Got my new secondhand PC

[devonwoody]

Its a beaut. 3000athlon 64, 4gb ram and a ATI rage graphics card (a Mesh model)

Gone back to XP. and will most probably just use the W7 connected to the web only.

And my bridge game plays cards quicker than I can watch the screen change.

Oh btw. £65.

 

[Benchwayze]

Any used MACS on eBay? :mrgreen:

Seriously, I see a lot of DELL PCs for sale. Is there something wrong with DELL? Or do they sell so many there's a surplus of them? 8)

 

[Harbo]

No - a lot of big companies/institutions went over to Dells because they were cheap?
Many moons ago, a firm I worked for bought everything IBM, then with time they realised they could get 5 Dells to one IBM?

Rod

 

[andersonec]

Its a beaut. 3000athlon 64, 4gb ram and a ATI rage graphics card (a Mesh model)

Gone back to XP. and will most probably just use the W7 connected to the web only.

And my bridge game plays cards quicker than I can watch the screen change.

Oh btw. £65.

Now translate that to English :lol:

Andy

 

[Lons]

Its a beaut. 3000athlon 64, 4gb ram and a ATI rage graphics card (a Mesh model)

Gone back to XP. and will most probably just use the W7 connected to the web only.

And my bridge game plays cards quicker than I can watch the screen change.

Oh btw. £65.

Now translate that to English :lol:

Andy

Fast PC with no pre-loaded cr*p bunging it up :lol: :lol:

 

[Benchwayze]

Its a beaut. 3000athlon 64, 4gb ram and a ATI rage graphics card (a Mesh model)

Gone back to XP. and will most probably just use the W7 connected to the web only.

And my bridge game plays cards quicker than I can watch the screen change.

Oh btw. £65.

Now translate that to English :lol:

Andy

Fast PC with no pre-loaded cr*p bunging it up :lol: :lol:

That's the problem with most 'ready to go' Laptops.
Gigabytes of Toshiba (or whatever) junk that you are scared to uninstall in case it goes 'Boobs-up'. and no windows disc to reinstall!
My Laptop is like a snail. And I removed all the files I put on it.

One day I might pluck up courage, but then there's the partition to remove too! :mrgreen:

 

[Lons]

That's the problem with most 'ready to go' Laptops.
Gigabytes of Toshiba (or whatever) junk that you are scared to uninstall in case it goes 'Boobs-up'. and no windows disc to reinstall!
My Laptop is like a snail. And I removed all the files I put on it.

One day I might pluck up courage, but then there's the partition to remove too! :mrgreen:

Don't need to remove the partition if you don't want to. The files only amount to around 7 - 10gb usually

I have a Toshiba laptop that came with Vista and all the usual bloated rubbish pre-installed.
After putting up with it for a while, I made the recovery disks as suggested so if I changed my mind I can always revert to the factory settings, then I formatted only the main "C" partition, installed Win 7 and loaded only the progs and stuff I want. That was more than 12 months ago

If you already have Win 7 then just back everything up and delete all unwanted stuff. If you're cautious, delete one at a time and check it runs ok before the next. (You have the system restore command as well to fall back on).
What I sometimes do is open task manager and disable the offending apps for a short while prior to removal as easy to reverse if any probs.

What I also do is print out all the system hardware / software details including product keys. there are a number of ways to find these, i use Win 7 manager prog which tells me all I need.

Go on - don't be a wimp - do it :lol: :lol:

Bob

 

[Benchwayze]

OK Lons,
Thanks for all that.
I presume I have to buy Win 7 first though. No disc of Win 7 came with the Laptop. Just the means to make recovery discs, which I did when I had it. Currys wanted to charge me £10.00 to do it when I bought the thing!
Rip-off Britain eh?

 

[devonwoody]

Dont do it.

My wife has the Toshiba laptop and I made the recovery disk.

I went over to the w7 32 bit version and stuff still did not work so I said I would put her 64 bit version back with the recovery disk (s) I had made.

the second recovery disk did not work (error message because it could not find something)

For some reason the machine came with 64 bit installed and an advice to make those recovery disks, but it did include the manufacturers 32 bit disk, which I then had to install again.

Hence the reasons why I have got hold of that second hand XP computer so I could play a decent game of Bridge , scrabble and also a poster printing program. The flight simulators work but not like the did on my last modern xp computer.

 

[Benchwayze]

Thanks DW,

I probably will try. I have this desktop PC on XP, that I use mostly anyhow. If the laptop goes funny, I'll just sort out a new drive, and Win 7 and start from fresh! Mostly my Granddaughter uses the Laptop for homework, when she is here. That and Facebook of course, (Although she has become disenchanted with that!). And no, the slow speed didn't coincide with her setting up her account on the Laptop!

Thanks again DW

 

[Lons]

Dont do it.

My wife has the Toshiba laptop and I made the recovery disk.

I went over to the w7 32 bit version and stuff still did not work so I said I would put her 64 bit version back with the recovery disk (s) I had made.The second recovery disk did not work (error message because it could not find something)
For some reason the machine came with 64 bit installed and an advice to make those recovery disks, but it did include the manufacturers 32 bit disk, which I then had to install again..

What "stuff" didn't work DW?
In my experience the vast majority of computers made with in the last 3-4 years will run Win 7 quite happily given enough processing power. HDD space and RAM.
The recovery disk route, though I mentioned it, I kept purely because it was Vista.A cr*p operating system anyway!

I have 2 desktops running XP pro and 2 laptops with Win 7 and only last night I did a clean Win 7 install on our 5 year old Acer netbook previously XP.
I installed it a year ago on my brothers 7 year old desktop and though I needed to change the graphics card to get a better screen performance it's still running well.

I have never had a problem and Win 7 is much better than previos systems at finding drivers. Even when it says not compatible. its' down to knowing where to look and how to do it. (Isn't it always so?:lol: ) there are usually drivers out there which will work if you look hard enough and the compatibility mode will run many of the older progs if they have to.

I always do a "clean" custom install of any windows whenever possible and then add the progs and apps I want. It take longer but ensures the system isn't clogged with the unecessary rubbish bundled with the original out of the box system.

Bob

 

[devonwoody]

Two of the games

Scrabble is a 1999 version Mattel, could not find anything on the web, also W7 wont even look at it.

Card game Galaxy of Games (for Bridge) by rmt.com was also 1998 and nothing around and again W7 will not look at it in compatible mode etc.

Microsoft joystick forcefeed back 2 is also listed by micky as not available to W7 and none of the microsoft flight sims I have are on the playable list put out via Micky.

The two card games are not fixed program games like the modern versions around which are programed to play with and against you. (the computer knows what cards you have and plays against you :twisted: )

Sending you a PM

 

[Benchwayze]

I tried playing scrabble myself. But the tiles wouldn't stick to the monitor. :mrgreen:




Sorry! Hat coat door etc.......... (homer)

 

[devonwoody]

I tried playing scrabble myself. But the tiles wouldn't stick to the monitor. :mrgreen:




Sorry! Hat coat door etc.......... (homer)

Lay the monitor flat on the table surface instead of an upright screen, certain to cure the problem. :?:

 

[Benchwayze]

Would ideally need a flat-screen for that Woody!
I still operate an old glass-fronted monitor... Which is covered in tippex marks!

But I'll remember that when I buy a new monitor as I play Monopoly online too!

 

[devonwoody]

Have a look at my mesh xp computer.

What is the card marked with a white cross 1 ? It has three external sockets with unusual pins at the tower back.

2 The battery button just pops out, and I am to be given one later in week but I will let him fit it incase I lose BIOS?

 

[JakeS]

What is the card marked with a white cross 1 ? It has three external sockets with unusual pins at the tower back.

Without a picture of the sockets, it's difficult to say. There's lots of things it could be, although I dare say you'd recognise most of them anyway.


(As to the battery, there's no risk of losing the entire BIOS when the battery comes out, but it's pretty much certain that you'll lose your settings on most PCs, unfortunately. But then, if it needs replacing you'll be losing your settings when you turn the computer off anyway, won't you?)

 

[Pete Maddex]

Hi, Devonwoody

Looks like a PSU card for powering external speakers etc.

Pete

 

[Benchwayze]

I'd have been inclined to buy a new drive Woody. If you have your own a Windows XP disc, it's easy enough to install anew. All you'll have to do is activate the installation with Microsoft and you're golden. Apart from that, one never knows what a previous owner has left on the drive, and even with formatting, it doesn't remove everything.

Find one of the online scanning services that tell you which drivers you need.
I use driveragent.com. They scan your PC, identify the components and show you which drivers need updating.
You download the drivers, and install, and Robert's your mother's brother.

HTH

 

[devonwoody]

Yes that sounds good advice re drivers, also hard drive would not go amiss.

at the present time I do not appear to have any freedom, its do this do that, the wife want this and that and I have got three members who want box number 3.