Member Avatar for J Ripper

Hi,

I recently bought a used Compaq Presario 1200-xl 106 notebook, and it originally had Windows 98 installed as the operating system. My desktop computer is also a Compaq Presario, and it came with 3 discs to install Windows Me. I attempted to use these discs to intall Me onto the notebook. The notebook now runs very slow, and the graphics are terrible. It looks like it is working in safemode. It isn't in safe mode. I need something better than 16bit color, because the main reason I need the notebook is for graphic design when I am away from my desk.

I attempted to "Add New Hardware". I searched, but it didn't find the Trident CyberBlade 3D Graphics. It wasn't listed on the manual search either.

I also tried manually installing the 12.1 inch HPA Display. This did not work either.

  • 2 Contributors
  • 2 Replies
  • 234 Views
  • 8 Hours Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by J Ripper

Dani AI

Generated

For : the symptoms you describe (very slow performance, low color depth and a “Safe‑Mode” look) strongly suggest the laptop is running the generic VGA driver instead of the vendor-specific display driver — and possibly missing chipset/ACPI drivers that affect overall responsiveness. The Presario 1200 series used an integrated Trident GPU, so restoring the correct video driver (and the motherboard/chipset drivers) is the most direct way to recover full color depth and acceptable performance.

Recommended steps to resolve the display and speed problems:

  1. Check what Windows reports: open System Information (Start → Run → msinfo32) and look under Components → Display. Also open Device Manager (My Computer → Properties → Device Manager) and note what’s listed under Display adapters (if it shows “Standard VGA” the proper driver is not installed).
  2. Obtain drivers from the laptop vendor first (Compaq/HP support for the Presario 1200‑XL) — that’s the best match for integrated hardware. If those aren’t available, search for drivers that explicitly name the Trident adapter used in the 1200 series; save and extract them to a local folder.
  3. Install the driver: in Device Manager remove/uninstall the “Standard VGA” entry, then use Update Driver → Have Disk and point to the extracted driver INF folder. Reboot. If a WinMe build isn’t available, Windows 98 drivers for the same Trident part will often work.
  4. After the display driver, install chipset/ACPI and other vendor drivers (audio/modem) — missing chipset drivers commonly cause slow system behavior. Use the laptop’s recovery media if present.
  5. Troubleshooting tips: try lowering hardware acceleration (Display Properties → Settings → Advanced → Troubleshoot) while testing; if the driver installer fails, check for an alternate driver version or use a small utility (e.g., system‑info tools) to confirm exact chipset ID.

A note on the earlier point from : OEM Windows media are generally tied to the machine they shipped with under the EULA, so using desktop OEM CDs on a different laptop may not be permitted. Restoring factory recovery media or obtaining the correct OEM/license for the Presario is the cleanest path if the OS needs to be reinstalled.

Recommended Answers

All 2 Replies

Member Avatar for jbennet

The trident drivers muct be downloaded and installed from Tridents site.

and by the way, if the cds came with your desktop (oem version) then it is ILLEGAL to install them on the laptop so you had better stop it.

Member Avatar for J Ripper


and by the way, if the cds came with your desktop (oem version) then it is ILLEGAL to install them on the laptop so you had better stop it.

I didn't know that... I never read those disclamers beyond the first two lines.

Time to save up for about four weeks to substitute grocery funds to buy an outdated version of Windows... I'm so tired of eating ramen and centrum. It will help in the long run.

Thanks.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.