advice on whether to replace / restore

googler

Fifer73 wrote: »

I wouldnt be comfortable trying to remove or replace items on pc myself

Don't you want to LEARN?

Yes, there's a learning curve, but it's not difficult stuff. If I can do it.....

Fifer73

:eek: i would prob make the problem worse googler lol :eek:

i would give it a go ( nothing vetured ) but would probably get someone to help

Ben84

Fifer73 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies guys , food for thought to what to do ,
I have microsoft office 2003 on pc and again cant find the disk either.

Not all computers came with the discs. Sometimes you just get a product key on a sticker somewhere. Other times you have to use some program on the computer itself to write a disc.

Fifer73 wrote: »

I wouldnt be comfortable trying to remove or replace items on pc myself, but may look at a local shop that do refurbs sytems or a quote to update what i have already , as i would rather save money than buy new if needed.

It's worth pricing up the options. I do however think a couple of issues are going to catch up with your computer fairly soon.

First, capacitors on the motherboard and in the power supply are common failures, and I have seen many examples of hardware this old with extensive problems there. More with problems than those that don't. Fans have quite finite life spans too. Most computers are simply not built for long life spans. I know there are many vintage computers from the 80s still working great, but they were simpler, and manufacturers got a lot more shrewd about where they could cut costs in the 90s. Your average OEM power supply is usually getting rickety at 5 years old in my experience. A fair number are in fact already failed!

Second, windows xp is getting old and browser options are getting smaller too. It probably won't be that long before you'll not be able to update the browser and things you do online will stop working over time as they start using new features.

It's hard to weigh up the cost when a big factor is how long will the rest of the computer remain functional and useful, but I'm leaning towards it not being that long.

Fifer73 wrote: »

had a brief look in pc world the other day , to then get told if i wanted office and anti virus etc it would cost an additional £120 on top of pc/ laptop . This made me think i could spend just that money alone on either repairing what i have, or buying a refurb unit at around that money or a little more to have a perfectly good little unit to deal with what i use .

thanks for all the advice guys :T

You don't need to spend £120 on virus protection and a word processor. Check out libreoffice for example: www.libreoffice.org I actually prefer it and it's free! You can also get free or vastly cheaper virus protection. Newer versions of windows, like windows 7, can also run the microsoft virus protection software and firewall, which I personally think is sufficient for most people.

If you're very keen to save money though, I think cleaning the USB ports (look up on youtube perhaps?) and running a cleaner disc in the DVD drive has a good chance of solving the current problems. Maybe you can go a while longer without spending anything.

NiftyDigits

Fifer73 wrote: »

Thanks Nifty
pc wouldnt run / save CPU-Z , not sure why

got this from system information if its any good to those in the know


but other information i have been able to get from pc , which will mean a lot more to all you in the know , whether i can save this / rebuild

or point me in the direction of a new / refurbished unit .

system manufacter : micro star international
system model : MS-7312
System type x86 based pc
processor x86 family 15 model 95 stepping 3 authentic AMD 2600 Mhz

Use this link

paddyrg

Stepping back to the OP, the poster has a system that's served well and owes nothing. It could easily become a 'Trigger's Broom', chasing failing components, old monitors etc.

Instead, OP, consider a laptop. PC World and their ilk barely shift any desktop machine any more, so they cost a premium for what you get. How about having a look at the laptops in your price range and seeing if any fit the bill? You could even, if you fancied it, possibly use the old monitor with a £15 adaptor (from display port - VGA) to extend your desktop, make it much bigger!

TonyMMM

Fifer73 wrote: »

I wouldnt be comfortable trying to remove or replace items on pc myself, but may look at a local shop that do refurbs sytems or a quote to update what i have already , as i would rather save money than buy new if needed.

Paying someone to try and update such an old system would be completely uneconomic - you would be much better off just buying a new unit.

Refurbing what you have to try and make it run better, would be sensible if the machine can carry out all the functions you need - but only as a diy project. Again not really economic to pay for it be done.

bluesnake

Fifer73 wrote: »

Thank you for the reply , I have been using a 4 port usb thingy ( technical i am not lol ) which has helped short term...

I was thinking more along the lines off... if you have the ability to open the case, and see if any slots are spare (majority of computers, esp the old ones have oodles), can determine what type of slot it is (http://www.playtool.com/pages/vidslots/slots.html).

If you are able to slot in a new card (with the power cord disconnected, and without ham-fisted wiggling the new card from side to side - delicate old brittle plastic), and able to put in the CD after you switch it on, for about £15 you can just buy a card that fits the correct slot from somewhere like
http://www.ebuyer.com/store/Peripherals/cat/USB

---

Firewire

---

I---O-&-HBA/subcat/USB-Cards?sort=rating+descending

And it will possibly look similar to this, but will differ depending on the board connection and manufacturer.


On another note, my friend did this (on my advisement) and she purchased a usb3 card for £7 from china on ebay, but her bios would not support it, and there were no upgrades for this old bios either, so she lost £6

NiftyDigits

A Tenner is as much as you need to spend on this machine. Will be better and certainly usable. But perhaps soon to buy another. £250 will get you a decent machine. The rest can go towards a decent IPS monitor; 23" or more.

Cisco001

For that spec, get a new one.

http://www.ebuyer.com/662346-zoostorm-desktop-pc-7260-8022

This machine don't have DVD drive, but an external one from ebay will cost you £10 - 15

NiftyDigits

Cisco001 wrote: »

For that spec, get a new one.

http://www.ebuyer.com/662346-zoostorm-desktop-pc-7260-8022

This machine don't have DVD drive, but an external one from ebay will cost you £10 - 15

I would choose this DELL in conjunction with the 10% off VIP code. Then to perhaps fit my own graphics card.

That way you can avoid 8.1 with BING and gain more storage, a DVD drive, Wireless and Bluetooth.