Advent 7049 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

* To find the correct drivers on the Medion website search using the MD number printed underneath your laptop.

** Use wireless button to enable/disable wireless network (5th button to the right of power button)

*** Use TV out button to toggle between TV Out/LCD display (3rd button to the right of power button)

**** If you have trouble getting the official drivers working it may be worth trying the Nvidia Omega drivers from http://www.omegadrivers.net/nvidia.php. These are independently produced drivers which have been tweaked to improve performance.

***** There is very little official information available on Advent memory upgrades and while I've done my best to make sure this page is accurate I would recommend double-checking before buying. One way is by running a system scanner like the one provided by Crucial Memory (shameless plug for advert below).

Adding RAM is the most cost effective way to boost your computer's performance.

Function Keys

Fn + F1 - Hot key help menu
Fn + F2 - Sleep button
Fn + F3 - Display toggle. Switches between LCD, external monitor, and both LCD and external monitor
Fn + F4 - Screen blank. Turns the LCD backlight off to save power; press any key to resume
Fn + F5 - Speaker on/off
Fn + F11 - Num lock
Fn + F12 - Scroll lock
Fn + right arrow - Brightness up
Fn + left arrow - Brightness down
Fn + up arrow - Volume up
Fn + down arrow - Volume down
Fn + PgUp - Home. The cursor on the screen will skip to the start of the line.
Fn + PgDn - End. The cursor on the screen will skip to the end of the line.

Laptop Layout

Open Case

1. TFT Display
2. Status Operation Indicators (see below)
3. Hotkeys (see below)
4. Power ON/OFF
5. Touchpad
6. Touchpad Keys
7. Palm Rest
8. Keyboard
9. Fan Slot

Status Operation Indicators

1. Wireless LAN activity
2. Power/Battery
3. Stand-by mode
4. Hard disk activity
5. Battery charging
6. Caps Lock
7. Num Lock

Hotkeys

1. Launches the email program
2. Launches the internet browser
3. Enable/disable the tv-out option
4. Switches between different screen resolutions (640x480, 800x600, 1024x768)
5. Enable/Disable the wireless LAN

Left Side

1. PC card Slot (PCMCIA)
2. PC card eject button
3. 3 in 1 card interface
4. IEEE1394 (4-pin)
5. Infrared Port
6. Stereo Speaker
7. Optical Drive
8. Disc emergency eject
9. Disc eject button
10. Activity LED optical drive

Right Side

1. Stereo Speaker
2. Kensington lock

Rear View

1. Power Socket
2. Parallel Port
3. TV/Video Out (S-Video)
4. External Monitor (VGA)
5. USB ports
6. LAN port (RJ-45)
7. Modem port (RJ-11)
8. Line out/SPDIF (optical out)
9. Line in/Microphone in

Bottom View

1. Memory compartment
2. Battery bay
3. Battery lock/unlock latch
4. Modem cover

Note that the hard disk drive can be removed only when the battery has been released.

Replacing the DVD Drive

Many thanks to David Morrison for taking the time to send this in -

Replacing the DVD writer is a very easy job only a small cross-head screwdriver and a new DVD writer are needed. Most laptop slimline DVD writers will work - I fitted a Sony NEC Optiarc AD7543A which can read and write more formats than the original, including burning Labelflash labels.

1. Remove one screw from the middle of the base (red arrow) and slide out the old DVD writer (green arrow). If the DVD writer is not responding, it helps to open the drawer by pushing a paperclip into the hole beside the button on the drawer.
   
   

   

2. Undo 2 screws (red arrows) to remove the fixing bracket on the old DVD writer.
   
   

   

3. Attach the fixing bracket to the new DVD writer by screwing it into the holes marked with the red arrows.
   
   

   

4. Slide the new unit into the laptop and replace the screw in the base of the unit. When the laptop boots-up it will detect the new DVD writer.

Useful Links

Recovery Media

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/.

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