Laptop question - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

dawnoffawn · 02-19-2006, 07:17 PM

Hello,
Do all laptops have a line socket for an internet or fax connection?
I've recently bought a laptop and automatically assumed it has this feature.
Well, it turns out it has no line socket at all.
I've complained to the seller and he said that it did not state that it has.
Who is right,me or the seller?
And what do I do now? I bought the laptop for internet usage.
The seller does not return.

shakran · 02-19-2006, 07:22 PM

the seller. Find out if your laptop has a wireless card. If it does, you can connect to a wireless router and get out to the internet that way.

If it does not you will need to buy either a PCMCIA wireless card, a PCMCIA ethernet card, or a PCMCIA modem, depending on how you connect to the internet.

ratbastid · 02-19-2006, 07:31 PM

When you say "line socket", are you asking if a modem is a reasonable thing to expect on a laptop without the seller explicitly saying that it has one? If so, the answer is no. I don't plan to ever need a modem ever again, if I can help it. My laptop did come with one (as advertised) but I doubt if I'll ever use it.

Computers generally have their components listed very explicitly. Buying one without a list like that is a mistake. Assuming anything not listed is included is a mistake.

mikec · 02-19-2006, 11:42 PM

I agree with ratbastid, not all laptops have a modem, and you should never assume any features of a machine you purchase. Always check 1st.

Moyaboy · 02-20-2006, 12:57 AM

I agree with shakran, you might have to buy a card to use with the internet, however, how old is the laptop?

Depending on it's age parts may be harder to aquire.

WillyPete · 02-20-2006, 03:52 AM

You could buy a USB modem.

If you REALLY wanted to view pages that slowly.

sailor · 02-20-2006, 04:01 AM

Most laptop makers have stopped building modems into their machines--very few people use them anymore, and it's not worth the cost.

No problem though--PCMCIA modems are quite cheap.

cyrnel · 02-20-2006, 04:06 AM

They're going the way of floppies but it's still odd for a laptop to not have a modem. Do the factory specs list one as optional or standard? I'd want to know if this model is a newer one that doesn't normally have one or an old one that's been stripped. If it's been pulled you might have a case.

Still, as others have said, it's a little like asking for three stubbed toes.

tecoyah · 02-20-2006, 04:39 AM

Question....Does it have an ethernet (lan) port?

Many manufacturuers are placing the Cat5 jack in laptops...rather than the Modem. But as stated....a PCMCIA modem is an easy and inexpensive fix.

dawnoffawn · 02-20-2006, 08:34 AM

Thanks all for the wonderful help.
It's a Dell latitude CPX.
It not only has a modem, it also has no place for a phone line..I was at least expecting a line jack.

cyrnel · 02-20-2006, 08:52 AM

The cool thing, check your cell phone provider for data plans. It would be considerably faster than traditional dialup and no phone cord required.

Otherwise, find a Cardbus or PCMCIA modem on ebay. $5-20. Your laptop can use two cards, so you'd still have room for Ethernet or whatever later.

02-19-2006, 07:17 PM	#1 (permalink)
dawnoffawn Crazy	Laptop question Hello, Do all laptops have a line socket for an internet or fax connection? I've recently bought a laptop and automatically assumed it has this feature. Well, it turns out it has no line socket at all. I've complained to the seller and he said that it did not state that it has. Who is right,me or the seller? And what do I do now? I bought the laptop for internet usage. The seller does not return.

02-19-2006, 11:42 PM	#4 (permalink)
mikec I flopped the nutz... Location: Stratford, CT	I agree with ratbastid, not all laptops have a modem, and you should never assume any features of a machine you purchase. Always check 1st. __________________ Until the 20th century, reality was everything humans could touch, smell, see, and hear. Since the initial publication of the charted electromagnetic spectrum, humans have learned that what they can touch, smell, see, and hear is less than one millionth of reality

02-20-2006, 04:01 AM	#7 (permalink)
sailor beauty in the breakdown Location: Chapel Hill, NC	Most laptop makers have stopped building modems into their machines--very few people use them anymore, and it's not worth the cost. No problem though--PCMCIA modems are quite cheap. __________________ "Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." --Plato

02-20-2006, 04:06 AM	#8 (permalink)
cyrnel Adequate Location: In my angry-dome.	They're going the way of floppies but it's still odd for a laptop to not have a modem. Do the factory specs list one as optional or standard? I'd want to know if this model is a newer one that doesn't normally have one or an old one that's been stripped. If it's been pulled you might have a case. Still, as others have said, it's a little like asking for three stubbed toes. __________________ There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195

02-20-2006, 04:39 AM	#9 (permalink)
tecoyah Illusionary	Question....Does it have an ethernet (lan) port? Many manufacturuers are placing the Cat5 jack in laptops...rather than the Modem. But as stated....a PCMCIA modem is an easy and inexpensive fix. __________________ Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. - Buddha

02-19-2006, 07:22 PM	#2 (permalink)
shakran Tone.	the seller. Find out if your laptop has a wireless card. If it does, you can connect to a wireless router and get out to the internet that way. If it does not you will need to buy either a PCMCIA wireless card, a PCMCIA ethernet card, or a PCMCIA modem, depending on how you connect to the internet.

02-19-2006, 07:31 PM	#3 (permalink)
ratbastid Darth Papa Location: Yonder	When you say "line socket", are you asking if a modem is a reasonable thing to expect on a laptop without the seller explicitly saying that it has one? If so, the answer is no. I don't plan to ever need a modem ever again, if I can help it. My laptop did come with one (as advertised) but I doubt if I'll ever use it. Computers generally have their components listed very explicitly. Buying one without a list like that is a mistake. Assuming anything not listed is included is a mistake.

02-20-2006, 12:57 AM	#5 (permalink)
Moyaboy Crazy Location: Charlotte, NC	I agree with shakran, you might have to buy a card to use with the internet, however, how old is the laptop? Depending on it's age parts may be harder to aquire.

02-20-2006, 03:52 AM	#6 (permalink)
WillyPete Addict	You could buy a USB modem. If you REALLY wanted to view pages that slowly.

02-20-2006, 08:34 AM	#10 (permalink)
dawnoffawn Crazy	Thanks all for the wonderful help. It's a Dell latitude CPX. It not only has a modem, it also has no place for a phone line..I was at least expecting a line jack.

02-20-2006, 08:52 AM	#11 (permalink)
cyrnel Adequate Location: In my angry-dome.	The cool thing, check your cell phone provider for data plans. It would be considerably faster than traditional dialup and no phone cord required. Otherwise, find a Cardbus or PCMCIA modem on ebay. $5-20. Your laptop can use two cards, so you'd still have room for Ethernet or whatever later. __________________ There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195