Operation Delta 6

The time has come for a new chapter in our ongoing effort to build a couple of computers. Towards to the end of OpDe5, the discussion seemed to revolve around RAM, sticks, mobos etc, who to this inexperienced one was Chrysler, trees, and a whale(?) respectfully. Not so. We need you, the readers input, to help us so don't hold back, the computer world's water is fine. The gnomes of knowledge continue their effort to confuse us, but we have an effective weapon - that of asking questions. To see what has gone on before click Here

Morning All, No one is up to start I see. Are we still on RAM? Why is it there is so much to every subject? All I want to do is build a computer. https://discussions.virtualdr.com/

Bistro - status? My prayers also. Be well.

greengoose1:
Question for you! Do you plan on using a scanner?

Hey I am new here, what is going on, You want to build a comp, how brutal, a simple t-bird job or like some serious dual processor with onboard RAID and ultra 160 scsi and UBER ram? I just built my personal new system , which is seriously beating my DHCP server behind me, maybe I could be of some directional help.

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My voice is my passport, Verify me.

Good morning! JF: Welcomr to this continuing saga of Operation Delta... https://discussions.virtualdr.com/ Recommend scanning over the other Operation Delta threads in this forum for what's been going on--that way we can keep the redundancy down a bit.

I know, but reading through hundreds of messages is brutal, what is the jist, is it a UBER system or a cost effective?

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My voice is my passport, Verify me.

Joseph Falconetti:
Its leaning towards a cost effective system that can be upgraded down the road.

Ok well I am not saying that I would know best but I built a fair amount of systems for friends, and I would recommend a
K7-900 T-Bird
MSI K7T Pro 2A with the ATA-100
about 256 meg of Micron PC 133
About a 60 GIG MAxtor 7200 RPM ATA-100
A GEFORCE GTS 2 or a Voodoo 5 5500, - STILL decieding that one ( Right Bistro )
A SB Live! Value
That help any?

Moniters is a big issue, Save your eyes.
TRUST ME I have been using crap moniters since I was 9 and now that I am nineteen my eyesight is crap and I have carpel tunnel.

SPEND THAT EXTRA ON A KILLER REFRESH RATE!!!

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My voice is my passport, Verify me.

Morning https://discussions.virtualdr.com/
How's she doin' this morning, bistro ?

I'm still studying......
I read the section on IDA/ATA configuring. This doesn't sound too difficult to do. How many "channels" will I have ?
For now, I would only have two things to worry about, CDROM and Hard Drive. But evidently, it makes a difference if you add other things (like CD-R/RW) later.
You think I need to study this further https://discussions.virtualdr.com/, or will you tell me which channel what needs to be on ?.... knowing I will be adding
maybe two other things subsequently.

I noticed they didn't include the Floppy drive ? Is it because it reads differently or because CD's and Hard Drives "spin" ?

Hello Joseph Falconetti !
We are not looking for the "biggest
and the baddest" (as bistro so eloquently put it). We just want reliable> what is known to be from members experience,
upgradeable>'cause we know we'll want/need to, and reasonable...... hopefully under a thousand.
You are welcome to help us learn. https://discussions.virtualdr.com/

Actually I choose those options mainly because most of the equipment is rather inexpensive.

The 900 is when it would peak before it is really expensive.

the vid card, well the voodoo 5 5500, I can get for $260 canadian, But that may just be my supplier up here.

the sb live value is around 60, and the hard drive make it only 20 gig. also choose a Asus v7100 Geforce 2 MX 32 meg for around 200.

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My voice is my passport, Verify me.

sdtech, Yes on the scanner. Using a Visioneer 6100 now.

I add my welcome also JF. We want dependable, simple, powerful, and under a thousand. The Queen of Hearts and I will use our present periphials, and as Bistro said the other sections of OpDe have lots of info.

QoH--You'll be able to get 110 channels PLUS Showtime and Movie Max...Don't worry about IDE channels--you won't really have anything to do with them. Messing with those is non-existent or is far-flung future at this point. Same goes for the floppy drive. Just install it--has it's own special connector on the mobo. Plug it in and it works (for the most part--sometimes there are problems--but rare). And there's a problem: I am endeavoring to keep this whole thing as simple as possible for ya'll--don't want to bowl you over with a lot of "tech talk". Some is necessary (like terminology). Some of the links you have and will be given get fairly technical--don't get wrapped around the axle or lost in techno-jargon/details.
Most of the processes to build a computer is actually quite simple and logical. They had a contest here in the local area this Spring between about 100 teenagers, ages 13-15 (somewhat knowledgable, but no techno-geeks), to see which team of 4 could build a working computer in the shortest time. I can't remember the exact time for the winners, but I think it was about four hours. Does that give you a hint? Now, that was a "basic" system they put together. You will want to set aside a day where you have peace and quiet and can take your time. By the end of the day, maybe sooner, you'll be up and running. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised afterwards that it wasn't quite as difficult as you may be imagining right now.

P.S. Just re-read this. I hope you or anyone else didn't take this as a flame--that wasn't my intent. just trying to keep the project on line and as simple as possible.


[This message has been edited by bistro (edited 12-14-2000).]

Oh of course not, bistro ! https://discussions.virtualdr.com/ I was just doing my recommended reading. Maybe I am reading the wrong one for installation purposes. Or maybe this was written for tech's. I'm just wanting a basic what's first and what plugs into what. So I'll almost know what I'm doing. All the other information happens to be there.

https://discussions.virtualdr.com/hummmmm kids, huh ? Yeah, that gives me a good idea. Although, you should see what mine can do with the K'NEX in a couple hours. https://discussions.virtualdr.com/ ( I was pretty good with my ERECTOR Set https://discussions.virtualdr.com/ )

This article at the PC Mechanic site that I posted way back in time is probably one of the simplest and most thorough tutorials on the subject. There will only be a slight variance depending on what you are installing.--and that we can talk you through on. Just familiarize yourself with the basic flow of building the system with that tutorial--don't have to memorize and know every little detail. Then read it again. Pretty soon you'll see how relatively simple it can be.
P.S.: On some of the procedures depicted in that tutorial, to actually DO the procedure takes less time than it did for you to READ it. https://discussions.virtualdr.com/

[This message has been edited by bistro (edited 12-14-2000).]

Oh yes.....this one's much easier to read. https://discussions.virtualdr.com/

If ya'll are thinking about getting the Abit BX 133-RAID mobo:

Go HERE, then on the left side of the site, click on Product Info>Motherboards. Then under the "Pentium III Socket based" category, click on "BX133-RAID. You see a nice pic of the mobo with explanatory notes.

Really four hours,

I'm 19 and me and the techs had races, I was able to build the system, including screws and a unopend case in 14 minutes.

all the jumpers all the lights and the cablings, harddrive, disk vid and sound, ram

that is fun. Make good use of the old anti static ground strap ;-)

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My voice is my passport, Verify me.

JF - What are you doing when I start on mine?
14 minutes - awesome https://discussions.virtualdr.com/

OK I'm loosing it here, bistro https://discussions.virtualdr.com/

I saved the picture, brought it up in Irfanview and changed it to a bmp then opened in Paintshop and magnified. https://discussions.virtualdr.com/

I can see where things connect, and where the processor will be.

Hehe It was fun. I resigned that position.

but definatly if you want a powerful economical system I would recommend the Thunderbird.



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My voice is my passport, Verify me.

OK JF, will look at it. Thanks :0 Later

Yup...14 minutes of work and ...voila! A Packard Bell.... https://discussions.virtualdr.com/

https://discussions.virtualdr.com/
I was just wondering if he worked at the HP factory!
Could it have have been Mosaic's !! https://discussions.virtualdr.com/

No, no....HPs take a half an hour to build...with a 20 minute coffee break.

(Ow! Ow! How long is this blasting gonna go on? https://discussions.virtualdr.com/ )

Hey, (a bit off-topic) we were just talking here at work about the latest and greatest viruses that are floating around. It amazes me how many folks are getting hit with the Navidad and KAK worm lately. I'm not bragging here..but the first and last time I ever got a virus on my system was 2 years ago--and I download tons of files off the Net and have a lot of email. Why don't folks keep their virus definitions up to date and scan their e-mail? It's not hard and it'll save a lot of grief. It's the Second Commandment of The Law of Computers for gosh sakes. (The first one being don't let your relatives mess with your computer).


[This message has been edited by bistro (edited 12-14-2000).]

https://discussions.virtualdr.com/ https://discussions.virtualdr.com/ https://discussions.virtualdr.com/ "Mosaic1's computer"!

In ref to my post above, got a few tips that have been useful--no big deals, but they help:
1. Update your AV every 3-4 days--takes only a few minutes--which is less time to have to eradicate some viruses.
2. Set your AV to scan e-mail and especially attachments automatically. Which leads us to ....
3. Never totally trust the automatic feature https://discussions.virtualdr.com/...manually scan all e-mail and attachments anyway. Just takes a few secs.
4. To keep track of any downloaded and/or "I'll get back to you" files, make a folder under C:\. Call it "Hold", "Wait Here", "I Dunno About This", whatever.
Set your browser or download program to send all d'ld files to that directory--put a shortcut to that folder in your "Send To" folder also. Then, when you're ready, you can scan all the files in there before using/executing them (with an UPDATED virus scanner).
5. Make sure you have all the Security Updates/patches for your OS and browser/email program--check often.
6. Do #1 through #5

Now, no AV program I've seen is absolutely 100%. It's close to impossible to keep up with every virus, worm and variants that crop up every week. One could sneak through
anyway despite your efforts. Oh well. Just make sure you are doing your part and your system will stay clean. (I have a neighbor here, that despite what I've told him over and over again, keeps getting hit. I finally told him that "he's on his own"--got tired of telling him something he didn't want to do anything about----aren't I mean? https://discussions.virtualdr.com/).

OK...I'm down from the mountain now...next!

[This message has been edited by bistro (edited 12-14-2000).]

greengoose1:
The reason I asked if you planned on using a scanner is, you should have as a minimum of 128MB of RAM installed on your machine.

I use Hotmail, not outlook, and unless I have had an undetectable virus, I have not seen one in my computer. I do not open any e-mail that is not recognized.

Mosaic's computer, HP, seems a little concerned today about something. https://discussions.virtualdr.com/

Thanks for that one sdtech. As you have probably noticed what may be simple to some has heretofore been unknown to me. And I love to ask questions. https://discussions.virtualdr.com/ Levels the field somewhat. https://discussions.virtualdr.com/ https://discussions.virtualdr.com/

I did not know I could make a new "send to " in that folder ! WOW ! I thought I was stuck with what choices were on the menu !
Thanks bistro ! https://discussions.virtualdr.com/
I always scan attachments even if it's from MOM because some virussessss have been known to sneak in to address contacts and send to everyone in there, so it'll look like it comes from someone you know. https://discussions.virtualdr.com/

You can put a shortcut to any folder/drive in there--then r-click on any file, hit Send To in the menu, and the file will be transferred over to that folder.

Believe it or not, most e-mail viruses come from people you know--inadvertently sending them on attachments that they received from someone else. "I got this cute little poem from Aunt Matilda who got it from Cousin Susie who got it from....---just thought you'd like it", etc. etc.
I treat ALL attachments/unknown/known senders as a potential virus carriers--just a good habit nowadays. I don't even bother opening what is obviously spam and ESPECIALLY watch those *&^%$ buttheads that have Subject lines like: "Concerning Your Account" or "Need This Info Now", etc.--looking like legit inquiries. Scan EVERYTHING.

Evening everyone.

Queen_of_Hearts
https://discussions.virtualdr.com/ You got it in one. https://discussions.virtualdr.com/

Knocking on wood {BEATING on head} where viruses are concerned.
Where I work, you use the terminal an the policy is if you add anything you are fired. NO, Internet period.
And believe it they just replaced the last 486. Because it could not do its job. with 4MB of ram no wonder. Wonder why no one told them what the real problem was??




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SMILE

https://discussions.virtualdr.com/ That's the policy in a lot of work places--gotta keep those systems clean--time down due to a virus because of some poor schmuck who downloaded a corrupted/infected copy of a "Roy Rogers vs Duke Nukem" game means money/production losses. Have to enforce "Computer Concentration Camp" practices.

Finished round one of the PC Mechanic site.
Whoooowheee. Crossed eyeballs for sure.
Thanks a lot.
Now do you have a link to where you posted the power requirements handy? Just wanted to do some verification work.
Know I am forgetting something. Money??probably https://discussions.virtualdr.com/ Gots to find a certain shoe https://discussions.virtualdr.com/

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SMILE

bistro
"Computer Concentration Camp" practices.
So true. Best name I have heard yet.




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SMILE

I'll put them right here:
Add up the total wattage demands of your system, then check the PS to see if it's adequate. Yes, the system may run anyway, but it's like plugging too many appliances into one extension cord---one of these days it's gonna blow. A good rule of thumb is 150 watts for M/B, CPU, and RAM and then 12 watts for each card and device (including fans). You can see how a 200W or even a 230W PS may not be enough. Here's another list--your actual wattage may differ slightly--best thing to do is check the documentation that came with each of your peripherals:
High-wattage AGP card 20 - 30W
Average PCI card 5W
Cached SCSI controller PCI card 20-25W
Floppy drive 5W
10/100 NIC 4W
50x Atapi CD-ROM 10 - 25W
10x Atapi DVD-ROM 10 - 25W
8x / 4x / 32x SCSI CD-R/RW 17W
SCSI CD-ROM 12W
RAM 10W per 128MB
Ultra2 SCSI PCI card 5W
5200rpm IDE hard drive 5W - 11W
7200rpm IDE hard drive 5W - 15W
7200rpm Ultra2 SCSI hard drive 24W
10,000rpm SCSI drive 10 - 40W
Motherboard (without CPU or RAM) 30 - 40W
550MHz Pentium III 30W
733MHz Pentium III 23.5W
300MHz Celeron "A" 18W
600MHz Athlon 45W

I.E.: If you have a 200W PS, you are limited to only 4 IDE devices--example:2 hard drives, ZIP and a CD---add additional IDE devices and you're overloading.

Like i said--wattages of various makes/models can vary--the only way to really
verify is to look up the specs in the manual or a label on the component itself. But the above is a good rule of thumb.

A 300W ps really should be the minimum for a halfway decent system--350 a little better (more breathing room). Of course you don't add in any external peripherals that have their own power supply (now I just had to say that... https://discussions.virtualdr.com/)



[This message has been edited by bistro (edited 12-14-2000).]

GOOD LUCK ! Train

Even I can't find which shoe I put it in !

{I moved to my question to hardware to keep outta here.}



[This message has been edited by Queen_of_Hearts (edited 12-14-2000).]

Of course you don't add in any external peripherals that have their own power supply (now I just had to say that... )

Reminds me of drivers training every time you change post. Watch'em miss interpret post. https://discussions.virtualdr.com/

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SMILE

Train-- LOL https://discussions.virtualdr.com/ "Post"? WHAT "post"?

Q_O_H: hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but usually when you get that "CMOS checksum invalid" message, it means the battery is going south. Be sure the new one was the right type and inserted correctly--or check to see if perhaps you put the old one back in by mistake. If you are sure everything is OK, try going into the BIOS setup (there will be a prompt for that at boot-up) and set it for "default values"--save settings and exit. before it reboots, power off. Then turn the system back on and see if that message comes on again.

Knox, Bragg, Lost-in-the-woods, Cameron Station
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SMILE

[This message has been edited by Train (edited 12-14-2000).]