Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with hardware

My home built PC is DOA. Help!

COD — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 12:19:37 -0800

My new homebuilt PC is DOA (Dead on Assembly). Athlon dual core with an ASUS motherboard, GeForce 9500 and 2 GB of RAM. It is a barebones kit from Tiger Direct, so I shouldn't have any imcompatible parts. All parts are brand new except the DVD drive, which I had laying around. I have power to the motherboard as the LED on the motherboard does light. However, when I push the power button nothing happens, no fans, nothing at all. The power LED on the front panel is not lighting. I have double checked all the connections, and quadruple checked the 2 pin power switch connector.

Any ideas on what I should check? This is not my first PC build. I was careful, didn't have any static electricity issues, etc.

Is is possible to install an Athlon CPU improperly? I can't seem to get the damn CPU fan off so I have not double checked the CPU, but it sat right down in the socket and the locking bar closed easily, so I really doubt that is the problem.

Suggest some online stores for DIY electronic gadget making.

Charlie Lesoine — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:57:51 -0800

Can you recommend some good stores like http://www.goldmine-elec.com/ and http://www.sparkfun.com/ I'm looking for little motors, gears, metal rods, rubber rollers/grommets as well as electrical components.

Looking for an external hard drive

The Lurkers Support Me in Email — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:35:40 -0800

My external hard drive has been making some very odd noises for a while and I’m looking for a good replacement. Your input would be appreciated. I’ve been using an external enclosure for the last year or so, but shortly after I bought the drive it started taking a long time to spin up (10+ seconds) before making a loud click sound and finally starting to read/write, during which time the app accessing the drive beachballs. I think it would be a good idea to replace the enclosure with an actual external disk instead of the Super Nintendo-esque setup I've got now, but I'd like to run my criteria past the hive mind to get some advice first.

Key points:

I want something whisper-quiet. I live in a very small apartment and can't imagine how I used to put up with a noisy dual-GPU tower machine now that I have an iMac.

The current drive is 1TB, but I'm considering going with a 2TB drive for a bit of extra space. Depends on the severity of the price jump.

I want something reliable. My belief is that all consumer-grade hard disks are ticking timebombs that will all fail at some point, but I'd like to avoid buying another IBM Deathstar.

Physical size is irrelevant; I'll be sticking it behind my display and never looking at it again. Performance is also a non-issue as it will only be used for Time Machine backups and bulk data storage.

eSATA is unnecessary as my iMac doesn't have a connection, but it does have an unused FireWire port that I'd like to take advantage of (freeing up a USB port in the process).

I live in Canada and will probably be ordering from there, but I don't think there's much difference in cross-border product availability these days.

Do I 'need' a gaming laptop to play MMOs?

Kurichina — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:37:12 -0800

Do I 'need' a gaming laptop to play MMOs? Computer hardware knowledgable people: what sort of system do you use for determining your 'needs' for a computer? My HP lappy conked out last week (very likely a motherboard failure, I'm told) and I'm in the market for a new one. It wasn't an ideal time financially for this to happen, so I don't want to spend anymore money than I have to. However, I also want this next laptop to last 4-5 years if possible, or, at the very least, 3.

I'm not a huge gamer, but I started playing a fair amount of WoW earlier this year and it's not unreasonable to think I may branch out into a few other MMOs. On my old, mid-range HP, WoW had many errors (not able to process the zone files and crashing) and was generally frustrating. Other than the games, my needs are fairly basic: a small amount of graphic design, word processing/spreadsheets, listen to music and watch DVDs/blu-rays. Is it worthwhile to splash out on a newer, more powerful processor *(quad core or I7, for e.g.) and some extra memory or will this be money wasted due to not using this power? Is there an objective (i.e. not trying to sell me something) site out there that will determine my hardware needs?

I've seen this but that question didn't discuss the needs of MMOs, and I'm not interested in the PC vs Mac side of things. (For reasons of cost and wanting to keep using the same software I already own, some of it purchased at "educational" prices for which I no longer qualify, I'm sticking with a PC.)

Trying to get old files from older HDD

Student of Man — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:56:49 -0800

I'm trying to get my old files off of an old Hard-disk. Old PC is XP newer PC is Vista. I removed the Hardisk from the OLD computer. I bought a USB to SATA/IDE cable. When I plug in the Hard-disk via USB, I hear the confirmation tone that you hear everytime you plug in a USB. I see a "ST340082 0AS SCSI Disk Device" in the "Safely remove hardware" icon in the tray. but I do not see the Drive. I can't really afford an External Hard drive. But I will eventually if I have to. Cna anyone help me please.

Where to buy server hardware in Dallas?

edmz — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:17:23 -0800

I need to buy a custom 1U server in or around Dallas. Tomorrow. I need to buy a 1U rack server to install in a collocation facility in Dallas. Tomorrow I will be flying to Dallas and I need to buy the server once I'm there.

Ideally, the place where I can buy this server has the items in stock so that I can cherry-pick the hardware I need.

Linux will be installed on the server, in case it matters.

Thanks for any suggestions.

What would you call it?

Chrischris — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:00:33 -0800

emergency translation alert: What phrase would a Latin American Spanish speaker use to describe the following piece of closet hardware: Extending hang rod.

Picture a rod assembly which is attached to a closet or cabinet and slides out to hold clothes hangers, but slides back in an out of sight when not in use. I've been tasked with finding out what a Spanish speaker might plausibly call such a thing, and am leery of the online translation sites, which have burned me by returning inappropriate or overly-literal phrases before...

Computer Pony Request!

Bonzai — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:49:53 -0800

I would like to find a hard drive enclosure that isn't enclosed. I would really like a USB -> IDE 3.5" hard drive enclosure that I don't have to open up. I'd like to be able to take out one drive and put in another kind of like those old Atari 2600 cartridges.

Every enclosure I find online is a slim little box which looks like I'd have to open up to put the drive into it.

Does such an animal exist?

What is this U-Shaped Nail With a Jacket?

lore — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:18:14 -0800

What is this nail/staple/wire thing? I have a bunch of little u-shaped nails, each of which has a little jacket-like thing wrapped around the top: Image

What are these things? What are they used for?

While I'm at it, what are u-shaped nails called? Are they called staples even when they're designed to be hit with a hammer rather than dispensed from a stapler or staple gun?

Bill Gates I ain't...

malibustacey9999 — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:12:26 -0800

The best way to go from knowing how to put a computer together out of the box but nothing else, to understanding how the 'innards' work? Apologies if this question has already been asked and answered. I searched, but I couldn't find anything that addressed my angle.

So, I can connect up the bits out of the box, and some extra bits you add later. I'm the one my friends/family call when they update and don't know how to connect it all up, but my hardware skills stop there. I can troubleshoot minor stuff, but mostly software based, I think. I had a crash course in being hacked a few months ago and, with the help of AskMe, minimised the damage.

I have learned a tiny little bit about software, programs, and whatnot, but open the tower (?), and I have no clue what's in there, what it does, and how to work with it.

I bought myself a new desktop PC, and now the old dead one is sitting on the floor behind me, tormenting me with the memories of all the music, pictures and documents that I didn't think were worth backing up. (I know. Silly me.)

There's nothing on it that I can't live without, but I'm probably capable of getting it working again, or extracting the information it contains, if I set my mind to learning how. And the more I think about it, the more I want to do it. I don't have any learned friends/acquaintances I can call on for help, so books and the internet must be my teachers, I guess. I've surfed various DIY sites, but they seem to vary in detail and assumption of, um, base knowledge.

So what would you suggest as a good resource for an enthusiastic learner? Computer Hardware For Dummies or similar? Have you taught yourself, or have your kids self-educated about hardware? What worked for you/them? What didn't?

Possibly relevant: I'm a handy girl, I have toolboxes I use regularly. I can fix a noisy toilet, a leaking tap, change fuses, service cars, so using a screwdriver or stripping wires won't be part of my learning curve. And I have the old PC just sitting there waiting for me to pull it to bits, but I'm not confident to begin until I have a source of guidance I can trust.

(Is it cheating if I also ask where I can find a list of MeFi acronyms and explanations, because I can't sleep until I know for sure that YMMV doesn't stand for You May Morph Violently?)

How to reliably and safely move 50kg half a meter?

dmd — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:58:03 -0800

Every day I need to transfer a piece of equipment from a dolly to another piece of equipment. It weighs about 50 kg (~100 lbs). How can I do this safely and with minimal strain? The setup consists of a box (about half the size of a minifridge) which, when in use, contains an animal, so it must be treated extremely gently. The box is normally transported while sitting on its rolling dolly. The box needs to be removed from the dolly and placed on a support plate a few inches off the floor.

I purchased a shop lift to help me move it, but unfortunately it turns out the shop lift doesn't go down far enough. And I haven't found any available for purchase that do.

I would like to make, or (extremely preferably) purchase something that will help me move the box from the dolly to the plate with minimal effort on my part (I have a herniated disc, so lifting 50kg twice a day has been really bad for me).

Any suggestions? The main constraints here are that the transfer must be extremely gentle and safe - there can be absolutely no chance whatsoever that it would be dropped or tipped over.

MacBook Unibody Floppy-Hinge Hacks?

lonefrontranger — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 07:50:26 -0800

The hinge on my partner's new unibody MacBook Pro is just-loose-enough to make using it in bed annoying. Solutions, cases or a hack welcomed. O hive mind, please help us comfortably enjoy our weekend morning lazy-surfing, emailing bliss with a new unibody MBP!

So, after searching Google and finding this as the first hit, and this as the second, I'm not feeling very optimistic.

The new unibody MBP that mr. lfr. just bought is amazing. Really amazing. Photo processing has taken on new life, the screen is gorgeous, it doesn't get scaryhot when running video for extended periods of time, and last but not least, he's now able to run his heavy duty protein modelling software for work seamlessly on it now.

The only glitch is that he can't comfortably lie down in bed (or on the couch) with the laptop above his head because the new unibody has a seemingly "looser" hinge design than both his and my first-gen intel MBP did/do. The challenge with this is that we both tend to do a fair bit of lying around being creative (or lazy, your pick) either on the sofa or in bed, with the laptops above our heads, and the fact that he can't do that with his new one is actually fairly annoying. In fact, I am typing this question from a supine position right now on my older MBP. Also, I had planned to replace my own MBP with a new unibody soon, and this (seemingly quite minor) issue has suddenly become very important to me. Yes, I'm that lazy.

Has anyone here found a solution to this "floppy screen" issue on their new unibody? Since he already mentioned that he would like to find a case, is there potentially a (light, slim) case out on the market there that adds a little more tension/stability to the open clamshell design, to allow the screen to stay up/open when gravity takes over?

um, also please note: "get out of bed" is not really a helpful answer. He's already discovered that piling pillows to sit up and look at/down at the screen (rather than up at it) is much less comfortable and seems to put more strain on his neck.

iPhoneDevFilter: Smartphone app or dedicated device?

jplane — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 06:58:37 -0800

What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of creating an iPhone/smartphone application vs. building a dedicated device? A friend is interested in building and selling a handheld electronic device. In general terms, it's intended as a data-tracking aid for a particular sport popular with middle-class suburban folks, and their kids.

He has no technical background, and he's asked for my advice on how to proceed (I'm a software developer). His first inclination is to build a dedicated device... the interface would/could be fairly rudimentary, a half-dozen buttons and a small LCD screen would work for starters. He also wants USB-enabled upload capability, to suck the data onto a proper computer for further analysis.

My first thought here is "build an iPhone/smartphone app". You admittedly miss folks who don't own a fancy phone, but I think there's a reasonably high (and increasing) percentage of smartphone users who are also in the target demographic for his application. The upside is that you don't have to deal with messy hardware programming, manufacture of the device, physical distribution, etc.

I also think there's potential for building some community around his app... like a website that houses all the collected data, displays it in nice charts, maybe some friendly competition between users, Facebook tie-ins, etc. None of this would be impossible to accomplish with the dedicated hardware, just more difficult, I think.

I admit up front to relative ignorance of hardware programming and manufacturing, and I have a natural bias towards software... but as a "something I want to try on the side and not quit my day job" kind of venture, I know I'd prefer to be selling bits rather than atoms.

Thoughts on this? What advice would you give him?

A beowulf cluster with nothing to do.

brenton — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:06:24 -0800

I scrapped all my junk computers together and made the most rag tag beowulf cluster ever in my living room. Mostly as a conversation starter. But now I have to figure out what to have it working on. What's something that will sound really cool?

PleaseDon'tJudgeMeFilter.

halogen — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:30:29 -0800

I have a bunch of HDTV shows recorded on a HD DVR. How can I make a video compilation without knowing anything about video editing? Complication: Linux household. I suppose that step one will involve buying a HD TV tuner for my computer, won't it (our Motorola DVR has all the standard outputs and for some reason, two USB connectors – not sure what for)? Can you recommend a product that will work with my Ubuntu desktop?

Once the tuner has been purchased, what do I need to know about transferring the video from the DVR to my computer? Also, what Linux software would you recommend for video editing?

Should I expect to have to deal with DRM at any point in the process?

The show happens to be Toddlers & Tiaras (Wednesdays are girls' nights) and boyfriend, for some reason, gets a kick out of the ridiculous head-nodding/pouty lips poses that I've been showing off lately. I want to make an collection of the most ridiculous scenes along those lines.

Best DVD Burner?

davr — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:00:05 -0800

What's the best DVD burner? I need a new DVD burner, is there any reason I should buy one model over another, or should I just get whatever's on sale today? I've got a fairly old generic DVD burner that doesn't support dual layer, and I'm looking to upgrade since they seem so cheap these days. Does it matter what model I get, or is it such that I can just buy whatever happens to be on sale today? Are there advantages to a certain brand over another? Basically I just want something that's fast, cheap, and produces good quality burns. Any advice would be helpful.

DSL hardware help

jingo74 — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:00:52 -0800

I want to help my aunt get set up with DSL service. She has phone service with AT&T and DSL is available in her area. Her computer is an HP Pavillion that is about 6 yrs. old running XP. To avoid her having to pay AT&T's $200 fee for a tech to come out and get her going, what can I do from a hardware standpoint? Does DSL use an Ethernet port or a dial-up modem port? Should I buy her a DSL modem or will AT&T provide one? Sorry for these NooB questions as I've only dealt with cable Internet service. Thanks.

How do I get replacement hardware for an IKEA office chair in the US?

l33tpolicywonk — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:26:19 -0800

How do I get replacement hardware for an IKEA office chair in the US? As the result of a move, I lost the hardware to my IKEA Karsten office chair. The instructions aren't real helpful on what the dimensions of the screws are - basically, I need seven large screws for the chair and back, and four smaller screws to attach each of the arms. I tried going to the hardware store, but the screws I got there were too long (they pointed through the cushion) and using them set the screw holes off center from the chair base - I could only get two of the four screws in. I went to IKEA College Park, which told me they could not give me replacement screws without my receipt (long since gone). It's possible IKEA stores in other countries would replace it, but I can't easily get to one. I bought a bag of loose screws there, and didn't quite have screws big enough to do the job. Any suggestions about how I figure out exactly which screws I need to order, or how I convince IKEA to send me new ones?

harbor freight type store in/near boston

6550 — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:35:27 -0800

Is there anything similar to Harbor Freight in the Boston metro area, T-accessible? After breaking a few small drill bits today I missed being able to run over to Harbor Freight and pick up multi-packs of the same small drill bits, among all the other inexpensive tools and hardware they have.

I realize the closest locations are in Worcester and Attelboro but not having a car makes it pretty inconvenient, and the commuter rail fare would negate much of the savings.

What's cheaper, Windows based MBP-equivalent desktop computer?

niles — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 11:42:38 -0800

In lieu of buying a tricked-out MacBook pro, I'm thinking about taking the advice in this comment and picking up a mostly equivalent, Windows-based desktop for around $500. Can you give me advice? I'm going to school for Computer Science and minoring in Graphic Design/Media, so (once I have the money) I've been planning to pick up a Mac Book Pro and using Boot Camp and virtualization software for Windows.

I've realized that I can save a lot of money by sticking with my current low end laptop (just picked up a new battery so it doesn't have to plugged in 24/7), and buying a nice desktop.

I really only need to be able to run my IDEs, other development software, and Adobe CS4. My current laptop can only handle the graphic design software in CS4, not the video software such as Premiere and After Effects.

I'm completely comfortable putting a machine together, but I really don't know how to spec out hardware. My main concern is getting something that will run After Effect so I can finally start doing more video work. Will something like this do the trick? I suspect the video card is under powered.
If the HP doesn't cut it, where is it lacking? Do you have any recommendations for what hardware I should get?

I have some sort of cold, so I apologize for any incoherency or wordiness.

How to chose an server for a small mac digital media lab?

yuletide — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:43:23 -0800

I'm trying to figure out my options for setting up a small digital media lab for a new non-profit, but I have no idea how to set a minimum level of server specs! How much CPU and RAM do I really need? What determines this? The server will be used to administer local user accounts, and store files (including large media files). We may also end up using it to host our website and mail, if it makes sense (unlikely). All the main client computers will be macs, so I assume I should make life easier and just get an XServe. But I'm open to other suggestions. See below for some prices and models for various XServe's I'm trying to choose between. How low can I go? How much CPU/RAM do I need? Let me know if you need more information... Best Used Xserve Prices

* 2.0 GHz single G5, $800 (no OS), $1,000 (10.3 unlimited or 10.4 10 user), MacResource
* 2.0 GHz dual G5, $1,000 (10.3 10 user), $1,100 (10.4 10 user), MacResource
* 2.3 GHz dual G5, $1,649 shipped (10.4 unlimited), Power Max

Best Refurbished Xserve Prices
* 2.66 Ghz 4-core Xeon, $2,399, Apple
* 2.8 GHz 4-core Xeon, $2,100, Small Dog
* 3.0 GHz 4-core Xeon, $2,799, Apple

Best New Xserve Prices
* 2.26 GHz 4-core Nehalem, $2,888 shipped, Power Max
* 2.26 GHz 8-core Nehalem, $3,449 + shipping, ExperCom
* 2.66 GHz 8-core Nehalem, $4,799 + shipping, ExperCom
* 2.93 GHz 8-core Nehalem, $5,999 + shipping, ExperCom

Tools That Make Other Tools

toomanyplugs — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:27:04 -0800

How did we go from basic rough hand tools to the point of having really precise tools? Specifically, how do you make a better tool from the ones you have on hand? I came across an article on Make: Magazine about casting parts and building your own machine shop that got me thinking about how we as a species have arrived at very precise tools that are capable of creating a perfect sphere. The statement that got me thinking was:

"The order is important, because each tool requires the use of the previous machines in its construction."

How did we progress from only bare hands to these very precise machines? What fundamental laws of the universe can be harnessed to build these tools? I would expect that it required the development of measuring devices that could also become more precise.

Some of the other things that got me thinking:

The "Universal Measure" (as I found out from that scene in Stephenson's Quicksilver with Hooke and the mercury on the table), or the ideas of "straight", "square", geometric construction, linkages, etc.

Are there any good resources that speak about this? How would one go about recreating the level of precision we have now if trapped on a (technologically) desert island?

Where'd my network card go!?

Squid Voltaire — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:33:13 -0800

My computer can't find its NIC, any ideas? I used to connect to the internet via CAT-5, as God intended, but for a year or so I've been using a PCI wireless card. Reception in the current location is terribly, though, so tonight I took a couple hundred feet of Ethernet cable and plugged myself directly into the router.

I plugged the other end into a ethernet port, and the little green light came on. However, once I disconnected from the wireless network, that was it, no further connection.

The Device Manager only lists one NIC--the wireless one. I turned on "View Hidden Devices", but it still didn't list it.

I went into BIOS and turned on "Integrated LAN RAM"--I have no idea what that means, but it did not make my network card suddenly appear. At this point, I ran out of ideas. Any further suggestions?

Motherboard is Biostar NF61S/V Micro AM2, and I'm 80% certain that I used to have a wired connection to this machine--is there some sneaky way that I disabled and then hid my card?

I shouldn't be a jerk but...

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:17:15 -0800

Should I be a jerk and blow Dude's cover? A few years ago I bought a cool Widget produced by small Company A. Company A was a scrappy startup and was basically run by one technical wizard, Dude. Dude wrote Software that one needed to operate Widget.

Software was barely out of beta and not 100% functional with Widget when Dude sold Company A. Dude told us Customers that the tech was being discontinued, but he would try and release a final version of Software. Dude declined to reveal the new Company B he was going to work for.

Dude then fell off of the internet and has not been heard from since.

We Customers started our own forum to keep in touch and try to figure out how to use Widget and Software.

I have Goolged Dude's name many times over the past few years with no luck. Today I Google and discover the top hit is a little bio for Dude at Company B.

My first instinct was to pass the link along to the forum of Customers. But then I wondered if that would be kind of a dick move, as I suspect an electronic lynch mob of Customers would send lots of rude emails to Dude at Company B. But then again, Dude left us with buggy Software and a Widget that doesn't work to the specs that we paid for.

What to do? Pass the link along, or not?

Most boring server rack question ever

Maarika — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 07:44:59 -0800

How can I put HP DL160s on slide rails in an IBM rack? I'm in over my head here, so apologies for the technical details... I need to put a couple HP DL160s on slide rails in an IBM rack (IBM 42U Enterprise Rack - 19” Rack). I can find standard rails just fine, but there don't seem to be any compatible slide rails available for HP 1U servers.

My Google-fu is failing me here -- do you know of any specific technical forums where I can ask this question? Where do data center and server hardware folks gather online to exchange information?

Or, if any of you are IT gurus, do you have any suggestions on which rail kits to look for, where to look for them, or who to ask?