…And now the computer is back.

I turned it on by reflex, and it booted up fine.  With no visible reason as to why it wasn’t working before. Just sitting there, humming.

…You know something?  I don’t care.  The important thing is running the backup drive RIGHT NOW.

7 thoughts on “…And now the computer is back.”

  2. In editing class, they always taught us: “If the data is not saved in at least three locations, it doesn’t exist.”

    Also, did you plug it in? 😉

  3. Almost certainly some component was overheating. Make sure all the fans are turning, including the one inside the power supply. If that’s not it, it might be that the thermal grease that’s between the CPU and the heat sink on the CPU has dried up and needs to be replaced – if that’s it, it’s a cheap repair that will extend the life of the computer quite a bit.

    1. I might get it completely refurbished, at that: once the new one comes in we’re probably going to take an existing machine and turn it into a dedicated computer for the kids (with strict limits on what they can and cannot access).

      1. Ah, yes. I have one of those waiting to be refurbed as well. Well, not for kids, but probably as a media server. The basic process is fairly simple – remove everything, blow out all the dust, make sure all components are re-seated properly, make sure all fans are turning, make sure that all heat sinks are appropriately placed in contact with fresh thermal grease. All while maintaining appropriate static discipline. Run burn-in, replace components that test out as bad, repeat as necessary.
        .
        But one important part is that this should be performed by someone whom it’s safe to let loose with hardware, ie an engineer in one of the physical disciplines, or a teenager, but not an english major or a software developer. Don’t let those guys near hardware.
        .
        (Says the software developer. It’s debatable what’s more frightening – a hardware guy with a compiler or a software guy with a soldering iron)

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