Apart from that albatross around your neck, the tests are negative, you really are quite fine.

The laptop has been partitioned: one FAT32 for Windows 98, one FAT32 for Windows 2000, one ReiserFS for Slackware 10 (muftak uses Slackware 9 on the same model) and a small Linux swap.

Windows 98 installed easily enough from the CD boot floppy. Installing Windows 2000 from the floppy set didn't work (it fails to restart — I suspect the IBM Disk Manager code that lets the 1997 BIOS cope with a 20 gig disk), but we got it onto D: by starting the CD in Windows 98 and insisting yes, we want the D: drive, kthx. Slackware is being a bugger, but we'll probably try booting into the install stuff from loadlin.

Next stupidity: only Administrator can renew DHCP. e.g. when the wireless card pulls a 169.254.x.x address from its arse. The standard Power User can't. Which l33t p0w3r does a user need to be able to renew DHCP? RUNAS claims it can't find ipconfig, even when given the full path. Love it.

The Margi outboard DVD decoder now works like a charm in Windows 98. The secret is not to upgrade to DirectX 9. Run it through the Microsoft DVD player, not the Margi player — the sound goes out of sync with the Margi crapware. We can now watch DVDs in bed. LCDs are so nice to watch DVDs on.

Yes, a bit dirty.

Update: Giving Power Users the right to load and unload device drivers appears to do the trick.