Toshiba Satellite P100-102 - for Windows XP users only

Three years ago my girlfriend bought herself a notebook - The Toshiba P100-102. We've chosen it together as it's always better to have more critical points of view when it comes to buying such stuff. Our decision was based on multiple aspects. The critical ones were quality, performance and display size. My girlfriend upgraded this list with the additional one - "the looks". This notebook really rocked. Even today, after three years its performance would be totally satisfactory if not... the BIOS and the "f***n" graphic card cooling issue!

Toshiba mounted the "NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600" card into this great and whatsoever beautiful box. This was the largest mistake the company could ever make! Why? This chip has to be cooled down with a fan. After three years of what I would call "normal usage" the card simply DIED! And as you would expect, without the card the rest may be considered DEAD too!!! The funny part is, my girlfriend did not play any games, the chip did never work under extreme pressure. So how can that be?

Well, I always trusted Toshiba and believed that what they build will run for at least next 10-15 years (this was the case of my first notebook with Celeron 650MHz - it still simply runs!). What the hell did you guys do? Did you change your strategy from building quality products to building shit and forcing people to change their boxes every year?? I hope not, because if you did, I'll never buy a Toshiba again!!!

So what happened with the card? Did it overheat? Oh YES it did! Why? Well, this is what I found on nvidia Linux support forum after doing some research on "fan problems + P100 + geforce go". The guys explain how Toshiba controls the fan cooling the GPU. Here's what some said:

"... The modified Toshiba nvidia driver is constantly polling the MAX6659 sensor and then writing something into it's own embedded controller that is controlling the fan. So, I don't think it's a problem with the nvidia drivers but instead with Toshiba simply not telling nvidia how to control the fans they are using on their nvidia based laptops..."

This means:

• you're stuck with old XP (note: not only windows! you are stuck with XP!)


• you're stuck with old Toshiba modified NVIDIA drivers


• you're possibly stuck with specific BIOS version too (at least you may hack it easily)


• well... in other words, this notebook SUCKS!!! (as well as many other based on same idea and GeForce Go GPUs)

The whole cooling system story sounds a bit like a "big hack", immaturity and incompetence of the notebook manufacturer! So how do I see the Toshiba notebooks now? I will say just one thing. I am an OpenSource software fan... I don't like to be limited... and I absolutely HATE low quality components (including software of course) in my notebook!

So what am I going to buy now (apart from new, old GeForce 7600)?