Grumbles

[mdlbear]

Last night the flower_cat's computer (a cheap Fry's Windows box, two or three years old) fell down and couldn't get up. It doesn't even put a BIOS message on the screen, though the disk spins up and the monitor shows that it has sync for a second or so before it goes back to sleep. Swapping power supplies got me to boot, but a few minutes later it was back to its old habits -- this strongly suggests a motherboard problem. There are parts of the motherboard that stay powered up; my working hypothesis is that pulling the power supply let something cool down. Could conceivably be RAM -- I'll try that this evening -- in which case it's an easy fix. (update 6:30 it's not the RAM.) Otherwise, So we're one box closer to a Microsoft-free household.

The Cat is not a heavy computer user, and she already reads email on Linux. Her other main computer activities are web browsing (in Firefox), streaming audio from filk.com (Live365), and Mahjong. Hmm. The other option, if she really wants to continue playing other Windows games, is to move the other Fry's box in from the office.

Comments

[phillip2637.livejournal.com]

TTTO:Love Lies Bleeding (E. John/B. Taupin)

The main board in this Windows box
Acts like it's almost fried.
Maybe it's the RAM instead
That's made it fail and die.

Sorry. :-)

[elimloth.livejournal.com]

Take an eraser to the RAM connectors. It could be that easy.

BTW, Dell is selling pre-installed linux desktop and laptop units.

[mdlbear]

Last time I looked, the units they have Linux on were more expensive than equivalent ones with Windows. (We have a lot of Dells at work.)

I tried re-seating the RAM with no success; my next attempt will involve actually replacing the stick with a spare.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Which Windows games? I've got several of the Everett Kaser games running in WINE... addictive little logic puzzles, worth the $15 a pop (assuming you're not rms)...

[mdlbear]

Not familiar with those. Mostly things like Oregon Trail 4, and there's a mahjong package she's fond of addicted to. Most of it probably would run under WINE.