PC fettling and repairs thread

[DCBassman]

My old i7 6700K wasn't on the Win 11 compatability list for gods sake! Still a decent cpu but had to upgrade anyway due to top-end gpu bottlenecking and '4 core impact' in some modern games.

Yup, gaming, a tough thing at the top! OS pretty irrelevant though, despite MS saying 11 is better for gaming.
Just for giggles, I did a clean install onto a Toshiba Satellite A100, slightly upgraded. 4GB RAM, of which only 3 usable, due to part of the chipset being 32-bit. C2D T7200. It runs, but not terribly well, due to lack of drivers. If I can fix that, I'll leave it on! As I'd once had W10 on an A100, it even activated it!

 

[DCBassman]

A100 not playing ball with W11 due to drivers, so back to Linux Mint 20.3 it goes.

 

[DCBassman]

Everything I have that can go to W11 now has done.

 

[DCBassman]

Everything I have that can go to W11 now has done.

I lied. My Asus TP200SA now has 11.
After some more research into compacting Windows 10, and plugging in some external drive space, the in-place install worked. I had to 'keep nothing', but no problem as this is a non-essential toy, really. Once I've examined the final configuration, I 'll be able to free up a bit more space and undo the compaction, which will improve performance slightly.
Due to that compaction, the install took most of the night!

 

[Grant Fondo]

I lied. My Asus TP200SA now has 11.
After some more research into compacting Windows 10, and plugging in some external drive space, the in-place install worked. I had to 'keep nothing', but no problem as this is a non-essential toy, really. Once I've examined the final configuration, I 'll be able to free up a bit more space and undo the compaction, which will improve performance slightly.
Due to that compaction, the install took most of the night!

You can do it all again in a few months, Win 12 on its way

 

[DCBassman]

You can do it all again in a few months, Win 12 on its way

Nah, 2025 when 10 dies.

 

[DCBassman]

I lied. My Asus TP200SA now has 11.
After some more research into compacting Windows 10, and plugging in some external drive space, the in-place install worked. I had to 'keep nothing', but no problem as this is a non-essential toy, really. Once I've examined the final configuration, I 'll be able to free up a bit more space and undo the compaction, which will improve performance slightly.
Due to that compaction, the install took most of the night!

All done. Now runs as well on 11 as It did on 10, and, counter-intuitively, I've ended up with more disk space. Basically because I've learnt a lot about what can be got shot of. But not particularly easy, or quick.

 

[MontyVeda]

finally put the new/old PC together, although I'm yet to install the OS...

It'll need a whole heap of drivers too i expect?

Question for @DCBassman:
I've used an old chassis fan which is noisy as feck. Question is, with an SSD, does it actually need a chassis fan? (The PSU has its own fan, as does the CPU)

 

[DCBassman]

finally put the new/old PC together, although I'm yet to install the OS...

View attachment 646200

It'll need a whole heap of drivers too i expect?

Question for @DCBassman:
I've used an old chassis fan which is noisy as feck. Question is, with an SSD, does it actually need a chassis fan? (The PSU has its own fan, as does the CPU)

Mine has a teeny 3cm chassis fan, but it's not needed really. So long as the CPU cooler is up to the job. What's the inside of the case look like?

 

[Grant Fondo]

finally put the new/old PC together, although I'm yet to install the OS...

View attachment 646200

It'll need a whole heap of drivers too i expect?

Question for @DCBassman:
I've used an old chassis fan which is noisy as feck. Question is, with an SSD, does it actually need a chassis fan? (The PSU has its own fan, as does the CPU)

Wow, that Bios is a blast from the past! Yes from me on at least one case fan, particularly as the hot weather is on the way, so it draws air through the front (maybe?) , across the hot cpu cooler and pumps it out the back.

 

[DCBassman]

Wow, that Bios is a blast from the past! Yes from me on at least one case fan, particularly as the hot weather is on the way, so it draws air through the front (maybe?) , across the hot cpu cooler and pumps it out the back.

Depends on the size of the case. Mine's not nearly big enough to take standard fans. Whereas the main pc is the size of a small apartment block...

 

[DCBassman]

Whole innards

Tiny fan.

 

[DCBassman]

@MontyVeda ,yours has USB3, so is slightly later than mine. Find the very latest BIOS and install it.
If it's anything like mine, it's pretty snappy even using the integrated graphics.

 

[MontyVeda]

Cheers guys. I'll borrow the fan from my current PC when i get round to taking its cd/dvd drive out.

... What's the inside of the case look like?

I decided to secure the SSD on its edge so only a minimal amount of dust can settle on it. Hopefully the soundcard works because it was buying that that meant i had to build this.

Just downloaded all the drivers from the ASUS site.

I'm currently running W10 with a W7 licence. Not sure if that'll work again on this build.

 

[DCBassman]

Cheers guys. I'll borrow the fan from my current PC when i get round to taking it's cd/dvd drive out.


View attachment 646217

I decided to secure the SSD on its edge so only a minimal amount of dust can settle on it. Hopefully the soundcard works because it was buying that that meant i had to build this.

Just downloaded all the drivers from the ASUS site.

I'm currently running W10 with a W7 licence. Not sure if that'll work again on this build.

Get a nice 80mm Corsair fan, or other name brand. You will not hear it. Also, the BIOS may contain fan profiles that enable you to set the fans low and quiet.