Lab Progress

So I finally made it to my lab this weekend and I really feel like I got a good, solid start on fixing up my old scrap computers.

I’ll start my update with the first of the five computers (which I’m code-naming “Simic” because I don’t know what to do with it). The system, in the state I got it, lacked a power supply, a HDD and an optical drive, but had everything else. To the best of my knowledge it has the following specs:

• A Micro ATX motherboard from an unknown manufacturer
• An AMD Sempron 3000+ Processor
• 2 Sticks of 512MB Dual Channel PC3200 Ram

I Installed a 430W power supply, an 80GB SATA HDD, and a DVDRW optical drive. The system booted once, then gave me a seemingly infinite string of “Inserting an index entry into index $0 of file 25” error messages. I let it run for a while and fiddled with something else. When I came back it was booting up Windows XP. I plugged in my keyboard and fiddled around with the files for about ten minutes before it suddenly restarted the entire system without warning. In hind-sight, I realize that I booted Windows onto a strange hardware configuration. The hard drive I used was almost certainly not from the system I installed it into, so it could theoretically be possible that something didn’t sync up properly and that could have been what caused the reboot.

After the POST, I got the first of what I’m assuming will be many, MANY error messages.

• “Ultra DMA Mode-6, S.M.A.R.T. Capable and Status BAD” (I like how ‘bad’ is in all caps… it really makes the component feel bad about itself)
• “Primary Master Drive – ATAPI Incompatible”
• “Press F1 to continue”

Also, more good news. Whoever owned this computer before it fell into my hands put a password on the BIOS configuration.

Looks like it’s back to the drawing board on this one. I’ll try replacing the hard drive with a potentially more stable one. I’ll also definitely have to look into reinstalling an operating system for this system. I’m still happy that I got it to boot up, even if the victory was short-lived.

The second of my five computers (which I am naming “Boros” because it is very, very loud) is an interesting subject. It powers on fine, and then the fan ramps up to the point where it sounds like a tiny jet engine. At first I thought this might just be a design flaw of the system, but after a swift Google search I discovered a couple possibilities. The first is that there’s some sort of dust inside the system (which is unlikely because I’ve already used compressed air to dust it). The second (and far more likely) is that the thermal paste between the processor and the heat sink is dried out. I suspect that this is the case because these are old systems I bought off eBay and don’t know how well they were maintained physically.

The third computer (named “Gruul” because it is dumb) is a much more ‘open and shut’ case. It powers on for half a second, then shuts down. On the front there is a small red light that flashes four times. This error message I found, after doing some quick research, means that there is a problem with the power supply. The power supply, I’ve found, is going to run me at least $20. Seeing as how this is the exact same system as the second computer, I plan on just swapping the power supplies. If this fixes the problem for the third, then I’ll dispose of the power supply and order a new one for the second.

So nevermind about Gruul. It turns out I just didn’t have all the connections made from the power supply to the motherboard. The funny thing is that I was about to unscrew and unmounts the power supply when I noticed one connector not hooked up. If this works now, I’ll be quite happy that luck saved me $20.

On the other hand, once Gruul was properly powered, it still showed no video. This leads me to believe that the integrated video card in the motherboard is dead. Given the Small Form Factor of the unit, I believe that finding a replacement video card will be expensive and difficult. I think I have found the computer which

New Projects

So in addition to my regular ongoing project to restore the old PC systems I’ve accumulated, I have a pair of new projects in the works for this weekend.

First, I have a pair of external hard drives with precious data on them that lack AC adaptors. Long story short, it’s cheaper to open the enclosures, remove the disk drives, and remount them in other enclosures than track down and pay for the uncommon type of power source the current enclosures require.

Second, I’m planning on assembling a RAID array (is adding -array to RAID redundant? Like, EXTRA redundant since RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks?) I’m just starting to wrap my head around the concept of RAID and I think a little hands-on experience would really help me out with this. I’m going to have to run to the local computer shop to pick up a RAID controller card (I don’t think any of my lab computers have this) and some cables, and potentially some cheap hard drives if I can find them. Pretty much all of my computers can handle at least two hard disk drives so a RAID 0 is quite feasible.

Pi Update

So I think I’ve figured out what’s going on with my Pi system. After a quick google search, I’ve found people with similar problems. One possibility that I need to investigate is that the USB cable isn’t providing enough power to the system to power USB devices. This could account for why a keyboard will work on my laptop but not on the Pi.

So if it’s a power issue, that means it could be either the USB cable or the AC Adapter the cable plugs into. 700 mA is what the suggested minimum current, with an optimum current of 1A. I don’t know how to measure the currency capability of my only USB Micro cable, but if it’s a power problem I’m more likely to believe it’s an issue with the cable than the AC Adaptor since I bought the adaptor as an accessory explicitly stated to be for the Pi.

If this isn’t the case, then it’s likely I’ll have to purchase a keyboard directly from the distributor that sells the Pi. Given the stats from the Pi developer’s FAQ, it’s unlikely that it’s a port or motherboard error. Only “1 in 1000” motherboards were found to be defective. We’ll see.

New Project

So I’m reading over a thread on the Somethingawful.com message-board called “Working in IT, or ‘How to be a Full-time Alcoholic'” and it’s giving me all kinds of ideas. Specifically, this one idea about using Microsoft Access to build a IT support ticket tracking database. This goes along nicely with my creation of a mini-LAN in my computer lab. Basically, I’m going to try and tax these computers as much as possible (note to self: look into ways of taxing computers as much as possible) and then create a support ticket and trying to resolve it. This will serve three roles:

1. It will give me experience with both creating, using, and maintaining databases
2. It will be an effective way to track my progress as far as creating and then subsequently fixing errors
3. It will be a fun roleplaying experience

This is all future-speak, though. Once I set up my network I can implement this project.

Edit: A forum poster suggested SpiceWorks for an alternative to Microsoft Access. With Access I’d get database-building experience, but SpiceWorks is apparently free… OH THE DILLEMA!

Journey into Pi

Okay, so my enclosure came in the mail yesterday and I spent all night playing with my new little mini-computer. It was a great experience snapping the enclosure around the powerful system-board and I was ready to load up the Raspbian OS for the first time.

Sadly, the wireless USB keyboard/trackball combo stopped working five minutes in. The device still worked on my laptop, which is odd because it’s like the Pi just stopped accepting signals from it for no reason. So, with no other wired keyboards, I had to cancel all activity on the device. I’m going to have to remedy that by picking up a wired USB keyboard (I already have a wired USB mouse) just for situations like this. I’m also going to pick up a wireless USB keyboard/trackpad combo after work today, then return the keyboard/trackball.

I feel like this is a good opportunity for me to get used to things not working right away, or even on the second or third attempt. My understanding of the IT field is that it’s constantly dealing with things going wrong and trying to keep your cool long enough to figure out what to do about it.

When I was studying for the A+ exam back in 2000 I don’t think I had the patience to deal with one problem after the next. But after working in customer service for over a decade and a half I’ve mellowed enough to the point where I know I can do it.

Progress

Okay, I gotta admit- I had a lot of fun messing with those old computers today. Back when I first took the A+ exams in 2000, I was in a much different place than I am now. I was only interested in the end result and was in too much of a hurry to enjoy the experience of working with computer systems. I think I was snobbish when the tech school I attended didn’t have cutting edge systems for me to explore and operate on. Now I can appreciate it a lot more.

I’m looking at the motherboard and trying to understand it, because even if it’s older tech it’s still a start. And I have to admit, working in my lab made me feel a bit like Tony Stark or Reed Richards (or maybe Forge- bonus points if you know who that is.) Being able to take apart, put together, and trouble-shoot a computer after 12 years of only using PCs to play games should count for something, right?

Another Find

I found this Ethernet Switch for $10 and figured it was worth a go. The more tech stuff I have to play around with the less I’ll be surprised by when I go out into the field.

New Monitor, Old Computer

This weekend I went around to a few thrift stores and didn’t manage to find any desktop systems. Luckily, I did find a good cheap, working (presumably) monitor.

I do have an old family desktop that needs some TLC, though. I should be able to play around with that for a while. It definitely has a lot of dust that nobody’s bothered to blow off. You can see the case has its share, but inside is even worse.

So in my list of things that I already know need to happen with this PC:
1) Use compressed air to clean the physical system
2) Format HDD, reinstall OS
3) Verify state of optical disc drives

Again, I’ll keep updating on this process. In the meanwhile, I have a pair of scrub PCs on order. At $40 each including shipping and handling, I figured they’ll be good to fool around with. They don’t include hard drives, but I’ve got plenty of those laying around. They also have the stickers for one of the Windows OS so I don’t have to worry about buying new operating systems. I was tempted to install Linux on them, but I’ll worry about learning Linux later. The CompTIA A+ Certification is only worried about Windows XP, Vista, and 7.

Starting my own Tech Lab

So today I’m going to pick a few things up to start my personal tech exploration lab. I’m going to hit a Goodwill trift store and see if anyone dropped off an old, marginally-working system and a barely-working monitor. If I’m lucky I should walk away with a cheap fix-me-upper that I can fool around with just to wrap my mind around the inner-workings of a computer.

Here are some things I’m thinking of doing:

-Un-mounting and Re-mounting the CPU

-Formatting the HDD and re-installing an operating system

-Looking into how much it would cost to completely optimize the system.

On that last one I’m not terribly dead-set. I know old RAM can be pricy because it’s so hard to find, and I imagine getting old video cards could be tricky. We’ll see though. I mainly want to get a little more experience playing with hardware when I’m not afraid to break it.

Additionally, I think what I’m going to check into is buying cheap computers from Goodwill and then donating them back so that someone potentially in need of a cheap computer can get a better one than whatever was initially donated. I don’t have a whole lot of cashflow right now, so this will really depend on how cheap the systems are and how much it will take to fix them up. On top of getting me more experience, it will also keep things from piling up at my place and it will also gain me karma. I’ll keep posting pictures as this process continues.