Can I use an old laptop without a harddisk as a seedbox?
May 12, 2011 5:59 AM Subscribe
I was using an old laptop as a low wattage seedbox at home and the internal HD just died. I was wondering if I could get it running without having to replace the drive, using a linux live disk, or something of the kind.
I was running windows XP and utorrent, and I controlled it from my main computer(running windows 7) , using WebUi and sometimes UltraVNC.The files I was seeding/leeching were stored on an external 2.5 inch USB HD. The laptop can only boot from CD/DVD or network (no USB booting).
I'm looking for a low cost solution, and since I have an account with a FUP, I'm not interested in renting a seedbox somewhere. I've considered buying a NAS like a DNS 323, but decided against it, because total cost would be too high.
I have a WDTV live and an asus O!play that are also connected to the network, so it would be nice if it were possible to share the downloaded files on the network directly from the laptop.
I was running windows XP and utorrent, and I controlled it from my main computer(running windows 7) , using WebUi and sometimes UltraVNC.The files I was seeding/leeching were stored on an external 2.5 inch USB HD. The laptop can only boot from CD/DVD or network (no USB booting).
I'm looking for a low cost solution, and since I have an account with a FUP, I'm not interested in renting a seedbox somewhere. I've considered buying a NAS like a DNS 323, but decided against it, because total cost would be too high.
I have a WDTV live and an asus O!play that are also connected to the network, so it would be nice if it were possible to share the downloaded files on the network directly from the laptop.
Though, you'll need the linux version of utorrent.
posted by Obscure Reference at 6:21 AM on May 12, 2011
posted by Obscure Reference at 6:21 AM on May 12, 2011
You should be able to get uTurrent running again on a bootable CD running UBCD4Win (Basically a souped up Windows PE). From there you could use the PE Network Configurator to map network drives or NET USE your network file locations to start sharing.
posted by samsara at 7:47 AM on May 12, 2011
posted by samsara at 7:47 AM on May 12, 2011
I'll tell you what I tell everyone in this situation (though I learned it from someone else)...put the laptop in the freezer. A dead HD might simply mean that some critical connections have come loose, and getting the laptop cold might condense them back together.
I had an old laptop that seemed to have a dead HD several years ago. I stuck it in the freezer for a few hours, and it worked fine after that and for another couple of years until I finally junked it. It could have lasted for several years longer for all I know.
Anyway, mine worked after a few hours. YMMV, of course.
posted by hiteleven at 9:58 AM on May 12, 2011
I had an old laptop that seemed to have a dead HD several years ago. I stuck it in the freezer for a few hours, and it worked fine after that and for another couple of years until I finally junked it. It could have lasted for several years longer for all I know.
Anyway, mine worked after a few hours. YMMV, of course.
posted by hiteleven at 9:58 AM on May 12, 2011
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posted by Dr-Baa at 6:05 AM on May 12, 2011