An $800 hard drive. (why I hate working on PC's)
 

My neighbours are researching what is going to be necessary to set up a network between our two houses, which are 600 feet apart, so that we can share their sattelite internet service and split the cost. As part of this, we set up a network in their home in preparation for the eventual link between the houses (still researching best xmit median).

When we went down to the metromess to pick up parts, I came across a 100 gig hard drive on sale for $139. In dire need of more storage, I jumped on the sale. Much later that night, after getting back from getting their network up and running, I proceeded to install the hard drive in my home PC - which is not a newer machine by any means. I had the expected problem with the bios, and followed their directions to install and use their overlay software to make it all work. The PC immediately rendered itself unuseable. I tried removing the new drive and reinstalling the old ones. Still no luck. Called it a night and called Western Digital the following morning. We were on the phone for over 45 minutes trying to bring the PC back up. Best that could be done was to get it to the login screen, which after typing the password, would just loop back to the login, despite accepting the pw as valid. :mad:

Needing to get other things done, I let it go untill I got back home from running errands. When I got home, I went to the neighbours and picked up the Win2k CD that we were using to set up the server and network the night before. On the way back home, I decided that it was high time to install the PIII 650 processor and motherboard that I had bought from a friend a couple of months ago. It needed a controller card, which the neighbour had and gave to me, as the on board controller was shot.

I disassembled the old P 266 system and installed the "new" board and processor. One immediate small problem. I needed to buy a new modem, as I had three old ISA boards, and only one ISA slot in the "new" machine. Not wanting to drive back to the metromess, I elected to pay the high prices of our local PC shop. $60 later, I had a new USR modem.

Time came for me to fire up the new system. No dice. The add on IDE controller would not work with the motherboard. We made several attempts to get it running, up to an including using a different controller card. Still no go. Now good and mad, I've decided that I've had enough, and elected to go buy a new board to eliminate the known problems of the current one. :mad:

I get down to the place where I originally bought the hard drive the previous day. On the way down, I decide that the old chassis is too beat up and missing too much stuff to continue to be used.

I get there and select this awesome server style box with tons of additional cooling capacity, well built, lots 'o space for only $139. Time for a motherboard. There are NO slot 1 boards left, and apparently they aren't going to sell any more. Now I'm in immediate need of both a new processor AND a new motherboard. :mad:

Well, now I've decided that I need to just get the damned upgrade done and over with.

Now, in place of a 266mhz Pentium pc, I now have a 1.5 ghz, P IV machine complete with a new CD ROM burner, 256 meg of ram, "new" AGP video card (bought used), 10 gig main, and 100 gig secondary drives (the drives came up perfectly in this thing), new SCSI card, and a new modem (56K), for the total of $600.

I moved my old CDrom drive (54X), floppy drive, network card, SCSI zip disk, as well as reused the current 17' monitor, and the printer that I had only bought a couple of weeks earler.

What started out as a measly $140 hard drive, resulted in a grand total of $800 into a new PC. Oh well, I needed to replace it anyway. :rolleyes:

I HATE workiing on computers.

Your not the first with that problem my friend bought a 100 gig for 85 dollars and ended up scraping his old 40gig because the 2 refused to work together. Where did you look for slot 1's I bought one for 45 bucks new at the computer shows in Orlando.
hey
at least your set on speed for a while

I could have probably found a slot 1 board someplace if I were to have had the time to hunt. It was pushing 8 pm, and most places were closing for the night, not to mention being over an hour drive back home. I needed the machine back up and running. They had some boards in a clearance pile (literally), that were all opened up and looked rather ransacked. At Fry's Electronics, you NEVER touch their opened stuff. It is likely to be non operational. :(

What are you using for your network. I have sygate working it's pretty nice.

My place is set up on a 10 Base-T network. We just installed a 100 Base-T network at the neighbours house. We will probably run coax between the two houses, or if the price can be had fairly reasonable, we may lay fiber optic between the houses. The latter is mostly to eliminate a grounding issue. The network is mostly for the internet, and some file sharing.

DP, ya should have called me. I could have tried to assist you. My friends don't call me Nick Burns for nothing.. :) hehehe

Alon

oh, NOW ya tell me!!! :D

Try this one on for size.

A customer of mine has a 2 year old $60K machine go down.

The company that made the machine went down with Zenetix.

The PC that runs the machine has custom ODBC cards.

The CPU fan went out and killed the processor, seemingly a simple problem but when the processor went it took out the firmware via corrupting it to the point that it can’t be accessed but that’s another issue.

Because of the cards and loopedey do crap on these machines I have to use an OLD motherboard to accommodate the cards and a NEW OLD processor and a geek to put it all together without calling me all day telling me what he’s doing and all I am telling him is “The only call I want is, I got it working and give me my check” I have had 3 geeks on this all are very reputable, but this equipment and having no manuals is a royal pain.

Cost so far…………

Pentium 133 computer with windows 3.11

$3725 and still counting but I think we are half way there.

Oh yea and relearning dos has been a real treat.

I do a lot of computer repair and networking on the side. In fact, in our new house I ran at least 1 outlet for structured wiring that included 2 RG6 Coax, 2 Cat5e's and 2 fiber optic cables...very cool!!! Anyway, if I were you I'd consider wireless networking assuming your houses are close and you don't mind <10mps. The Apple Airport Hub is great, but you can look for other iee802.11b hubs. If you don't go wireless, run 2 Cat5e's in flex conduit.


Shaun

OUCH!!! :(

I think I would've blown that one up and started over if at all possible.

We did start over but getting all the old specialized stuff to jive together is a whole new ball game.

to each his own, i guess. i love fiddling with PC's but i do a lot of planning and never jump in and compromise my main machine on a whim. i'll do an upgrade every couple of years, which usually amounts to building a new PC from the new parts i've been collecting. the obsolescence curve is steeper these days and it's not worth trying to retrofit old parts with the new technology. when the time comes to build the new system, i set up shop on a table and work on it in my spare time. it never takes more than a couple of days and i never have down time. the last time was pretty interesting because i decided to mess with overclocking - learned a whole bunch of now obsolete stuff :rolleyes: in the process.

computers are becoming more and more essential to everyday life just like automobiles are. i don't see why you should approach a PC project any differently than you would a car project. depending on what you do for a living down time on either one could have quite an impact...

rsbiomedical,

i am really confused by some of the numbers you posted ($60k machine?) regardless, IMHO it is probably time to re-engineer a solution to the business problem. it is just not worth it to try and rebuild a system with tech that bill gates had to offer almost 10 years ago. you can probably build a current system that will do quite a bit more for the same amount of money that can be serviced by pretty much any PC shop.

The upgrade itself was planned, just not as soon as I ended up doing so. My main problem with that machine has been its reliability. It was built from scratch about 4 years ago, and I had numerous problems with it - even back then. That thing seemed to always balk at anything being added. It was my intention to pay off some credit card debt, and then pay cash for its replacement, which was going to be built prior to dismantling the old one. The upgrade simply came down to asking myself why I was trying so hard to keep an obsolete pice of junk running for a few more months - especially one that I hated as much as I hated that machine. The new one was a joy to build. Everything went smoothly from start to finish. The computer powered up for the first time in less than an hour, and three hours after this, I was ready to transfer the old information that was still on the old hard drive. I had it up and running, ready to work (except the modem) by 04:00 Thursday morning. The modem itself balked, but was still running before I left for work Thursday afternoon.

This machine is TOTALLY kicking ass. :D I started rebuilding my MP3 library that was lost to a virus last month. I was procrastinating on this due to the time that I thought I was going to have to divulge into the process. The new one is compiling the MP3's in about 1/4th the time. I also burned a couple of direct copies of CD's that I bought recently. I had these done in about 3 minutes each!! Methinks I'm going to enjoy this one immensely. :D

if you are interested inf inding that old hardwrae, p133's, etc, try www.computergeeks.com.

They usually have a lot of used but still working older and some newer equipment, for dirt cheap prices.

Alon

The computer interfaces with analytical physical therapy machine call a Cybex NORM.

And trust me I am working on the reengineering part $$$ ;) $$$
but in the interim the machine just has to work it generates enough revenue to defray the expenses quickly.

Its the whole machine that the computer controls that is the big bucks and they are married. Like a computer for a modern engine.

Gotcha - it's what's called a vertical app. That last line reminds me of all the jokes that proliferated when Mr. Gates started saying that Windows would be everywhere - even your car! I'd hate to have to reboot a few times a day while driving my car...

I can only imagine the future Mercedes Shop and the first step to troubleshooting a rough idle will be rebooting.

I've built all my own PCs since the time I put a 30MB HD and 640KB of RAM in my Compaq portable in 1985. Times have really changed. I have run into problems like this. The next go around I think I'll just go with a prebuilt unit.

Whenever you have a problem like that with a hard drive.t he thing I usually do is low level format it then start over.

Some drives have different jumper settings for older bios. I know some IBM Drives do.

I always used Ontrack Disk manager when setting upa drive that needed a bios overlay. it has always worked for me.

My system I have now, is fully custom built, and still runs like a champ.

I just added an 80 GB seagate barracuda drive for $99. in fact I bought 3 drives, and am using them to setup a new server for my father, not a fast processor - 700mhz, as it doesn't need all the power, but its got 512mb ram, and 160 gb of storage space. :)

Its only going to be used for file sharing and calendaring.

Alon

Sounds like a nice setup. I wouldn't really need the power of the new machine if it weren't for the stuff that I do with my CD's. In fact, when I'm not working with my audio stuff, the computer is usually given mundane tasks like the ole checkbook, vehicle maintenance records, internet, and the occasional word document. Whenever I buy a new CD, I burn a copy to put in the case that floats between the cars, then I compile it to MP3 to store and play on the home stereo system. Plans are to add my DVD's and convert my old VHS tapes to MPEG video in the near future.

I will probably try to ressurect the old Pentium to use in the shop for the Mercedes shop manual CD that just arrived in the mail this morning. :D

hey Diesel Power,

how fast does your new rig rip a CD? that's pretty awesome! i picked up a Creative Labs Nomad mp3 player with 20 Gb earlier this year and have already transcribed my entire CD collection and still not anywhere close to half full. i've even started borrowing from the local library since they have some good collectable CD's. i heard that some guys on the board have installed hard drive mp3 players in their rides. i'll have to content myself with an FM setup since i don't have an aux input in my Alpine headunit. still, it's great to be able to travel and have all your music with you...

cheers

Jsmith. My one friend is going even further in his truck than just an added mp3 player.. hehe

I built him a full blown custom P4 system, to put in the car, with sb live audigy platinum ex, 512 mb ram, 160gb storage, geforce 2 video card with tv out, a gerforce 2 pci card, and a 10.4 inch lcd moulded into the dash. The truck is still being built up, the interior is being all redone, and the equipment is waiting to be installed when the interior work and customization to it is done.

The car will use multiple screens as well, and will do real time processing, analysys and auto adjustment of the 170 band eq in the alpine F1 processor and cd player that plays mp3 cds, vcds, hdcd, and most any other type of cd, but not dvd, thats a seperate unit altogether. It s going to be ridiculously sick.

We have already filled up 40 gigs of music, and video files, with everything from classic snl episodes, to tons of music videos.

We are even building a custom floating mechanism for the hard dirve to be able to withstand shock, by being able to have the car move without jarring the drive around. :) Similar to the waya cd changer works, where the inside is suspended in the casing, with springs, and rubber to absorb the shock of bumps in the road.

He is putting in two 18" subs, with 6 batteries, 10 amps or so, and about 4000 or so watts per woofer. then there is going to be tons of interior speakers, full 7.1 surround sound, dolby digital all that good stuff. :)

ITs amazing what you can do with a computer if you put your mind to it.

A Really easy program to use to rip music cd's, is musicmatch jukebox. I use it exclusively for that purpose only, and it works quite well. I can rip an audio cd in my burner at 32x speed, in about 10 minutes or so. I havent done one in a while, but if I rmemeber it was 10 minutes give or take. I think about a minute per song, maybe 2 mins per song.

DP Keep us posted on how your networking works out, the cat 5 in conduit seems like a good idea, as you can use cat 5 up to 1000 feet if I remember correctly, it may be a bit less, but it should be able to span 600 feet easily.

When running the cables, don't run regular cat 5. Gett he good stuff, Cat5e or better, in a well shielded covering. I think plenum, or one good for outdoor use that is top quality will work well for you.

Good luck,

Alon

someday the PDV's (Tivo / Directv) will be on a portable platform and we will have access to limitless storage :p. my Tivo is only 30 Gb and i have to periodically prune it since it gets filled up with x-files reruns that my x-files fanatic kids auto-record :( . i find it interesting that those machines are running linux - and yeah, i never reboot my Tivo unless there's a power outage that causes it...

My system running windows XP is quite stable. Though been having some issues lately, the system has been up for weeks without a reboot, and I only rebooted because I like to reboot it once in a while.

Linux is great, a bit too much for me to use because I am so used to windows, but its been fun playing with it and learning some cool stuff with it.

I still havent found a llinux version that is as user friendly as mac os or windows 9x, me, nt, 2000, or xp. But installation of some linux versions is a snap.

I run virtual pc, and have linux mandrake 8.2, redhat 6.1, dos, windows 95, and windows me, justf or fun. I like using virtual pc, so I can mess with other os's, and still be able to use my computer.

If you like to tinker and learn on different pc operating systems, virtual pc is a cool program to allow you run multiple os's without compromising your main os.

Virtual mac, to run mac os on a pc would be coolt oo, as I would love to mess around with it alot, but I don't think thaey have one to emulate a mac on a pc. but ti would be hella cool.

Ohh DP, if you are setting up your system to run the cdrom manuals, copy them to the hard disk, and make your own index file to be able to click on disc one and disc 2 as you choose. you can also bypass the software checks it does, and the intro pages that slow down getting tot he good stuff, the manual itself.

You can have the index open up the file for your model and year, rather than having to choose it everytimg. I created an index for that purpose for my cd manuals on the harddrive, but I left it with the model and year chooser.

I can send you a link to download my index file if you like, then you can modify it if you want to work on your system.

http://www.a-p-group.com/ashman/file

Give it a check, and see what you think. I modeled it after the cdrom manual itself, so it should have the same look to it. It really is helpful with it on the harddrive to be able to easily choose the disc, without digging in through folders.

Alon

Hello Gentlemen. I have been wanting to upgrade my old PC for quite sometime and realized it's better to just build another one. Just for fun I go to sites and "build" one for me.. last week I got all the up to date options and the total was $900. I saw a similar PC (in specs) on the net that didn't have all the name brand board, drives, video etc. for sale for $1700.. so I think building one is better.. not to mention more fun.

Here's another geek site if anyone is interested: http://arstechnica.com/

Seems like it varies from disk to disk. The one that I'm ripping right now is going at 3.6X normal playback speed. This is due to me using a freeware version of Music Match Jukebox, which would speed up if I bought the full version. I've seen it peg as high as 6.8x normal playback speed, with an average of 4.5X playback speed. With the old pc, I was limited to 1.5x playback speed due to the processor limitations.

is it sharing?
 

DP,

getting back to what you and your neighbor are trying to do - if we wait long enough, all that would be moot:

http://www.nycwireless.net/

BTW in a recent interview a telecomm broadband spokesperson equated this to cable theft. It certainly hasn't stopped these guys...

Gotta love a CEO that thinks his almighty billion dollar bonus might slip away. :D

I like the concept, and hope that they're sucessful.