Topic: Angel slayer...

[Sirgod]

Regarding that Bigfoot Drive,

Can you do us a favor please, and Download http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html  belarc?

this will allow us to Know exactly what kind of HD you have as Other Info that you wish to share with us. I think we could answer your questions Better If we knew abit More about what you had  Bro.

Stephen

[Elvis]

Bigfoot drives use 5.25" platters, and not 3.5" and spins at less than 5200rpm and has a 128K buffer. It also is probably pretty small GB wise, maybe less the 10GB.

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

Operating System   System Model
Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 1 (build 2600)   No details available
Processor a   Main Circuit Board b
1.80 gigahertz AMD Athlon XP
128 kilobyte primary memory cache
256 kilobyte secondary memory cache   Board: First International Computer, Inc. AM37 PCB 1.x
Bus Clock: 133 megahertz
BIOS: Phoenix Technologies, LTD 6.00 PG 03/18/2003
Drives   Memory Modules c,d
40.02 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
36.11 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

LITE-ON LTR-48246S [CD-ROM drive]
3.5" format removeable media [Floppy drive]

WDC WD400EB-00CPF0 [Hard drive] (40.02 GB) -- drive 0, s/n WD-WCAATC076038, rev 06.04G06, SMART Status: Healthy   96 Megabytes Installed Memory

Slot 'A0' has 128 MB
Slot 'A1' is Empty
  Local Drive Volumes
     
c: (on drive 0) 40.02 GB 36.11 GB free
 
  Network Drives


I hope this is what you wanted...

[Tus-XC]

well if your system is running slow you can blame the ammount of memory you have.  xp needs at least 512mb to run well being that is a ginormous memory hog anything less you will have some slowdown issues when you run programs.  you might want to get that upgraded when you can afford it.

someone correct me if i'm wrong

[Sirgod]

No Tus is right on the Mark. Maybe just Get some more Memory when You send WillWeasel out for parts on your new system.

Stephen

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

Thanks.  The memory will have to wait a couple of weeks.  Right now, the new system has pretty much neutered my wallet.

[Redshift the Kook]

Hi AngelSlayer,

The others are correct, you are in desperate need of more memory!  Lukily for you it shouldn't be difficult to install some. Your specs you listed indicate that there is a spare slot on your motherboard to place a fresh stick in, which is good news. If your short of cash you could give it a quick boost by buying an extra stick of 128mb memory, (you'll need DDR 266 PC2100 memory), and you could probably pick this up for around $30-40.

Hope this helps!

[KBF-WillWeasel]

As Angel allready knows, ram is here. Will be trekking to his home later this week to give his comp a desperately needed ram boost.

Gotta love newegg. Order wensday afternoon, here by Friday.

Sheesh and I allready told him he didn't have a craptastic Quantum Bigfoot drive. Just a really basic craptastic WD drive instead.

Getting his new system with a maxtor 7200 RPM SATA drive, and hopefully that processor on the way from Punisher.

[Sirgod]

Awsome work Will, Your a great guy for Helping him out like that.

Stephen

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

Well, I at least remembered that Craptastic and bigfoot went hand in hand.  So, I misunderstood and just lumped it all into one big pile of crap.
   Now, what is a 7200 RPM SATA drive?  This, I take it, is a good thing?

And Will will have all the Root Beer he wants to drink for quite a while.  He's my new hero.  I'm taking my Batman Posters down and putting one of him up. 

[Nemesis]

   Now, what is a 7200 RPM SATA drive?  This, I take it, is a good thing?

A Maxtor 7200 RPM SATA drive IS a good thing.   My Maxtor drives (all PATA not SATA) have been very reliable and fast.    (SATA is a new standard for the connection that improves performance over PATA). 

Both my Western Digital drives failed, 1 of them was replaced TWICE under warrenty.  So based on my experience craptastic is a good description for them.  Others may swear by WD, I swear AT them.

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

I talked online this morning for quite a while with WillWeasel.  See him nearly daily at work, and between him and all the patience that is being displayed to the computer illiterate on here, I actually think I am learning something of how this goes.  My next project, after I get my computer up and running, is going to be to order one part at a time until I can build a third system.

[Redshift the Kook]

Yeah, I can confirm that a 200Gb Maxtor SATA 7200 RPM is a good thing because I picked one up just the other day! 

The only thing that concerned me was how hot the drive got, it was almost as hot as one of my radiators, ( ), but I solved that problem by "mounting" a case fan pointing towards my 2 Hard Drives, much cooler now.

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

Yeah, I can confirm that a 200Gb Maxtor SATA 7200 RPM is a good thing because I picked one up just the other day! 

200 Gigabyte?  Whoosh.   Way more memory than I need.  All I want to do is be able to play OP without my system crashing.  Here I am sitting on a cable modem with a mule meat computer.   Fortunately, that will all be over soon, and I'll have a good system.  Then I can go play with the others.

[Nemesis]

200 Gigabyte?  Whoosh.   Way more memory than I need. 

BURN THE BLASPHEMER!!!

You can never have too much Hard disk space.  (Posted from a machine with 240gb )

Memory is something else.  There I sugest a minimum of 512 MB these days and 1GB (1GB=1024MB) if you can afford it. 

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

Apologies to the Gods of Circuitry.   Let me rephrase:  I will upgrade my hard drive after I get the system, since that is first and foremost.  What line of work are you in, Nem?

[Nemesis]

Apologies to the Gods of Circuitry.   Let me rephrase:  I will upgrade my hard drive after I get the system, since that is first and foremost.  What line of work are you in, Nem?

Cancel the burning then.  We never burn the repentent.  Well hardly ever.

Many people seem to have a hard time discerning the difference between hard drives and memory.  They use the same terminology so they must be the same right?  Good to see that you have already advanced beyond that stage.  It will make it easier on Will.

Computers aren't my work, they are just a hobby for me.  But I have built and rebuilt my own, including a dual CPU model.  I also at times get called in to help by the IT people at work and co-workers who can't get the IT people to help.  Not to mention called for help by friends including one who builds, sells and supports computers for a living.  It can be really fun to see the looks on their face when I pull answers out of my hat to problems that have plagued them for hours or days.

You said that you are considering collecting the parts and building one yourself.   If you do so I would recomend collecting the parts that change least first.   

Case, powersupply (abbreviated as PSU commonly- get a good one) , keyboard, mouse.   All are pretty standardized and don't change a great deal and can be bought early.   There are cases now where HDs, CD-Roms and Floppys can be inserted and removed without tools.  Highly recommended.  Right now one of my machines has an improperly mounted DVD because I couldn't find the box with the custom drive rails, I have now and will fix it over Christmas, a better case would have avoided that problem.

CPUs, motherboards and memory change quicker and paying a high price for something that won't be used until it would have been half the price isn't practical. 

It also helps if you have kept parts from your old machines that you can scavenge for parts while delaying some purchases.  For example an old video card will let you know that your motherboard, CPU and RAM are working before you have the budget to buy the good card and before your stores return date runs by.  Same for old HD and CD-Roms.   Salvaging floppy drives is also a lifesaver at times.

Above all is one thing - RESEARCH is your friend.  By reading online reviews and problems other people have had you can avoid many of the lemons and stay with the caviar and champagne.   Use of quality components will help your systems stability and reliablity immensely. 

Also I suggest a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) with brownout protection.  Such a unit will also save you hassles.  85% of all computer problems are power not software or other hardware.   The UPS will help you avoid problems with low power.    Tripplite and APC seem to be good.   Which is also why I said earlier to get a good PSU not a cheap one, I use Antec and Enermax.

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

I'm getting nervous.  That actually makes sense.  What I was thinking of doing was ordering the parts as I get the funds, but making the Motherboard and CPU last, at one time so that I could make certain that they were up to date. 
   I am also reading articles I find to get back up to snuff.  Right now, I am doing a lot of research, so a faster system is a much needed tool, and I am going to get a basic drawing program so I can lay out the design with, that way when I reach the point to try and sell it, I can have everything I need.
   I am already getting directions on how to make plastic moulds. 
   Give me time, I am stubborn and will get it.
   And, I think I've a good source of information, between WillWeasel and all the people on here, I am sure I'll not be directed to another piece of craptastic equipment.
   Fortunately, this one is upgradeable, so it isn't a complete loss.  And my wife wants it for her use.

[Javora]

BURN THE BLASPHEMER!!!

You can never have too much Hard disk space.  (Posted from a machine with 240gb )

Memory is something else.  There I suggest a minimum of 512 MB these days and 1GB (1GB=1024MB) if you can afford it. 

Only 240gb of hard drive space??!?     I have 400gb on my system, 440 if you count the backup drive that is setting in my desk.

I just bought a Seagate 200gb drive a while ago from Newegg.  The drive works well with less noise and heat than my old Maxtor.  Plus it has a five (5) year warranty, can't beat that.

[E_Look]

Boy I feel small.

I just picked up an 80 Gb ATA 100 for a system to be made a little later for my little one...

... and got yelled at by the wife for it, too.  (Hey, what's a kid going to do with 400 Gb anyways? [... "c'mon, trade with Daddy, I'll throw a few sticks of RAM in, okay?"])

[Nemesis]

BURN THE BLASPHEMER!!!

You can never have too much Hard disk space.  (Posted from a machine with 240gb )

Memory is something else.  There I suggest a minimum of 512 MB these days and 1GB (1GB=1024MB) if you can afford it. 

Only 240gb of hard drive space??!?     I have 400gb on my system, 440 if you count the backup drive that is setting in my desk.

I just bought a Seagate 200gb drive a while ago from Newegg.  The drive works well with less noise and heat than my old Maxtor.  Plus it has a five (5) year warranty, can't beat that.

That is only one of my three systems.  It doesn't include the 3 hard drives sitting unused or the drives in the 2 computers I'm refurbishing.  I pass the 1/2 terrabyte is I include it all.

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

   This is hilarious.  Guys, I am learning a lot, but reading back over this, I have to say:  This reminds me of the male argument that has persisted for thousands of years:   Mine is bigger than yours.
   I start with forty gigs.
   We have a winner with 400 Gig or half a Terra.
   Theirs are bigger than mine.

[Redshift the Kook]

Lol, there's always the nostalgia element of "mine was smaller tha yours!"  The first hard drive I used was 100 Megabytes. I'm sure someone will beat that though.

I don't want to appear that I'm bragging but I'm still amazed at how good SATA hard drives are. I'll never go back to IDE ATA again, (although my primary drive is IDE). There are no jumpers to worry about, you don't need to setup the hard drive in BIOS, the ribbon cable is a lot less wide than an IDE cable, the power connector is easy to plug in and unplug, (I was almost geting calouses on my fingers trying to pull the old ones out). I just plugged it in and formatted it in XP and it was good to go! All you need is a motherboard that supports it.

[Javora]

That is only one of my three systems.  It doesn't include the 3 hard drives sitting unused or the drives in the 2 computers I'm refurbishing.  I pass the 1/2 terrabyte is I include it all.

Now that's more like it.  Although I didn't know we were talking about multiple systems.   

[GE-Raven]

If you do much with audio and Video (in raw non-compressed and therefore no loss of quality form) you need a lot of space.  My system has a 120 GB "Boot" drive with the games and such.  I have an 80 GB D: drive where I tend to keep all my "old stuff" then I have the 250GB drive specifically for Audio and Video work I do.  Finally I have a 120 GB external drive for my MP3 collection and backups of pictures and documents.  I do realize that 570 GB is really overkill but it is nice to not have to "clean up" all the time to work on a new project.

GE-Raven

[E_Look]

Lol, there's always the nostalgia element of "mine was smaller tha yours!"  The first hard drive I used was 100 Megabytes. I'm sure someone will beat that though.

I don't want to appear that I'm bragging but I'm still amazed at how good SATA hard drives are. I'll never go back to IDE ATA again, (although my primary drive is IDE). There are no jumpers to worry about, you don't need to setup the hard drive in BIOS, the ribbon cable is a lot less wide than an IDE cable, the power connector is easy to plug in and unplug, (I was almost geting calouses on my fingers trying to pull the old ones out). I just plugged it in and formatted it in XP and it was good to go! All you need is a motherboard that supports it.

I'll bite:

The first machine I owned (not used) was a Korean-made (Daewoo; great stuff back then, for Massachusetts based Leading Edge... Model D2 to be precise) 80286 WITH NO MATH COPROCESSOR!!!  I tried to run Generic CADD on it and drawing something tiny (literally) took hours.  (Of course, I broke down, and spent the $100 USD then to buy the 80287; wow, it "flew" after that!).  Oh, what?  Back on topic?  Bah, hum... ah, er, okay:

it was a 30 MB MFM HD!  Tiny, or what?

[Nemesis]

I'll bite:

The first machine I owned (not used) was a Korean-made (Daewoo; great stuff back then, for Massachusetts based Leading Edge... Model D2 to be precise) 80286 WITH NO MATH COPROCESSOR!!!  I tried to run Generic CADD on it and drawing something tiny (literally) took hours.  (Of course, I broke down, and spent the $100 USD then to buy the 80287; wow, it "flew" after that!).  Oh, what?  Back on topic?  Bah, hum... ah, er, okay:

it was a 30 MB MFM HD!  Tiny, or what?

Thats not old.  My first PC didn't even have a Hard disk, just 1 360k floppy - it was an optional component  .

Currently I back up my important data by copying it across the network to all 3 machines which is why I maintain a high total HD size, 3 copies of all crucial data.  Periodically I do burn CDs of the most important stuff.  I'm considering a DVD-RW to make backups easier.

As long as you have enough hard drive space for your purposes your fine.  If that is 1 GB or 2 TB doesn't matter. 

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

My first home system was, really, a Commodore +4

[Capt. Mike]

Get the DVD RW...it saves time and space, and you can convert some of your old VHS stuff (I did Yellowbeard recently, since it doesn't look like it's coming out on DVD)...

Narrator: The pirate Yellowbeard captured many other galleons, killing over five-hundred men in cold blood. He would tear the captains hearts out and swallow them whole. Often forcing his victims to eat their own lips, he was caught and imprisoned... for tax evasion.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yellowbeard: She couldn't be your mother. No woman ever slept with me and lived.

Betty: When little Dan was two minutes old I tattooed it on his head.
Yellowbeard: Does he know about this?
Betty: Oh, no no no, that's why I kept him in the cupboard for three years. That may be why he's a bit odd with all these books, and reading, and stuff like that.

And a fave...


Dan: Look, if you cut my head off it'll start to putrify!
Yellowbeard: Do what?
Dan: Putrify, go rotten!
Yellowbeard: Yeah, it would ooze a lot, heads do. But I could live with that.



Mike...6 hard drives, from 20 to 120 gig..2 DVD RW..a ZIP, 2.4 GHz P4 and 2 gig of memory..and 4 fans to keep it cool..the more the merrier

[Redshift the Kook]

My Dad's first computer was a Sinclair ZX81 which I believe was called a Timex-Sinclair 1000 in the US.



The specs are as follows:

Integrated Circuits

    * Z80A Microprocessor clocked at 3.25MHz.
    * 1K RAM, expandable to 16K, 32K or 56K.
    * 8K ROM containing BASIC.
    * A single ULA for all I/O functions.

Ports

    * Bus connector for adding peripherals.
    * 3.5mm cassette tape interface for loading/saving programs.
    * UHF output for display on a TV set.
    * 9v DC power supply. Smoothed down to 5v.

40 key touchpad keyboard.

Screen Resolution

    * 32x24 Text.
    * 64x48 'graphics'.
    * 256x192 Hi-Res graphics. (But see notes.)
    * Various overscan modes. (Since it's only outputting to a TV set.)

No colour "graphics" as far as I know. He didn't have any expandable memory so he had to make do with the 1K of RAM!!!

Beat that! 

[Capt. Mike]

Only with a stick!   

We have come a long way...and have farther to go

Mike

Merry Christmas

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

Only got the processor to go, then I'll have my new system...hehe.

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

ANd, once Will gets it running, I'll post all the components on here so everyone can laugh at me.  Plus, the additional memory for this system is being installed that day as well, so both should be running good then.   Happy dance, happy dance.

[Sirgod]

Hey Way to Go. Hoppfully You'll see Rabbits in New Vibraint Colors. 

Stephen

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

First of all, I want to thank WillWeasel for helping me by putting all the parts together on my new computer system.  Punsiher gave me the processor, (yes, the turtle finally made it up Will's rather steep driveway, via PunEx ), and Will threw in an old monitor he had as well.   I got her home, and fired her up.  ZZZZZZZZZZZZIIIIIIIIPPPPPP.   This  sucker is FAST!!
   You can compare specs to what it is replacing if you like.   Anyway, once again, I want to thank Will for assembling the Black Beast and getting her ready to roll.

Operating System   System Model
Windows XP Professional Service Pack 1 (build 2600)   VIA Technologies, Inc. KT600-8237 
Processor a   Main Circuit Board b
2.20 gigahertz AMD Athlon XP
128 kilobyte primary memory cache
256 kilobyte secondary memory cache   Board: KT600-8237
Bus Clock: 167 megahertz
BIOS: Phoenix Technologies, LTD 6.00 PG 11/29/2004
Drives   Memory Modules c,d
41.10 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
32.55 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

SONY CD-RW CRX230ED [CD-ROM drive]
3.5" format removeable media [Floppy drive]

Maxtor 6E040L0 [Hard drive] (41.11 GB) -- drive 0   512 Megabytes Installed Memory

Slot 'A0' has 512 MB
Slot 'A1' is Empty
Slot 'A2' is Empty
  Local Drive Volumes
     
c: (on drive 0) 41.10 GB 32.55 GB free
 

[E_Look]

Nice rig!