Old Dell Desktop

decdev

Hi all have an old dell desktop about 7-8 years old looking for a bit of advice my father has retired and wants to get on the net and this machine is in his house can i buy a new tower for this machine nothing special rather than buy the whole package as i say just to get him on the net cheers

brianwalshcork

Hi Decdev,

At 7 or 8 years old, it's probably a pentium 4 2.0 GHz running Windows XP... for surfing the net there's nothing wrong with this.

If it's it boots up, then I wouldn't change anything. Spend a few euros putting the max possible RAM in it, format the disk and reinstall the OS.

Install XP SP3, all windows updates, anti anti virus software, adobe acrobat, flash player etc. make sure the firewall is activated and away you go.

Make sure your dad logs on with a non admin account though.

Brian

decdev

Cheers for the reply its a dell dimension 4400 with pentium 4 with 2.4 ghz ,and windows xp thats all i know,why would he have to use non admin account and how do you erase hard drive thanks again:)

brianwalshcork

If you have the Dell OS installation CD that came with your computer, then put that into the CD drive, reboot and the computer will boot from the CD.

During the setup process, the program will check for an existing XP installation. It will find one on your computer and offer to repair it. If you say No to this, then you will have the option of deleting the partitions that currently exist on your hard drive, and recreating them. This effectively erases all the data on the drive.

As regards using a non admin account ... it's good practice, especially for someone who may be taken in by dubious links in mails etc. It reduces the damage that spyware, malware etc can cause.
Unfortunately, all accounts in XP have admin rights by default. Life will be easier if you install all the software that you think your Dad might need for everyday web browsing, then create a normal user account and get him to log on under that account when surfing the net.

Here's the memory for your computer:
http://www.crucial.com/eu/store/listparts.aspx?model=Dimension%204400%20Series
The max you can fit is 1024 MB (1 GB), costs around €35 not including shipping...

One final point - if you think that there is any chance your Dad might actually store important data on this computer, then I'd replace the hard drive. You've got 7 - 8 years out of it, and if the computer was getting any sort of decent usage, your probably approaching the end of it's reliable lifespan.... you can ask him to carry out regular backups... but he probably won't!


Brian

decdev

Cheers and thanks again for all information and help Declan:)

decdev

Me again did the reinstall of xp deleted partitions all fine.When all finished rebooted itself and all that i find there is no video card or soundcard recognised so i think this pc is finished thanks anyway

Amalgam

Just thinking out loud here, someone with more knowledge might add or correct what I have to say.

Be careful of using the Dell PSU with a new, non Dell, motherboard. Some Dell's have non standard wiring for the power lead to the motherboard.

Just something to bear in mind if you're thinking of using the tower.

far2gud

When you say not recognized, do you mean they do not show or that they have an exclamation mark in device manager?? check the dell websute for the video and sound driver and install the package.

If it was working before there is no reason to believe the hardware is faulty.

decdev

there is a thing called pc info on the pc and it says Soundcard-No soundcard Videocard-no videocard

far2gud

Okay ,calm down, just trying to give some advice. Dump it and buy a new pc so :pac:

marco_polo

decdev wrote: »

there is a thing called pc info on the pc and it says Soundcard-No soundcard Videocard-no videocard

Does that give you the motherboard version? If so use that to find the appropriate motherboard drivers on the Dell support website and download and install them.

Amalgam

far2gud wrote: »

Okay ,calm down, just trying to give some advice. Dump it and buy a new pc so :pac:

The OP's PC is more than capable for his\her needs. No need to buy a new one. The fact that it is up and running more than likely suggests a simple driver issue.

Solitaire

Don't worry decdev, its normal to reinstall the drivers after an OS reinstallation. Try looking around here for drivers for the devices that have exclamation marks next to them in the Device Manager. With older PCs you might also be able to get Microsoft Update to do a lot of it for you or use the Automatic button on the New Device prompt if you can connect the Dell to the web

decdev

far2gud wrote: »

Okay ,calm down, just trying to give some advice. Dump it and buy a new pc so :pac:

Was`nt tryin to be smart m8 i dont know much about internals of pcs i was just telling what was on the tin:)

decdev

Solitaire wrote: »

Don't worry decdev, its normal to reinstall the drivers after an OS reinstallation. Try looking around here for drivers for the devices that have exclamation marks next to them in the Device Manager. With older PCs you might also be able to get Microsoft Update to do a lot of it for you or use the Automatic button on the New Device prompt if you can connect the Dell to the web

I have three cd still with the machine one is the xp reinstall others are devices,utilities blabla which i also installed but it still aint working.Going away until late in week but will try again then and keep you all informed thanks for replies

decdev

Solitaire wrote: »

Don't worry decdev, its normal to reinstall the drivers after an OS reinstallation. Try looking around here for drivers for the devices that have exclamation marks next to them in the Device Manager. With older PCs you might also be able to get Microsoft Update to do a lot of it for you or use the Automatic button on the New Device prompt if you can connect the Dell to the web

Cheers m8 a couple of questions do dell charge as the warranty is deffo out,and can i download these onto my laptop for transfer to the dell thanks again and sorry its a 4500:)

slowlydownwards

If the video card died, then there would be nothing on the screen (just sayin). Reinstalling drivers is simple enough, but can be little daunting at first. If your dad will just use pc for internet and leisure why not install ubuntu on it. It will recognise all the hardware and install appropriate drivers, it's a free download, no need to fuss with antivirus/firewall and your dad possibly won't care what opertaing system he is using as long as everything works ok.

slowlydownwards

Suggesting linux install on an older machine operated by someone not familiar with computers is not a bad advice. However, could it further confuse the op? Maybe.
Yes, you can find drivers easily and install them, but also don't forget: service pack 3, anti virus, firewall, upgrade/update web browser (wouldn't try and log into internet banking sites with internet explorer), flash, java, video codecs, audio codecs, pdf viewer, IM app, decompression app, possibly office suite programs (or at least viewers for word, power point and excell)... and that's just for casual surfing and receiving emails with standard type attachments. And don't be surprised to be called back to fix it soon again.

Most of the above comes ready out of the box with ubuntu, it will run real fast on an older machine, is free to download and won't break the pc in 6 months. But then again, I can definatelly see how the idea of running something else on a pc besides (or instead of) windows can be confusing.

You should be able to find a sticker at the side of the pc, with a bar code on it as well as an alphanumeric code called "service tag". Using that tag on dell's support site will easily get you missing drivers. Yes, you can download the drivers to your own pc, put them onto thumb drive and install them later. You could also post the service tag number here and we can post the links for the drivers. Definatelly no need to throw this pc out, unless the moeny's burning a hole in your pocket.

z0oT

decdev wrote: »

Hi all have an old dell desktop about 7-8 years old looking for a bit of advice my father has retired and wants to get on the net and this machine is in his house can i buy a new tower for this machine nothing special rather than buy the whole package as i say just to get him on the net cheers

Another vote for using a linux distro here. I'd suggest Damn Small Linux, very small versatile and can run on really old hardware.
http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/
Drivers are never a problem, they're all installed from the get go with most linux distros, neither are viruses. Linux in many ways is a perfect OS for the not so savvy who just want internet browsing, it's perfectly stable, updates itself no problems in the background, there's no viruses, and files on pretty much everything.
For example I recently converted my parents to Ubuntu Linux, (all they want is to watch movies and browse online) and they both really like and don't want to use Windows any more. There's a tad bit of a learning curve to get used to the new GUI etc. but it's well worth it.

For some interesting reading on how linux runs on really old hardware have a read of this blog along with the comments:
http://blogs.computerworld.com/how_slow_can_linux_go

decdev

Ok great info thanks guys:)

MunsterCycling

PM me the Service tag and I'll get the drivers for you or use the link below to get them yourself.

http://support.euro.dell.com/support/index.aspx?c=ie&cs=iedhs1&l=en&s=gen&~ck=mn

click on drivers and downloads and then choose service tag, input it in the box provided and your be taken to the driver page for you machine. The service tag is in the bios, and IIRC under the flap at the front where the usb ports are, failing that it can also be stuck on the back of the pc.


MC

Effluo

yeah i tried the whole service tag thing for an old inspiron laptop.

It came up as one of the new dimension computers!!!

But it's pretty easy to select your specific model using the product selector...