IBM Aptiva Upgrade

IBM used to sell PCs called Aptivas to home users

December 1999. Someone I know has an IBM Aptiva from mid or early 1998 running Windows 95. Its a Pentium II 300 MHz model 2318, which is also know as model E76. This is a gripe in and of itself, that IBM uses one model number internally and another model number, for the same computer, externally, when dealing with customers. The model E76 is for customers, but when you need to deal with IBM for support, then its a model 2318.

Installing Windows 98

In researching a software upgrade of this machine, I checked out the IBM web site (early December, 1999) to see whether it could support Windows98. The main web page for running Windows 98 on Aptivas is: http://www3.pc.ibm.com/support?page=PMYS-3VGQBST

IBM has a link to the Microsoft Hardware Compatibility List (http://www.microsoft.com/hwtest/hcl), but when I first tried it, there is no entry for an Aptiva 2318. Of course, maybe I just couldn't find the entry because IBM also provides no help about how to search on this HCL web page. I did not note exactly the search that I performed. I'm pretty sure that I searched for "IBM Aptiva 2138" in the System/Desktop Uniprocessor Category.

January 12, 2000 I try it again, looking for "Aptiva 2138" across all Product Categories. There were three different entries that said Pentium II 266 and each entry had a different set of compatible Operating Systems. There were also three other entries that said Pentium II 300 and again, each of these entries had a different set of compatible Operating Systems. There was also still another entry that said Pentium II D333. Clicking on one of these 7 listings for the Aptiva 2138 produced a pop-up window. When it was compatible with an OS, this window said that it was PC97 Compliant. Say what? If you tried to be confusing, you could not do a better job.

Why did I find something in January and nothing in December? I think it depends on what you search for. Even in January, a search across all product categories for "IBM Aptiva 2138" returned nothing. Again, no thanks to IBM for their lack of help or advice on how to search.

If you are interested in running Windows NT, Microsoft has a different HCL at http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/hcl/hclintro.htm. I have no idea the difference between these two HCLs as the first one includes entries for Windows NT.

The web page that discusses running Windows 98 on the Aptiva 2318 says to be sure to get the latest video driver and has a link to another IBM support web page for that purpose. Fat chance. I could not find a video driver there to save my life. See the section of the web page called: "Preparing to Install the Windows 98 Upgrade."

The same web page as above, also says to get the latest BIOS and has a link to an IBM tech support page where you can do that. No dice. No BIOS to be found there. Not even an old one.

The machine shipped with an internal modem that was running K56Flex. I did find the modem driver to upgrade it to V90.

Just a note: I went through this same process with an IBM ThinkPad, and there is a driver layout matrix for ThinkPads that tells you and links you to the current drivers for every operating system that IBM supports on each ThinkPad model. There seems to be nothing at all like this for the Aptiva line. I started fresh at the IBM support web site and registered as an owner of an Aptiva 2138 model E76. Then I went to the section for downloadable files. Nothing. Not even the original Windows 95 drivers. This is brutal.

January 13, 2000 I posted a question to the IBM tech support Forum asking where the IBM Windows 98 drivers are for this machine. We'll see what happens.......

Y2K Compatibility

At the same time (early December, 1999), I checked out the IBM tech support web site to see if the machine was Y2K compliant.

I found the page dedicated to this machine and its Y2K state. There it notes that the machine is hardware compliant with an asterisk. What does this mean? Beats me. Lawyers must have written these web pages. Should the user do anything? Its optional. Optional? Arrgghhhh.

I checked back on January 12, 2000. The web page is http://wwwyr2k.raleigh.ibm.com/servlet/MessageRouter/QSYr2k. To get there, you may have to search for "2138E76". Is that the right thing to search on? How should I know?

It no longer has the asterisk, and is now considered "HW Ready". Now it says that I have to take a "simple action". For "action required" it still says that is "optional". For an explanation, it says to see comments that don't exist. I suppose a simple yes or no is too much to ask. IBM won't even touch the subject of software - perhaps they don't want to know. All in all, pretty useless.

In summary, my travails around the IBM tech support web site produced four failures and one success. No wonder IBM is losing a fortune selling Aptivas.

IBM shipped their 2318 machines with something called the IBM Update Connector. Since I was researching these upgrades for someone else, I can't see it or read about it. Even in early 1998, it had not occurred to IBM that people will be getting their updates and patches from the web. Instead of having a dedicated web page for the one specific machine, they use a proprietary application. The end result of this is that by poking around their web site, you can't get any information.

A Very Bad Idea

This is one of my all-time favorite gripes. IBM should get a prize on this one. If you asked every PC literate person you know for the worst way to upgrade a machine from Windows 95 to Windows 98, only someone really bright could even conceive of what IBM recommends on their web site.

The smartest way is to install Windows 98 clean (into a new partition). This however has the downside of making the user start all over; re-installing applications and copying data files from Windows 95 to Windows 98. The advantage is that you get a clean copy of the OS. The next best way is to install Windows 98 on top of the existing Windows 95 environment. This preserves the old applications and data files, but leaves you more vulnerable to problems with the operating system.

What is IBM's way? Clobber the current Windows 95 environment by restoring the original factory image of Windows 95 using the recovery CD-ROM. Then install Windows 98 on top of this new, virgin Windows 95. I kid you not.

You can read this yourself at the page for installing Windows 98 on an Aptiva model 2138 at http://www.pc.ibm.com/qtechinfo/DETR-3VQN92.html This is also known as Document id: DETR-3VQN92. Near the bottom of the page look for the section called "Installing the Windows 98 Upgrade". I last verified this January 12, 2000.

Notes

For a related gripe, see IBM Technical Support Gripe.

FYI: A reader e-mailed me a URL that provided him with all the drivers needed to complete a fresh installation of Windows 98 on a similar Aptiva.
http://www.ibm.com/search?lv=w&o=0&i=0&t=0&n=26&q=aptiva+2170+drivers&realm=ww&v=11&lang=en&cc=us&Go.x=8&Go.y=14
September 5, 2001

The Unofficial Aptiva 2142 Helpsite has information on upgrading the Aptiva 2140/2142 series and also links to other sites for drivers and a BIOS upgrade. June 4, 2002.

Page last updated: June 4, 2002