Should I buy this laptop for use with Serato DJ??

[Looking2Build]

Looking to Buy this refurbished Toshiba Satellite P875-S7102B 17.3” Laptop for my DJ business. Is this a reliable computer and will the 3.0 USB work with Serato, any thoughts?

Laptop specs are:

Intel Core i7-3630QM Processor
Windows 8
Mobile Intel HD Graphics
64MB-1696MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory
Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz memory
750GB HDD (5400rpm, Serial ATA)
Display Resolution: 16:9 aspect ratio, 1920x1080, Supports 1080p content
Headphone jack (stereo), Microphone input port with Toshiba Sleep and music, Microphone jack (mono), SRS Premium Sound 3D, harman/kardon stereo speakers
AC Adapter: 75W (19V 3.95A) Auto-sensing, 100-240V / 50-60Hz input
Battery: Li-Ion (48Wh, 6-Cell)
Battery Life: Up to 3.73 hours
No PC Express Slot
No SmartCard Reader slot
Memory Card Reader
Two USB (3.0) ports, two USB (3.0) ports with Sleep and Charge
HDMI output port
RGB port

Serato minimum requirements are:

Windows 7
2.4 Ghz Core 2 Duo
8 Gb RAM
1280 x 720 screen resolution
2.0 USB

I will buy Win 7 64-bit as Serato, currently does not support Win 8.
Should I buy?
Thanks.

 

[C12Friedman]

I would think that if your price is right, it should be a nice platform for running Serato
BTW, USB 3.0 is backward compatible with USB 2.0 so there shouldn't be any issues there

 

[Looking2Build]

Sorry, been on vaca. Thanks for the response C12Friedman. While researching on downgrading from Win8 to Win7 Home, I found a few posts on Toshiba's forums site that says it is up to user to find the drivers for Win7. One user found some from Toshiba and a Wireless LAN driver from Intel. He still need drivers for PCI Device, SM Bus Controller and USB Controller (I think I really need the USB driver!). Then, I found an old post here from ispt3ch who posted last year:

"-Shut down Windows 8 while pressing the Shift key to completely power off.
-Power on and press F2 while the Toshiba logo is displayed to enter the UEFI Setup Menu.
-Go to the Security tab and set the "Secure Boot" setting to "Disabled".
-Go to the Advanced tab, enter "System Configuration" and set the Boot Mode to "CSM Boot."
-Press F10 to save and exit.

Now boot to your Win 7 disk and follow the setup instructions

Also, I expect Sysprep expects an MBR disk. So you probably need to use a partitioning tool to remove the GPT partitions. EaseUS has instructions here using its partition manager (free for personal use)."

Will this solution work? and will I still need to find drivers?
I ended up buying this refurbed unit for $529 from Groupon and will have 14 days from receipt (Monday 8?12) to return it. Trying to make sure I can use this before buying Win7 and installing.
Thanks all.

 

[C12Friedman]

I'm not foreseeing any real issues, I'm pretty sure any drivers needed will be available for win 7

 

[Looking2Build]

That sounds good. Now, will the above procedure work? and if I make a recovery disc before installing 7 and reformatting, will I be able to reinstall 8 with the recovery disc back to how it came originally?
Thanks again.

 

[C12Friedman]

If you make recovery images, yes you should be able to but, windows has a nasty habit of making partitions that become inaccessible so the ability to completely wipe the HDD would be handy for doing that (SecureErase comes to mind for that)

 

[Looking2Build]

Thanks. M
The laptop is scheduled for delivery on Monday. I'm sure I'll be back when I'm ready to try the Win7 install. Oh, and how bout DBAN for wiping the drive? Thanks. Later.

 

[C12Friedman]

DBan is an excellent choice IMO

 

[Looking2Build]

Hey, so I received the Toshiba laptop yesterday and made the recovery discs. Another thought and question is: (I know it will cost a little bit, but) could I buy a WD Scorpio Black 750Gb 7200rpm SATA 3.0Gb/s 16Mb cache (WD7500BPKT) to replace the stock Hitachi HGST HTS541075A9E680, 750Gb 5400rpm 6Gb/s 8Mb cache HDD and put Win7 on that?
In all honesty, I feel more comfortable doing it that way, but I will try the above way if the recovery discs will also set the partitions back to default.
Thanks, again, for your opinions and advice.
Erik

 

[C12Friedman]

That would be what I would attempt (if not too difficult to swap the HDD) as it should help prolong the life of the HDD's also. The WD Black (any 7200 rpm HDD) will use up the battery a little faster so that would be something to consider if planning to use away from plug-in power for any length of time

 

[Looking2Build]

Whew! Thanks C12 Friedman, that took some pressure off me. I will need to be plugged in as my DJ controller uses the USB port for power. Hopefully, this will work...will get back in a few days to update. Thanks.

 

[Looking2Build]

OK, I got my new HDD, installed it, changed the security and boot settings, and put in the Win7 disc. It seemed to load, but when finished, I was unable to go online. Not sure if there's a driver needed for internet access, so I'm sorta stumped since I need to go online to get the drivers for Win 7 to use other hardware. Any suggestions? ...and should I post on a separate thread? Thanks.

 

[Looking2Build]

I think I got it. Used my desktop to download LAN driver to jump drive, then extracted zip file to laptop. Will now look for other drivers with laptop LAN connection. Thanks.

 

[C12Friedman]

I think I got it. Used my desktop to download LAN driver to jump drive, then extracted zip file to laptop. Will now look for other drivers with laptop LAN connection. Thanks.

^+ perfect

 

[Looking2Build]

Oh, No! A couple more things...should I update the BIOS for windows 7 (I found a driver online)? and I'm still looking for drivers for the SM Bus Controller and something called ACPI\TOS1901|2&DABA3FF&2. Each of those show "No driver files are required or loaded for this device".
And finally, it seems the buttons to play/pause the CD/DVD and the volume control buttons (including mute) don't work properly (they do different things, thoughts? Thanks.

 

[C12Friedman]

Oh, No! A couple more things...should I update the BIOS for windows 7 (I found a driver online)? and I'm still looking for drivers for the Network Controller, PCI Device, SM Bus Controller and USB Controller. I'll read through the forums, but how do I find out the manufacturer or make & model of those devices?

A program called SPECCY should clarify what hardware you have in the machine - available here http://www.piriform.com/speccy/download (free version should work fine)

And finally, it seems the buttons to play/pause the CD/DVD and the volume control buttons (including mute) don't work properly (they do different things, thoughts? Thanks.

I'd think those would be important keys for you, I'm thinking it may also be a driver issue but I am very unsure of that

As far as changing BIOS, there may be dire consequences for the win 8 environment if altering it - have you attempted to run Serato in win 8, I'll suggest trying that first

 

[Looking2Build]

SPECCY, AWESOME! Gave me a lot of info and I already use CCleaner from Piriform. Thanks.
As far as the drivers, can I use the original Win 8 HDD (which I removed), connect it with a USB to SATA/IDE cable, then copy the drivers (and where do I find those on Win 8 HDD?) to the newly installed Win7 HDD on the laptop? or is there another way?
Thanks.

 

[C12Friedman]

you might try contacting Toshiba to see if there is downgrade support available at all (there may be an alternative model number you can use for drivers and updates - they would know these things)
Then again, you might try going nuts at this page http://support.toshiba.com/drivers and seeing where you get - select windows 7 on the left and look for your hardware on the right - keep hitting "more" there are a lot of them to chose from

I think ACPI\TOS1901|2&DABA3FF&2 is Toshiba HDD Protection

 

[Looking2Build]

Thanks, will do. I was able to find all but that ACPI driver online. I will call Toshiba tomorrow. Thanks.

 

[C12Friedman]

If you haven't tried these for that, I might suggest "Intel Proset" and "Intel Management Engine Interface" (there are two versions of interface, try the newer one first)

 

[Looking2Build]

Great news! Talked to Toshiba tech support, and was told the ACPI driver was a Toshiba utility that was not necessary for my needs. If I ever put the HDD, that I removed (with Win 8), back in, the drivers would be there. So, I'm up and running, adding all my music on the unit. Thanks for all the help and consider this case closed. Until the next time.
Erik