Re: Dumb question...how to rebuild

Rachel <Rachel.1s7l1m@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>
>Thanks for the help guys.
>
>Just to give a bit more info...I'm totally crap on the hardware side,
>but good on software probs, so this one i think is beyond me. My
>packard bell is an imedia 5070, it now has OEM windows xp. It is about
>3 years old, and luckily i had a 5yr warranty with it.
>
>This is the second time my power supply has gone bang (in less than
>2yrs), so they are coming to replace it, again. I'm just getting fed
>up of it and wondered what my alternatives were.
>
>I go to computer fairs regularly in my area, and new parts always seem
>cheap. I have NO experience of building pc's (or cloning drives??),
>but wondered whether it was worth a go, as obviously i don't want to
>lose the stuff i already have. I've been inside my pc before, and
>realise it just literally clips together....is it a little more
>complicated than this?
>
>If i bought a new case, would my imedia parts, plus a new power supply
>all be compatible, and would it just be a case of fitting it all
>together. If i buy a new DVD/RW drive i assume this would have to be
>installed as you would anything else, but again do i just slot it in
>and connect the cable?

You can purchase a new case and power supply and use them with your
existing hardware components. And installing an additional drive is
as simple as you describe, except that there are two cables - power
and data.

Assuming that your Windows XP is an OEM version that came bundled with
the Packard Bell computer the one thing you do not want to do is to
replace the motherboard, unless that new motherboard is also from
Packard Bell.

Your OEM Windows is likely to be a BIOS Locked version and these
cannot (as of 1 March 2005) be activated on a motherboard that is not
from the same computer manufacturer.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

In memory of a dear friend Alex Nichol MVP
http://aumha.org/alex.htm
.

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