OK so this here "old PC"(2 year-old PIII500, 356 etc) I am running needs a new power supply(new fan inside really, but we all know how these parts deals work,lol). How did I find this out? Tried to re-hook-up the speakers after a redo of the office area and found that the PS fan weren't wurkin no mo. In addition I was getting much static thru the speakers which prompted me to investigate further initially. PC was as hot as it is outside here in Vegas!

Also had the Mouse crap-out for some reason. I was hoping I had not fried the motherboard.

Anyhow, long story short, I am off to the local CompUSA(not many choices in Vegas on a Sunday or any day for that matter) for a new PS. $40 bucks lighter(rip-off), I have the new puppy in tow and installed pronto. I upgraded from a 230watter to a 300w baby, Yippie! and a boost to my pathetic male ego. Only prob being the new one has less cables so an auxilary fan in the case now is unusable since I cannot get it no power. No biggy, I do like all good men and rationalize it away with "winter is right around the corner, so are lower temps, I won't need that dumb little extra fan".

Once rebooted I still have the dreaded "no mouse detected" notice from Mister Gates popping up. So being the PC Guru that I am, I figure my driver has been "misplaced" someplace(lol). So trying my best using keyboard commands(what a limited joke that is), I hunt around the PC trying to reinstall the mouse drivers. Even pop-in the mouse install CD and get it fired-up. Snag happens when I need to accept Mister Gates license agreement and am unable to move the cursor using the keyboard out of the box to "click" the radio button saying I AGREE! So this mastermind idea is scraped midstream using the ever popular bail-out cntrl-alt-delete.

But dammit I press-on because I will not consider the Motherboard maybe fried. Like all PC users know, reboot till the sucker works and that is what I did and guess what? The mouse appeared and we are back ready to flame the world once again.

Just love the PC. See this incident happened since I was bad-mouthing tech in general on another thread. The PC Gods were listening and it was time for Doc's monthly exercise in be nice to us or else.

BTW, the trip to CompUSA sure proved just how bad the tech situation is these days. Place looked like they were going out of business. They have completely eliminated all the small business support area. Gone are all of the advanced software displays like Linux and the higher end MS office stuff. The PCs on sale are so cheap it is sick thinking I paid what I did for this one here. In addition, the store was in "conserve energy" mode and only half lighted inside.

My faith in the economy was soon restored however on a quick stop at PetSmart for my weekly load-up of 6 cases of dog food for my three children(dogs). That place be cooking! Full lighting, full shelves, and plenty of happy people and dogs!

Oh well, it has gone to the Dogs people, literally.

-- Anonymous, August 26, 2001

Answers

Doc,

I feel for you, believe me. My mouse problem is that it uses a USB adapter that doesn't want to stay seated. I'll grab the mouse and nothing happens; I'll notice that the little laser is dark and say, "uh, oh." Yep, then you get to try to navigate the screens without a mouse! Lots of fun.

By the way ... when I need a PS, I go to a local clone shop and buy the whole case, PS and all, for about that same $40. I keep a few extra "Y" cables around here to split the power supply leads, too.

Don't you have a clone store there? Shoot, we have one here run by some Korean guys who will BUILD you a completely new PC for about $250. :)

(I bought my last CD-ROM, a 346,000 speed or something or another thingie, for $29 from these good folks. They even offered to install it for nuthin'.)

The worst place to buy computer stuff is Radio Shack; their prices are outrageous.

-- Anonymous, August 26, 2001

Ya OK, I fucked-up, thanks for reminding me :( It was sunday, so even here your critique of my shopping habits is paper thin Mister Poole. so there.

Since the new PS replacement "decision", it appears the mouse issue has to do with a defective mouse itself, not some heat induced software driver meltdown. I too use them USB laser jobs from Mister Gates. See if I can dig-up the reciept etc and send the sucker back. Mouse is relatively new(the MS logo has not worn away yet) the one which crapped out.

I have also been instructed that the use of the TAB key in keyboard mode works to move one's cursor around, who would have known? lol.

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2001

Call some of the LV white box builders and buy all new. Just make sure all the major devices have decent brand names on them.

AMD dealer chain is now blowing the Intel builders away and AMD finally got its act together especially for gamers and other graphic intensive types. I don't need that but the price points are 20-30% under the big I. I've only strayed from Intel once in 17 yrs. and that came in an IBM box so I wasn't really taking a chance.

Loaded AMD 1.2 and 1.3 White Box Clones are on the street here at: $389, 429 and 489 depending on bells and whistles. I expect that to drop $50-75 by end of Sept. 256 Meg. dRAM is standard. 30 or 40 gig drives, network card, CD R(some DVDs). Then the 1.4-1.6 will stay sub-$500. AMD is on a roll and I'm very tempted to try one just for fun especially with Win XP RC-1. I just installed it over Beta 2 and it was a no brain install on one of the old PIIs I have as a backup. The best install ever. Even better than the one I did putting Win2000 Pro Beta ONE over Win 98 (which was a no -no according to MSFT).

OTOH, the 2.0 Intel P-4s are available under $2,000 if you can wait. By Nov. that should be $1,499 (maybe, w. no monitor).

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2001