Tecra M4 or Portege M400: Opinion needed

Hi
I'm planning to buy a tabletPC and for almost 100% have chosen Toshiba. The prices seem to be ok. But I still don't know what to choose - Portege M400 or Tecra M4.
The M400 is newer, lighter, longer battery operation and I can have a Core Duo cpu. However I use programs like Photoshop, AutoCad, 3ds max, Corel and so on.
Is the Intel's chip enough for these purposes? The M4 has the GF Go6600 GPU which I'm sure is ok.
Please help! Thanks for advice!

Hi
I have investigated a little bit in the internet and found some data about the Tecra M4 and Portege M400.
It seems that Tecra was delivered with different hardware configuration.
You can buy the Tecra with Intel-Pentium-M (Dothan) CPU 760, 750, 740, 730 1.6GHz,1.73GHz,1.86GHz, 2.0GHz and 2 different graphic cards: 64MB nVIDIA GeForce FX Go6200 or with 128MB nVIDIA Go6600.
Also there are different HDD sizes; 40, 60 and 80GB
The display screen is 14.1" (1400x1050).
The same on the Portg M400. It was also configured with different CPUs:
Intel Core 2 Duo (Merom) CPU T7400, T7200, T5600, T5500.
The graphic card is a little bit slower because its a sheared memory graphic card.
But you know, if you are not a hardcore game player so you dont need a high performance graphic card. The display size is a little bit smaller. Its 12.1
I think if you like small notebook so the M400 is not a bad choice.
But you know its your choice and you should know what you want to buy.
But I like more the Portege unit

Similar Messages

Portege M400: Can I find this tablet PC in Bahrain or Dubai??

I have been searching for the New Toshiba Portege M400.
I really like this tablet and think will help me in my work...
But im facing a problem..
I don't know where can i find it in BAHRAIN or DUBAI...
I need it urgentrly...
Please HELP!
[email protected]

I have been seraching online ever since it first came in Feb.
I have called the dealer in Bahrain ( although Bahrain really doesnt have a deraler as such for Toshiba)..
The people had no idea what was Toshiba Portege M400!
There is one who told me he knew and sent me a fax and then i got to know that he meant a Toshiba Tecra M4...
I really need to buy it as soon as possible because i will leave Bahrain and go to India to study....
And i really dont want to buy it from India and i strongly want to buy it from Bahrain/Dubai..
I dont know what to do...
The office in Dubai never pick up and keep putting me on hold..
I have wasted enough money on International calls i think....
I dont want to buy it online its too risky and anyway i dont have any king of credit card..etc...
WHATCAN I DO!!
HELP!

Portege M400: no wide screen external resolution (1360x768)

I'm trying to get an external LCD TV with native resolution 1360x768 connected to the external VGA port of my Toshiba Portege M400. This only works with an external resolution of 1024x768. Wide screen resolutions are just not available in the graphics options. I tried this also using Powerstrip, but I did not manage to get it to 1360x768. With another laptop I did.
According to the specifications of the Intel 945GM chipset, it should support wide screen resolutions. It seems to be just a shortcoming of the Toshiba drivers. Is there any solution to this problem?
Marijn

I dont think that Toshiba has something to do with INTEL graphic card drivers.
On the Toshiba page you can download the Intel graphic driver. Therefore if you want to send any requests so I think you have to send it to Intel.
But in my opinion I dont think that somebody from Intel or anywhere will create a driver especially for you. But I wish you good luck.
I think we have to use the available common resolutions.

Portege M400 - How to install Toshiba Utilities for Windows 7?

I've upgraded my Portege M400 to Winows 7 (32bit) which went fine. However, cant find how to get and install the utilities I had included with the XP Tablet version.
Can anyone suggest how to get them (I understand they were available for Vista)?
TIA.
Kris

Hi
The Toshiba Utilities that you mean are only designed for Windows XP. On Windows Vista and Windows 7 you need only the Toshiba Value Added Package. This package contains all what you need.
Portege M400 doesnt support Windows 7 but you can try to install the Vista drivers. The most of them are also work on Windows 7.
As far as I know you also need Toshiba Button Support on this model.

Portege M400 - Error message: Sorry, but this product is not available in your region.

I get the message above when I click on the link 'Portege M400' registration page under my profile. This is odd bcause I am actually writing this mesage on the PortegeM400!?
What I want is, naturally, to go directly from my registration and to the drivers that are ready for my PC, but it appears that the registration procedure did not workout? How does this work out - do I need to set up a different country to be allowed to move on. (Current country is Denmark)
Regards Per

Hi
No reason to be confused! What I want is quite natural - for a programmer. After registering my pc details Thosiba naturally knows what drivers I will be looking for. So what I expect is simply a link to those drivers and notting else. What I get is however a confusing message that - if nothing else - tells me somthiget that vcan not be true... if true I should not be able to input the registration information in the first place.
to summ up I do not want to go through the laubor of figureing out what drivers I need - and actually I do not need to as thosiba has all nessesary the information and so lets move on.
Also found the lik that is missing on this page http://eu.computers.toshiba-europe.com/cgi-bin/ToshibaCSG/registration_basic.jsp?service=EU ;-)
Regards Per

Portege M400 - How to delete fingerprint data of Protector Suite

Dear all,
1) Protector Suite 5.4 sometimes generated a WinXP crash on my Portege M400.
2) I followed the suggestion by WinXP and upgraded it to the 5.8 release. Unfortunately in this way I lost the functionalities of automatic access to passworded websites (the 5.8 online help says that this module is optional, but I didn't find how to install it).
3) So I uninstalled the 5.8 and put on again the 5.4.
4) Disaster.
5) It's clear that the fingerprint data, updated to the 5.8 format, are still somewhere in the system. The uninstall of Protector Suite doesn't destroy them. For this reason the original 5.4 doesn't allow to do anything, because in its opinion user data are corrupt. First of all, I cannot delete/modify user data from inside the program.
So, PLEASE, let me know where these damned fingerprint data are, so I'll be able to delete them and start Protector Suite from scratch.
Thanks in advance.
-P

(Non)-problem solved!
It was really simple (but if you're headless... you're headless! :-))
During the uninstallation of the 5.8, I didn't take care about the question asking "Do you want to remove all the data..." or something like. And the default value is "No".
This time I chose "Yes" and this allowed me to downgrade to the 5.4 release and to setup it from scratch.
Unfortunately the error message given by Protector Suite when attempting to delete existing data doesn't help. It tells about an "internal error" and nothing more. So, in the case... take care about it!
-P
Message was edited by: phillo67

Portege M400 - CPU cooling issue

One year ago, when I had been using my Portege M400 for 2 years, it started deadlocking occasionally. Sometimes [I couldn't even start it up|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjNa8-c2Aro]. Using cut and try method I located the problem. The metal spring which clasps the heatsink to CPU was doing it with not enough strength:
http://zorko.ru/assets/files/531/531/170720102581.jpg
http://zorko.ru/assets/files/534/534/170720102589.jpg
The problem has been solvable by benting the clutches so the spring starts apply more force clasping the heatsink to CPU:
http://zorko.ru/assets/files/535/535/170720102591.jpg
Applying a new layer of thermal grease has been helpful as well:
http://zorko.ru/assets/files/533/533/170720102585.jpg
However, the solution works for several weeks only. And then (particularly if it is hot outside) the story starts all over again.
Any suggestions how to solve the problem once and for all? Thanks.

Hi Greendrake,
Its really great that you are interested in your Portege M400 and you can disassmble it. Its really not easy and so this can only be done from people with a lot of experience.
Anyway, as you know here its user forum only. That means you can talk with normal people like you and me. So I would recommend contacting an authorized service provider in your country. Maybe the guys know about this problem or something else or you need a special thermal grease because not all thermal greases compatible to all cooling assemblies.
By the way: On the Toshiba website you can find a list of all service providers.
I hope it helps. :)

Portege M400 boot problem

Hi everybody!
I have had this Portege M400 for almost 2.5 years and never encountered such problem.
When I press Power button *HDD led light turns on, then WiFi and then suddenly HDD goes off* and stays that way :(. Optionally, Toshiba logo displays in the mean time. I thought that was HDD problem just to find out that after tilting my laptop 90 degrees HDD led started flashing again. Eventually, when Windows loading animation started it would be "safe" to return to normal position and Windows would start.
Sooo, I assume that the problem is somehow connected to accelerometer, is it? I don't get such freeze-ups after Windows boots. Currently I have BIOS 3.8 version and Windows 7 Pro installed ...
This thing really starts to annoy me - people watch me strangely as I tilt my laptop 90 degrees :-)
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
Best regards,
Jovan

Hi
Maybe this has something to do with the notebooks HDD?
Maybe the HDD head cannot move properly and the vertical position helps to get the HDD head moving again
Unfortunately, I have never seen such strange notebook behavior and therefore I can provide just some personal suggestions.
In my opinion the HDD should be checked at first maybe the issue could be solved by HDD replacement
Greets

Portege M400 - batteries don't charge

I recently bought a Portege M400 via a popular auction site, and all is fine except that the battery doesn't charge. The LED does not light and the machine is therefore not portable!
I bought a replacement battery but that doesn't work either.
It's clearly the laptop that has the problem, is there a simple fix?
It must have been okay once!
Thanks for any help.

I wonder if this is a Toshiba thing? Before I bought this I'd bought a new Equium which I really liked except that I needed a pcmcia slot rather than express (hadn't realized they'd changed).
The battery didn't charge, even though I left it on all night before using it.
The shop did their best not to refund me, 'I'd done something wrong, they couldn't resell it etc' but in the end had to admit defeat as they didn't have a replacement, and it wasn't resaleable in that condition anyway.
So this is the 2nd Tosh I've bought, and with the same problem.
It's not under warrenty so any fix will be expensive. What a pity!

Re: Portege M400 cpu upgrade?

Hi,
I am looking to upgrade my portege m400-ez5031 with the fastest cpu it can handle,
now it is centrino duo T5600 1,83ghz.
I think the best is T7600 is it possible?

Well, usually the CPU upgrade is not very easy
Its not possible to say if you notebook would run stable or properly after CPU replacement.
Fact is that BIOS is not tested and not configured for other CPUs and this can cause some compatibility issues which would affect the notebook functionality!
Main issue might be the higher heat dissipation caused by stronger CPU this would lead to an higher temperature and to overheating
So be careful and in my opinion the CPU upgrade is not worth since you would not notice a performance boost.

Portege M400 - Temperature?

I have a Portege M400 running XP SP2, and during normal use the temperature usually lies between 55 and 65 degrees celcius. At load the temperature is consistently above 60 degrees, between 60 and 75 degrees celsius.
I wondered if this is a normal temperature range - or perhaps I have been so unlucky as to have gotten a defective CPU.
Jonas

Hello
I am pretty sure you know that CPU temperature depends on CPU usage and also of notebook position (on the desk or on the knees) and how the unit can be cooled down.
In my opinion there is no reason to be worried. Now while typing this message and listening online radio (without much activity) CPU temperature is 63 degrees Celsius.
Anyway I recommend you to update BIOS on your unit. I dont know if you have saw info about new BIOS update for M400 under http://support.toshiba-tro.de/kb0/TSB6A01KJ0000R01.htm

Portege M400 - FSB spectrum settings?

Does portege M400 have the FSB spetrum settings? I can't find it anywhere and I need to disable it.
Could anyone point it out for me if the setting exists or not...

Hi Skochito,
What you mean with FSB exactly? Front Side Bus of your CPU?
In this case I can only say its not possible to overclock the CPU. The BIOS doesnt offer such options and overclocking can make your system unstable and overheat!!!

Portege M400 Tablet Product Recovery DVD-ROM

Where can I get a set of Product Recovery DVD-ROM discs for my Portege M400 Tablet please?

Hi
Usually you can order the recovery disk using this page:
https://backupmedia.toshiba.eu/landing.aspx
But this page provides recovery disk only for the newer notebook series.
Im not quite sure if you will be able to order the recovery disk because of the age of M400
Anyway, the other possibility would be the ASP. You can get in contact with your authorized service partner and could ask for such disk
In worst case you will need to use an own Windows disk and the Toshiba drivers are downloadable from driver page.

Portege M400 hardly starting up

I've been actively using my Portege M400 for almost 2 years. Few months
ago it has started becoming less and less easier to start up the
laptop. When I turn it on, the following happens:
* The screen remains black and doesn't display anything
* The power LED either blinks yellow or lights green
* The HDD LED blinks just one time for a 1/10 second and remains off, or doesn't light up at all
* Sometimes the fan starts working quite actively and loudly
The only thing I can do with it is to turn the laptop off and try
again. Sometimes it starts up after the first attempt, but sometimes I
have to try up to 10 times.
Here is a video showing the behaviour described above:
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjNa8-c2Aro]
Any ideas what is this all about? Perhaps, I should cleap up the laptop inside, particularly the fan?

I agree with Andrej. It is not easy to say for sure why this happen but if you cannot start notebook properly using AC adapter only I presume there can be some problem with board electronic.
To be honest I don't see anything what you can do alone to solve this issue and maybe you need professional help.
Contact nearest authorized service provider and talk with them. Explain the situation. They have special diagnostic tools and maybe they should check your Portege notebook.
Please be so nice and inform us what will happen.

Portege M400-146 Slow start-up poor performance

My 400 is noticeably slow in start-up by comparison to a lower specification laptop this unit was to replace. On further understanding of the produce i see that there are over 90 processes running on this laptop more nearly twice as many as my previous unit and considerably more than my Small Business server which is running Win2k3/exchange/ISA. My question is are there any issues in removing the plethora of background tools that are of little use to me, specifically RAID/configfree
Additionally are there any further known issues associated with slow performance/hang with IE? There is a KB article which states issues with bimetric software and an upgrade should fix but it hasn't, even the very latest released this month has made no difference.
In general this unit is considerably slower than my previous lower spec'd unit, any suggestions grateful

Hi
I agree with you. Many background processes can slowdown the notebook performance.
But this is a simple fact. Every application or feature on the notebook needs a own process.
The Portoge M400 is a high-tech notebook and you cannot compare it with a low-price notebooks or desktop which support only a common features.
The Portege M400 supports RAID Utility, HDD Protection, Tablet PC Button, Zooming Utility, Rotation Utility, ConfigFree, Controls, Fingerprint Utility and so on, and the rest.
Of course, you can simply disable or remove the additional feature applications but then I wonder why you use the Portege M400 with the whole tools and features?
But you could try to upgrade the memory. In my knowledge the Portege M400 supports max 4GB of memory. The upgrade would increases the performance.

Tecra M4 or Portege M400: Opinion needed

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