Advent 5470 Laptop
Can You Help?
If you own one of these laptops can you take a couple of minutes to check the information on this page is correct. If you come across any errors or have any other information that can help fill in the gaps then please email me at info@uktsupport.co.uk.
Many thanks, Matt
Specification
| CPU | Intel Pentium III 700MHz |
| Memory | 128MB PC100/PC133 SDRAM SODIMM (2 memory slots. Max 256MB) |
| Hard Drive | 12 GB UDMA |
| CD Drive | 6 x Torisan DRD U624 DVD ROM |
| Floppy Drive | 1.44mb 3.5" |
| Screen | 14.1" TFT (Native Res.1024x768) |
| Video Card | ATI Rage LT Pro 8MB |
| Sound Card | 16-Bit SoundBlaster Compatible (possibly ESS Maestro2E) |
| Modem | Conexant 56k Fax modem V.90 |
| PC Card | Will take either 2x Type I/II or 1x Type III |
| Ports | 1x Kensington Lock 2x PC Card slots 1x IR 1x Line-in 1x Mic-in 1x Audio-out 1x Modem 1x PS/2 2x USB 1x Expansion Port 1x Serial Port 1x VGA 1x S-Video 1x Parallel |
| Battery | Smart Li-ion |
| Made By | Gericom Overdose2-3100C (Download Drivers) |
Adding RAM is the most cost effective way to boost your computer's performance.
Bottom of Laptop
In the Box
Disks Supplied
- Recovery boot floppy disk
- Recovery CD ROM
- Supervoice CD
- DVD ROM and suspend driver floppy disk
Items Supplied
- Advent 5470 notebook PC
- UK mains power cable
- Mains adapter
- UK modem cable
- S-Video cable
Documentation Supplied
- Advent notebook user's manual
- User guide for fax modem
- Freeserve leaflet
Recovery
Replacement recovery discs can be ordered from a company called "The Tech Guys". More information is available on their website - http://support.thetechguys.com//recoverymedia/.
Warning: this process will erase all files from your computer. It is important that you save any personal files to disk before you begin.
Two methods of recovery are available for this model -
Method 1
- Insert the recovery CD and floppy disk and restart your computer.
- Follow the onscreen prompts to recover Windows.
- Once Windows is installed you will need to install the drivers. These can be found on recovery CDs.
- This process takes approximately 2 hours.
Method 2
Note - This method should only be used with the new CDs posted to you after the purchase of your computer.
A bootable recovery CD is supplied with these machines
To recover the system:-
- Insert CD (and floppy disk if supplied) into the drive.
- Reboot the PC.
- A warning message prompting the user to backup data before proceeding.
- Press Y to continue.
- A final warning that all data will be erased is displayed.
- Press Y to continue.
- Finally a message "Remove CD-ROM when prompted" is displayed.
- Press Y to continue.
- The image file will load. Once complete the user is prompted to remove the CD and press CTRL + ALT + DEL to restart.
Useful Links
Repairs and Spares
All official service and support is handled by The Tech Guys (http://www.thetechguys.com/), if you laptop is covered under warranty then you need to contact them for repairs.
If your laptop is out of warranty then there are a number of other companies who do either repairs or supply spare parts, here are a selection -
TechnoMart - http://www.techno-mart.co.uk
Advent Spares - http://www.adventspares.co.uk/
DriveMyLaptop (replacement drives) - http://www.drivemylaptop.co.uk
Laptop Solutions - http://www.laptopsolutions.net/index.htm
DAB Solutions - http://www.dab-solutions.co.uk/
Accessories
There are plenty of internet sites that sell power cables, adapters, batteries, etc. for Advent laptops, here are just a selection -
MDS Battery - http://www.mdsbattery.co.uk
LaptopShop - http://www.laptopshop.co.uk
PartMaster - http://www.partmaster.co.uk
FAQ
Laptop will not boot from the recovery CD
The boot sequence in the BIOS is not set correctly. You should enter the BIOS and set the first boot device as the CD ROM drive. Once this is done you should be able to run the recovery as normal.
Blank screen or EMM386 error after recovery
Once the recovery has completed the screen goes blank or an EMM386 error message is dispalayed. This happens because the laptop is having problems displaying the message to remove the CD and restart. Simply remove the CD from the drive and restart the laptop, first time setup will begin as normal.
Recovery procedure seems to take a long time to complete
The recovery carries out a full FDISK and format of the hard drive before the recovery begins. This is normal and the total recovery time is approximately 2 hours.
Windows is unable to detect a modem
When you try and connect to the internet Windows reports that the modem cannot be detected. This can happen because the recovery procedure has installed two standard modems. The solution is to remove both modems and restart the laptop. Windows should then detect and install the correct modem.
Getting Hold of the Service Manual
The Advent 5470 is also known as the Gericom 3100C, this should be printed underneath the laptop. You can download the service manual for the 3100C from here - http://www.acomp.hu/pub/gericom/Notebook/Manuals/Service/Service%20Manuals/