[vcf-midatlantic] Compaq LTE 5280 5300 - Requesting assistance

[Bill Degnan]

Russell,

I am not sure how hard they are to find, but it was me, given they're not
too old, I'd try to find a replacement drive and be done with it.

Otherwise you will have to find a working drive and compare and contrast
yours to the other one to get a feel for exactly where the point of failure
is.    When there are missing screws that's the sign of a failed attempt to
repair.  It could be someone put a replacement drive in there already but
it was not an exact match and thus does not eject and then gave up.
Another option - Can you find a PCMCIA external 3.5 drive, or even USB
dongle or CD of some sort to bypass the need for the 3.5 drive altogether?
Just thinking as I type how to approach.

Bill Degnan

On Mon, Oct 18, 2021 at 9:52 PM Russell LeChard via vcf-midatlantic <
vcf-midatlantic at lists.vcfed.org> wrote:

> Good Evening VCF East,
>
> I'm new to this group(but not to IT in general [30 years experience ]) I
> love vintage computers. I'm also in the process of restoring several
> vintage notebooks. Two in particular are Compaq LTE 5280 and 5300 models.
> Both have moderate problems. The 5280 is the better model. I'm trying to
> salvage parts from both to make one good system. I need to replace the
> Multifunction bay(Floppy/CD-ROM), hard drive bay, and battery bay from the
> 5280 with the floppy, hard drive, and battery from the 5300.
>
> Here is my problem, I'm unable to eject these components from the bays in
> the 5280. The release buttons seem to be locked and won't slide all the way
> forward.  There are supposedly locking screw holes on the bottom of the
> unit, but there are no screws in them( they were already missing when I
> obtained them second hand.) I'm very much stuck! LOL
>
> I also have Cerebral Palsy with mobility and dexterity issues (I have one
> good arm/hand to work with. This makes the disassembly of this notebook
> even more problematic.
>
> This system will be for myself for early/mid 90's DOS games BTW.
>
> I spoke to another VCF East member and they suggested I send a message out
> to the group with this request. I'm in the Toms River, NJ area and I'd even
> be willing to discuss reasonable compensation(or a trade for other vintage
> systems( I have others and vintage spare parts)) for someone with the
> expertise in the Compaq LTE 5000 series for their time and effort. Let me
> know. Thank you in advance.
>
> Take Care,
> Russell LeChard
>