Computer repair gone bad

[jkaetz]

I think 512 was probably the biggest I saw back when I was looking, but most were smaller than that. It's been a year or more though since I was looking. You lost me at NAS and RAID. I've been a mainframe programmer, but I'm just barely PC-literate. I remember thinking that 400 Mb files were HUGE!

You can get 512 for under $100 now and go all the way up to 2TB if you want.

RAID is Inexpensive Disks or Independent Disks. There is no requirement for them to be identical.

Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks. And if you want the redundancy part you do want disks of the same size at least.

NAS is network attached storage. You usually plug a few spinning disks into a device and connect it to your network. Computers access the files remotely. When using multiple disks and the redundant part of RAID if one fails you simply replace it and move on without loosing data. There are of course catastrophic cases but they are low in probability.

 

[nonobaddog]

And if you want the redundancy part you do want disks of the same size at least.

Not really, the array will only use the size of the smallest disk regardless of how big the others might be. The same size disks is most cost efficient but not required at all.

 

[jkaetz]

Not really, the array will only use the size of the smallest disk regardless of how big the others might be. The same size disks is most cost efficient but not required at all.

I suppose that's true but then you're wasting disk space too.

 

[nonobaddog]

I suppose that's true but then you're wasting disk space too.

Exactly, that is why it is usually most cost efficient to use same size disks, just not required. If you happen to have some spare disks piled in the corner you can use them..

 

[IndyBeerman]

I think 512 was probably the biggest I saw back when I was looking, but most were smaller than that. It's been a year or more though since I was looking. You lost me at NAS and RAID. I've been a mainframe programmer, but I'm just barely PC-literate. I remember thinking that 400 Mb files were HUGE!

When I did my new system buuild 2.5 years ago I bought a 1TB Patriot Ignite SSD on sale for 289.00

You can't beat the SSD drives for speed at startup. From hitting the on button, to full functionality, I believe I timed mine at 8 seconds to load Windows 10 and ready to work. I use the SSD just to store and run the software, and dual hard drives to store data (in a RAID). Combined with a lot of ram, and quality components, it's blazing fast. I really don't want anything on the cloud, and use USB hard drives for offsite backups..

Firing up my new system build with a AMD FX8350 8 core processor my first boot up was 7 seconds. I was impressed, my first computer was a Tandy 10000EX with a vic20 chip, boot time on it was so slow you could grill a burger and make some fries and sit down just in time to get the C:/ prompt.

I miss the days of running QEMM and Deskview386, of course back then 10 meg was a HUGE drive, I used to use PKZIP with bat files to store multiple games. Unzip, play zip backup with an update to the zip file hidden and delete the files to save space. Ah yes, the days of 5.25 360k and 3.5 720k the 1.44 floppies and 300 to 56.6k modems also, NOT! LOL

 

[nonobaddog]

I still have my first PC clone, dual 5.25 floppies, 8088 processor and I paid an extra $300 to get a 30MB hard drive over the normal 10MB one.
I believe it still runs but I have not tried it in years.

 

[IndyBeerman]

I still have my first PC clone, dual 5.25 floppies, 8088 processor and I paid an extra $300 to get a 30MB hard drive over the normal 10MB one.
I believe it still runs but I have not tried it in years.

That 1000EX I had when manufactured, was only 128k, no modem and a 5.25 floppy.

Found aftermarket manufactures making the memory expansion card up to 1 meg, 1200 baud modem and a 10 meg hard drive.

To this day if I hear fax negotiation tones it throws me into a tisey hoping for a connection back before the pre-internet days.

 

[mmpsteve]

That 1000EX I had when manufactured, was only 128k, no modem and a 5.25 floppy.

Found aftermarket manufactures making the memory expansion card up to 1 meg, 1200 baud modem and a 10 meg hard drive.

To this day if I hear fax negotiation tones it throws me into a tisey hoping for a connection back before the pre-internet days.

The year was 1985. The Tandy all-in-one our first computer. I believe it only had 64k ram. Did it's job well: made me a lot of money. I still have a friend with AOL email. They were nearly the only game in town back then. Can't believe they're still around.

.

 

[IndyBeerman]

The year was 1985. The Tandy all-in-one our first computer. I believe it only had 64k ram. Did it's job well: made me a lot of money. I still have a friend with AOL email. They were nearly the only game in town back then. Can't believe they're still around.
.

Bought mine used in 1987 with the monitor and dot matrix printer for 150.00 Used CompuServe, and was a member and sysop of the Old Traders Connection called TCON (owned by the old Trader newspaper) that had it's own net connection between Indianapolis, Nashville,TN and Memphis, TN.

Heck for about 3 years I ran the old BBS called Prime Cuts for Brooks Micro Systems computer shop in Plainfield. I got to dable with all the latest equipment and we had one of the few multi-line BBS's running the old Wildcat BBS software.

I need to get my geek back on and update myself on the latest and greatest equipment out there. At 57 years old, I still can relate to the old school items, but at least I'm not technology challenged.

 

[nonobaddog]

Have you tried running DOS on a fairly modern computer? It is kind of fun to play with the old DOS applications and games. It is just freaky fast without all the overhead that comes with Windows.

 

[jkaetz]

Have you tried running DOS on a fairly modern computer? It is kind of fun to play with the old DOS applications and games. It is just freaky fast without all the overhead that comes with Windows.

It's great until you try to play a game that runs at full CPU clock. I remember trying to play one of the snake variants even on a old 586 and you were lucky to keep from immediately crashing into the wall.

 

[nonobaddog]

Yes - some games are just not playable. No humans are that quick.
If you use FreeDOS as the OS you can use their SLOWDOWN utility, which comes free with version 1.2, to slowdown the CPU during unthrottled game play. This works with some games but has issues with others.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Have you tried running DOS on a fairly modern computer? It is kind of fun to play with the old DOS applications and games. It is just freaky fast without all the overhead that comes with Windows.

I downloaded DosBox (?) on my previous computer because I wanted to be able to play Zork II. Never did get it to work right though. I'm sure it was user ignorance.

 

[nonobaddog]

I've heard good things about DosBox but never tried it. It is an emulator so you still need an operating system under it.
With FreeDOS it is the operating system so all it needs is hardware and a BIOS. The only limitations are 32 bit hardware (no 64 bit) and FAT32 on the HDD (no NTFS). That is how it gets such great performance - no Windows to slow the machine down.

 

[jkaetz]

I downloaded DosBox (?) on my previous computer because I wanted to be able to play Zork II. Never did get it to work right though. I'm sure it was user ignorance.

For DOS games, just hit up the internet archive and play in a web browser. You'll loose plenty of hours of productivity.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

For DOS games, just hit up the internet archive and play in a web browser. You'll loose plenty of hours of productivity.

Thanks! (I think. ) I bookmarked it.

 

[nonobaddog]

Also Play classic arcade games online for free. Atari, Nintendo NES, Intellivision, Colecovision. Play Free Video Games. iPhone and IOS compatible.
They have Frogger.