becca ([info]beccalavelle) wrote in [info]damnportlanders,
@ 2009-01-06 00:38:00
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old computer- what should I do with it?
I have a somewhat working desktop computer. The fan attached to the video card squeaks and rattles. So much that you feel like the computer is going to explode at any moment.

-the computer contains two hard drives (maybe 30GB and 60GB?), one with Windows XP
-I have a laptop that is somewhat failing me. It is about two years old, Windows XP
-We watch alot of movies from online in the living room with the Xbox 360. The files are downloaded onto the laptop and sent to the Xbox through the wireless network.
-My laptop is always full, mostly with movies and tv shows (I am looking for more storage for this purpose)
-I currently have no back-up for photos (and need some)

What should I do with this computer? Donate it and buy a new external hard drive? Make the two drives into external hard drives? Replace the video card to keep it and get it functioning in case my laptop dies? Can I connect the hard drive to the Xbox? Can I connect the hard drive to my laptop via USB?

Would anyone like to help me out for dinner? beer? computer parts? money?

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[info]bizket
2009-01-06 09:31 am UTC (link)
Well, it depends on what exactly you want to do. It sounds like you are wanting some kind of media storage system. You don't give any specifics on the system (processor type, amount of ram, motherboard etc.) so I will give you some generic advice.

If you just want a setup that you can store media on to stream to your Xbox 360, I would keeo the computer and replace the video card with the least expensive one you can find that will work with your system. You wouldn't be concerned with video quality at all on this system since you aren't going to be running anything on it except for WMP 11 (for streaming to your Xbox) and probably (if you are anything like me) your torrent software for grabbing the media fro the internet. I would also suggest picking up an inexpensive wireless card (802.11G would be prefered) so you don't need to worry about having the laptop in your living room anymore. You would then realistically also be looking at larger hard drives to add. With as old as the system is I expect that it takes IDE (also known now as PATA) drives as opposed to SATA. You should still be able to find good deals on 300-500 gig drives in the <$100 range for those.

I don't like external drives for constant access of large unless it can not be helped. No point when you can put more in the computer itself and not use that much more power. I also don't like using laptops as media servers (especially older ones) since they are spendy and if a drive dies it will cost far more to replace than a regular full size drive.

The only hard drives that will work connected directly to an Xbox 360 are the ones made specifically for it unless you want to do alot of soldering, software hacking, and warrantee voiding.

I have been in IT for a while and do what you are trying to as a part time hobby. If you are in St. Johns I would love to stop by and help. I have no car though so anything too far out of the neighborhood would be a no go for me. Feel free to email me at bizket at gmail if you have specific questions.

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thanks
[info]beccalavelle
2009-01-06 09:55 am UTC (link)
I have no information other than what I put up above. I am somewhat computer illiterate, yet I expect computers to do what I want them to.

What kind of price am I looking at for a cheap video card? Can I get any one? What does it have to be compatible with?

I am currently using my laptop as a media server, and everything is wireless. I would love to have another computer on the network that is just a torrent machine and back-up.

New question: I have a flat screen monitor I will soon be using for my laptop (the screen is part of the laptop failure). Can I have the desktop computer running without being attached to a monitor? Can I access it through my laptop?

I am not in St. Johns, but in NE. I have a car, so I could either come to you or pick you up if I can't figure this out myself. I am usually pretty good at setting things up once I have the info. (And I have a boyfriend who is on about the same level with computers as I am to help.)

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Re: thanks
[info]lucasmo
2009-01-06 03:40 pm UTC (link)
A cheap video card should run you no more than $30, tops. You'll have to find out what kind of slot your motherboard has (PCI Express, AGP, PCI). On this page you can find pictures. PCI slots look like the short white ones in the first picture -- you're likely to have these no matter what kind you have, and you can use them no matter what, but I don't know if they even sell PCI video cards anymore.

You can run your desktop without a monitor attached, and connect to it using remote desktop connection, which comes with windows. First you need to turn this on, though, on the desktop. I believe it's in the system control panel. You can then use the 'remote desktop connection' program in your accessories on the laptop. You won't be able to use this to watch movies or anything (well, you probably could, but the quality would be awful), just to browse around and mess with settings.

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Re: thanks
[info]plasticrapping
2009-01-06 07:02 pm UTC (link)
If it's an old computer (which I bet it is) it's probably AGP and not PCI-E.



So... in laymans Becca terms:

You can go to FREE GEEK and get something that will be tolerable for all of maybe $5-15.

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Re: thanks
[info]beccalavelle
2009-01-06 09:08 pm UTC (link)
Thanks, just the info I needed!

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[info]beccalavelle
2009-01-06 09:57 am UTC (link)
Oh, and thanks so much for the info! DPers always solve my problems.

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[info]madscience
2009-01-06 10:57 am UTC (link)
Get a video card with a TV out. Put it in the living room and use it to watch movies.

Add an emulator and a couple USB gamepads and play some old-school video games.

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[info]beccalavelle
2009-01-06 09:10 pm UTC (link)
I like the video card/tv out idea. but would I have to use the computer to control the movie playing? could I use the Xbox to play movies? Also, I would have to have the computer in the living room, right? can this be done wirelessly?

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[info]madscience
2009-01-06 09:16 pm UTC (link)
The computer would essentially become your living room media center. Yeah, you'd control the movies via the computer. Maybe with a wireless keyboard. Or if you're running Linux, hook up a IRDA port and use a regular TV remote. But then you're getting into buying a bunch of little hardware accessories...

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[info]beccalavelle
2009-01-06 09:31 pm UTC (link)
Yeah, that might get too complicated. I would have to double up on a mouse, keyboard, etc. And that computer is loud, even without the broken video card.

Do you think the video card is fixable? It's only the fan glued to it that is having trouble. I think you might be one of few people I would trust to rip things apart inside my computer.

Card game along with a feast of yummy snack and dinner foods, and then you help me out with my computer? Jeff is officially transferred so we have our fourth after 6pm every day.

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[info]madscience
2009-01-06 09:33 pm UTC (link)
The fan might be fixable. Depends if it's a standard size and how it's mounted.

Yes, we need to get together for cards again!

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[info]beccalavelle
2009-01-06 09:39 pm UTC (link)
We are avaliable weekday after 6pm. (Except Friday this week-- going to Eugene). When is good for you (and Amber?)

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[info]plasticrapping
2009-01-06 07:00 pm UTC (link)
I would advise the following:

-Backup everything on an external hard drive from the desktop and laptop. They run around $150 for 500gb or so. No sense saving those 40 and 60gb hard drives for that :)

-Save the hard drives for the x-box, and get it modded. I can point you in the right direction, and show you mine. A modded x-box has tons of emulators (Nintendo, super nintendo, etc etc) along with it being able to be networked with your computer and blah blah blah blah. It's kick ass :)

-Take what's left of the computer, and donate it to FREE GEEK. They charge to recycle the monitor however. Donate the monitor to good will.




Good seeing you by the way. Sorry I had to get on the bus, as I would have loved to catch up on everything. You should text me when you hit up piccolo park so I can come over with Sable the wonder dog and hang out. Sable is also GREAT around kids!

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[info]beccalavelle
2009-01-06 09:25 pm UTC (link)
I only have about 5 GB of material to back-up at the moment. That number will grow, but not that fast. Also, 40 GB of movies and TV is all that I would ever need. We download seasons of shows and then watch them. There isn't much of a reason for me to have more than a couple seasons of shows or more than like 10 HD movies on the hard drive.

Does it make sense for me to keep the old hard drives now? Or should I still buy a new one?

I think our Xbox is modded. And if not, it still works for what we need it to do. It is networked to the computer. Also, no one has really sold me on the idea of playing old games. I barely played old video games when I was younger, and I definitely don't play any now. (The Mac games I did play I can get on my laptop if I wanted.) Is there something I'm missing?

Free Geek is totally where everything that I don't need goes. I bring stuff there all the time. No extra monitors though! Down one monitor at the moment.


Weird seeing you today. I'm surprised after working there for six months that was the first time I saw you. I don't have your number. And ironically someone called me and asked me for it just yesterday. I have aim on my phone and I will IM you next time we are on our way to the park. It will just be me and my little one this week. It's the other kid that we want to meet Sable. She loves people, dogs, cats, birds, etc. Anything she can say hi to.

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[info]plasticrapping
2009-01-06 10:17 pm UTC (link)
Is it an xbox, or xbox 360? If it's a 360 then it's not modded, if it's an xbox it is. Good job on getting that :)

40gb fills up pretty fast, you'd be amazed. If you can get a large hard drive and keep it around, that would enable you to keep tons of stuff for guests, or to give to friends. No sense having to keep a close eye on every bit of whatever you have when you could just keep all of it. Pack rat style :)



Sounds like you already know the answers to your questions.



My question though is who wanted my number?

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