You know, throatshot, you’re probably right. I know my brother has a couple of those. I should really get my butt down to Staples or something and buy some.
Yeah, could be easier said than done. Besides, how would you do that? (seriously, here)
I have, but what’s this business about Button #1 and Button #2? As far as I can see, there’s only one Turbo button on the machine. (no, I don’t know much about computers; can’t you just tell?) I did press it a few times. Don’t know if that did any good or what, though.
That’s what I heard last week from a friend of mine. Think I’ll look into it eventually. (when I figure out where they are, of course)
Larry, I appreciate the offer. How about I let you know via email whether in fact your services will be required? So many things to think about, and so many things to consider…
Squish, thanks. Of course, keep in mind that I haven’t even built my own computer before.
Huh? They’re not a store or nuthin’ like that – it’s a classified ads publication. The online version is pretty sweet: This link will take you to the PC ads for the Lower Mainland.
About that turbo button – ayuh, there’s only one, with two positions – on and off.
If you have a case with a CPU speed LED on it, you should see it switch between 66 and 44 each time you press it. If not, check to see what speed is reported when you restart the computer.
Blah blah blah… I should have been in bed long ago.
I got my current computer from uBid this way. A friend who has his own computer consulting company had me set up an account on uBid, where he buys a lot of his equipment. Then he kept an eye out for a good deal which matched the specs and price range we’d discussed; I had given him my id & password so he could effectively log on as me and have everything charged to my credit card and shipped to me. After it was delivered he came over with his supply of utility discs and set up the whole system, made sure the OS & programs were set up the way I wanted and even gave me tips on networking it with my old sytem so I could transfer files easily. I ended up with a 1.2G Athlon, 256m RAM 40G hard drive, DVD player, CD-RW & 19" monitor for about $1000.
This is the first one I ever built. It really was easy; just go slow and make sure everything you buy is compatible. I re-used my CDROM drive, keyboard, mouse, speakers and monitor and came in under $450. (Of course, now the CDROM is getting dodgy, so I’ll be upgrading that to a CD R/W drive soon.)
Oh, I knew the Buy and Sell was a classified ads publication. What I meant was I’d check it out when I knew where the papers were located, that’s all. Oops. :o Thanks for the liink, though.
Well, I’ll have to check that turbo button thing out, then. Let’s see… it does indeed switch between 66 and 40. Who knows… maybe I pressed it with my foot accidentally or something.
If I were to build a computer, or get a friend to do it, I’d probably end up reusing my monitor and speakers. Probably the CD-Rom drive too… if I could figure out how to get it out of the hard dirve tower without damaging anything.
If you absolutely must get newsprint on your fingers, The Buy & Sell is always prominently displayed right by the doors at the sacred shrine of 7-11. I think it’s the law, or something.
As far as recycling is concerned, you’ll also be able to keep your hard drive (and all your files and applications,) as well as any additional drive you get. (I’m guessing that any hard drive that’s at home in a 66Mhz system is probably pretty small by today’s standards, but an extra 800MB or so is better than a poke in the eye with a pointed stick.)
You’ll also be able to re-use your modem (or network card,) and sound card, (if the new one doesn’t have one.)
Of course, if ya could just spend $10 and get a new mouse, if you’ve been otherwise satisfied with your computer.
Oh, I’ve always wanted to get something with a hard drive that’s just a big bigger than this. (when you think about it, 515 MB of hard-drive space is really not that much… and with all the stuff Ive got on it, I think it would be better suited if I got a bigger hard drive, is all)
Hey! What’s wrong with that? Though after a few years as a newspaper carrier, you’d think I’d hate that… But thanks for the additional info on the Buy and Sell.
I have bought a new mouse (for $25, natch!.. hey, it was the cheapest one), but now I’m not so sure how to put it in. Yes, I still have the instructions on how to install it, but what if the mouse isn’t the primary problem? Maybe I worry too much…
By the way, while we’re on this thread: can anyone determine why my volume controls have crapped out? (this also dates back to last Thursday) No, I am not running them on mute; in fact, it should be running at a tolerable volume. For some reason, my sound is not working. (and yes, I’d like it back, please)
How do I go about determining if my mouse drivers and such are corrupted? I don’t think they are, but you never know. Anyone have any tips?
Oh, I’ve always wanted to get something with a hard drive that’s just a big bigger than this. (when you think about it, 515 MB of hard-drive space is really not that much… and with all the stuff Ive got on it, I think it would be better suited if I got a bigger hard drive, is all)
Hey! What’s wrong with that? Though after a few years as a newspaper carrier, you’d think I’d hate that… But thanks for the additional info on the Buy and Sell.
By the way, while we’re on this thread: can anyone determine why my volume controls have crapped out? (this also dates back to last Thursday) No, I am not running them on mute; in fact, it should be running at a tolerable volume. For some reason, my sound is not working. (and yes, I’d like it back, please)
How do I go about determining if my mouse drivers and such are corrupted? I don’t think they are, but you never know. Anyone have any tips?
Get a computer tool kit (mine was about $12 at Staples); the tools are non-magnetic, or demagnetized, or something so you won’t damage anything. Unscrew your case, slide it open. The CDROM drive, hard drive and floppy are mounted in brackets with screws. Unhook the cables carefully, then unscrew the puppies and slide them out. Voila!
Can you just unplug your old mouse and plug the new one in where the old one went?
Personally, I would recommend just upgrading the whole thing. (No offense, sorry if that sounded rude) Namebrand company’s have really come down in price. I don’t know what kind of budget you’re looking at, but Hewlett Packard (I probably spelled that wrong) sells 1.2 Ghz Celeron based PCs (20-40GB Hard Drive) complete with monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse, etc. for about $600 at many Wal-Marts. you can opt out of the monitor and periphrials and get the price reduced by a hundred dollars or more. There are of course slower systems for less money. pricegrabber.com is a good site to check out to get good prices online.
Building your own system is really easy nowadays (I built mine) but it may actually be cheaper to buy one from a store.
Thanks for the tips, everyone. I have checked out Larry’s link, and will check out Pricegrabber when I get a chance. (that is, if the prices are easily convered into Canadian… hehe)
I’ve wanted for some time to build a computer by suspending the components from the ceiling, in a sort of Calderesque stabile, with cables festooning the interstices.
I love gimmicky cases. I used to have an old 486 that I put together in an ancient oak stereo-amplifier/tuner case, with a (newer) amp frankensteined into it, and the (presumably) original oak speakers. (Huge!) It had an old VT100 terminal case with an SVGA monitor crammed into stuck on top. Altogether it weighed about 100lbs, and was primarily used for playing DOOM and X-wing, and dicking around on BBS’s.
It’s a conspiracy - Microsoft is sending employees to every house and workplace in the world to put gunk into the mouses of the computers so that people will consider buying optical mice!
Have you not noticed how mice used to never get too clogged up until the optical ones were invented? And now, all of a sudden they get clogged up just a week after being cleaned?
Actually, I was just looking in my brother’s living room. They have at least two old mice, plus a keyboard, which seem to be in working condition. Maybe I’ll ask my parents if I can have them. (now I know what a mouse plug looks like, at least)
Matt, any idea of how that would look? Sounds cool to me, but maybe it wouldn’t work in practice.
To pop off the case, look on the back or the bottom for screws that look like they hold one part of the case to the other. You’ll probably have to unplug everything from the back if the access isn’t just a side panel.
BTW, with very few exceptions, all of your computer components that plug into the back will only fit in one place, so you can’t really mess up.
Oh, and two more things: always make sure you’re touching the metal part of the case before you mess with the components inside, and NEVER plug or unplug a PS/2 mouse or keyboard without first turning off the power. PS/2 is the round keyboard or mouse connector instead of the rectangular one.
This isn’t so much the stuff in windows, but covers crap like number of cylinders, landing zones, and all kinds of HD related esotrica.
It’s not so important if you’re upgrading to a newish computer (say, something from the last 3 years or so), but if you’re upgrading to another pentium (meaning Pentium “1”) system, you might need this info as a lot of older computers don’t automatically detect hard drive info like new ones do.
Besides, how would you do that? (seriously, here)
But thanks for the additional info on the Buy and Sell. 
