Not all computers beep. In fact, the last one I had that did was a 486.
As for the OP: if you are wanting for money, you don’t really need to get a fancy machine. Don’t let someone trick you into buying more computer than you want or need. You were already happy with what you had, right?
Heck, unless you use your computer for gaming (no, solitaire doesn’t count) or graphics editing, you’d probably be fine with a used/refurbished model, if you can get one cheaper than new.
If you do have enough money, I’d suggest looking into a laptop. The benefits of being able to carry your computer around will usually outweigh the cost in performance. And, as I said, you probably don’t need that much performance anyways.
Of course, you’ll have to use the USB method with the laptop, as your old hard drive is not going to fit inside. But it sounds like you were going to do that anyways.
You could also enlist the help of a friend who has a little bit of technical know-how to install the hard drive inside their computer and let you copy the files you want to keep on a CD or something. If I were there in person, I could show you how. It’s not as hard as some make it sound.
But I bet you’d not be asking on here if you had such a friend.
Everything just froze up with the Pop. - Mouse, keyboard, and yes the sound as well.
I’m thinking about both these options- to get the enclosure or to get a new computer. If I got a new computer it would not be a gaming computer that’s for sure…
I’m just wondering if I could go to a chain (Like best buy as that’s the only place I’ve really gotten computers from- that or online), and just see if I can use their GeekSquad Service to maybe stick my old computer’s HardDrive as a 2nd one into a new computer. I like that idea quite a bit and it’s more appealing than just having the enclosure. But I’ll have to think about this.
(And I do have a laptop currently- it’s just I used the two for entirely different purposes and never got around to backing up the old computer which i’ve always kept as my “Classic” computer at home while the Laptop was used more for taking notes during class and the like- but all my papers and actual work is on the old computer.:smack:)
:sigh:
I’ll see though. Thank you ALL though for your suggestions and help, and I’ll keep trying to figure out this issue. I appreciate you all pitching in with comments and the like.
You probably won’t need an enclosure. You’ll need 1 IDE-PATA port on the motherboard. Since these can handle up to three devices each, and you should at most have 1 IDE-PATA hard drive and 1 dvd burner with the new system, you can plug it into the new computer.
There’s a chance your computer could come with only one IDE/PATA port, which means (assuming your current hard drive is PATA, which is likely based on the date) you could hypothetically be without a port to use for the hard drive. You could use a bridging device rather than a USB encloser if that were the case.
Say what? Motherboard POST beeps are totally common and typical. I’ve had myriad computers since my 486 and they’ve all sounded POST beeps. Perhaps try connecting the mobo’s internal speaker or enabling POST in BIOS if it somehow was disabled?
Well, just as a followup- I took it to a random OfficeDepot dealio where they’d diagnose the problem for free: That lady opened up the computer and pointed out my Heatsink was laying on top of my motherboard. That’s not where it goes. Apparently it had fallen off the wall (the heatsink lube perhaps had falled away? she postulated) and that also one of the clips that holds up the HeatSink was broken.
She wasn’t sure about the motherboard’s state though and said she couldn’t fix the heatsink w/o the lube and to try best buy or somewhere else to get the lube and she’d have a friend coming by the next day to possibly look at it.
So I took it to the BestBuy GeekSquad who said they don’t sell the Heat Sink Lube (est. cost: 12 bucks), but that they’d put the Heat Sink in for 50 bucks (boo!), and for 99 bucks they’d back up my hard drive in case if anything gets lost (basically they’d cover their asses for 99 bucks insurance).
So I said fine to the heat sink portion. And left, they called me back within 8 mins of dropping off the computer to point out that apparently my Motherboard was fried along with the Heat Sink problem. So they’d not be able to fix the computer and they wouldn’t charge me for the service since it’d do no good.
So that’s that:
My Motherboard is fried. I think my Hard Drives are intact and safe though (according to OfficeDepot and the Geeks). so I’ve just got them for now… And I’ll probably look into buying a new computer- and see if I can just transfer this hard drive into the new computer.
Is that the right move? Any one have another other comments or suggestions?
If Not, thanks for all the help you guy’s have given me, I appreciate it!
Find a local mom & pop type computer shop (one that has been around for a few years, at least) … they depend on doing quality work at a fair price to survive … and they know what they are doing.
If you were the do-it-yourself type, a tube of thermal paste is about $10 at Radio Shack. On top of that, you would need very detailed instructions to replace the heatsink to see if the thing still works … don’t how somebody could tell you the motherboard was fried just by looking at it unless it was actually visibly burnt and/or smelled burnt.
Forget the big box stores for this kind of thing … you’ve had a taste and it wasnt’ good, huh? You got lucky, though; it didn’t cost you anything. $50 is obscene to install a heatsink, it is a 5 minute job for someone who knows how … and the $99 deal doesn’t actually cover anything; if they waste your hard drive you are just out of luck.