From: Mike '/m' 


If you check www.dell.com.nytimesoffer once or twice a week, you'll often
see a "free shipping" promotion.   Now, if I could only get rid
of that
forced Windows XP purchase on the Dell desktop, I might even be tempted.

I picked up a nice media server from that page.  600SC box, Pentium 4
2.4GHz, 128MB memory, lots of drive bays, 40GB 7200GB drive, Intel gigabit
NIC.  $312 including tax, no shipping charges.

The box was OS-free.  It is now running RH Linux 8.0 with a 3Ware IDE RAID
controller; and 3 Maxtor 160GB 8MB cache 7200 rpm IDE drives, plus a 40GB
boot drive. It's also running Samba for Windows networking.  :-)

 /m

On Mon, 26 May 2003 09:49:45 -0400, "John Beamish"
 wrote:

>I _almost_ agree with the Dell recommendation.  Just remember that you will
have to pay shipping charges and at that price range they can represent a
non-trivial portion of the total cost.
>
>OTOH ... if you value your time at $50/hr the "cost" of
driving over, picking
up and bringing back the machine can easily match the Dell shipping costs.
>  "Rich"  wrote in message news:3ed1b231$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>     I wouldn't recommend a best buy no-name box or the similar cheap ones at
compusa either.  You can get an inexpensive Dell or HP box with Windows XP
preloaded for less than $400.
>
>     I thought I saw one at compusa earlier today but can't find it on their
web site.  Best Buy has a $499 HP system with a $100 gift card at
http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=11216104&m=0&cat=0&scat=0. 
There is a Presario desktop at
http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=11214707&m=488&cat=490&
scat=491 which is also $499 and looks to have a $100 gift card and a $50
rebate.  The HP system looks nicer as one might expect for $50 more.
>
>     On its web site, Dell has a 2.2 GHz, 256 MB RAM, 30 GB disk, CD-R/W
system for $299.  There is no free shipping this week so unless you can
convince them it may cost another $90 or so.
>
>  Rich
>
>    "Robert Comer"  wrote in message
news:3ed19786{at}w3.nls.net...
>    Cheapie consumers machines can do that nicely, so it'd probably pay you
>    time-wise and frustration-wise to get an XPHome machine and be done with
it.
>    I saw one in the Best Buy paper for less than $400, gotta add a monitor
>    though. (or a Linux machine for even cheaper)
>
>    - Bob Comer
>
>
>    "Ellen K."  wrote in message
>    news:u343dv4kkk471lf1ls9r08qgb4tgji980b{at}4ax.com...
>    > This isn't my development box, it's more like my email / internet /
>    > cardfile box.
>    >
>    > On Wed, 14 May 2003 16:35:36 -0400, "Robert Comer"
>    >  wrote in message
:
>    >
>    > >Ellen, I agree with Rich (for once. ), a new
install is the best way
>    to
>    > >go over an upgrade.
>    > >
>    > >64MB would run W2K as Rich says, but it would be pretty slow doing
>    > >development stuff.  I'd get an upgrade if you can. (you
can never have
>    > >enough RAM is what I go by and it's the absolute first
upgrade I think
>    about
>    > >if there's a performance problem...)
>    > >
>    > >- Bob Comer
>    > >
>    > >
>    > >"Rich"  wrote in message
news:3ec2a71a{at}w3.nls.net...
>    > >   The system requirements for Windows 2000 Professional
can be found
at
>    >
>http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/professional/evaluation/sysreqs/.
>    64MB
>    > >is the low end.
>    > >
>    > >   Again, if you do this I would recommend against an upgrade.  Do a
>    clean
>    > >install and reformat the hard disk.
>    > >
>    > >Rich
>    > >
>    > >  "Robert Comer" 
wrote in message
>    > >news:3ec2a370$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>    > >  > Would W2K even run on such a box?  (I bought in in
early '98 I
>    think.)
>    > >
>    > >  Most likely, but there may be a driver problem if it's
not standard
>    stuff
>    > >  from that time.
>    > >
>    > >  >So far
>    > >  > I can't find memory for it, only have 64MB.
>    > >
>    > >  What is it?  (Make/model)  I'll see if I can find out
more about it.
>    > >
>    > >  > Also, with W2K wouldn't I want NTFS?   Right now it's FAT32.
>    > >
>    > >  If all you're going to do is run one OS on it, yep,
you'd want NTFS
--
>    the
>    > >  W2K offers to upgrade your drive to NTFS, no problem. If you have
other
>    > >  partitions, there's a convert program you run after you do the
install.
>    > >
>    > >  - Bob Comer
>    > >
>    > >
>    > >
>    > >
>    > >  "Ellen K"  wrote
in message
>    > >  news:909377.ae7c35{at}harborwebs.com...
>    > >  > Would W2K even run on such a box?  (I bought in in
early '98 I
>    think.)
>    > >So
>    > >  far
>    > >  > I can't find memory for it, only have 64MB.
>    > >  >
>    > >  > Also, with W2K wouldn't I want NTFS?   Right now it's FAT32.
>    > >  >
>    > >  > > From: "Robert Comer"

>    > >  > > Why not upgrade to W2KPro or WinXP -- it wouldn't be the
speediest
>    box
>    > >  in
>    > >  > > the world, but it'd be more stable and run
more of today's
>    programming
>    > >  > > stuff?
>    > >  > > - Bob Comer
>    > >  > > "Ellen K"
 wrote in message
>    > >  > > news:509347.ac8012{at}harborwebs.com...
>    > >  > >> Urk.  If that's the case then the only
thing I'd get with 98SE
>    would
>    > >be
>    > >  > > the
>    > >  > >> ability to run newer versions of stuff
that don't run on 95 any
>    more
>    > >  (like
>    > >  > > the
>    > >  > >> Norton security stuff).
>    > >  > >>
>    > >  > >> Anything resembling power management is
already disabled.
>    > >  > >>
>    > >  > >> How do you shut down to the
"orange-on-black idiot screen only"?
>    > >  > >>
>    > >  > >> What about Rnaapp?
>    > >  > >>
>    > >  > >> Maybe the original hard drive is starting
to go bad... ?
>    > >  > >>
>    > >  > >> > From: "Frank Haber"

>    > >  > >> > Why do you think 98SE will help your
shutdown problem?  Win 95
>    did
>    > >a
>    > >  > > pretty
>    > >  > >> > good job shutting down early APM
systems.  98SE had notorious
>    > >  problems
>    > >  > > with
>    > >  > >> > that, got two partially successful
patches for it, has had
whole
>    > >  > > websites
>    > >  > >> > written about its power problems. 
There are still a bunch of
>    > >  machines
>    > >  > > out
>    > >  > >> > there that won't shut down properly.
>    > >  > >> > Have you considered just disabling
power management, shutting
>    down
>    > >to
>    > >  > > the
>    > >  > >> > orange-on-black idiot screen only,
then leaning on the power
>    switch
>    > >  for
>    > >  > > five
>    > >  > >> > seconds?
>    > >
>    > >
>    >

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