Disklavier

Greetings D,

i used to build all my computers with reliable motherboards and
standard parts. when i got to the point that i needed about 5
computers several of which run legacy apps and need XP, parallel ports
ps2 etc and also enough room in the office to fit them all, i switched
to the SFF computers made by Dell. i have another by HP and it has
been a total disaster from the beginning. i had a rule about not
buying HP but forgot. the little SFF computer was so "perfect". it
came with Vista which i could not use and installing XP was torture
because of custom hardware and lack of drivers for XP. to cram the
parts in the box, they made some really horrible choices such as a 3
part plastic wobbly linkage to push the CD drive open switch. the
wireless card was a "no name" piece of junk (actually made by one of
the worst OEM manufacturers Liteon) for which it took hours of
searching and trying to figure out what it was and get an XP driver.
there was only one pci slot in the thing so no normal card could be
fitted. i bought this computer new and could do nothing with it until
win 7 beta came out at which point it became sort of useful.

i never had these problems with the dell optiplex. they are so common
that parts are and will be available for a long time from 3rd party
suppliers. best bet is to get at least two of the same computer if you
need reliability so you can keep one for parts.

these computers do not regularly show up at the dump or recyclers
because they are usually provided on a lease basis and are returned to
the lease company and then refurbished or sent to China to be melted
in open pits.

Saturday, February 6, 2010, 8:21:48 AM, you wrote: >   
> Hi,

> This is why I typically build my own with the 'standard' parts, i.e., ATX power
> supply..

> Many of the PCB manufacturers have proprietory components / modules in their
> PCs, so that if something goes bad, you have to purchase that component at a
> highly inflated price from the manufacturer.

> That is, unless the component is more than a few years old and no longer
> available, in which you will need to purchase another PC...

> Danny

> *********

> From: "kenmortgages" <kenmortgages@...>
> To: <disklavier@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Sunday, January 31, 2010 10:58 PM
> Subject: [disklavier] Re: Disc Copying - and Obsolete Technology

>>
>>
>> Strangely enough - the PC I borrowed this morning was a Dell - cheap office 
>> model. The only problem with Dell in Australia is that they are made with a 
>> lot of non-standard parts. Power supply failure is a real problem I've had 
>> with clients, as are video card problems. I'm going to scrounge one off eBay 
>> as a back-up however.
>>
>> Ken
>>
>> --- In disklavier@yahoogroups.com, "Frank & Gean Evans" <evans@...> wrote:
>>>
>>> I absolutely agree. The Dells have another "good feature". From a full
>>> format you do not have to activate WIN XP if you use a Dell XP disk. Saves a
>>> lot of time.
>>> I have just recently disposed of a bunch of the GX270-280s when the local
>>> Comm. Col. had an auction. The working ones went for $5.00 - $10.00 and the
>>> ones that had "bad" mother boards went for a buck.
>>> I think I changed the caps. on about 12 motherboards.
>>> Sold them at a big savings for the local folks as well as upgrading my shop
>>>  
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------
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> 
 

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