Bigbox Doesn't have Monopoly on Ignorance (Long)

[Sawduster]

The old puter's been actin strangely, so LOML wanted to get a new one. Too many tools out there that I don't have yet to waste money on a new PC, so I cracked open the box, blew the dust and breadcrumbs and such out, and cleaned the contacts on the cables and cards and such. Put it back together and, voila! the beast is working better, though some upgrading is needed. Trucked on down to BestBuy and picked up one of them fax/printer/scanner/media reader printer things and then over to the memory expansion department to get some more RAM. Had all the info on the PC written down, and the info about the DIMM that was installed when I bought the beast. Well, the 12 year old computer memory expert there tells me I need to know a whole bunch more stuff about the computer, like max RAM, what size DIMMs (as in MBs of memory) the thing will take. Well, I bought the thing at that same store so I kinda figured that they oughta be able to look it up or something. When he tells me that you can't mix n match DIMM sizes, I start to get a little leary of his expertise, but his buddy, the 13 year old PC expert, confirms his story. My bad, I guess, shoulda looked for the other half dozen books that came with the PC before I went to the store. Guess it was too much to ask that they would have some sort of book with model numbers and such for compatibility, like the ones at the autoparts stores that tell you which oil filter you need for you 47 Buick. Back home, hook up the new printer/fax . . . then search for more of the books about the 'puter. No luck. Go online to the company's site and boom, all sorts of good info. Mix n match, no problem, PC100, PC133 DIMMs, no problem. Any size all the way up to 512 Meg. Back to the store, don't bother with the experts, shoo them away when they come over. Find the one I want. Back home, stick it in and now this babies hummin. Coulda saved a trip if I hadn't been acosted by their experts. Course the real experts are makin the big bucks and not workin for the pittance they pay at the chain stores.

[Craftsman Fan]

Jerry
So what tool ya buyin with the money you saved not getting a new PC??

CF John

[Sweet Daddy]

Did you put a wrist ground strap on ??????before you touched anything and equalize the grounds????for at least 2 seconds????? and then pigtail it to the chassis until you put the last screw in???

The damn thing ain't gonna work long cause you got it contaminated with unlike grounds...............roflmao

I think thats all BS , but ??? electronic component contamination is possible but I don't ever worry about it, we are not working on the computers that will drive us to the moon ,Right?

I'm going to install a Power Supply ,CPU and CD ROM drive this weekend on an old computer I have. The shop wanted a little over $300 to do it. I went on line and got the components for $82. Now if the shop new what they were doing and didn't lie to me. I might get that old machine up and running, if not then a Hammer and Trash Can will solve what ever problems are left over after the mad scientist gets done experimenting.

dick

[Lou_williams]

Dick and all,

There is a good reason for using a grounding strap when you open the box.

Computer chips are very sensitive to static electricity and althought it won't cause a dust explosion, it will blow out memory chips and CPU's. So you want to make sure that you are gounded and the machine is grounded.

This is one of the things I do or did in my working life and it is important.

[Sweet Daddy]

Well hell I'll just bet that was what blew out my CPU cause I was in there farting around a while back, but I'm not going to tell Gladys, I'll just let her keep on thinking I,m the greastest thing since ice cubes and sliced bread.................and don't you tell her either!!!

Ill ground it before I start this time , thanks LOU

dick

[Sawduster]

It may have to be a new lathe, the dang bearings I ordered about a month ago still ain't got here, so I been look'n at the Delta Midi with the free extension. Not enough room for a real one and not enough money either. The rest I'll probably blow on wood. Besides, that printer scanner fax thing set me back 4 bills after all. But it sure does a great job of printing up photos from the digital cam.

[Sawduster]

You know, a couple of hard drives I've installed came with one of those wrist ground strap things, but it seem the last one I did a few years back didn't. Heck, it is probably a wonder that I didn't fry something with static since I pulled the cover off while sitting on the carpeted floor in the office, slid the thing around a bit on the carpet to get it into some better light and all sorts of stuff. Another one of them brain flatulents, cause I know better than that.

Hadn't looked much at computer hardware since we got that PC two years ago. Then they wanted a couple bills for a DVD drive, now they got em for around $50.00. Parallel Zip Drives are down in price too, but the USB ones are still up where the SCSI and Parallel ones were a while back. But I'd rather have a Lathe.

[drew725]

Jerry,
I think that when stores like Best Buy hire someone for their computer department, their only requirement is that the candidate be able to spell "computer".

Not to defend the 12 year old "expert" but he wasn't entirely full of BS. There are some computers that have restrictions on how you can mix-n-match memory. For example I have some computers here at work that require all memory modules be installed in pairs of exactly the same type.

Sometimes I think that the only reason why the system was designed that was is to sell more memory. Especially since I have to buy it from the computer manufacturer. I can't just go out and slap any old inexpensive memory into it, oh no, that would void the service agreement.

[Craftsman Fan]

Jerry
It would be nice to buy a different NEW tool rather than have to replace a broken one. But…

The Delta Midi is a great little lathe. Especially with the stretcher. Good luck.


BTW… Which combo machine did you get for your PC? I’ve been looking for one to scan in the pictures I took before the digital revolution.

CF John

[Sawduster]

I got the HP 950. It does a great job printing photos and even has built in readers for digi cam media. You can stick the media in to save the pics to the PC. Or you print out a "contact" sheet, choose which pics to print from the contact sheet by filling in the bubble next to the pic, scan that in tell it what size to print and it'll do it without even having to turn your pc on. This ol country boy is just amazed at what they keep comin up with.