OT: PC hardware redundancy...

  • Thread starter Thread starter RJK
  • Start date Start date
R

RJK

I'm getting so fed up with my PC innards becoming horribly outdated BEFORE
I've even had chance to even get thoroughly used to them, I'm going to buy a
couple of spare Socket A motherboards, while a few are still available, and
other parts to future-proof my old innards as much as possible !
(...currently using XP Home ed. SP2 in a
.....xp2600-512mbL2cache-768mbpc2700)

I may even put W98se back in and have a refresher session with it !

....this post aimed primarily at PCR :-)
 
RJK said:
I'm getting so fed up with my PC innards becoming horribly outdated BEFORE
I've even had chance to even get thoroughly used to them, I'm going to buy
a couple of spare Socket A motherboards, while a few are still available,
and other parts to future-proof my old innards as much as possible !
(...currently using XP Home ed. SP2 in a
....xp2600-512mbL2cache-768mbpc2700)

I may even put W98se back in and have a refresher session with it !

...this post aimed primarily at PCR :-)
Click to expand...

Unless you are capable of writing hardware drivers for a given OS in regards
to specific individual hardware, you can't future proof hardware. Same when
buying new hardware, you cannot past proof it.
 
Jonny said:
Unless you are capable of writing hardware drivers for a given OS in regards
to specific individual hardware, you can't future proof hardware. Same when
buying new hardware, you cannot past proof it.
Click to expand...


But if you have the hardware to support what software you need, you
don't need to "upgrade" to a different OS.
 
| I'm getting so fed up with my PC innards becoming horribly outdated
BEFORE
| I've even had chance to even get thoroughly used to them, I'm going to
buy a
| couple of spare Socket A motherboards, while a few are still
available, and
| other parts to future-proof my old innards as much as possible !
| (...currently using XP Home ed. SP2 in a
| ....xp2600-512mbL2cache-768mbpc2700)

You are irradiated, is all, RJK. Yea, put Win98 back on-- sure, that's
the cure! And welcome back! At least half of us here are still half
sane!

| I may even put W98se back in and have a refresher session with it !
|
| ...this post aimed primarily at PCR :-)
|
|
 
Bob I said:
But if you have the hardware to support what software you need, you don't
need to "upgrade" to a different OS.
Click to expand...

That's backwards. The software has to support the hardware, in reference to
hardware drivers. Generally, 3rd party apps if written for a specific
version OS, will run if that OS is installed irregardless of hardware,
nevermind memory/cpu requirements. And will continue to run as long as the
hardware and OS remain stagnant, and unchanging. There is an association
between 3rd party software version and OS requirements. There is an
association between the hardware and drivers within a specific OS
environment. So, if I choose to install a later version 3rd party software,
I need to have installed a OS that it requires. If that OS is not supported
by the hardware drivers, I cannot install the OS, therefore, I cannot use
the later version 3rd party software. Where is the future proofing in that?

Moving backwards or forwards in OSes within MS windows works this way.
Drivers must support the hardware for full usage of that hardware. The
source of the drivers may or may not be MS.

Future proofing is not possible. A system using specific OS and specific
hardware is assumed to be fully functional as is. Whether today, tomorrow
or yesterday is of no consequence. Whether its a 8086 running dos 2.0, a
386 running MS windows 3.1, a 486 running MS windows 95, a P3 running
windows 98SE, or a P4 running XP Pro. If running properly initially
including installed 3rd party software, there is no time constraint for this
to continue happening. Future proofing is both a hardware and software
related thing. It means changes. What you indicates no change.
 
Jonny said:
That's backwards. The software has to support the hardware, in reference to
hardware drivers. Generally, 3rd party apps if written for a specific
version OS, will run if that OS is installed irregardless of hardware,
nevermind memory/cpu requirements. And will continue to run as long as the
hardware and OS remain stagnant, and unchanging. There is an association
between 3rd party software version and OS requirements. There is an
association between the hardware and drivers within a specific OS
environment. So, if I choose to install a later version 3rd party software,
I need to have installed a OS that it requires. If that OS is not supported
by the hardware drivers, I cannot install the OS, therefore, I cannot use
the later version 3rd party software. Where is the future proofing in that?

Moving backwards or forwards in OSes within MS windows works this way.
Drivers must support the hardware for full usage of that hardware. The
source of the drivers may or may not be MS.

Future proofing is not possible. A system using specific OS and specific
hardware is assumed to be fully functional as is. Whether today, tomorrow
or yesterday is of no consequence. Whether its a 8086 running dos 2.0, a
386 running MS windows 3.1, a 486 running MS windows 95, a P3 running
windows 98SE, or a P4 running XP Pro. If running properly initially
including installed 3rd party software, there is no time constraint for this
to continue happening. Future proofing is both a hardware and software
related thing. It means changes. What you indicates no change.
Click to expand...

Buying spare motherboards indicates that his meaning of "futureproofing"
is to prevent changes made by "advancing technology" won't keep him from
using all his "old hardware and software" because compatible
replacements aren't available.
 
Bob said:
Buying spare motherboards indicates that his meaning of "futureproofing"
is to prevent changes made by "advancing technology" won't keep him from
using all his "old hardware and software" because compatible
replacements aren't available.
Click to expand...

Why not get a compatible replacement from an auction site like Ebay and
not waste the money to buy spare motherboards.
 
Bob I said:
Buying spare motherboards indicates that his meaning of "futureproofing"
is to prevent changes made by "advancing technology" won't keep him from
using all his "old hardware and software" because compatible replacements
aren't available.
Click to expand...

If true about keeping spares around for one PC, I see your point. Thing is,
my homebuilts don't fail hardware-wise. Hard drives seem to be the Achilles
heel in long term usage, in terms of time approaching a half decade or more.
Not motherboards, cpus, RAM, add-on cards. RJK should have new spare hard
drives (checked upon receipt from vendor) onhand if those are truly his
intentions. The past history of bios hard drive capacity problems, UDMA,
and now SATA in many PCs today is my basis for getting a pertinent backup
hard drive now. The next thing, would be a backup power supply. UPS is
assumed with homebuilders. The only real long term reason I can see for a
backup motherboard is a problematic bios chip that's soldered in place
usually caused by a user in a botched flash. That's easy to avoid.
 
Jonny said:
If true about keeping spares around for one PC, I see your point. Thing is,
my homebuilts don't fail hardware-wise. Hard drives seem to be the Achilles
heel in long term usage, in terms of time approaching a half decade or more.
Not motherboards, cpus, RAM, add-on cards. RJK should have new spare hard
drives (checked upon receipt from vendor) onhand if those are truly his
intentions. The past history of bios hard drive capacity problems, UDMA,
and now SATA in many PCs today is my basis for getting a pertinent backup
hard drive now. The next thing, would be a backup power supply. UPS is
assumed with homebuilders. The only real long term reason I can see for a
backup motherboard is a problematic bios chip that's soldered in place
usually caused by a user in a botched flash. That's easy to avoid.
Click to expand...

Likewise I've had good experience with most PC hardware. We have had
some motherboard failures(I suspect bad caps) but otherwise they live a
long time. Also certain hard drive models die with horible frequency
while others run forever. (bearings wore out on one 10MB micropolis
after 8 years of 24/7 but replaced a bunch of WD's that didn't make one
year)
 
....me too ! ...I mean that the hardware of course usually lasts well but,
if it lasts three of four years - it sort of "suddenly" becomes "old" :-)
i.e. ...it's all "out of date" shortly after its' bought ! I think my
motherboard, +XP2600 Barton cpu, 768 mb's pc2700 and some other parts are
about 6 years old. It's still perfectly usable and very responsive and does
everything I want it to do.

The train of thought I was trying to express in my OP was perhaps more a
mixture of frsutration along the following lines :-
It's REALLY annoying watching "my" current generation of hardware, (and
software come to that), getting older, and more horrifyingly - progressively
DISCONTINUED by manufacturers, as new "developments" are introduced, and
older slots and sockets fall by the wayside.
e.g. one dilemma could be that if my motherboard fails, do I wade around in
ebay looking for a replacement second hand board that could go bang shortly
after fitting it, or cut my losses and run and buy whole new motherboard /
cpu / memory etc ? ...another angle to that is that it's REALLY annoying to
have to buy new "older" parts when one always feels that the money would be
better spent on more up to date parts - which seems always to equate into a
WHOLE NEW PC !!!
...AGP graphics card slot seems to be disappearing - there are one or two
"transition" type boards around i.e. they have AGP and PCI-express graphics
slots. ... e.g. a little like the generation of boards, a while ago, that
had 72pin SIMM and 168pin SDRAM on them, to encourage people to "upgrade"
and still use older type memory, until the owner could afford to upgrade the
memory, to gain that extra little performance feature !

I know, I know, it's always been the same - the marketing and manufacture
of it all is designed to keep us buying but, I can still moan ! :-)

regards, Richard
 
RJK said:
...me too ! ...I mean that the hardware of course usually lasts well but,
if it lasts three of four years - it sort of "suddenly" becomes "old" :-)
i.e. ...it's all "out of date" shortly after its' bought ! I think my
motherboard, +XP2600 Barton cpu, 768 mb's pc2700 and some other parts are
about 6 years old. It's still perfectly usable and very responsive and does
everything I want it to do.

The train of thought I was trying to express in my OP was perhaps more a
mixture of frsutration along the following lines :-
It's REALLY annoying watching "my" current generation of hardware, (and
software come to that), getting older, and more horrifyingly - progressively
DISCONTINUED by manufacturers, as new "developments" are introduced, and
older slots and sockets fall by the wayside.
e.g. one dilemma could be that if my motherboard fails, do I wade around in
ebay looking for a replacement second hand board that could go bang shortly
after fitting it, or cut my losses and run and buy whole new motherboard /
cpu / memory etc ? ...another angle to that is that it's REALLY annoying to
have to buy new "older" parts when one always feels that the money would be
better spent on more up to date parts - which seems always to equate into a
WHOLE NEW PC !!!
...AGP graphics card slot seems to be disappearing - there are one or two
"transition" type boards around i.e. they have AGP and PCI-express graphics
slots. ... e.g. a little like the generation of boards, a while ago, that
had 72pin SIMM and 168pin SDRAM on them, to encourage people to "upgrade"
and still use older type memory, until the owner could afford to upgrade the
memory, to gain that extra little performance feature !

I know, I know, it's always been the same - the marketing and manufacture
of it all is designed to keep us buying but, I can still moan ! :-)

regards, Richard
Click to expand...

Should you consider getting extra mbds, consider that the electrolytic caps
can lose their polarity if not at least occasionally in use, and this could
leave you in the position of having 'new' mbds with bad caps--

Joe
 
No! Absolutely not! Maybe it's RJK's irradiation you see bouncing off
me!


--
Thanks or Good Luck,
There may be humor in this post, and,
Naturally, you will not sue,
should things get worse after this,
PCR
(e-mail address removed)
| Aha! *Thought* you had become infected, PCR! :-|))
|
| Joe
| | > | > | I'm getting so fed up with my PC innards becoming horribly
outdated
| > BEFORE
| > | I've even had chance to even get thoroughly used to them, I'm
going to
| > buy a
| > | couple of spare Socket A motherboards, while a few are still
| > available, and
| > | other parts to future-proof my old innards as much as possible !
| > | (...currently using XP Home ed. SP2 in a
| > | ....xp2600-512mbL2cache-768mbpc2700)
| >
| > You are irradiated, is all, RJK. Yea, put Win98 back on-- sure,
that's
| > the cure! And welcome back! At least half of us here are still half
| > sane!
| >
| > | I may even put W98se back in and have a refresher session with it
!
| > |
| > | ...this post aimed primarily at PCR :-)
| > |
| > |
| >
| >
|
|
 
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