extra PC

[pontifex]

I've got an extra PC sitting here. been here for months, just needed to have an OS installed on it to use. I tried installing xp pro sp2 tonight and everything went well until i rebooted it after doing the 1st windows update.

now it gives me an error every time i try to use windows update. sometimes when it reboots, it hangs on a blank screen for about 2 minutes after i log in. i'm guessing something didn't install correctly during the xp pro install.

so now i'm thinking, do i really need this PC anyway? its not that great, i just made it out of left over parts from previous upgrades to my main PC. i don't even know what i could use it for except storage, but theres not much HD space in it.

I'm not even sure of all the specs on it anymore.

its got at least 1 40gb 7200rpm WD HD, possibly 2
512MB of DDR Ram, probably PC2700 or 3200
geforce 4 ti4200 128mb
mobo is a asus nforce 2 (not sure which model)
processor is an AMD 2600+ which is about 2.08 ghz if i remember correctly
SB Live Value sound card
16x lite-on DVD burner
the case is inexpensive generic brand
420 watt thermaltake power supply

the only things that are new are the DVD burner and the case. everything else was used by me in an older system. due to the age of the products inside and the fact that they are used no one is really going to want to buy it. its just taking up space. i don't know anyone who needs one.

i also have a dfi lanparty ut nf3 250gb with a athlon 64 3400+ at 2.4 ghz sitting on it.

 

[alimoalem]

sell em? ppl buy others' junk

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: alimoalem
sell em? ppl buy others' junk

should i try to sell the whole pc or separate the parts?

 

[imported_redlotus]

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: alimoalem
sell em? ppl buy others' junk

should i try to sell the whole pc or separate the parts?

Try to sell it whole. If the buyer wants to add a hdd or two, he could use it as a decent file server, a Linux box, or both, for that matter. If it doesn't sell in a few days to a week, just part it out.

-red

 

[cKGunslinger]

Hell, some of those parts would be upgrades for my main machine.

 

[sniperruff]

hell i'll take the mobo/cpu/video card =P

 

[stevty2889]

You could always use it for something contructive such as Folding@home.

 

[Painman]

Or donate it, and maybe get a tax writeoff to use next year. I donated a PC made from scraps to the school for mentally ill children that my sister works at - no tax writeoff, the machine had no significant value anyway - just a warm fuzzy feeling inside(tm).

 

[fireontheway]

Originally posted by: Painman
Or donate it, and maybe get a tax writeoff to use next year. I donated a PC made from scraps to the school for mentally ill children that my sister works at - no tax writeoff, the machine had no significant value anyway - just a warm fuzzy feeling inside(tm).

:thumbsup:

 

[narutofan36]

Originally posted by: Painman
Or donate it, and maybe get a tax writeoff to use next year. I donated a PC made from scraps to the school for mentally ill children that my sister works at - no tax writeoff, the machine had no significant value anyway - just a warm fuzzy feeling inside(tm).

how nice

 

[Bozono]

Dedicated ZSNES, Project 64, ePSXe & VisualBoy Advance machine. Tuck it in your bedroom or hook up to the tv and get some wireless peripherals.

 

[pkme2]

May I suggest you get Linux Ubuntu and install it on your old machine if you plan to keep it. It might be a different experience if you ran Ubuntu. It's a easy install and you might be pleasantly surprised. Anyway, try it, your choice.

Plus Ubuntu is free!

 

[narutofan36]

ahh, i forgot about emulation X_X

u could also turn it into a media box!! bittorrent lots of shows and leave your computer running over night, by the next day, im sure u will have lots of your favorite movies, tv series, or anime!

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: sniperruff
hell i'll take the mobo/cpu/video card =P

the cpu and mobo in the built system or the extra one i mentioned last?

i'll take some pics of the equipment and put them up so you guys who are interested in the stuff can check it out.

everything works fine. the only thing that may be a turn off is the video card. the area that has the fan has what looks like some brown stuff on it. i'm not sure it its like scorching from heat or what. none of my equipment has been overclocked so its not from that.

 

[xanis]

I would make it into a webserver or media server, thats what I'm going to do with my old PC...

 

[Effect]

You could even use the pc to do boring, time consuming tasks, such as encoding/burning or whatnot. (Or for that matter, all of the above)

 

[Muse]

I have an extra PC too, and in fact I'm using it right now because I'm running memtest on my main PC and don't like looking at grass grow on the screen. I use a KVM to switch between the two system, when I'm running both. I have an ethernet router, so they're networked - both Win2000 PCs. The main use I have for it is to troubleshoot the occasional problem, and they DO come up! For that alone, it's great. I also use it to backup info from my main PC. Reasoning: It's quite possible for the PSU to blow in my main box and fry all its HD's simultaneously. I can do a backup of any data I'm nervous about losing to the 2nd PC over the network. An ethernet network is pretty darn fast.

Both my PCs are in mid-tower cases and I have my main one sitting on top of the other, so it makes a tall stack. I drilled a couple of holes in the cases and bolted them together for stability and also have a bracket that attaches the top case from the top to the underside of a window sill - I like rigidity in this because I live in earthquake country. So, the extra PC doesn't really take up any more space - in fact, it acts as a pedistal for my main system, putting it in a more convenient location for me! If I have a problem with a component in my main system, I can swap it out with one from my second system while I'm dealing with the issue. There's lots of good reasons for not ditching yours. Having just one system and no backup parts isn't smart. Having a second system in case your main box goes down is very nice. If I'm having trouble with a component, I can test it in a separate system, a very valuable diagnostic option.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Muse
I have an extra PC too, and in fact I'm using it right now because I'm running memtest on my main PC and don't like looking at grass grow on the screen. I use a KVM to switch between the two system, when I'm running both. I have an ethernet router, so they're networked - both Win2000 PCs. The main use I have for it is to troubleshoot the occasional problem, and they DO come up! For that alone, it's great. I also use it to backup info from my main PC. Reasoning: It's quite possible for the PSU to blow in my main box and fry all its HD's simultaneously. I can do a backup of any data I'm nervous about losing to the 2nd PC over the network. An ethernet network is pretty darn fast.

Both my PCs are in mid-tower cases and I have my main one sitting on top of the other, so it makes a tall stack. I drilled a couple of holes in the cases and bolted them together for stability and also have a bracket that attaches the top case from the top to the underside of a window sill - I like rigidity in this because I live in earthquake country. So, the extra PC doesn't really take up any more space - in fact, it acts as a pedistal for my main system, putting it in a more convenient location for me! If I have a problem with a component in my main system, I can swap it out with one from my second system while I'm dealing with the issue. There's lots of good reasons for not ditching yours. Having just one system and no backup parts isn't smart. Having a second system in case your main box goes down is very nice. If I'm having trouble with a component, I can test it in a separate system, a very valuable diagnostic option.

i dunno...i may end up keeping it if i can get windows to work properly. i do have a kvm switch but all i can use it with is to share a monitor. i have usb kyb and mouse and when i used ps2 converters they don't work through the kvm switch. so i end up having to use a separate mouse and kyb on the 2nd pc.

there's only certain things i can test between the systems due to how old some of the components are. main pc has pci-e and 2nd one has agp.

 

[JAG87]

install Linux on it, and use it as a light game server.

 

[Muse]

i dunno...i may end up keeping it if i can get windows to work properly. i do have a kvm switch but all i can use it with is to share a monitor. i have usb kyb and mouse and when i used ps2 converters they don't work through the kvm switch. so i end up having to use a separate mouse and kyb on the 2nd pc.

You can get Windows working. My KVM is Linksys KVM2KIT and my USB mouse works with it with a converter. My KB is PS/2. It all works fine, however I have to press buttons on my monitor when I go from system 1-->2 because system 1 has dual DVI vid card (AGP 6600). Both my systems use AGP. I even have a 128 ti4200 like you, but I'm not using it. Using a ti4600 in system 2.

 

[starwars7]

never realized there were so many uses of an old PC.

 

[bigboxes]

When I upgraded last year to an Athlon 64 3200+, I decided to build a file server using a <drumroll> XP 2600+ cpu. Like a couple of the above posters, I added a kvm switch so that I could administer the file server from one set of controls and monitor. I also bought a gigabit switch, CAT6 cabling, and gigabit ethernet pci cards so as to reduce latency on the network. For a file server you don't need the latest and greatest video card. I put it all in an Antec P180 case that was optimized for noise reduction and cooling (something I find useful with a system with 5 HDDs). As a previous poster said, the second pc is great when one is tied up or there is a need to diagnose a pc problem.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: starwars7
never realized there were so many uses of an old PC.

Live and learn.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Muse

i dunno...i may end up keeping it if i can get windows to work properly. i do have a kvm switch but all i can use it with is to share a monitor. i have usb kyb and mouse and when i used ps2 converters they don't work through the kvm switch. so i end up having to use a separate mouse and kyb on the 2nd pc.

You can get Windows working. My KVM is Linksys KVM2KIT and my USB mouse works with it with a converter. My KB is PS/2. It all works fine, however I have to press buttons on my monitor when I go from system 1-->2 because system 1 has dual DVI vid card (AGP 6600). Both my systems use AGP. I even have a 128 ti4200 like you, but I'm not using it. Using a ti4600 in system 2.

mouse and keyboard did not work on either system when it was plugged into the kvm switch.
i'm going try re-installing windows again. i'm thinking one of the windows updates screwed it up or something.

 

[Muse]

mouse and keyboard did not work on either system when it was plugged into the kvm switch.
i'm going try re-installing windows again. i'm thinking one of the windows updates screwed it up or something.

I try to have updated Ghost images of Windows installs so I don't have to start from scratch. Of course, this is best done by having your OSs relegated to their own partitions, apps and data elsewhere.