Being given a work computer with no hard dreive - worth it?

esuhl

As suggested, you just need to work out whether the PC requires an IDE (aka PATA) hard drive or a SATA one. Chances are that you'll need an IDE drive. If so, you can get a brand new one for less than £30 from scan.co.uk:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=14183

Or if it's SATA you're after:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=589882

Hope this helps...

isofa

raptorman wrote: »

Funnily enough I was serious and because Puppy runs from memory once it's booted up you can remove the CD so it run's just as fast if not faster than say XP.

As well as buying a hard drive the OP may need to buy a copy of XP. I recommended Linux because it's free and surprisingly easy to use and would allow them to see what spec the computer is. If nothing else they could give it to their kids(if they have any) and let them play with it.

OP, you won't lose anything by trying Puppy Linux and you never know you might like it.

HTH

I'm not knocking Linux, it's an excellent option, although I'm not sure ideal for a novice who wants a machine to look identical to s work set-up: Windows, Office, IE etc. And for more features, I'd be recommending Ubuntu personally.

However I was commenting on running a system day-to-day without a hard drive something which I stand by! :rolleyes:

To see the spec, there is no need to do anything complex - as it is a Dell machine (as the OP confirms it is), all you need to do it go to the Dell support site and enter the short Service Tag code, which will be on the case, from there you can download all the drivers for each of the components (graphics card, sound card, etc) too.

raptorman

isofa wrote: »

I'm not knocking Linux, it's an excellent option, although I'm not sure ideal for a novice who wants a machine to look identical to s work set-up: Windows, Office, IE etc. And for more features, I'd be recommending Ubuntu personally.

However I was commenting on running a system day-to-day without a hard drive something which I stand by! :rolleyes:

To see the spec, there is no need to do anything complex - as it is a Dell machine (as the OP confirms it is), all you need to do it go to the Dell support site and enter the short Service Tag code, which will be on the case, from there you can download all the drivers for each of the components (graphics card, sound card, etc) too.

No problem mate, I was simply commenting that the OP
didn't have to spend any money on the machine if
they didn't want to(this is MSE afterall);). For all we know they might not
have a clue how to install a HDD/OS and thought from
my experience that Linux(Ubuntu,Puppy, whichever) was
easy enough to install/use.

LondonDiva

It's arrived & is an Optiplex GX 280

it's one of those without a cd writer (I think IT grabbed those for themselves!), but it does have a cdrom - how easy would it be to swap out the cd bit?

BTW thanks for your info guys, I'm one of the most technologically cack handed people in existence, so I really appreciate your contributions:)

BillScarab

Usually very easy to swap the cd-drive for dvd writer.

Firts get the side off and you can chekc what sort of hard drive it needs. If it has cables like this you need an IDE hard drive, if it has much smaller cables with ends like this you need a SATA drive.

The chances are the CD drive is IDE so to replace it just disconnect the cable and the power lead then unscrew or unclip it depending on how it is fixed in. Buy a drive from ebuyer or somewhere similar, making sure you get one with the right connector and fit it instead.

rdpro

mmm.. GX280's.. been working with those for 2 years now, very reliable apart from the SATA hard drives they were originally fitted with, so you got a good deal
The CD-ROM just slides out after disconnection - 2 green 'sliders' are fitted to the sides of the CD-ROM unit - just unscrew these, re-attach to a DVD-RW and slide back in.

LondonDiva

Have just learned that it pays to be nice to people, even if there's no apparent connection:T

Helped a member of staff I don't know from another floor (never the twain shall meet) out yesterday afternoon. Nothing in it for me & thought I'd never come across the person again.

Only turns out he's in a 'relationship' with the IT guy who sorted out my tower. They must have chatted & IT bloke came up to check the spec on my computer (apparently I have a 1/2 gig? memory) and has decided that he's going to pop up with some 'spare memory' he has lying about to take it up to 2 gb.

Even I know that's a good thing!:)

culpepper

ooh lucky!
OH is quite chatty with various people at work and when they were replacing their old apple macs, he happened to say he liked his and would be sorry to see it go, so they gave it to him to take home. We did have to buy a harddrive but it was just a basic IDE drive and they even had the old operating system which they let him have .
Apparently they just scrap them as it is a lot of work to get them electrically checked etc to pass on to charity.

LondonDiva

4gb of memory in the end JJJ!!!!!!!!!!!!! :T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T

I’m really happy! It’s apparently a SATA drive, so will look for one.

Thanks for the suggestions about linux etc, but being a techno phobe the simpler slot in & go hard drive works better for me & I suspect Bill Gates.

BillScarab

We scrap vast amoutns of IT kit every year. They won't let us take it home and they won't donate it or sell it as apparently if they give them away and someone blows themselves up with it a year later they can sue the company.

Last year we were scrapping Sun V880 servers as they were no longer on our approved hardware list and they were fetching about $35,000 at the time.