h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have always been a DIY kind of person, learning a lot from my Dad, but I never tackled anything I knew very little about such as computers. In fact, a few of years ago I would never even think about installing a program into my computer, never mind installing any hardware. So you can imagine just how chuffed I am that we have just fitted a replacement motherboard into my old desk to that packed in a few months ago? At first we were simply just going to replace it, but then I thought about all the money we had spent upgrading it with a new 250Gb hard drive, increased the RAM and bought a new FST monitor for it, so we decided to have a go and fix it. A mate of mine from an ex service site I use, sent me a replacement motherboard that was compatible with that processor, so we started stripping down the computer, carefully marking where all the cable and components came from. We also downloaded all the instructions we could find from the Internet from my lap top.

It was really easy taking it all to bits and surprisingly we managed to get it all back together again, and indeed got the computer working and even got it back on line again! The only thing was the sound card on that motherboard did not work, so our lad took the one out of his old computer which was a special one which you could plug musical instruments into, so a big improvement on the standard sound cards, and it worked great!
So all that was left to do was to install all the drivers and programs for the printer and so on, as well as all the programs that was needed to run it. A job that I did with ease, considering that only a few years ago, I would never had tackled. So now my old desk top is running great with its replacement motherboard, upgraded RAM of 1Gig, and all at very little cost, a total of £17 for the RAM that I bought on EBay.
A lot cheaper than the price it would have cost to replace it, plus the satisfaction of knowing that we did it ourselves. I was really pleased as that was my very first computer which was bought by my wife and her grown up children, who gave it to me on my fifty second birthday, fife years ago. Hey! and they said that us old folks know nothing about computers
Smudger.

hi smudge
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not much for repairing a pc, i can format, add driver, even setup anything thats needed to burn or watch a film.
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at one time i could repair tv,s, vids, this morning i got the sound back on a freeview for a mate.but pc parts, nooo way lol. . jim

I'm very very impressed! Way to go!

May I join you JEllen in saying how impressove their DIY is !1

Happy Christmas to you all


christiane AlsoRam80

You really are amazing Smudger. Well done and how satisfied you must feel. Mind you, you have a technical mind and that goes a long way towards it. Some people can do things like that with ease, others haven't a clue. I can see both kinds in my two sons. One is totally practical and will tackle anything, the other one is mostly clueless or afraid to try!

Well done

Websailor

Well done Smudger ...I couldn't do it


I wonder whether my tray is as good as your table for running computers

Hi WS, I was a bit scared at first, but I marked every cable and lead so that I would know where they went when it came time to put it all back together. If I never did that, it would still be laying in bits
Smudger.

It would appear that my DIY has back fired on me? As while trying several links to be able to log into my favourite ex service site, I seemed to have lost my Google tool bar? Then when I was trying to install it back again, I kept going round in circles and it would not install. I miss it it as it has a really good spellchecker on it as well as a good form filler that can save you a lot of time. I think its probably due to that Internet Explorer security problem that was discovered earlier this week?

I did however manage to get back onto that site, but by spending so much time trying to get into that one, I have not been in here much at all recently, and I must admit I missed being in here with all my old mates. I have noticed that there are a lot of new members in here now, and some of the members on my friends list are not here any more
Where have they all gone, I feel like a newbie all over again.
Smudger.

hi smudger
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if you look at the bottom of my friends list, at the line of ones that had me on there list, there is only a very small few still on h2g2.
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and some seem to go missing each month. its the lure of the internet that is more to their liking, facebook, bebo and many others like youtube. jim

I must admit I never use those sites you mentioned, I did however join that Saga web site, as its for folk my age, but I am not all the keen on it really, as it appears to me to be a bit "clanish" if you know what I mean.
I would not like to stop coming in here, but there seems to be not a lot of my old friends left
Mind you, I would like to keep writing my Snippets

Smudger.

Well, I'm still here Smudger, and lots of the people I have known for some years are still here too. I keep meaning to check out my long list of Friends and see who are still around, but I never seem to get the time. I find people can pop up out of the blue after quite a long time. RL sometimes gets in the way.

Please continue with your Snippets. I do enjoy them, though I have to admit I haven't had time to ready anything in so far this week as things have been hectic.

Hope you and Mark ll are

Websailor

hi smudger
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from something i saw on the tv calendar news in my area one night, there is at least one lady on facebook thats 90 yrs old.
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not having a pc, and limited in the cybercafe, i dont use any of them myself either.
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i have forum im subbed to, on things like 3-d photos and images.its free, and there are loads of things to check out daily, even a animation section.
free to join, no obligation to add anything. just acsess the gallerys.
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http://www.3dcomunne.com
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jim

Dear Smudger,

I would hate to see you leave. We have been friends for such a long time, and you are such a splendid chap.
Now would you please come onto my page and join me in the explorations which I am busy making to the stars, to the Heavens, and all the various aother places which I pick up.

I hope you have a good Christmas. I am going in for a scan of my brain (to see whether I have anything inside my head!!) and also an ultra sound of my neck. these are all "aftermaths" of the open heart op I had in 1994, so hold thumbs for me my dear friend.

good wishes to you and your loved ones.

Christiane
alsoRan79

Ah! thanks for you posts folks, I was never going to leave H2 altogether, just that my time is being taken up more with looking after Mk2 these days, she has a catheter fitted just now as she has another infection, so cant get up out of bed much
That along with everything else, keeps me really busy these days, also Christmas for all the G/Kids on top of that
I have done a Snippet recently, but I am not sure if it will be allowed in
Smudger

Sorry to hear you have so much to do, it must be difficult. Just keep in touch so you are not too alone.

A Snippet that might not be allowed in That sounds interesting

Take care,

Websailor

Aye! WS, I wrote it in a fit of anger after reading an article in the press about them banning Christmas
Thanks for you post as well, its nice to know that someone is thinking of you, ain`t it


On behalf of Mk2 and myself we would like to wish Everyone a very happy Christmas an a Happy New Year for 2009

Smudger

hi smudger
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they cant ban xmas, ide like fathers and mothers try to explain where santa is and the presents
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there is a man somewhere in england that celebrates xmas every day of his life, tree, pressie xmas dinner, the lot. jim

Dear smudger, Ml 2 and Jim,

A very happy christmas to you and I hope you will enjoy it enormously.
Now I really am off to bed to try and get some shuteye before my journey for my scan. !!

Christiane
Alsoran80

I got a scare tonight, as I logged in using Internet Explorer and it didn't fill in my details for me, and I had completely forgotten the P/Word
As it was so long ago since I last typed it, then to top that off, I answered the security question correctly, but it said my answer was wrong??
As you may all know, Internet Explorer has had a problem recently with security, and was shut down for a spell there

I have spent ages over the past few nights trying to install my Google tool bar back onto my FirFox page, (which I lost while sorting another problem out) anyway, it will just not load, just keeps sending me round in circles, and I really miss it, as it has a great Auto-Fill ans spell checker. I still have it on I/E though
Smudger.

Good luck smudger in tryihg to get on line.

Have a happy dau
y today.

Christiane
alsoRan80