**This entry is locked due to content of a sensitive nature. In the future I may not lock regarding this subject, but will write about it in code. Some entries may be locked if I feel I want to list details. But the person involved has been known to read my journal and I want to keep this secret! 🙂 If in the future I post an open entry and you wish to comment, please be careful so as not to give away… Thanks in advance.**

When we were in NJ we were trying to do something on my FIL’s computer. Which led to us tinkering around on it. The thing is in really bad shape. First off it’s from the 90’s… I think they had this when we went to visit in 98/99. Second off, they aren’t very computer savvy so they don’t really take the proper care of their computer. Not like those of us meticulous types do.

It blue screens, runs very slow (slower than it should considering how slow it is), and it has gotten to the point where it is more trouble than it is worth to use. It’s running an obsolete version of Windows. One major thing is that they would TRY to run Windows Update but it would not update. We are unsure why.

So Dad says that as much as he likes to keep in touch using email and reading our website and using IM to talk to us, it has gotten to be more trouble than it is worth. I can sure understand It can be very frustrating.

So we were talking to them about possibilities for upgrading. But because Sir Megabyte’s sister was there, she kept trying to change the discussion topic. (Since this is private, I’ll tell you guys… I think she thinks I’m really weird because I’m a girl and I’m savvy. I’m rather proud of my Geek Gurl Status, but I think that should might not look at it as something to be proud of. That’s just a feeling and I don’t know for sure, but anyway.)

When Sir M went up for the fishing trip he talked to them a little bit and fiddled with it some. He and I had been discussing possibly building a system for them and he decided this would probably be the best route. He couldn’t find something pre built that they would be good with, plus even if they did get it, they need to transfer their stuff over. Since they don’t have a CD/DVD writer this means they are stuck with floppies. So we’d have to go up and take care of this for them or it would take them FOREVER. So Sir M thought if we could build them a system, perhaps it would be better. We could set it up to run smoothly, then we could go up there, insert their old HD and transfer away. Simple process for us, but not for them.

I’m thinking this is a good move. We got our move repayment in, so we have the 1000 I wanted to allot towards Dragon Con plus a little more. We ran across an AWESOME barebones deal that ended yesterday so we jumped on it. I’m going to build the system when it comes in. Then I’m going to go through software choices and load on some things I think they will find very useful. Then I’ll try to burn them an image so that they have something to fall back upon if something goes south.

Here’s what we have so far for their system:
Gaming Case with Handle, black and silver. (OK, I like the handel but they don’t need it.. ROFL)
7 expansion slots
3 5.25 drive bays
3 3.4 drive bays.
350 watt power supply
Front USB
Keyboard
Mouse
Speakers
Motherboard
Onboard Video
Onboard Sound
Onboard Lan
AMD Athlon XP 2400+, 640 Cache, 333 MHZ FSB Socket A with Barton Core
256 Megs of Ram
CPU cooling fan good up to Atholon XP 3200+
CD RW with media card readers for every type of media
30 gig Hard Drive But we plan to format and add the other one as well.
Modem

Not bad, eh? Sometimes it pays to have tons of extra stuff laying around the house and finding AWESOME deals!

Here’s our thinking… this computer will be excellent for them. Sure it could use more ram and a real video card. But they don’t powerhouse so we believe them to be fine for now. Those are simple enough, and generally inexpensive enough fixes. So if they want to upgrade we can do that for them no problem. The onboard video isn’t half bad, but as a gamer I think it’s crap. 🙂

We debated on the CD. We really wanted them to have a writer. We decided at this time a DVD wasn’t in the budget, but we may watch the sales and help them upgrade. I doubt they’d sit in the office to watch a DVD, they aren’t those types. So it would have just been a perk. But we definately wanted them to have a writer so that we could dispense with the floppy as backup. I’m sorry 700 megs vs 1.44. Enough Said.

So we found this deal for only 30 dollars. It had the media card reader which they do not have need of themselves. They don’t have anything that uses media cards. However, we use Flash, SD, and XD. My SIL, Renee, uses XD because she has a digital camera as well. We talked about it and I told my husband I thought this was a really great idea. See when we were there, I burned them a CD with all the pictures I took. This way I can just walk in there, slip the card into a slot and put them on the hard drive. Once I write in a control notebook exactly how to do this, they will be able to do it for Renee when she comes to visit. This will help Renee out greatly because she didn’t get a very large XD card at all and was concerned about space when we were up there. 🙂 I loved it! Plus Melodie, the stepmum, she really wants a digital camera. So this will allow her to transfer easily should she decide to get one. I thought it was a great price and not much more than a regular CD-R.

I’m not sure what software to load. I’ll definately load Trillian so they have IM. Plus no system is complete without AVG and Ad-Aware. I’ll load Open Office so they have that suite. Then Slim Browser for tabbed browsing/pop up blocker. After that, I’m not sure what else to put on. If anyone has some good (preferably free/open source) ideas of useful products, let me know.

We’ll be putting XP on the system. We debated Linux of FreeBSD, but we aren’t close enough for those systems to be put on this computer. We need something easy to use/fix for them in case they run into any problems. If we lived by them, we’d probably go Linux as we have a very nice little distro. But that’s just not in the works with us being a good 4 hours away (good traffic).

Everything is ordered or scrounged into a box. Total cost to us was around 200. Not bad for a complete system. 🙂

So this is my project. Hubby is leaving it in my hands. He found the deal but I’m going to build it and set it up. I’m not sure when the stuff will come in. But I’m thinking around next week. (I’m really hoping it does not come in while we are gone! Had that sale not ended yesterday I’d have held off.) So when it comes in, I’m going to dig in, start setting it up, and then once I have it running smoothly, we’ll see about setting up a date to take it up to them.

I hope that they like it. 🙂

We’d been kind of talking about maybe doing this before hubby went up, but he decided while there it was the route to go. Considering the drama he told me about after that decision, I’m hoping this will make peace, at least with them. I really do think they were biased due to SIL’s influence. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I think this is so. They are good people, I love and respect them, and they have been very kind to me. In fact they have been better in some aspects than the TN half of the clan. They will actually listen to me for one thing. I always feel like when I talk to people in TN they let it go in and right back out because they just don’t think I have anything worthwhile to say. Also, my FIL has also tried to be very respectful over my name. He actually asked me what I preferred to be called. Most people attempt to shorten my name automatically and I don’t like it. Yet he has tried hard not to do that because I told him that I don’t like it. I tolerate it better from family, mainly because they are family and I’m nice. But I’d really prefer the full first name. I just think it is pretty and I don’t particularly like the shortened version of it. I ignore people out and about who do it, but with family I just try to deal. Of course this is funny since I don’t mind going by Oz or Ozzie on the net! HAHA

At any rate, this is all just conjecture and musing on my part. Only they and God know for sure. But I was excited and happy to do this for them before, now I just have this added hope for it. 🙂 Of course, I’m just happy and excited to muck around and build another computer. Woohoo! 🙂 You guys know me, I’m a total geek! Geek Gurls RULE! 🙂 I’m even happier to make one for someone who desperately needs one. I hope my FIL and his wife will like it. I really do. I always stress over gifts. I love to give people gifts but I’m very poor at knowing what to do so I always stress really hard over it.

I still do need to finish up that picture of Grandpa and the five grandsons. I have messed with it several times, but I just can’t do anything I’m happy with. I real need some inspiration. Please, any ideas are gratefully accepted!