I have a VERY old Compaq Presario 5000 that just crapped out on me today. I bought it new back in 1999 and it only had a 266Mhz Intel Microprocessor and a 7 GB (yes 7GB) hard drive installed. I only used her to store all of the free music I "liberated" from Napster before they were shut down.

Today I put a Photo CD in it from walgreens, and the screen went completely black. I power it down and start it back up again, and I get nothing. I can see the HD light come on and I can hear the fans going, but the screen shows absolutly nothing whatsoever. I have it tied in junction with another far better computer and when I switch the monitor over, it displays just fine.

I don't know if the video card on the Compaq died or what, but after running for over 8 straight years, I think shes served her purpose and has finally reached the end of her life.


What do you all think? Do you think its time to let her go?

:hula:

If you want to keep the old girl running, you could probably buy a used video card on ebay for 10 bucks (or less). Hell, if you know what kind you need and I have one in my piles of junk... I'll shoot you one in the mail.

Get rid of it. It's too slow to be useful, unless you feel like making a firewall out of it.

Well... Up until last year I used a computer that we bought in 1996.

Like spending money to fix a 1987 Dodge Omni, your money here would be far better spent in buying a $300 replacement rather than dumping money into an ancient computer.

2 years max, in my experience thats the longest ive had a computer.

Compaq cases suck giant donkey balls, too. I'm wondering how you managed to get one to last that long in the first place. It's worth it to toss the comp and buy a new one just to make maintenance easier.

I managed to somehow get the screen back by unplugging it and then restarting it again. Don't know what happened there, but I do think its time to finally send her to her grave :(


Oh well... at least I did get my money's worth out of it.

Give her to a kid that doesn't have a PC. Either they will play/learn a little with it, take it apart and maybe learn a bit about PC's, or they will have to be the ones that lug it to the dumpster.

:D

Computers tend to have limitations due to the circumstances of the ever growing software technology.Thus I give it 5 years ...... to support current and present softwares . If you're thinking of using latest softwares, upgrading o changing to a new pc would be the best solution.
Anyway hardwares prices are very much than (can I say) 3 years ago.... (thanks to Vista of course).

If you keep buying new parts for a computer then the lifespan can be extended. But personally I would get a new one as you can get a much better computer than yours these days for not much money at all. If I was using a computer of your speed I would probably have done something to it by now with a hammer or something. lol