[Nfb-science] JAWS and windows XP for laptops

[John Miller]

Hello,

In December and January, I have purchased a total of 3 laptops hoping
they would work with JAWS 9.0 or later

And configured for Windows XP.  I spoke with JAWS technical support and
they said making a laptop work with JAWS because of the display adapter
(I'm paraphrasing here)

Is a hit or miss business.  They do not publish either a list of display
adapters that do work with JAWS or a list known not to work.

All the same, I have tried Del laptops both the e6400 and the e6500
variety. Both came installed with a display adapter that has a video
intercept problem with JAWS and therefore does not work.

The display adapter that is incompatible with JAWS 9.0 and 10.0 is from
Nvidia, the Nvidia quadro pro 160m. 

I have had good success with del laptops in the past.  In fact, it is
quite common in engineering and academic settings to use the del laptop.

I found that the del d830 using the Nvidia quadro pro 140m display
adapter works with JAWS.

I also found that an IBM with t400, ask me off-list and I can tell you
which display adapter, works with JAWS.

 

JAWS tech support explained that the bul of users are on windows vista
and the windows XP display adapter support is becoming less of a
priority.

I have discussed with several engineering organizations.  Engineering
companies are using windows XP and while they may be moving in a year or
so from 32-bit to 64-bit operating systems,

They plan to continue using Windows XP for now.

Please let me know if you run into a computer incompatability problem
with JAWS.

As most engineering companies are using XP, it can be tricky to find a
laptop that will work in the engineering setting with JAWS.

It is interesting and distressing to note that the first laptop I was
handed both at the university and at an engineering company to use,

Was a del that was incompatible with JAWS.

My story has a happy ending.  I have a laptop with sufficient speed and
other parameters to do the job at work.

But it was more hastle compared to the years of 2004-2007 when whichever
machine I was given in the work place,

JAWS came up working the first try.

Very best,

John