Computer question

[huggle]

my oldest PC hasn't been used in years and when powered up gives me the beep code for a broken graphic card (_ ...)
A repair or spare part is too much trouble with so old a machine (it's a 12 year old Medion) but I had some nice software on that machine and there are propably a few old photos still on the harddrive.

As I have a spare computer (harddrive wiped completely clean) I was thinking of just transfering the harddrives from the old one to the spare one. Now I am not certain if that can be done as easily as exchanging a bulb. Do all harddrives fit every computer or are there incompatibilities to worry about?

(The HDD I want to transplant is a seagate U series 5, 40 Gb, model ST340823A, configuration level 2EAABC)

[Santaman]

That isn't the BIOS code for the graphics card, its the code for the memory, usually its fixed by taking out the DIMMs and clean the contacts with alcohol and reseat them properly again.

That code only is for video cards if the machine was an original IBM XT on 99.9999% of all other machines its the code for bad memory.

Should it be the actual graphics card then let me know what kind it is, I probably will have something alike lying around, I will take cookies as payment...

As for the harddrive, no, you can't just swap a drive out, Windows will not work since it suddenly is inside a computer it does not know so it doesn't have the right drivers for it unless the other computer is 100% identical to the first one.

Also, the new machine must of course have PATA connectors else it will be physically impossible to connect the drive, modern machines tend to have SATA drives.
Also, mixing PATA and SATA drives can be problematic.

[huggle]

thanks for the tips Turned out it was something totally different LOL. Apparently there's no fitting beep code so that the BIOS chose the closest one.
I tried installing the 12 year old drives in a 6 year old machine yesterday. Unfortunately, as you suspected, the cables for the HDD don't fit the old discs. There are fitting cables for one of the empty drive slots, though. Do you think I could install the old HDDS there (as slaves, in addition to the current HDDs if I wipe them completely empty)?

So I had a good look at the old PC this morning, gave it a thorough spring cleaning, checked out every element and connection and found the culprit: the graphic card's fan was totally full of extremely sticky dust. I had to disassemble it to clean all the dirt out (with a toothbrush and my good French soap. LOL now all my graphics smell of honeysuckle )
The little old PC is now standing under my desk, humming happily and functioning within normal parameters. The only complaint it made is that it doesn't have the ideal driver for my screen (the second best it had works ok, though).

[Santaman]

I guess you can use those drives, just make sure they're set to slave if they're PATA drives.

As for the old machine, just find the latest drivers for the monitor, usually manufacturers will have drivers for older OS's

[Chatty]

Sounds like some fun 'Adventures with Computers' going on there. Glad you got things sorted.

The power supply on mine fried Friday morning. So I texted my computer guy (Gregg, my sil), who built it. Since I had to bring the kids home with me from school, he simply stopped by his house and grabbed a spare one and installed it when he came to pick them up. My desktop is now running and happy, which means I'm happy.

I'm only glad I had just literally saved my game in Oblivion when it did that, otherwise I would have been even more unhappy with it popping off like that.

[huggle]

That's what I fear most: power supply frying. In my old machine that would require considerable surgery as it's so completely boxed in. In newer PCs it's much easier to replace.


Santy, I am not really happy with Damned Small Linux on my old office computer. Is there any free (and preferably small) OS you can recommend? I'd like a surface that is similar to Windows.
Originally the PC had XP on it. It's a Maxdata with tuned up memory and processors. I'm frankly not quite certain about it's current specifications but it is on the same level as a machine that's about 2-3 years old, I'd say.
I want to use the computer mainly for storing photos, videos and audiobooks.

[Santaman]

I need the specs else I can't tell you what to go for, so processor type and speed, amount of memory, graphics card and diskspace are of less concern.

[huggle]

Cool I'll have a look at the specs in the weekend.