Cheap PC for Internet cafe

Canonfan

Hi all,

Sorry if this is the wrong forum to post.

I've recently taken over an Internet cafe business (crazy idear i know:D), but this is my first business and I need something easy to manage/low investment.

The owner left me with 20 old PCs, 15'' LCD, P4/256ram...

My question is with minimum budget, how should I upgrade? The main target market of this Internet cafe are tourists,office people and students coming for emails and printing. So I don't need multi-media machines.

Is there a place I can buy reliable refurbished LCD monitors and PCs?

Any comment will be appreciated.

jonny72

For internet cafes ram is the key, it increases the speed of the pc for all the common tasks like browsing, emails, chatting, etc.

Literally go to ebay.co.uk or ebay.ie and type in refurbished, plenty of stuff comes up, obviously check the sellers and compare prices, but you can get a lot of bulk cheap items like laser mice etc. If you spend enough time comparing prices, you'll become an expert, I was doing a lot of buying and selling, at the end I was finding the best deals.

I've left some cafes because of the smell/dirt, because the mice/keyboards/webcams are broken and quite often because most of them have such low ram in the pc's that they take an age to do anything

Effluo

by the sounds of the specs you're prob running windows xp on the machines? yes?

If that is the case then upgrading each of the pc's to 1gig of ram would be v-benficial.

There maybe be obsticals to that however as motherboards have restricions on hwo much memory they can use...
you need to tell us the model of the pc's so you can find out if the ram in them can be upgraded...


If you were really planning to go budget, you could just reinstall the operating systems on the pc's.
This would offer a really great, free(but time consuming) short-term solution!

Canonfan

Thanks for the input guys.

The computers are Dell and running XP at the moment.

Solitaire

We need the exact model number - Dimension XXXX or Optiplex XXXX.

Canonfan

Solitaire wrote: »

We need the exact model number - Dimension XXXX or Optiplex XXXX.

Hi they are the Optiplex GX280.



I think the 15'' LCD is too small nowadays. 20 x 17'' or 19'' LCDs are on top of my upgrade list.

Solitaire

Which type though? There are a buttload of different shaped GX280s with different specs as they seem to use slightly different motherboards for no discernable reason (they made all be different shapes and sizes but its an mATX mobo in each regardless!) with different listed memory requirements. Some can take 4GB of PC3200, others only take 2GB of PC4200/5300 etc. etc.

Trust Dell to be so goddamn awkward :rolleyes:

cherryghost

I run an internet cafe, you MUST have 2GB at least to cater for every type of person for applications these days. A lot of people that check emails and such would 90% of the time be running some other applications such as MS Office and Open Office, or PDF files and such.

We had 1GB running on some PCs at one point and it was an absolute nightmare for some people who would be running IE in multiple tabs, Open Office, Adobe Reader and Skype, so we had to upgrade.

Solitaire

cherryghost wrote:

I run an internet cafe, you MUST have 2GB at least to cater for every type of person for applications these days.

'twas wondering, given how most people dive in, multitask like mad, print stuff then leg it off to *somewhere important* at speed... :rolleyes:

I'd say just get 2 cheap, generic 1GB PC5300 sticks for each machine. Odds are their mobos will only have two RAM slots so the old stuff will most likely have to be binned.

Canonfan

I just checked, all the computers are running on 256MB PC3200 400Mhz (don't laugh guys).

I'm going to China next week, will pick up some cheap rams.

Canonfan

Hi guys, I came back from holiday and two days into the business.

These cr@p PCs are giving me problems now I've decided to replace them all. Spending time fixing/cleaning them is not worth it.

My question is where in Ireland can I buy budget PCs, I need 20 of them. My only requirement is price (as cheap as possible) and small size(they must fit into the table slot).

I have LCDs just need PC.

Many thanks in advance.

tullachBuí

Might be worth a look at the Limerick Dell Auction.
Some Optiplex 745's in there maybe?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055683000

Canonfan

Thanks for the info tullachbui, but I can't leave the shop for even 1 minute (no staff at the moment). Can i bid over the phone/online?

Cheers

bushy...

The Dell aution PCs MIGHT have seen a lot of use on the factory floor too .

Try reinstalling one of the ones you have for now ?

http://www.nliteos.com/download.html will help you cut out unnecessary stuff

Canonfan

bushy... wrote: »

The Dell aution PCs MIGHT have seen a lot of use on the factory floor too .

Try reinstalling one of the ones you have for now ?

http://www.nliteos.com/download.html will help you cut out unnecessary stuff

Hi can you explain what does it mean 'a lot of use on the factory floor', please. How much would 20 of them cost?

The computers in my shop are at least 4-5 years old and dying and full of dirts.

Thanks

Solitaire

What's the main issue with the old units? Very old P4s or something? With 2GB of RAM XP shouldn't be a hassle for anythign past a mid-generation P4 even with most of the updates. Try customising the XP installs with something like NLite to cut down on bulk. And also remember to install one of these in every machine - very important for any eCafe!

Canonfan

Solitaire wrote: »

What's the main issue with the old units? Very old P4s or something? With 2GB of RAM XP shouldn't be a hassle for anythign past a mid-generation P4 even with most of the updates. Try customising the XP installs with something like NLite to cut down on bulk. And also remember to install one of these in every machine - very important for any eCafe!

Hi Mod,

The main issue with the old units are ram(only 256MB) and dust(i open 3 of them it's like the inside of a hoover. The owner before me never cared about the place.

Thanks for the link.

Solitaire

Oh god, not the Dust Bunnies Of Doom?! I thought I had the them cooped up in my house, looks like some escaped. My apologies.

Canonfan

Solitaire wrote: »

Oh god, not the Dust Bunnies Of Doom?! I thought I had the them cooped up in my house, looks like some escaped. My apologies.

LOL!:D

My shop is in central location, I really feel bad to charge people now. After working in a 5 star hotel for 8.5 years, i can't put up with bad working environment.

Money is tight but a happy customer will keep coming back.

So, please help.

tullachBuí

I'm pretty sure you bid online, you just have to register. Surely you could get them for €50-60. I wouldn't pay more then that anyway.

As regards their usage in the factory, fair enough, but I'd say quite stable environmental conditions, no overclocking, I reckon as an initial investment for 10 @ say €700?
Even if they lasted only a year I'd think it would be a good deal.

Then again, I've never run a business

romperstomper

I got 15 rigs together for a friend in the EXACT same position. was able to buy dual core AMDs with 2gb ram for ~ €150 on adverts. you'll easily get 3 years of surfing outta them. for less than €3K, thats a win IMO

Kinetic^

Canonfan wrote: »

Hi guys, I came back from holiday and two days into the business.

These cr@p PCs are giving me problems now I've decided to replace them all. Spending time fixing/cleaning them is not worth it.

My question is where in Ireland can I buy budget PCs, I need 20 of them. My only requirement is price (as cheap as possible) and small size(they must fit into the table slot).

I have LCDs just need PC.

Many thanks in advance.

Just upgrade the RAM, install the component Solitaire spoke of and some of this. Once you've done that, re-install the OS plus all it's drivers and use a ghosting program to take a copy of the install for safe keeping. There really isn't a need to go to any other expense then that.

Canonfan

romperstomper wrote: »

I got 15 rigs together for a friend in the EXACT same position. was able to buy dual core AMDs with 2gb ram for ~ €150 on adverts. you'll easily get 3 years of surfing outta them. for less than €3K, thats a win IMO

I need a friend like you.:)

massy086

i agree with Kinetic and then they should fly along are they towers or small form pc,s have u got windows to put on them

Canonfan

Thank you so much for the suggestions guys, I will take a look at the Dell auction.

Anyone has spare ram for sale just pm me.

Cheers

Canonfan

massy086 wrote: »

i agree with Kinetic and then they should fly along are they towers or small form pc,s have u got windows to put on them

Hi, in the shop out of 20 computers, 16 are still running. All of them are the Dell ptiplex 170L. (10 small forms and 6 towers) Do they share same drivers?

During my trip to China I bought 22 sets of kepboards/mouse/webcam/headphones but didn't buy any rams.

I don't have anything to reinstall the computers and I need some old DDR ram badly.

My shop is on Dame street if anyone wants to laugh at me. I have free soft drinks for ye guys.:D

Solitaire

Don't they still have their license keys somewhere? After that all you need is a single XP disc... DDR is the biggest problem after that...

docmol

Hi Canonfan, if you are looking for an experienced techie to come in and spend a day or two sorting you out pm me. I am out of work a while and am willing to work cheaply. The problems you have don't sound difficult to overcome and maybe I could help you save a few bob as well.

Effluo

Ram really is the only problem with them...

If you were to get 1gig for each machine, it would improve performance to a huge extent.

From the sounds of the previous owner it would appear that those pc's really have been neglected.
Reinstalling the operating system on each pc is a free way to increase the speed of them and it'll probably be by quite a lot!

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/productkeysactivation/gr/mjbkeyfinder.htm
If you can't find stickers on the pc's with the product key's of the operating systems then run this program on each one to find each of the computers product key for windows xp.

Then all you need is to get a windows xp disc and format the hard-drives and reinstall windows!! It's that easy. For 15 pc's... Prob take you around 40minutes/pc

And what does everyone think of this?
http://cgi.ebay.ie/1GB-PC3200-DDR-400-PC3200-2700-2100-MEMORY-DESKTOP-RAM_W0QQitemZ130330968793QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_ComputerComponents_MemoryRAM_JN?hash=item1e5854c2d9&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_5055wt_939

I'd say if you told them that you wanted 15 or so of them they'd settle for around 12 euro each! and that's free delivery too...

Canonfan

Again thanks for your time and reples guys, really appreciated.

I'll keep checking adverts for 1gb ram and give the PCs another chance. Still i need another 4 PCs.

I can't afford to pay any computer freaks at the moment, only 3rd day into the business. At a later stage defo yes.

Again as I said, next time you are in town, drinks and internet/printing are on me.^^

Address is 38 Dame Street, D2.

Canonfan

Hi guys, another question:
What's the best way to get rid of 5 x broken computers, 6 x broken LCDs, lots of kepboards plus mouse and about 10 used printer toner cartridge/Drum Unit.

Can someone recommend a company, please?

Effluo

could you not use the ram from the broken computers in the ones that are working? Anything over the 256mb that they have now would give a really big speed increase in xp

Canonfan

Effluo wrote: »

could you not use the ram from the broken computers in the ones that are working? Anything over the 256mb that they have now would give a really big speed increase in xp

I did already. These computers have two memory slots. The biggest ram I found here is 256mb. Even with 512mb ram i already notice the difference.

Unregistered.

Canonfan wrote: »

Hi guys, another question:
What's the best way to get rid of 5 x broken computers, 6 x broken LCDs, lots of kepboards plus mouse and about 10 used printer toner cartridge/Drum Unit.

Can someone recommend a company, please?

You could post them on adverts.ie in the Free Stuff section. You might not get rid of them all, straight away, but there are often people looking for PCs for parts.

Canonfan

Urgent help needed!!!!!!

I was doing the system throught the night but can't get the printer working. I spent the last 5 hours on it with no luck.

It's Panasonic DP-C262

JDxtra

Personally, I would do it right from the start. People expect a little more from a city centre net cafe. This isnt Thailand and it isnt 2002, and customers will not be searching with AltaVista! Dump all those GX280s, and pay for a technician to setup low maintenance modern PCs. Anything else will frustrate you and your customers. You will save a few quid on your ESB bill as well.

Effluo

Install the drivers

http://www.panasonic.com.au/support/downloads/file_type_results.cfm?fileTypeID=1&productCategoryID=29&productID=4039

Canonfan

JDxtra wrote: »

Personally, I would do it right from the start. People expect a little more from a city centre net cafe. This isnt Thailand and it isnt 2002, and customers will not be searching with AltaVista! Dump all those GX280s, and pay for a technician to setup low maintenance modern PCs. Anything else will frustrate you and your customers. You will save a few quid on your ESB bill as well.

As a marketing graduate and Four Seasons Hotel employee for 8.5 years, I know exactly what is customer service.

But when you start your first business you don't have much of a choice. I got these computers and tables as a package. I need to make some money back first.

Last night one of my friend offered free service of reinstalling all the PCs and set up a new server for me. BUT he did one biy f**ked up job. Now every PC has virus, printer not working anymore(we tried all the drivers). We worked throught the night but all for nothing, today I had to give Internet for free to everyone.

Now I really need someone with excellent knowledge to sort me out. I have until tomorrow 10am to get back on track.

So guys if you can do a good job please pm me your quote.

There are 18 computers, one server and one printer.

Not a good start.:o

bushy...

Keep "helpful" friend away , you should have no problem getting it to a usable state again yourself.


Download this and run it on each pc :

http://sourceforge.net/projects/keyfinder/files/keyfinder/Keyfinder%202.0.1/keyfinder.2.0.1.zip/download

It will display the licence number on each PC .

Write the numbers down carefully.

Write down the licence numbers for Office and the webcafe management software etc or you will be stranded later on

Get a Windows XP disc and do a fresh install on just 1 pc.

If the display etc needs drivers , ONLY go to the Dell site for them
( this is probably where your friend made the mistake of going to some daft windows driver website and infected everything )

Reinstall Office , the webcafe management software etc.

When its working happily , you can take an "image" of it and put it on the other identical PCs - this will save hours and hours.

Keep posting if you're stuck

Canonfan

bushy... wrote: »

Keep "helpful" friend away , you should have no problem getting it to a usable state again yourself.


Download this and run it on each pc :

http://sourceforge.net/projects/keyfinder/files/keyfinder/Keyfinder%202.0.1/keyfinder.2.0.1.zip/download

It will display the licence number on each PC .

Write the numbers down carefully.

Write down the licence numbers for Office and the webcafe management software etc or you will be stranded later on

Get a Windows XP disc and do a fresh install on just 1 pc.

If the display etc needs drivers , ONLY go to the Dell site for them
( this is probably where your friend made the mistake of going to some daft windows driver website and infected everything )

Reinstall Office , the webcafe management software etc.

When its working happily , you can take an "image" of it and put it on the other identical PCs - this will save hours and hours.

Keep posting if you're stuck

Thanks. But I haven't slept for almost 38 hours. If someone is willing to work overnight just drop me a pm.

jhud

Sorry for the bearer of bad news but the Dell computers you have are gx280's these have very bad motherboards capacitors so you might look into this more. Maybe look at getting some motherboards for spare and some capacitors. I work in the IT department of a large company who have 500 computers about 420 these gx280's a lot of these have failed on capacitors and also bad hard drives so you should get a few of these too and another thing they should have a sata connection for cd/dvd or hard drive it is has a cap over it to hide it away. So you might be able to upgrade the hard drives to sata for better connection.

These computers have had a warranty for the motherboard replacement this warranty expired over a year ago at least from what i can remember but even with the new motherboard that were swapped in there was still capacitor issues.

Hope this helps. Sorry again for the bad news.

If you need any more info on these give me a shout.

Canonfan

One fellow boardie agreed to save the day, thanks for all your support guys.

Kinetic^

Good luck with it.

I do have to ask, what made you take this on?

I'd suggest some light reading, this book will go through a good bit of what you'll need to know and after that it will be just getting stuck in to whatever happens from day to day with the PCs.