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| Thread ID: 30311 | 2003-02-15 21:02:00 | Network or backup | Scouse (83) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 121531 | 2003-02-15 21:02:00 | Probably in to "Janet and John" territory for most of you wizards, but... My son has donated to me a box with Pentium 111 x 2, 1B GHz 765.0 MB RAM, 30 GB HD. Having transferred or copied all of my junk from my very old 486, 133, 8 GB HD system, including my favoured Win 98 SE, I can now play on either - merely having to swap the keyboard and screen. (I found that Win98 will work on only one Pentium and ignores the other.) Question: How can I get the most benefit from having two systems, almost identical in content. I am thinking of "networking" the two simply to see if I can do it - but will need guidance, or simply linking the old machine and using it as a backup device. Any recommendations on where to start? (PS Why is the spell checker on this thing apparently using English (USA)) |
Scouse (83) | ||
| 121532 | 2003-02-15 21:22:00 | I dont see any need to do anything with the old system other than sell it or give it away. the new system will do every thing the old system did plus much more. if you realy do want to connect them togeather then i would look at a network starter pack from DSE (might cost $60) the network starter pack comes with some instructions to get you started. from your description i take it that you have a twin CPU P3 and as you have found win98 wont use both CPU's. if you want to use both CPU's then you will need either windows NT, 2000 or XP. if you feel like a change from the MS world then linux will also use both CPU's. have fun with your new toy. |
robsonde (120) | ||
| 121533 | 2003-02-15 21:56:00 | i agree, the old 486 isnt worth much 'unless' your into playing older games, then it will become very handy. either that or you could just sell it and keep the hdd as a backup device? | eldar-colonel (3179) | ||
| 121534 | 2003-02-15 22:41:00 | Thanks folks. Ho elder-colonel You touched on one of my possibilities - using the old Hd as a backup device. How? |
Scouse (83) | ||
| 121535 | 2003-02-15 22:46:00 | Prior to going to DSE to pick up two network cards and a Cat 5e crossover cable I would open the 486 and check to see if it has any PCI slots. If your post is correct and it is running at 133Mhz that would point to it being a 586 Pentium 1 rather than a 486 as I think the fastest they ran was 66Mhz. Anyway..... An old PC would normally have quite a few ISA expansion slots and one or two PCI. The visual difference is primarily size and sometimes colour. ISA slots are about 220mm (and brown?) while PCI are around the 90mm (and white?) mark. If the PC doesn't have any PCI slots then you would need to buy a second hand ISA network card. Trademe (www.trademe.co.nz) can be a good source for these types of things. If there is no rush, you could pop linux on the old PC and play with it. Set it up as a purely firewall machine with something like Smoothwall (http://www.smoothwall.org) or just about anything. Like you say a good time to experiment with networking. |
Gorela (901) | ||
| 121536 | 2003-02-15 23:02:00 | Forgot to mention that you can also pick up a KVM (Keyboard/Video/Mouse) switch that will enable you to run two or more computers with one keyboard, etc. These are available from DSE and the auto two way switch with cables costs about (www.dse.co.nz) $100. | Gorela (901) | ||
| 121537 | 2003-02-15 23:59:00 | Ho Gorela Am I missing something. Why would I buy a KVM Keyboard/Video/Mouse) switch for about $100 when I can buy anoher keybpoard for as little as $20 and can get an opical mouse through SeniorNet for $23? |
Scouse (83) | ||
| 121538 | 2003-02-16 00:28:00 | >Keyboard/Video/Mouse Keyboards and mice may be cheap. It's when you need to share the monitor that duplication costs. (Mind you, sharing the mouse and keyboard has the advantage of freeing up the desk space a bit). |
Heather P (163) | ||
| 121539 | 2003-02-16 03:12:00 | From what I have read I gather that you are wanting to keep the old computer useful, which is exactly my position with a similar old PC. You have a number of choices: 1. Use the old computer as a backup for your data by networking the two computers. That means finding an appropriate network card for the old machine. 2. Use the old computer as a backup for your data by using a parallel cable between the two computers. This method is much much slower and more hassle when transferring files than a network, but all you need is the cable and close proximity to each other to do it. 3. Use the old computer as a firewall using Smoothwall as Gorela suggested. This is what I hope to do with my old computer sometime soon. 4. Remove the hard drive from the old computer and put it in the newer one to use as a secondary drive. If this appeals to you others will be able to offer further advice. |
Susan B (19) | ||
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