hardware help

[xxispawn01xx]

guys first of all i would like to say i am awsome with software i can fix any software default, but hardware is a stranger to me i know plain basics, i want to format a 100 mhz computer than barely recognizes itself with windows 95 and install redhat 7.3 (it used to recognize its windows 95 self but its lost it i tell u)
i have a 266 mhz computer with nice specs, but the thing is i was using it around a year ago and it jus shut off literally i checked all the wires nothing, do u guyus think u know wat happend? i would REALLY appreciate the help thx in advance sooooo much

[michaelk]

So how come you haven't fixed windows yet :)

So how much memory do you have in that 100MHz PC? RH 7.3 might not be the best to try. Search the site for distro suggestions.

Do I know whats wrong with your 266 MHz PC. Yep, Its broken.
Check the power supply.

[xxispawn01xx]

remmeber i totally suck with hardware ;) my 100 mhz computer died yesterday it wouldnt detect the hd! lol anyways the 266 mhz computer i thought as well had the same power supply problem, is that the little box wherfe all the wires come out of in the computer(parellel on the outside to it is the plugin place for the power cord) anyways would u reccomend something if i replaced the power supply, would i have to do anyhting special? and last question can i take the 100mhz processor and the memory from the 100 mhz computer and put it on the 266 mhz computer? plz help :) pictures woudl be loved!

[antitrustworthy]

My best piece of advice for you: If you are as good as you say you are with software, you are obviously intelligent. Take the side panel off of your case and play around. Teach yourself hardware. Its not that hard. Take everything out of the case and put it back in again. Its just like a puzzle. That is how I learned hardware, and now Im a certified technician. If you need a new power supply, take the old one out and buy a new one. Just unplug it, unscrew it, rinse, lather, repeat. No big deal. If your hd isnt detecting, open the case and check that it's connections are snug. Possibly a simple fix. A "professional" would charge you $50+ to do the same thing. If you have trouble, post here. We will help. Happy hardware-ing.

Matt

[xxispawn01xx]

FOR ANYONE WHO ANSWERS ALL THESE QUESTIONS SUCCESFULLY WILL GET FULL ACCESS TO MY FTP AND DUMPS NO WAIT TIME AND ONE-TO-ONE CONNECTION BABY FOR 1 WEEK STRAIGHT THATS RIGHT NO BREAKS.

good news! it was the power supply and i started the 266 all by myself, now heres the problem. I boot it up and it says 233 mhz not 266 and i told u im not good with hardware pictures would help always remember that (i would love to give pictures but i dont have a good digital camera the one i bought was a WWF digital camera for 20 dollars two years ago lol) anyways can you guys just verify with me wat HAS TO BE hooked up properly, I have two wires next to the Pentium 2 running to the power supply i know thats correct, then im pretty sure i have the correct wire running from the power supply to the hd(the wire im talking about is the wire used to power the hd, there is another wire too that is used to I think, tell the computer the device is connected, and its this very wire that tells the computer its connected I think I am putting in the wrong place, can someone tell me how the wire should look like and where both ends of the wire should be(1 end should be in the hd)? And which wire goes to the floppy drive? Anymore essentials? Sorry I suck at hardware and i cant give names for all these things but help would greatly be appreciated.
When I boot up the machine it recognized i have a 233 mhz processor it says it loaded the NVRAM, but it says SCSI(hardrive right) not detected, boot from floppy, floppy not ready.

[antitrustworthy]

Ok....lets see what I can do here. First of all, the power connectors from the power supply consist of 3 types: ps to motherboard, ide/scsi, and floppy. The motherboard is obvious, and you said it is hooked up. If you can turn on your computer at all, it is fine. The hard drive and cdrom connectors have 4 pins, are opaque in color, and look something like this: (sorry, it looked good before the post)
________
/ o o o o \
----------

They are easy because they only fit one way. The floppy power connector looks very similar, but about half the size and white instead of opaque. Still has 4 pins, and it just slides onto the floppy drive connection.

The ribbons are a little more difficult. One thing to remember with ribbons, they almost always have a red stripe down one side... look for it. That will tell you how to plug it up. The stripe faces the power connector. In pictures:
____________________________
|:::::::::::::::::::| ---- / o o o o \
----------------------------------
....................... /\
__________stripe |

Sorry about the bad ascii art.

The hard drive/cdrom cables are wider than the floppy cable, but they look very similar. Floppy cables usually have a twist in one end of the cable, that is the end that goes into the drive...other end to board.

As for your CPU speed issue, if I knew the model of the board, I could tell you exactly what jumper to move where on the board. But here is a generic answer that you may be able to follow. Look all over the motherboard. You will see jumpers, they are little black plastic rectangular things that fit over 2 pins on the board. Look for some white print on the board near a grouping of jumpers. Look for something like CPU frequency, ratio, multiplier, etc. Those are the jumpers that control your CPU speed. You will have to look at the writing and see what settings will give you 266 MHz. ex. frequency=133 multiplier=2.

If you send me an email with your motherboard model number and manufacturer, I will look it up and tell you exactly what to change and where it is on your board. My email is antitrustworthy@elitemail.org

hope I helped,

Matt