 5610z incidentally, even the poor lower plate is cracked in a few placed and the optical drive has been replaced multiple times)

My question is this... After perusing this thread (or at least a dozen of the 150+ pages) I have determined the following fairly well.

- MB.AY702.003 motherboard, so it's a 943 motherboard, shared with the laptop listed on this thread.

- Despite what some websites claim, it will only support a max 2 gigs of memory.

- it has an SATA bus, with corresponding hard drive and dead super-multi drive.

- right now, it has the kneecapped T2060 "Pentium dual core" processor in it, which is causing it to bog down under hard multi-tasking.

- it has the most current (apparently final) v 3.60 bios (incidentally, because the bios is cacheable, any time I run the vista recovery disks, it actually reverts the freaking bios! Makes it a %^&* to boot from a flash or USB-optical drive when the older bios doesn't support "boot by USB" so I stopped using the recovery disks)

So, my question is, in looking at processors and this thread, I see the T7200 Core 2 Duo listed often. Is this the best processor anyone has gotten to work with this motherboard, or has anyone gotten a newer chip to work in this setup

Responses greatly appreciated. ((I'll be adding a larger hdd or sdd also hopefully, depending on what is left over after buying the other parts))

 

Hi eoraptor,
I have tried T2400,T5600 and T7200 in my 5610z and finally settled for T2600. When I had T7200 my laptop fan made irritating noise to keep it cool as the original cooling system made for dual core processors and not for C2D processors(only a guess), with T2600 I don't see much difference in performance, very quiet and efficient proc.
Yes, motherboard in 5610 models can accept up to 4GB but 5610z models can only go up to 2GB memory.

 

Well done mate! Glad to see people are still giving help in this guide.

 

Thanks krazyphire, all credit goes to your original hard work which inspired many to improve the performance of our laptops without spending a lot of money.

 

I havent read the whole thread (Don't have time) but I've got an Acer 2480-2968 (Europe) laptop with a celeron M 440 @ 1,86ghz. Battery life is pretty aweful (1,5 hour).

I opened the memory cover and it said "31ZR1MB00X" on the sticker. I googled that and found that this is the same motherboard as in the Acer 3680.

I found the link last night that said it had the 943 chipset but I cannot find it again, can anyone help me?

I'd love to replace this crappy CPU if possible!

 

When you opened the memory cover you should have seen another number similar to these (picture). That will identify your chipset.

EDIT:
If it's beginning with MB.AZL06.....you have 943 chipset.

 

yeah!

MBAZL0600371800DC02500 !

T5200/5300 here I come!

Thanks!

 

hi there. im following this thread with great interest. i have an aspire 3690 with the crappy celeron m fitted. i want to upgrade the cpu to core 2 duo. the chipset number is mba570200163507816ed00, leading me to belive this is possible?. what would give me the best performance, the T5200, T5300, T5600, or the T7200, T7600 ?? iv read some where in the thread that the cooling system may not handle the T7200 satisfactory? i have made a bid on a T7200, but now im not too sure. any advice from you guys would very much appreciatted.

best regards, Donal

 

Hi Donal,
You should be fine with either T7200 or T5600, I didn't find much difference between them two but may be my usage isn't very demanding.
Don't worry about the temps either,as long as you clean the heatsink fan and apply thermal paste sensibly( a small dot of AS5 or something you like) you'll be fine. Good luck.
EDIT:
Make sure the number in the RAM bay is as MBAZL06.....

 

hi ellalan, thanks for the reply.

the number in the bay is defiantly MBA570200163507816ed00, so iv downloaded and run Pc wizard, and it has given me back;

Manufacturer : Acer Inc.
Mainboard : Acer Grapevine
Chipset : Intel i943/940GML
Processor : Celeron M 420 @ 1600MHz
Physical Memory : 1024MB (2 x 512 DDR2-SDRAM )
Video Card : Mobile Intel(R) 945GM Express Chipset Family
Hard Disk : HTS541060G9AT00 (160GB)
CD-Rom Drive : HUAWEI Mass Storage
CD-Rom Drive : HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-T10N
Monitor Type : 142 inches
Network Card : Broadcom BCM440x 100Base-TX Fast Ethernet Controller
Network Card : Broadcom BCM4309 802.11a/b/g
Operating System : Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition 5.01.2600 Service Pack 3 (32-bit)
DirectX : Version 9.0c (November 2006)

and detail of fitted cpu...

Processor : Celeron M 420
Frequency : 1600MHz - (current : 1596.16MHz)
Number of Core : 1
Support : Socket 479 mBGA
Cache L1 : 64KB
Cache L2 : 1024KB
FPU Coprocessor : Present
Processor activity : : 9%



also, my BIOS version is Acer V12.10, 08/05/2006. its stated in the opening post 'Only works with v1.3505 bios and Above' so is my version compatiable?, is my current chipset correct for upgrade?

thanks for your time on this

 

I'm not sure as you are saying the number you found is not MBAZL06.. it is better if you open the back cover and see whether the cpu is soldered, I have attached two images and one with the small screw is not soldererd(1st pic),one without the screw is soldererd to motherboard.
If it's soldered, you are better off with a RAM upgrade.

 

iv had another peep at it, and the cpu is screwed, not soldered. i have purchased 2GB ram to install also. i have decided against the T7200, and would now like to purchase a T5600.

??

 

I successfully upgraded my 3680-2472 from the Celeron M 520 to the Core 2 Duo T5600. I have also upgraded the HDD to 320GB@7200rpm, memory to 2GB@667MHz, Wireless to AirCruiser N300, and the battery to a 6600(?)mah(3 hrs). Its been running well for the past few days. The processor is running 10°C cooler, and idles at 45-47°C from 60°C. The Windows Experience Index didn't change except for the processor from 3.8 to 4.8. I find it runs about the same, but much better when lots of Apps running.

Almost forgot, decided against the T7200 because of other posts. I don't think the T7200 would work on the 2472 model.

 

Ok. Ran an interesting experiment. I had an Aspire 3680 running 940GML. I found a website selling 3680 motherboards with product number MBAZL06...etc. I bought this motherboard; all connectors and form factors match up (exact shape even).

I then bought a T7200 C2D and tossed it in the new motherboard. IT DIDN'T WORK. =(

Not only did the T7200 not work, my original cpu (Celeron M) doesn't work in the new motherboard either.

Am I missing something here? I can't run any software related tests on the new motherboard as I can't boot it. I figured AT LEAST the old Celeron M would work...

Suggestions?

EDIT:
I have confirmed the chipset on the new motherboard (as written on the die) is 943GML.

 

The old CeleronM should've worked in the new mobo so it seems you've received a faulty mobo. Either that or something happened at assemblying it..

 

don't listen to that mod... j//k he's the best

good to see ATG again.... BTW i pm'd you

 

That's what I've been saying to myself - The old Celeron M should've worked.

I've been running various tests to make sure the motherboard is the problem (the e-shop says they'll charge me $20 plus return shipping if I RMA the board and they find nothing wrong with it). Sending it back monday.

More news later I guess =\

 

Hay guys! I have an acer aspire 3680, it is a MB.TEB06.003, so its a 490GML, can I upgrade to any dual core? even with the latest bios update?

 

Sorry darkdots, as the forum has discussed, there are no dual-core options for the MBTEB motherboard.

However, in my experience good MBTEB IDE motherboards sell on eBay for about the same price (or sometimes higher) than MBAZL SATA motherboards.

 

Just an update on my attempt to use the pci-e for wimax in addition to wifi-

The 3680-2622 core 2 duo T7200 is running great, and with extended battery on it can easily pull a few hours of heavy use. I want to thank krazyphire and all others for helping people know that they can indeed open up a laptop like desktop, and make it work so much better!

For the time being, I've given up on using the USB pins that should be allocated in a mini pci-e slot for wimax while the rest of the card is a regular wifi pci-e, due to the new offering by clear of a few wimax myfi-like Spot devices in my area Clearwire has finally hit Minneapolis.

Good luck to anyone who has found themselves with a 943 chipset.

Remember, no diagnostic tool will tell you if you have a 943. Only the sticker or removing the heat sink and reading the small text on the chipset will tell you if it's 940 or 943.

azl

 

I recently decided to take my brothers 3680-2633 and fix it since he shelved it after getting a trojan (w/ no included documentation to fix it himelf since he bought it at a second-hand shop) and got himself a Dell Inspiron 1545.

I poured through this forum numerous times to make sure all the info I gathered would help me make a seamless upgrade. I can say that it was a painless upgrade thanks to all that took the time to help others.

I can say that I officially upgraded to a T5300 as well w/ a WD 320GB HDD and at the moment 1.5GB of Ram (can't get it to 2.0GB w/o a BIOS upgrade explained blow). It has definitely been an excellent upgrade from the original Celeron. Far less heat and a quieter fan than before.

My only gripe is that the you guys stressed the fact that the BIOS needs to be upgraded in order to completely work. Problem is that when I try to upgrade my BIOS I get and error message stating the following:

Cannot load driver
Please check your accounts, if you have no administrative privileges please login again!
Access is denied.
Error code: 5

Would anyone be able to help as I'm the only account and can't seem to get it to flash the BIOS no matter what I do. (Just to clarify, I did completely wipe the harddrive and did a clean install of Vista since this was originally my brothers laptop.) My current BIOS version is 1.3503

 

Hi, i have the Aspire 5310 with i943GML, MB.AH.302.001, Socket M Mothboard (JDW50 L02)

Original CPU - Celeron M 530, Socket M

Tried Installing a T7400, Socket M = Fail, with various results as follows.

1) System would post with BIOS Beep Codes " Long, Short, Short. According to Acers Service Manual meant:
Code: 98h
Beeps: 1-2 (Long, Short, Short)
Post Routine Description: Search for option ROMs. One long, two short
beeps on checksum failure, and would not go attempt to go any further. At times, it would let me press F2 to enter the BIOS.
Sytem would require POWER DOWN & Power UP.

2) At times the system would post without error (Beep Codes) and boot into Windows XP Pro SP3, BUT, just prior to the Windows LOG IN Screen, the system would crash & instantly reboot & continued to POST again & attempt to load Windows & do the same thing @ the very same place.

3) If i booted into SAFE MODE, Windows XP Pro SP3 would load without problem.

I suspect the Aspire 5310 v1.50 Bios (latest), does not fully support the T7*** CPU's, or maybe i aquired a faulty CPU?

I scored a T5600, 667FSB, Socket M from Ebay USA, installed & all working perfectly fine. FSB of CPU reporting 667, but Ram remains 533.

Im not willing to try another T7*** CPU again, to test if my T7400 was faulty, they are expensive & difficult to source in New Zealand.

 

I forgot to mention, the T7400 CPU was detected & reported correctly during POST. Also, BIOS (F2) reported the T7400 CPU aswell.

 

Sounds like you got yourself a defective CPU, maybe it has a pin or to bended/broken hence not making a good contact. That would explain that you're able to boot (almost)properly sometimes. I mean if the CPU is not supported I think you'd never past the POST.
Check if the pins are perfectly aligned and that there is no pin(s) missing.

Another possibility I can think of is the BIOS maybe an update is needed. However this doesn't make much sense because the T5600 and T7400 are the same CPUs, technology-wise, only with different specs. But maybe the BIOS version you currently have has a bug which makes the system to reject the T7400, a flaw that might have been corrected in the latest BIOS update.

 

ATG, i think your on to something, re BENT pins, on the T7400 CPU. Been testing the T7400 on a unused Socket M Motherboard Socket. The cpu will only fit into the socket with a lite nudge/tapp of the finger.
I understand the socket is a ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) socket, which means the cpu should drop in without pressure, so applying lite pressure will suggest the pins are out-of alignment

I've visually eye-balled the pins, and they seem to be in alighnment?, its very difficult too see. I've been inserting/extracting then inserting ... the cpu into the socket in the hope i can slowly align the pins, but no luck just yet. I wont give up, the cpu cost me a small-fortune, so will keep trying untill i succeed.

Appreciate your input ATG, thankyou. Will post back sometime if i have success!

 

Yea the CPU should fit perfectly without any kind of pressure.
Did you check for a missing pins? Check the soldiered part of the pins, make sure they are intact.

I remember when I bought a T7500 for my Aspire 5735 it came with a bended pin which broke when I tried to straighten it. Luckily the pin itself looked intact so I dropped it in the socket in the correct position and placed the CPU into the socket hoping the pin would make contact with the CPU even if it's not soldiered. It did work.

 

Thanks guys! I've upgraded my laptop to a T5500. Very useful thread.

 

this thread really interesting. actually im very noob about computer and just know how to use only it .. i have reads some comment and was confius (actually not understands wht yours post..google translate not help me much) if my laptop can be upgrade too.

my spec:
celeron M processor 430, 490gml (MB.TEB06) chipset, 2gb ram, 80 hdd. dun know how to look model ..wht else should i mention?

can i know if i can upgrade to Intel Core 2 Duo?
wht is T5300 and etc?
its suitable if after upgrade i use window 7?
can i upgrade wireless range?
this laptop support bluetooth driver?

if u dun mind, can state for me wht can i use and will buy it to upgrade my laptop.

 

I'm afraid you won't be able to upgrade to a core2duo cpu as your chipset is 490GML.
What are the purpose of your intention of upgrade, how old is the laptop? If you intend to keep the laptop longer get a faster HDD like Seagate momentus XTand see whether you can increase the memory to 4GB.
EDIT:
I've just found out that you have maximum memory in your laptop(2GB) already, so memory upgrade is also out of the question.

 

my laptop almost 4 year. its in bad condition until i feel shame to show it to my friend. btw i have make some research and just upgrade bios to v1.3508

btw, i have make some research and found this spec.
Processor - Intel® Core™ Solo Processor T1350
DHH - 100gb 7200rpm

is this suitable??

 

here is my laptop condition picture

 

@ellalan

pls post mine reply

Manufacturer : Acer Inc.
Mainboard : Acer, Inc. Prespa1
Chipset : Intel i943/940GML
Processor : Celeron M 430 @ 1733.50MHz
Physical Memory : 1024MB (2 x 512 DDR2-SDRAM )
Video Card : Mobile Intel(R) 945GM Express Chipset Family
Hard Disk : HTS541010G9AT00 (100GB Hitachi 5k100 series)
Monitor Type : 14 inches
Network Card : Broadcom 802.11gNetwork Adapter
Network Card : Marvell Yukon 88E8038 PCI-E Fast Ethernet

Controller
Operating System : Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

5.01.2600 Service Pack 3 (32-bit)
BIOS : Version 1.3505

and detail of fitted cpu...

Processor : Celeron M 430
Frequency : 1733MHz - (current : 1733.42MHz)
Number of Core : 1
Support : Socket 479 mBGA
Cache L1 : 64KB
Cache L2 : 1024KB
FPU Coprocessor : Present
Processor activity : : 9%

above is my full detais laptop. wht processor should i go?
do you think i can use Core 2 Duo T7200?

 

I would suggest you to save up for a new laptop because any money spend on that laptop won't be a wise investment. As I've previously stated you can not upgrade the CPU to a Core2Duo(T7200). If you still want to go for the upgrade, you could try the cpu you have mentioned but I'm not sure whether you'll see any improvement in performance.

 

@ellalan
thx for reply

so i will go for T1350 with 7200rpm hdd.

T1350 spec
clock - 1.86ghz
L2 cache - 2 mb
FSB - 533 mhz

 

hi there,
Ive been enjoying this thread, recently rescued a acer aspire 4310 from the bin and have it up and running great, I have 2 gb for it and have a t7200 on the way, it has the 943GML chipset. I just wanted to know if anyone has the PLL number for this model?? Looking to try my hand at overclocking this thing. Im not afraid to rip her apart but the keyboard really looks like a pain to get off... If anyones got some tips shoot away. Thanks for any help.

and also it says the latest bios for my model is 1.18. so that should be fine right. I mean 1.35 is just the latest bios for 3680's or do I have to run another bios? Thanks again

----------------------------

just adding that Ive got my pll so if anyone else has the aspire 4310 looking for the pll it is RTM865T-433 already listed in setfsb for the aspire 4710g. so it will definately work...

If your thinking about looking for your own pll I would be very careful, my particular model was definately not meant to be taken apart... I got it all apart and back together clean and tidy but I think I was lucky some of the connectors are very fragile... Anyway thanks and good luck with the modding.

 

Hello everyone,

First, wanted to say can't believe this thread is over 3 yrs old & 159 pgs long!

Second, want to thank everyone for their info here, as if it weren't for this thread, would have tossed my 3680-2682 with the old celeron for something faster. Thanks to everyone (mainly krazyphire & original posters), I picked up an inexpensive t5600 at ebay, and dropped it in without a hitch, and now my old acer is much faster! Also, shortly will be upgrading to a 500 gb 7200 hdd.

Only one other thing I was thinking about doing, was upgrading the MB.AZL06 mobo to a MB.TDX06 mobo (945gml) so I can take advantage of the 667 fsb ram with the 4 gb max.

Does anyone know if this would be an easy upgrade (no unexpected problems)? I've found one on ebay for $79 (lists it for a 3680). I need to replace my mobo anyway, cause on of the ram slots has stopped working (have 2gb module in the one slot).

Thanks... Don

 

just posting another thanks now Ive got my t7200 running in my aspire 4310 with 2gb ram with modded bios which can be found in the acer forum so it can use virtualisation and speed step and modded gma 950 drivers from 9xxssf which can be found here Sign In - 9xxSSF the machine is now much faster than I had ever expected it to be and will be great for many years to come. was capable of an ok overclock but decided against it because of the heat. anyway hope this helps anyone else out there playin around with a 4310 good luck.

 

Well I just bought a T8100. Sure hope this works. Have to admit though
this is FUN !!!

 

T8100?? What model is your laptop? Chipset?

 

Hello there, i am a owner of a Acer 3680-2682
Having just discovered this awesome thread i feel like upgrading my cpu.

I have 1.5 Gigs RAM atm, with plans to get it to 2 gig when i do the cpu upgrade.
I am running Windows 7 x86
I have successfully upgraded BIOS to 3505.
i have a MBAZL0600371921DDC2500 Sticker, See Picture.
PC Wizard shows i have a Socket M Celeron in right now.
I have also provided a pic of both sides of the CPU set on the motherboard.

break

break
Here are my questions.
I have a Core 2 Duo upgradeable laptop yes?
I wish to upgrade to the T7200.
Will the T7200 work? Success rate?

Any comments, advice?

Thanks in Advance.

 

Thanks to the People who left valuable information to others to share with about their experiences and expertise.

I have a Acer Aspire Mod, 3680-2682, I been wanting to upgrade after having other issues with it, i thought well enough spending time and wasting money fixing it here and there.
So i decided to upgrade it myself, i added 1 gig to the mem, works fast. i had the original software at one time, and all the files got lost and corrupted even though partitioned, people just hack your crap...deez dayz.
anyways, i also tossed out vista and it improved alot, then with windows xp home sp3 , works fast now .
Although, i know it can be improved, so i ordered a black scorpion wd 7300 rpm HDD to add.
and its on its way currently.
I then will be adding another Gig to the ram memory for a grand total of 2. big wow right?

I Just ordered a T7300 Cpu to replace the 440 m Celeron Cpu , my mobo is MBAZLO600372011FD52500
the Chipset mentioned for this is 965 gme express, and there is two configurations offered , so i guess i get to pick?
as for the bios, not sure what i need , all i know is i took the apart, and will be waiting for the parts to arrive to challenge my memory personally to put it all back together.
I have another issue, i have a BCM Mini Lan Card wifi lan card, i want to change it to an operational Wireless N channel Lan Card. and i need some advice on this too as to what is compatible and locatable , any links would be appreciated, its a bcm 94311mcg which i believe is a bcm 4311 wifi mini pci lan card, it only has two wires to it, and is about 2x1 in Length and width. I want one that is 300mps at least capable, so i dont spend too much.
and i do want to change the agere modem too...an upgrade seriously to a much better K would do me fine since im going to make it a full hardware upgrade. that is where i stop.
oh, and i guess since the CPU is 64 bit, i will have to change my drivers to 64 Bit to be compatible with 64 bit and the OS . as for the memory it has ddr orginally which i upgraded to ddr2 too non ecc buff. so i think my memory will work with the Cpu.

before i install the new HDD, i am going to clone the disk , by reinstalling the old disk first back in it, then clone it and then swap it out to the new one. I seen where someone updated or flashed their Bios first , so i will check for an update if necessary.... not sure if that is needed , any advice on this would be greatly helpful and appreciated too.

thank you in advance, and this thread is the best one on the internet so far. mega info, but with all the other models , it throws off noobs like me whos not so technical or specific inclined about details and is kind of generic. although, im learning , pcs need to be specific when it comes to compatibility issues , i think?
cpu settings steps would be sweet.

 

@Drakontes
Yes, you can upgrade to T7200, it's a very good processor and apply thermal compound reasonably( I mean don't over do it) a tiny amonut is all you need. Good luck.

 

Wow, I haven't checked out this thread for awhile, cause it seemed to have slowed down, but here it is active again!

In my last post I mentioned I have a 3680-2682, with the MB.AZL06 mobo, that I have already changed the celeron 440 to a t5600. My next upgrade I mentioned I wanted to do was upgrade the mobo to the MB.TDX06, so I will be able to put 4gbs of ram in it with the 945gml chipset.

Well everyone, I bought a new mobo from ebay for about $70, and making the change this weekend. Anyway, I'll let everyone here know what happens. I was told by the dealer who sold me the mobo, that I shouldn't have any problems, just possibly having to install new device drivers. I was thinking about also changing the CPU one more time to a t7200, but heard that there wasn't that much difference in performance. My next planned upgrade will be tossing the 80gb hdd in favor of a 500gb, 7200 rpm one.

Don

Here's where to flash your 3680's bios to the latest 3508 version:

ftp://ftp.support.acer-euro.com/notebook/aspire_3680/bios

Here's chipsets drivers, etc:

Chipsets — Chipset information and downloads

@ Adventures... I hope that was a misprint, and you meant T7200, because the T7300 is a socket "P" and won't work in your 3680!

Don

 

Don, Thanks for the info, i wished i knew this before hand, but hey, im willing and learning all the time, esp for a newb, i just ordered the black scorp WD HDD installed it bekt mod 7200 500gig, heard it was faster than the green WD HDD , it runs slight warm, but not hot.
it was a very simple install. and booted right up, no xtra anything. no clone disk nada .
Anyways, thanks for the post, yeah, i learned the T7300 chip did not worky! got a refund too, lucky me.
it dropped in the same slot , and had the same pins, i think, the difference was the module button on the bottom of it was not there like the original cpu.
Oh, it is a 64 bit, not a 32 bit...
and to me , i am not clear on this yet 100 percent completely. But i do believe....
The 64 bit change requires far too many driver issues concerning compatibility with Win OS, and with Chipset and graphic media driver issues too. not sure if one wants to go down that road.
I am not sure what the performance issue is, concerning the Dual Core Intel Processor, but if i knew of the best latest compatible one to throw in , it would be a 32 bit, drop in replacement with a simple boot, i believe i flashed my bios from winflash from after downloading 1.3.5 bios, which i believe is the latest Bios too, still my old CPU works fine, but not as good as i think it could with a dual core processor.

I then got my 533 AGN or what is known as a 533 AN_MMW wifi lan card . for the life of me i could not get this wifi card to work. i am not sure why the drivers would not work, or the card.

I want to upgrade to an AGBN channel card, that can get up to 450 mps download etc, not the B/G channel only.
So , i am looking for info on this too at the same time.
I was considering a 6200 wifi card, but need a driver that will work , the card might be defunct . when i got it from the mail truck it had a boot print and was shipped in a bubble wrap small envelope.
which might of been the issh. not sure.
I did forget to update my laptop after the new HDD after reloading my OS of XP Hm edition. so having the right XML and win installer update might of presented the ish for the device not working. Im going to retry it again tonight.

keep everyone posted.

and let me know how that MOBO goes too. what model of a pc you have Don ? is it like the one i have the acer 3680-2682 ?

also i heard the t 2200 works great in the beginning of this thread, but not sure how outdated this info is, and if there are any better or later updates on this upgrading stuff ??? great thread though ! best out there i found on the web, hands down.
People here seem really helpful . many thanks from the start to ongoing.

 

@ Adventures... I'm a geek in training also.

Here's the story of my 3680-2682 (same model as yours). I bought it in Sept. 07 for $399 at a Walmarts (cheapest laptop I could find). Over the next couple yrs, upgraded it to 2gigs of ram. About a yr & half ago, left it running, downloading a torrent, while I went out. When I got home, found my cat sound asleep on it. It had the blue screen of death, and could not get it to boot, and only got a black screen. I picked up a cheap HP at a pawn shop, and before putting the acer away to collect dust, I pulled one of the 1gig modules for the HP. Left it tucked away on shelf for nearly a year, and one day pulled it out, and tried it again, and to my surprise, it booted & worked just fine. I stuck the ram stick back in the outer slot, and it was back to not booting. So I figured it out... when my (fat) cat took a nap on it, she flexed the mobo, and cracked a joint to the outer ram slot. I picked up a 2gig stick, and put it in the inner slot, and has been working fine. The moral of the story... "fat cats & laptops don't mix!" lol

Anyway, am I to understand you have already put a 500 gb harddrive in??? I have the apricorn cloning software, and an enclosure for the swap, when I get the new drive. I've noticed the Seagate momentus 500gig, 7200 rpm selling for $42 (refurbished) on Amazon. The apricorn software is suppose to partition the new drive "proportionally" to the old drive. I'm not sure as I want that. Any help on that is welcome, as, as I mentioned, I'm still a geek in training. lol

Don

 

Hi Don,
You could try Acronis True image(30 Days trial), I think there's a "as is" feature in that prog. I used it long time ago and forgot the exact wording. You're right "Proportional" isn't good as it'll take a bigger chunk of your new drive for recovery partition.