Computer Guts

I’ve had a second computer tucked under my desk for some time.  There was also a second monitor beside the one I generally use for all my computing needs and a second keyboard and mouse that occasionally hit the floor when things got too busy.  It was pretty crowded.  A couple of weeks ago a friend gifted me with a Belkin switcher thingie that would allow me to use one monitor, one keyboard and one mouse with my two computers.  That would be a great space saver.  

I held off until this weekend to hook everything up.  And, it was a mess.  Lots of cables snaking all over the place.  But, I eventually got it all sorted out.  I went to turn on the computer and it was deader than a door nail.  I hauled it out to the kitchen where we have another grounded plug and more room on the counter where I could take the whole thing apart and look at it.  Deader than a door nail.  I gave it the old whack.  A light came on inside.  I gave it several more whacks, but nothing else happened.  

I pondered what to do.  I could take it into my computer guy and spend $100 (at least) while he fixed it.  Or, it might be the power supply.  I looked online.  They weren’t that expensive.  But, it could also be the switch.  Too complicated and getting more complicated by the minute.  

Too bad.  I had a lot of programs on that hard drive.  And, it was a relatively big hard drive, too.  Another light came on, this time in my head.  Why not install the hard drive to use as a second hard drive in the computer I use all the time?  Ah….so, I removed it and read about installing hard drives online.  I need to get a split ribbon.  I think.  Otherwise, it ought to work.  The master and slave arrangement is already set up.  I would still want my present hard drive to be the controller, so that is the master.  Anything I add in would be a slave by default, so I don’t have to fiddle with that stuff.

So, another project is launched.