Hey Guys,

First post here... I tried to post a few days ago, but for some reason it didn't show up...

Anyways,

I am in the market for a 2003 Cadillac CTS w/out Navigation.

I have a Sony Vaio FS-550 laptop that I can use for parts to build a carputer, but there are a few things I can't seem to settle on...

To begin, the keyboard, on-board sound, mouse, and power cord are all bad.

It works (I'm using it right now), but I have a USB keyboard and mouse, and the cord is duct-taped to the laptop, because if you nudge it the slightest bit, it shuts off.

Anyways, I have a decent setup for a CarPC, with 512 Mb Ram, Pentium 4 M 1.6 Ghz CPU, 75 Gb HDD, and the onboard video is more than plenty.

Things I will need to add will be a new DVD CD-RW drive, because I'd like a slot drive, as apposed to the tray drive I have now.

I will also need a good amount of USB ports. I have 3 now, BUT... I can not for the life of me figure out if they are USB 2.0 or not. I can't find anything that says, and I'm not running the factory isntall of XP. Ever since I replaced the OS, I have had USB issues with a pop-up that says 'this device can perform faster', but I can't seem to fix it.

Anyways, I MIGHT need an external USB 2.0 card.
I will also need a sound card, because the headphone jack on this one is busted. Depending on how this would be set-up, I might be able to solder wires onto the card from the inside, and work with this card that way.

I will be using this to watch movies and listen to music, as well as a navigation system and I will also need to check my e-mail etc while on the road.

I need a way to type, but a keyboard that won't be in the way, and that can be hidden or disconnected easily when I dont need it.

Oh, and Sirius sat. radio. lol

Quite a few things. Basically, I want a carputer that does nearly everything it's able to do.

What I want to ask you is what else should I purchase to complete this system? I can do the install and fab myself, as well as the software and hardware setup, but I just don't know what is good to go with.

Sound card, power, shutdown controller, drive, USB, GPS, WIFI and Internet.

I'm guessing the Net would best be done through a cell phone, as I don't need anything highspeed, but what company and phone would I go with?

I also want a 7" touch screen.

Anyways,

Sorry for such a looooong post... But yea, I just want to make sure I do it right the first time...

Thanks for the time...