If you see me disappear from the net here's why.

Bill Martino

Bill Martino

Joined
Mar 5, 1999
Messages
34,096
This old computer is getting more erratic every day. This AM it took me an hour just to get it up and running. I have this sinking feeling that before too long it's going to give up the ghost completely and when this happens I'll be blank until I can get a new machine and get it up and running. So, if some day in the not too distant future you don't see me around you'll know what's happened.
 
Uncle Bill:

If you believe that your PC is really going to go 'South For The Winter', you might want to visit the nice folks at Dell (www.dell.com).

I recently put together a 4400 Series PC for one of the kids that would blow the socks off 90% of the PCs out there, and it came in at around $700.00 (no monitor).

What I like about this company is that they let me custom design a box to do exactly what I want, not what they THINK I want.

If you have any questions, this is an area where, perhaps, I can finally contribute something to the forum.

Found a notice in my mailbox from the USPS tonight (Syl and friend in West Palm Beach at Flower Show) that the Kothimoda had arrived. Will pick up same tomorrow.

When the Silver-Mounted, Carved-Handle K15 shows up, I've finally got all the Ks I need (I should live so long - this Katana business is beginning to interest me - I was always much impressed with the use of sand iron and the folding technique the old masters used).

Will e-Mail you a pix when the display is finished.

Please set aside the largest T-Shirt you've got for me. My check in the amount of $25.00 will be in the mail tomorrow. If it shrinks, my lovely wife can wear it in a Wet T-Shirt Contest the next time we're in the Islands!

The Blessings Of Gaia, The Earth Mother, Upon You And Yours,

JimF
 
I'll send the shirt tomorrow, Jim.

When I ask about the AK they say, "go away and leave us alone. We're working on it."

But, I do have this nice carved handle katana......
 
Uncle Bill,
To me it sounds like either the motherboard or Powersupply would be going bad. Any reasonably well equipped custom computer store should be able to replace the faulty part(s) for less than $200.
I have the spare parts lying around that I could do it for almost nothing, but don't think most people would be willing to ship a computer across the country to have a guy who's almost always at school or work to fix in his spare time.

Just ask Dave how likely it is for me to get spare time at home right now. :) BTW, Dave, I plan to get over to fedex tomorrow on my way home from work and get that thing sent out.
 
Originally posted by JimF

When the Silver-Mounted, Carved-Handle K15 shows up, I've finally got all the Ks I need...
Click to expand...

I've said that before too - it's not true though. ;)

B.
 
Uncle Bill - if you do decide to get a new computer...I don't know how/where you bought your last one, but as JimF mentions, putting together a custom computer is typically much cheaper (I mean having someone put it together for you). I'm no expert on this, but I imagine there are a number of people on the forum who could recommend a good place to get such a computer from; for a good price (because you probably don't need a new monitor).

bob may well be right on the problem - though the motherboard is more likely--at that point sometimes it's better to get a new computer than to try to get a new motherboard and transfer all of the components, &c.

B.
 
What I'm using is an old HP 8250 -- 266Mhz, 64 MB ram as issued. It was top of the line when I bought it -- $2800 for it and all the peripheral stuff I got with it. Today I might get $300 for everything.

It's fading. Erratic is the best word I can come up with to describe the performance. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't -- and doesn't is becoming frequent enough to motivate me to make a move.
 
Uncle Bill:

Please let the T-Shirt be a 44. Anything smaller will have to go into my wife's closet right out of the package.

Picked up the Kothimoda a few hours ago - awesome! Now, if I can figure out how to hang it with the others.

On the subject of computers: Trying to upgrade an older PC is no longer cost effective. By the time you've got it anywhere near current entry level stuff, you've spent more than the cost of a new one.

The box I mentioned is running an Intel P4 @ 1.6 gigs with 256 megs of Ram, an nVidia video card with 16 megs of video ram, Harmon Karden speakers, 56K modem, 48x CD reader, 10/100 network card, 1 year home parts and labor, and Windows XP Home Edition installed. They generally have a deal of the week, like a free memory upgrade, CD upgrade, etc.. Don't know what it is at the moment.

No guys, I don't work for Dell and I don't get a kickback. At the moment I'm running two Dells, a Compaq, and a clone. I like the Dells.

The Blessings Of Gaia, The Earth Mother, Upon You And Yours,

JimF
 
Originally posted by Bill Martino
What I'm using is an old HP 8250 -- 266Mhz, 64 MB ram as issued. It was top of the line when I bought it -- $2800 for it and all the peripheral stuff I got with it. Today I might get $300 for everything.
Click to expand...

You're probably over-estimating..


I was talking to someone who knows more than I about computer hardware:- getting a computer from a computer show or another 'no-name' custom-built would probably be slightly cheaper than a Dell - but the customer support from Dell might be worth paying a little bit more for.

So JimF's advice sounds good to me.

You may not need to get an entirely new system; you should be able to keep some of your peripherals: keyboard, mouse, monitor (maybe), &c.

B.
 
Ben:

A matching keyboard and mouse always come with a new PC.

If Uncle Bill's monitor is satisfactory for his needs, there's no reason to replace it. The same holds true for his printer and other accessories.

My home PC is a Dell, but my monitor is a CTX I had before I got the new Dell. Am still using my old HP printer.

When I set up the Dell for the first time Windows XP immediately detected and installed all my legacy components, except my Canon digital camera. I had to download a new driver from Canon before this would work.

JimF
 
If I were computer literate I wouldn't hesitate but trying to get all this stuff from this one to the next is going to be an awesome and time consuming task for me. I've got passwords stored I can't remember just for starters.
 
Both Dell and Gateway have websites that let you put together the computer you want online. I did that the last time my mother needed a new computer -- it was fun! You can play around with different configurations at the website and every time you upgrade or add something the price changes automatically -- you don't have to do any arithmetic. She told me what she wanted to pay; I looked at all the options and "built" a custom system just for her. I played around with all kinds of different hardware and software configurations and when I had made up my mind -- I just typed in her credit card number and they built it and shipped it to her house! It was like I built her a custom computer, installed the software and everything, and brought it to her -- without ever leaving my living room.

That was a while back and I haven't been keeping up with the latest stuff so I'm sure somebody here is better qualified than me to do that for Bill -- any volunteers?

The cool way to transfer everything from the old computer is to get an external Zip drive. I ordered one for my mother along with the computer -- it's a floppy drive that holds 500meg per disk; you plug it into the printer port of the old computer, put all the stuff you want to save on disks, then you plug it into the new computer and copy it over. The beauty of that is when you're done you still have the disks -- and the drive. If anything ever happens to your new computer you just plug the drive into any computer at all and you have everything you backed up. She transfered everything all by herself with a little phone support from me but I have to keep after her to make backups frequently enough....

Next time I was physically at her house I set up a program to back up the essential stuff for her automatically. All she has to do is change between two Zip disks every day and she has two backups of everything really important. (She probably could have set that up herself with a little phone support from me, but I was there so I did it.)

She has an off-site third backup at my brother's house -- that one doesn't get updated as often, but when she visits him once or twice a week she brings a disk and exchanges it for the one there. That way even if her house burns down all she can lose is a week.
 
Originally posted by Bill Martino
It's all too complicated for me.
Click to expand...

another way to easily preserve what exists on your current computer is simply to remove (or have removed) the hard drive from your old computer and install it(/have it installed) as a second hard drive in your new computer. You will still have to re-install some programs (as installations typically write files to system folders), but all of your text files, stored email(?), records, &c. would be easily accessible, because you would be using your old hard drive still (in addition to the new one that would come with the new computer).

B.
 
Fellow Forumites:

You have to understand that Uncle is an old Swabbie (is that a Dixie Cup on your head?) that, like all Swabbies, needs help with anything more complicated than a mop.

Maybe we should in the Marines to straighten that 'puter out. :)

--from an old Jarhead
 
When I was spending time in Guantanamo and feeling dumb I used to go up to the Marine barracks and have lunch with the Marines. I'd go back to the ship feeling like Einstein.
 
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