Tag Archives: Computer

It is What is Inside That Counts

It is What is Inside That Counts
Photo-A-Day #1477

For months I have been driving around with our old computer in back seat of the car, for months before that it was in the trunk. I kept meaning to bring it to a computer store down the street to see if I could sell it off for parts. The computer store went out of business so fast I never got a chance to bring the old computer in. The computer didn’t work, we had it hooked to our TV for a few weeks and used it as a DVR. However it up and died one day.

The other morning I was talking to my friend John. He had taken a few of his old electronic items to Best Buy and he had recycled them. He went in and paid $10 and was given a $10 gift card in exchange for the recycled item. I thought this was great, I’d be getting a $10 gift card to Best Buy. What I failed to realize was that I’d pay $10 to get the $10, it was 5:30am so the synapses were not firing yet. Well, I was still thinking that I’d get a $10 gift card, knowing full well that I had to pay $10 to get it but not exactly realizing that it was and exchange that neither put me behind nor ahead.

So off to Best Buy I went. When I went in I was told that I couldn’t recycle the computer without taking out the hard drive first. I borrowed a screwdriver and went to work on the hard drive. The thing was it was in their good and tight. Then one of the senior associates told me that I couldn’t work on the computer there. I was getting frustrated and nearly snapped at him but I git back my frustration and explained that I wasn’t buying the computer I was recycling it and had been told that the hard drive needed to come out. He was cool about it then and we even talked about our theories on Heroes and why Sylar didn’t die with a knife to the back of the head. My theory, because of all his shape shifting his brain stem may actually have been in the wrong place, hopefully that will be explained on Monday.

I couldn’t get the drive out and was trying to snap it out when the associate had the Geek Squad guys take it out for me. Then he said to ring up a free recycle. A Free recycle? Where was my $10 gift card. Again It still hadn’t dawned on me that a free recycle was the same as a $10 bill for a $10 gift card. I even asked. What about my $10 gift card? The associate explained that that was for monitors and such. I said oh, was a bit annoyed and walked away. It wasn’t until later that I realized that I was neither behind nor ahead. But I also realized that I should have removed the RAM, wireless card and a few other things before I gave that computer to be recycled. Because you know they are going to take the items, test them and if they are good will most likely resell them in a bargain area or something. I seriously was not thinking yesterday.

But I did pick up Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 and Adobe Premiere Elements 7. Not Lightroom but for now it will do.

Not ready for the scrap heap… yet…

I was able to revive the home computer yesterday after I turned off the powered base of my monitor. I have a Viewsonic VX2245 the monitor has many great features like an 8 in 1 card reader, an integrated iPod dock and a powered subwoofer, not to mention HDMI inputs and a bunch of USB ports. Unfortunately when this was turned on after the full destructive reformatting of the computer it would freeze the computer. So I spent many hours frustrated as hell as the computer froze on me again and again.

Finally I removed everything but the keyboard and the mouse (usb mouse). I then was able to finally get back into the computer and set up all new accounts for Allison and myself. Then I started attaching the hardware peripherals that we have. I started with the monitor. I loaded the software and the drivers and then connected the powered base of the monitor via USB to the back of the computer. 3 seconds later the computer was frozen.

So the next time I started it back up with the powered base off. I attached the webcam next. The webcam is a logitech and it is also a lifeline for my wife to contact her family and to contact me when I travel. This worked fine. So it isn’t my usb ports. I now had 2 devices connected to the ports.

I next tried my printer. It is an HPCs400 or something like that. It has a printer, copier and scanner feature and it also has an 8 in 1 card reader and place for a usb port. I connected this printer (USB connection) and the computer locked up. Great! no printer.

I next tried my external hard drive which connects via USB. Locked up again.

I tried searching for what the problem could be as none of these problems occurred prior to my reformatting of the computer.

But it runs much faster now. Cannot connect anything to it but it runs fast.

I am thinking of putting this computer in the living room and using the media center software to use it as a DVR. That way I can use it to record shows, surf the web when we want and display images. I am also looking to upgrade the RAM in it to 2GB so it works faster. I just can’t figure out what the USB devices don’t work properly. IF I could fix that then I would continue to use this computer.

Anybody run across any of the issues I am talking about?