SRL Archive - NOTA

So I've an old computer that hasn't been turned on in years, and I was wanting to see what I could do with it. It's quite old, not much space, and all around pretty crappy. But I'm sure I could do something with it.. :p

Any suggestions would be nice. ^^

run a media server on it?
What are the specs?

you can turn the psu into a 12V, 5V, 3.3V, -12V power supply, I've converted 3 of them so far, just don't get shocked like I did….

Put a small OS on it, use it for autoing :p.
TinyXP and Mint Linux are both cool :).
Media server is also nice.

From: Brain
you can turn the psu into a 12V, 5V, 3.3V, -12V power supply, I've converted 3 of them so far, just don't get shocked like I did….

Use?

And noidea, 1.6GHz, 128mb of RAM.. :p Anything else? It's running XP, but I can wipe it.

YoHoJo, I was actually thinking about setting it up for autoing 24/7, since nobody uses the room, either. I'm just wondering how I could get the least amount of space on it so that SMART can run. :p Or I could just run one script all day non-SMART.

You can't do anything with the kind of RAM. I'm surprised that amount even exists. Look at what model it is and C/P the specs here.

You prolly have SDRAM on it, i would send to you but i unfortunately threw those away.

Not much of a use with that ram.

From: Junkj
You can't do anything with the kind of RAM. I'm surprised that amount even exists. Look at what model it is and C/P the specs here.

lol. How are you surprised? Remember bill gates saying you only needed 670KB of RAM or something

I luffs: you're not going to be able to run runescape on that :| Have you tried yet?

From: Junkj
You can't do anything with the kind of RAM. I'm surprised that amount even exists. Look at what model it is and C/P the specs here.

Uhh.. ATXSTF? :p I can't seem to find the service tag so I can't look it up on Dell.com, but I'm looking.

Well I dunno if it can even connect to wireless Internet.. Oh tits I have my xbox ethernet cable here. :] brb. Science is about to happen.

Okay, so I'm on it right now. :p Pretty shitty computer. x] Attempting RuneScape right now.

From: i luffs yeww
Uhh.. ATXSTF? :p I can't seem to find the service tag so I can't look it up on Dell.com, but I'm looking.

Well I dunno if it can even connect to wireless Internet.. Oh tits I have my xbox ethernet cable here. :] brb. Science is about to happen.

Okay, so I'm on it right now. :p Pretty shitty computer. x] Attempting RuneScape right now.

inb4fail:p

So it was loading (RuneScape) which I was amazed at since it was also updating years of Windows updates. But my dad came home so I just turned off the power and yeah.. :p But besides autoing, could I use it for anything else?

Nope. Upgrade your RAM, then you could do other things. Right now, it's just a computer for writing essays & printing.

From: i luffs yeww
So it was loading (RuneScape) which I was amazed at since it was also updating years of Windows updates. But my dad came home so I just turned off the power and yeah.. :p But besides autoing, could I use it for anything else?

Intense Modern warfare 2 gaming?

[QUOTE=Camaro';686556]Intense Modern warfare 2 gaming?[/QUOTE]

:p Oh yeah.

And Junkj, how much is RAM? And how much should I get? :p And would it even be useful then? I have a way better laptop for gaming and stuff, and so I wasn't planning on using it for any like.. at computer stuff.. just autoing/anything else that it could be used for to monitor stuff or something.

From: i luffs yeww
:p Oh yeah.

And Junkj, how much is RAM? And how much should I get? :p And would it even be useful then? I have a way better laptop for gaming and stuff, and so I wasn't planning on using it for any like.. at computer stuff.. just autoing/anything else that it could be used for to monitor stuff or something.

We need your mother board specs. 1 - 2 Gb should be enough. Look up your model.

No, you need four gigabytes of ram.

TRUST ME, YOU NEED FOUR!

No. Do 8gb RAM like me!

From: R0b0t1
No, you need four gigabytes of ram.

TRUST ME, YOU NEED FOUR!

Im surprised if he can find enough of the correct ram, even 1gb.

From: R0b0t1
No, you need four gigabytes of ram.

TRUST ME, YOU NEED FOUR!

and a PAE kernel, as windows is hard-capped at 3,5gb even when there's no other memory using divices present

really, you can't even run GNOME with 128mb of ram… maybe DSL or xubuntu…

careful, back in the day I was upgrading a computer, bout a 512mb stick of SD ram for $50 (WAY cheap at the time), only to find out that the mobo's max supported RAM was 512…so I could have gotten away with only buying a 256 stick.
Also, it only had 3 ram slots.

I wouldn't put any money into the computer if I were you.

From: Junkj
We need your mother board specs. 1 - 2 Gb should be enough. Look up your model.

I will later tonight/tomorrow. I can't find it anywhere.. >_>

From: R0b0t1
No, you need four gigabytes of ram.

TRUST ME, YOU NEED FOUR!

I doubt that old of a computer's motherboard can support 4 gigs.

Not much room for upgrades. If you want a lot more RAM, you need a new motherboard. If you get a new motherboard, you'll need a new processor.

From: scubajesus
I doubt that old of a computer's motherboard can support 4 gigs.

Not much room for upgrades. If you want a lot more RAM, you need a new motherboard. If you get a new motherboard, you'll need a new processor.

Basically a whole new computer.

Haha well damn. So basically no use whatsoever? :p It's fine, I was originally just gonna store weed in it, but the case was way too hard to get off (I was high. I'm sure it'd be easy now), so I turned it on.

I'm sure there's SOME use for it (other than taking power supply stuff out or something.. Something that would just run all day and night for some benefit is achievable.. Maybe..)

From: i luffs yeww
Haha well damn. So basically no use whatsoever? :p It's fine, I was originally just gonna store weed in it, but the case was way too hard to get off (I was high. I'm sure it'd be easy now), so I turned it on.

I'm sure there's SOME use for it (other than taking power supply stuff out or something.. Something that would just run all day and night for some benefit is achievable.. Maybe..)

There could be with some RAM. Better off with your laptop, much better. You could use this for storage.(Not weed, I mean files of some sort). If you want to do something with it, get the model. Look in the front of the computer(Where the CD-Rom drive is or USB slots) and look for some stupid words. On the bottom of the front side, it shows my model and manufacturer.

From: Junkj
There could be with some RAM. Better off with your laptop, much better. You could use this for storage.(Not weed, I mean files of some sort). If you want to do something with it, get the model. Look in the front of the computer(Where the CD-Rom drive is or USB slots) and look for some stupid words. On the bottom of the front side, it shows my model and manufacturer.

Well I tried looking where Dell said they put it, but that comp was made in '01, so I think they've changed location. :p

From: i luffs yeww
Well I tried looking where Dell said they put it, but that comp was made in '01, so I think they've changed location. :p

Maybe some close up pictures of all sides if you can. Could see where it is.

Edit : Wow I'm an idiot. If you have XP or something similar Click on my computer and properties. Maybe it could tell you some info.

From: Junkj
Maybe some close up pictures of all sides if you can. Could see where it is.

Edit : Wow I'm an idiot. If you have XP or something similar Click on my computer and properties. Maybe it could tell you some info.

Well I'm not on it atm.. All I could find is stuff like serial numbers and stuff. The model number is on the back (I posted what it said on here.. ATX something something or whatever)..

From: i luffs yeww
Well I'm not on it atm.. All I could find is stuff like serial numbers and stuff. The model number is on the back (I posted what it said on here.. ATX something something or whatever)..

That's the mother board type. I'll do some research with it.

E: If it's a DELL ATXSTF MNT E4600 then you have 4 RIMM RAM sockets that support up to 2Gb.

From: Junkj
That's the mother board type. I'll do some research with it.

E: If it's a DELL ATXSTF MNT E4600 then you have 4 RIMM RAM sockets that support up to 2Gb. Trying to find them ATM.

That's it, but I can't right now. Parents. :< Where would I find those? :o I've never dealt with hardware, only software.

Ask TViYH or Tootoot for some help in this field. Since your computer is old as hell, your RAM is going to be hard to find and pricy, too. Better off not upgrading it at all.
support.gateway.com/s/manuals/servers/eseries/8506984.pdf

E: If you're wondering how pricy, I looked up 128mb card that was $50. Not sure if it was the right socket but it is a lot of money for that kind of RAM.

Alright, thanks. ^^

I was kinda thinking I could just use it for something kinda pointless but cool.. You know? x]

From: Junkj


E: If it's a DELL ATXSTF MNT E4600 .

how did you come about this prognosis?


look at this, and tell us what kind it is, count the pins if you have to.


E: and if it is RIMM ram, a quick search on ebay gives me this
Which is adding double your current RAM to the system.

E2: Which isn't super expensive as other people seem to to be posting….because they are trying to make you buy it new for some reason….
hell, go to a garage sale and pick up old computer for $2 and mess with them…that's what I have done….
You young people don't know how to find a deal, geez.

RAM for a comptuer that old will be very expensive (I have one that takes the same kind of RAM I think), and totally not worth it.
http://www.memory.com/net/Memory.aspx?mls=SDRAM
I think is what you might have, not sure. But IMO old ram is too expensive, and not worth putting into an old comptuer. :]

Well even if I just got 128/256Mb of RAM, what would I be able to do with it? I hardly play RS anyway.. :p

I'm not the one advocating adding ram, just make a power supply, it's fun.
you can do electrolysis with it!

From: Brain
I'm not the one advocating adding ram, just make a power supply, it's fun.
you can do electrolysis with it!

While that would be quite entertaining, I'd like more virtual things to do.

But along with the electrolysis, what would be something cool/useful to use it for?

From: Brain
how did you come about this prognosis?


look at this, and tell us what kind it is, count the pins if you have to.


E: and if it is RIMM ram, a quick search on ebay gives me this
Which is adding double your current RAM to the system.

E2: Which isn't super expensive as other people seem to to be posting….because they are trying to make you buy it new for some reason….
hell, go to a garage sale and pick up old computer for $2 and mess with them…that's what I have done….
You young people don't know how to find a deal, geez.

I just googled ATXSTF and did some complex research.(Look at the computer's RAM and GHz he specified)

I don't see a garage sale with computers for $2 that often, nor do I see garage sale with computers.

From: Junkj
I just googled ATXSTF and did some complex research.(Look at the computer's RAM and GHz he specified)

I don't see a garage sale with computers for $2 that often, nor do I see garage sale with computers.

guess montana has tons of old computers…I see them all the time whenever I go sailing.

Well any information about computer stuff I could do with this would be great. x] I *could* take it apart, but my parents might get upset. But mainly, I'd like to just have it run all day doing something at least semi-useful.

I agree with Brain on this one. Don't do anything to it.
I have an old 97 computer here with win95 on it. When I try to open the runescape homepage, it crashes.

I wasn't necessarily wanting to auto on it. Even if it was just running something all the time (log of info or something), that'd be great. :3 Or something kinda nifty like that.

How about you throw it in the bin and get a new one old computers are shit and useless

From: cycrosism
How about you throw it in the bin and get a new one old computers are shit and useless

I stated before, I already have a good laptop. I was just seeing if there would be some use for it.

From: cycrosism
How about you throw it in the bin and get a new one old computers are shit and useless

Why dont I throw you in the bin. You're about as useless as that computer in 20 years.

I luff: Get ubuntu server and just use that or apt-get lxde or fluxbox or something. They are VERY light weight GUI. They are made for computers like this.

From: noidea
Why dont I throw you in the bin. You're about as useless as that computer in 20 years.

I luff: Get ubuntu server and just use that or apt-get lxde or fluxbox or something. They are VERY light weight GUI. They are made for computers like this.

:D Well thankies. For now, ima go. But later I'd like to do that. :3

From: i luffs yeww
:D Well thankies. For now, ima go. But later I'd like to do that. :3

Gentoo would probably be a good system to run as well. Since you have to compile everything yourself, it would be optimized.

Arch is good too. Very light weight. Although you have to set it up yourself. Like downloading and setting up X and your desktop enviorment (DE). You dont have to compile everything your self, just `pacman -S irssi' (for example)
Arch has a good community as well.

From: noidea
Gentoo would probably be a good system to run as well. Since you have to compile everything yourself, it would be optimized.

Arch is good too. Very light weight. Although you have to set it up yourself. Like downloading and setting up X and your desktop enviorment (DE). You dont have to compile everything your self, just `pacman -S irssi' (for example)
Arch has a good community as well.

Well just tell me which and I shall. x]

Microwave it. See what happens :p

From: bionicle1800
Microwave it. See what happens :p

Don't forget to record some video of this, then upload it to youtube.

From: senrath
Don't forget to record some video of this, then upload it to youtube.

That'd be pretty awesome. But it wouldn't fit. :< I could fit certain parts maybe.

Science shall be accomplished. x] Haha

No but really. I decided to go with archlinux.

From: i luffs yeww
That'd be pretty awesome. But it wouldn't fit. :< I could fit certain parts maybe.

Science shall be accomplished. x] Haha

No but really. I decided to go with archlinux.

Go to some crappy garage sale and buy some crappy old microwave that doesn't have a safety for like $5, rip off the door, smash the computer and shove as much as possible in as well as some firecrackers. Lean the rest across the front.

Make sure you can set a timer on it to turn it on :p

Oh yea, you might need a field. Or like a baseball diamond.

Wouldn't want to try this in my house..

I know! I'll build a house and do it in there! RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

From: i luffs yeww
i know! I'll build a house and do it in there! Rahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

oo AND SPRINKLE GUN POWDER UNDER THE CARPET AND STUFF FIRECRACKERS IN THE DRY WALL!

From: bionicle1800
oo and sprinkle gun powder under the carpet and stuff firecrackers in the dry wall!

YEAH! AND LIGHT lT ALL ON FIRE BEFORE TURNING ON THE MICROWAVE!

From: i luffs yeww
yeah! And light it all on fire before turning on the microwave!

yeshhh! tell me where it says you needed to survive :3

From: bionicle1800
yeshhh! tell me where it says you needed to survive :3

Too bad I CAN'T! BECAUSE IT DOESN'T SAY IT ANYWHURRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!TWEIOHTYIwhngoi;

FOAR SIGH IN SC!

From: i luffs yeww
Too bad I CAN'T! BECAUSE IT DOESN'T SAY IT ANYWHURRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!TWEIOHTYIwhngoi;

FOAR SIGH IN SC!

Or ya know, we could just nuke the computer.
Quick n' easy.

Immerse it in vegetable oil and overclock it like a bat out of hell!!

From: Smartzkid
Immerse it in vegetable oil and overclock it like a bat out of hell!!

Isn't it mineral oil..? >_>

From: i luffs yeww
Isn't it mineral oil..? >_>

Vegetable oil is a dielectric.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/strip-fans,1203.html

It's just that mineral oil is usually what's used. I think.

and…mineral oil won't ROT like veggie oil will.
I guess since it's oil it's technically called going rancid?

Veggie oil doesn't go rancid easily… does it? Theoretically, I guess mineral oil is better.

In that case, I would say test with veggie oil for general availability and price, then disassemble and wash everything and refill with proper mineral oil.

Light, heat, and air are what cause vegetable oil to go rancid. You can remove two of those factors when using it in a case (light and air), but you can't remove heat. I don't think it would go rancid quickly, and even if it did, I'm not sure it would impact performance much.

That said, mineral oil isn't exactly expensive, and it definitely doesn't go rancid, so unless you have a good reason to use vegetable oil, you should use mineral oil.

Also, I'm pretty sure mineral oil is a better dielectric.

Very true :)

Though, there is a certain novelty in telling someone to pour cooking ingredients over their PC ;)

I'm working on an old HP slash Gateway right now (frankenstein-ed the two together). It only has three SDRAM slots (EDO SDRAM, but usually just called SDRAM, as DDR and DDR2 SDRAM aren't called that :p), but I put in a 256mb stick and two 128mb sticks for a total of a half-gig. I installed windows 7 and I'm going to use it as a media center PC. Anybody ever heard of Hercules Graphics Cards? They stopped making them when I was young, but they actually keep their drivers hosted on their website! I couldn't find NV TNT2 drivers ANYWHERE!

wtf, so like.

1) seal holes in computer case.
2) poor a shat load of vegetable oil in there.
3) it works?

From: noidea
wtf, so like.

1) seal holes in computer case.
2) poor a shat load of vegetable oil in there.
3) it works?

Use mineral oil.. :p It's clear and won't go bad.

Great article about a mineral oil cooled computer.

Also, cooking oil usually have an opened shelf life of about 1 year, if kept in good conditions. I'd say you have about that long before it starts going rancid, and stinks like crazy.

A good friend of mine used cooking oil in his experimental computer. The oil level kept going down every few weeks. Turns out his brother was taking some out and would use it for cooking, so keep that in mind. lol.

From: i luffs yeww
Use?

And noidea, 1.6GHz, 128mb of RAM.. :p Anything else? It's running XP, but I can wipe it.

YoHoJo, I was actually thinking about setting it up for autoing 24/7, since nobody uses the room, either. I'm just wondering how I could get the least amount of space on it so that SMART can run. :p Or I could just run one script all day non-SMART.

I'd format with tinyxp.. that can run a script in scar if nothing at all was running on it.

From: i luffs yeww
Haha well damn. So basically no use whatsoever? :p It's fine, I was originally just gonna store weed in it, but the case was way too hard to get off (I was high. I'm sure it'd be easy now), so I turned it on.

I'm sure there's SOME use for it (other than taking power supply stuff out or something.. Something that would just run all day and night for some benefit is achievable.. Maybe..)

You sure you cant run something like xampp? It's a web server , which you need your computer to run for it to work.

Well my dad just closed his store (he had to due to the franchise closing), and so now we have two working computers so I have another computer that we don't need to mess with, and I know it can auto because I've done it before. I was thinking about using it for something, and maybe using the other (crappier) one to dump stuff from the better one. I was kinda thinking just having some bots running around high populated areas and recording what everyone says for X amount of hours and then it checks to make sure there's no duplicates and sends the file over to the other computer. I could do some basic sorting by hand (and some automated.. -ed, -ing, etc.) to make a huge library of what everyone says. Eventually (when the duplicates of words recorded day after day decreases to a small number) I could make a huge and useless auto responder and see if it can play out whole conversations with people.

This would be entirely useless but quite fun, in my opinion.

You could learn a bit about Linux with it. I've revived a computer with a 233mhz P2 and 64mb RAM with Arch + LXDE (really just openbox + pcmanfm + lxpanel to save some resources, but LXDE should be fine for you computer) + Midori.

I'd love to learn about Linux, honestly. :) Any further tips on what to do? ^^

From: i luffs yeww
I'd love to learn about Linux, honestly. :) Any further tips on what to do? ^^

arch installation uses about 17MB of ram. (my experience). lxde + arch used ~33MB. That pretty cool for running a DE. It looks heavy, but its really light weight.

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners%27_Guide <– Awesome!

However, I'd suggest getting used to linux with ubuntu.

Wait, were you (bullzeye) talking about the actual Linux kernel and everything or the different types (Ubuntu, Red Hat, blah blah blah)? I'd rather learn about how it works. :p

The autoresponder would be pretty neat - the only problem is this: how would you tell which responses belonged together, know what I mean?

That's where I would come in. :) It'd be pretty easy to just sort them using a .ini, and I could just have a response to each word.

And if I did it I suppose I could also add a counter and only keep the things that are used frequently and I could make a nifty little auto responder that could be used in scripts with no customization necessary.

From: i luffs yeww
Wait, were you (bullzeye) talking about the actual Linux kernel and everything or the different types (Ubuntu, Red Hat, blah blah blah)? I'd rather learn about how it works. :p

I was talking about "the actual Linux kernel and everything." Arch, IMO, is one of the best distros to install if you really want to learn how to build from the bottom up (as opposed to simply installing and/or customizing pre-installed apps with a GUI), and generally learn how stuff works.

As a small "side project," you could configure and build your own kernel once everything is set up to get a better understanding of what's inside of it (though it might take a while on an old computer).

It could be a fun summer project. :3

Install Arch Linux on it, and don't install a GUI. Install OpenSSH on it, and use it as a 24/7 irssi box. :D

Harry, I might. I could be all irssi'd up.