CPU: This is a fairly involved process and requires disassembling the entire laptop, however it can be done and there are a lot of free detailed tutorials on the internet...
...to the OP, I'm not sure where you got your motherboard's model number, however I just checked mine with CPU-Z (www.cpuid.com) which gives me a name rather than #,"Capell Valley(Napa) CRB" with the Intel i945GM chipset and Intel 82801GHM Southbridge. My model number is A105-4064, however the way it appears all A105's came with the same motherboard from what I can tell. After a lot of prior research I have found quite a few people who have successfully upgraded their CPU.
The biggest concern has been heat dissapation, but no one I've talked to has had a problem yet. My model comes with the Centrino T1350 @ 1.86Ghz and most people have easily installed the T2x50 processors without a problem (these are the Core Duo Centrinos). With a good cleaning and installation of a little AS5 they seem to be working great for everyone who has installed them, although I have not tried this myself *yet*...
The reason your uprade may not have worked could be due to a BIOS update - make sure you have the most current BIOS for your system as mine actually states it includes new CPU microcode. You might even be able to install a similar A105's BIOS but take extreme caution doing this! Also be sure the CPU you are upgrading to has the same FSB, the T1350 for example has a 533Mhz FSB therefore I am limited to some of the dual cores that have the 667Mhz FSB. It may or may not work, but I know my motherboard can support 533 and I'm not going to take chances ordering a CPU just to find out it doesn't work!
2) I'm not sure what integrated wireless adapter you have, however mine comes with the Intel PRO/3954ABG internal wireless adapter and antenna. Of all the integrated wifi adapter's I've used, this is by far the best one to date (and I deal with a LOT of laptops at work!). The only better integrated wifi I've seen so far is the new Intel true 3x3 wireless-n adapter - can't remember the exact model atm... however this is only being found in several brand new high-end laptops right now.
First, you may want to check what's called "polarization", a signal propogates in a horizontal or vertical pattern depending on how your router is mounted and how its antenna(s) are positioned. Try tilting your laptop at different angles and see if the signal gets better or move your router around - this way you'll eliminate the obvious first.
Second, check your router's settings - for the most part everything should be set to default. Also check to see if it has the most current firmware. Make sure the signal strength is all the way up if it has an adjustment. If you have a 802.11n (draft / draft 2.0 / standard) router, make sure it is set to "G-only" instead of "mixed" if possible. The more types of service you try to use A/B/G/N the more packet overhead it uses... the same is true for wireless-g routers, they will probably have a setting for "b/g mixed", if you aren't using any legacy .11b devices set it to "G-Only"
Third, if all else fails pick up a PCMCIA Card (also referred to as PC Cards). I just picked up a few of the best WPC600N (Referbished Linksys) adapters for only $9.99/ea @ newegg!! These cards are great vs integrated wifi!
*edit: link to the wifi adapter I referred to, they did go up in price slightly however $17.99 vs $79.99 retail edition*
Linksys WPC600N Referbished on sale now!
3) If all else fails, you have a few options -
- New Laptops are extremely cheap nowdays thanks to the economy, netbooks, and new tech being created quicker becoming cheaper to manufacture.
- A (kind of cheap) upgrade would be an SSD (Solid State Drive) which has no moving parts (making them great for laptops) and have read / write speeds up to 5-20x faster than even the fastest 10k/15k rpm traditional drives!
- note: the only downside to an SSD is their size and $/GB... Regular consumer/enthusiest grade SSD's are nearly all MLC based flash, range in size from 30 - 250GB, and cost anywhere from $120 to $700. Obviously $700 being a top model 250GB which is not needed with our "older" laptops. My first choice by far is the Intel X25-M G2, followed by the cheaper drives with the Indilix Barefoot controller (OCZ Agility / Vertex / Vertex EX, Patriot Torqx, etc) OCZ and Patriot would be my next choice...
- Windows 7 is extremely efficient and is actually much faster than Vista or even XP, especially on older machines as weird as that sounds. 7 has been tweaked for all technologies old and new.
Hope that helps answer a few questions, if I find more specific data I'll post it here. To the OP, what is you laptop's model number? A105-???? Thanks!
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