Bought a ''cleaned'' CPU Help

LaLucy

I bought a Dell CPU from ebay for 40 squids. All that's on it is Windows XP, how do I start putting programmes on it and making it into a real computer?

DrGreenthumb

like what program's? , if you have cd's use them to install your software or download the software from the manafacturs site

PseudoFamous

LaLucy wrote: »

I bought a Dell CPU from ebay for 40 squids. All that's on it is Windows XP, how do I start putting programmes on it and making it into a real computer?

I'm all giggly after reading that. I doubt a CPU has WinXP on it, for a start..

DrGreenthumb

well she mightn't be the sharpest knief in the drawer but if it has xp on it i think its safe to say its not just a cpu smart ass

LaLucy

"Dell Optiplex gx260 Tower PC
P4 2.8GHz 256MB 20gb
THIS PC HAS BEEN CLEANED
TESTED AND COMES WITH A
NEW INSTALLATION OF
WINDOWS XP"

This is the description of what I bought which was filed under the heading CPU. Also I find myself giggling at the person describing me as "she mightn't be the sharpest
knief in the drawer" great spelling there dude, you really got me! Your mother must be proud .
So it's called a tower? Sorry! F sake. Anyway... I don't know, Microsoft Packages would be good, is there anywhere to download them onto my phone so I can then put onto the computer? Which is what I did with adobe reader. Any help appreciated

This site will provide most of the tools you need!

wush06

NoDrama wrote: »

This site will provide most of the tools you need!

Looks a handy site.

LaLucy

NoDrama wrote: »

This site will provide most of the tools you need!

You're the best, thank you!

Tails142

LaLucy wrote: »

"Dell Optiplex gx260 Tower PC
P4 2.8GHz 256MB 20gb
THIS PC HAS BEEN CLEANED
TESTED AND COMES WITH A
NEW INSTALLATION OF
WINDOWS XP"

This is the description of what I bought which was filed under the heading CPU. Also I find myself giggling at the person describing me as "she mightn't be the sharpest
knief in the drawer" great spelling there dude, you really got me! Your mother must be proud .
So it's called a tower? Sorry! F sake. Anyway... I don't know, Microsoft Packages would be good, is there anywhere to download them onto my phone so I can then put onto the computer? Which is what I did with adobe reader. Any help appreciated

It's called a PC or a computer, the CPU is just the processor chip.

Either way what you bought is a piece of junk, your phone is probably more powerful. With 256mb of RAM you will be hard pushed to do anything reasonable with it, you will be looking for programs from around 1998 or 2000 as a reference point.

Overheal

I remember when a Pentium 4 used to be useful.

Its simple you use Internet Explorer to go online and download programs.

Good luck trying to render webpages on that old clunker though... what are you going to be using it for?

Skerries

those old gx260's are notorious for problems
they came with dodgy capacitors that burst and leaked and caused thermal issue which meant a new motherboard
so if it starts giving you problems then just bin it

yoyo

Skerries wrote: »

they came with dodgy capacitors that burst and leaked and caused thermal issue which meant a new motherboard

Interesting you say that, I recently built a new PC for my uncle that had a old similar Dell, took a few boots for it too boot successfully, actually thought it was PSU was the problem, looks like the problem could have been this though, at least I didn't go the hacksaw to case route and figure I wasted my time trying to fit a ATX PSU in it :P

Nick

LaLucy

Hi well it's for my boyfriend who has started a college course in computer maintenance. So he hopefully will learn how fix probs with it, it's like a practice computer. That's all I could afford at the mo and I know it's not great but is it possible to make it better or is it just a heap of junk through and through?

EGriff

One of my modules this year is PC maintenance and we're using those exact same towers in class.

ScumLord

We have something similar at work, I recently upgraded them from 256mb to 512mb or 1gb. They're slow on 256mb but usable with half a gig. If you go to the Dell website you can get some extra ram for that PC for around €30. I still have the old ram and would give them away they're useless to me but I don't think it would be of any use the motherboard has two 128mb sticks rather than just one 256mb.

There is many linux distro's which would run comfortably on that machine!

yoyo

LaLucy wrote: »

Hi well it's for my boyfriend who has started a college course in computer maintenance. So he hopefully will learn how fix probs with it, it's like a practice computer. That's all I could afford at the mo and I know it's not great but is it possible to make it better or is it just a heap of junk through and through?

The machine should be perfect for such use As others have said it wouldn't be good as an everyday computer but for tinkering with it would be fine!

Nick

CaSCaDe711

Tails142 wrote: »

It's called a PC or a computer, the CPU is just the processor chip.

Either way what you bought is a piece of junk, your phone is probably more powerful. With 256mb of RAM you will be hard pushed to do anything reasonable with it, you will be looking for programs from around 1998 or 2000 as a reference point.

My old desktop pc I'm using to send this is running a P4 (ONLY 2.4Ghz), albiet with 2GB of RAM and of course a very old Geforce4, and it runs grand for everything other than serious gaming Rip / play cds and dvds, browse the net, download stuff, watch movies, play mp3s, MAME games, emulated games (NES, SNES, Megadrive etc etc). P4 can be grand, and NOT a piece of junk :rolleyes: :P

MarkR

You can get up to 2 GB of memory for that machine. Very good idea to upgrade it now.

http://www.crucial.com/eu/store/listparts.aspx?model=OptiPlex%20GX260%20Series&Cat=RAM

Take out the single stick of 256mb, and replace with 2 x 1 Gb

scotty_irish

Until a fire took my baby from me back in february, I was using a sevenish year old compaq laptop with 700mhz processor and 384 mb ram running xp. Once i kept it clean, it ran fine - web browsing, movies, office and a lot of programming. He will learn a lot using an old computer, tinkering with it to keep it fast, there's an art to making old machines run quick. And if you pop linux on it, it'll fly! and on a side note - they don't make em like they used to, my laptop was recovered by the demolition company five months after the fire, managed to get the data off it. it survived fire, water and five months being exposed to the weather.

the_syco

TBH, I was expecting a CPU that had been lapped.

CaSCaDe711 wrote: »

P4 can be grand, and NOT a piece of junk :rolleyes: :P

Maybe with 2GB of RAM, but any machine that only has 256MB of RAM is a pile of sh|te.

LaLucy: it came with nothing on it, as it can't handle anything else! Put at least 1GB into it, or you'll regret buying it.

CaSCaDe711

the_syco wrote: »

TBH, I was expecting a CPU that had been lapped.


Maybe with 2GB of RAM, but any machine that only has 256MB of RAM is a pile of sh|te.

LaLucy: it came with nothing on it, as it can't handle anything else! Put at least 1GB into it, or you'll regret buying it.

Very true. Upping the RAM can have an great effect on performance. Add to that a graphics card and that'll help you further, as onboard graphics can be shockingly poor, especially on the older boards.

Skerries

i doubt she's going to game on it
once you can see it, it'll be fine

Skerries

when you similar to that do you mean a gx280?
as the gx280's had PSU problems

yoyo wrote: »

Interesting you say that, I recently built a new PC for my uncle that had a old similar Dell, took a few boots for it too boot successfully, actually thought it was PSU was the problem, looks like the problem could have been this though, at least I didn't go the hacksaw to case route and figure I wasted my time trying to fit a ATX PSU in it :P

Nick

yoyo

Skerries wrote: »

when you similar to that do you mean a gx280?
as the gx280's had PSU problems

I've no idea what model # it was, It was a Dimension, not an Optiplex btw, tbh the sympthoms were very like a PSU, sorted with a new computer so doesn't matter now :P

Nick

mach1982

If it is just for him to mess around with a P4 will be ok , he will be able to update the ram , graphics card , harddrive etc . if has win XP that all you need , you don't need any thing elese .

mach1982

the_syco wrote: »

TBH, I was expecting a CPU that had been lapped.


Maybe with 2GB of RAM, but any machine that only has 256MB of RAM is a pile of sh|te.

LaLucy: it came with nothing on it, as it can't handle anything
else! Put at least 1GB into it, or you'll regret buying it.

Only with using Windows , Linux would run perfectly ( and i say fastter than windows ) with that .

ScumLord

mach1982 wrote: »

If it is just for him to mess around with a P4 will be ok , he will be able to update the ram , graphics card , harddrive etc . if has win XP that all you need , you don't need any thing elese .

He'll be limited by physical space though, it's a tiny case.

Capt'n Midnight

Tails142 wrote: »

It's called a PC or a computer, the CPU is just the processor chip.

Either way what you bought is a piece of junk, your phone is probably more powerful. With 256mb of RAM you will be hard pushed to do anything reasonable with it, you will be looking for programs from around 1998 or 2000 as a reference point.

If you want to be pedantic the CPU is the small bit on the chip between the cache and the pipeline / branch predictor. Having data ready in time to shovel into the number cruncher is actually more important than number crunching !

256MB means you are limited to windows XP ( or puppylinux )

mach1982 wrote: »

Only with using Windows , Linux would run perfectly ( and i say fastter than windows ) with that .

forget Ubuntu or any other easy to use version of linux (OK puppy is fun but it won't replace XP unless you are dedicated)
and vista / windows 7 are never going to happen on that machine.

it's more powerful than your phone

actually with a wee bit of RAM it would be as powerful as the average netbook


defo get more ram - ask around someone may have stuff lying around
it takes DDR - 2 slots 128/256/512/1GB modules is the size ( you have either a 256 or a pair of 128's)
\PC| 2100 / PC 2700 / PC 3200 - is the type but double check what it has already , try to get up above 768MB (one 256+ one 512) if you can


XP is grand , by some measures over 50% of computers still use it = more than every other OS combined !

for internet
get firefox and adblock plus and no script - to cut down on junk that slows you down
or chrome , it's good too

Capt'n Midnight

Skerries wrote: »

those old gx260's are notorious for problems
they came with dodgy capacitors that burst and leaked and caused thermal issue which meant a new motherboard
so if it starts giving you problems then just bin it

actually that's more likely in the 270's and 280's and some of the optiplex's and a few of the "desktop" poweredges

a quick look under the bonnet will tell if you are worried, there are small cylinders on the motherboard about 1cm in diameter , stamped with the letter T , K or X - if the top is flat happy days, if bulging it will die , ( eventually , and they give tonnes of warning before they go ) - upgrade the BIOS to reduce the load on them

LaLucy

Thank you all so much for the info and help, wish I could I buy ya all a pint :-) I'll pass on all info to my fella. Any other info/advice/suggestions welcome and appreciated.

ScumLord

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

defo get more ram - ask around someone may have stuff lying around
it takes DDR - 2 slots 128/256/512/1GB modules is the size ( you have either a 256 or a pair of 128's)

The official Dell ram isn't priced to badly I think it was around €50 for 1gb.

Capt'n Midnight

ScumLord wrote: »

The official Dell ram isn't priced to badly I think it was around €50 for 1gb.

considering you can get RAM for newer models for €20 a GB or even a tenner second hand it's expensive. It's a lot to spend on a box that only cost €40 in the first place.

check adverts for adds for old ram , put in a free ad asking for it, if afraid of opening the case use the program CPUZ to tell you what memory is in the box

actually don't bother.

yer man is supposed to be learning about all this stuff, so get him to do all the research into upgrades and stuff :pac:

LaLucy

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

considering you can get RAM for newer models for €20 a GB or even a tenner second hand it's expensive. It's a lot to spend on a box that only cost €40 in the first place.

check adverts for adds for old ram , put in a free ad asking for it, if afraid of opening the case use the program CPUZ to tell you what memory is in the box

actually don't bother.

yer man is supposed to be learning about all this stuff, so get him to do all the research into upgrades and stuff :pac:

Good thinking! Ah I'm just trying to help him so when he's earning the big bucks I shall go on mad shopping sprees mwahaha!

hearny

I may have some RAM lying around I can send you, I will try to root some out tomorrow.