Reply With QuoteI have a Dell XPS420 desktop ( a fairly decent spec back then) which will be 5 years old in January - I recently downloaded Windows 8 over the old Vista and it's given it a new lease of life. However the laptop which I use most is rather younger.
Going through some paperwork and realised the family computer we have is almost 6 years old. Apart from an extra 2GB of RAM I've installed, it's as it was when I bought it and is used on a daily basis for surfing, spreadsheets, shopping etc. The operating system is Vista - remember that!
It feels like I'm living in the dark ages compared to the spec of the machines today and fancier operating systems.
Anyone else running older machines as their main PC?
I have a Dell XPS420 desktop ( a fairly decent spec back then) which will be 5 years old in January - I recently downloaded Windows 8 over the old Vista and it's given it a new lease of life. However the laptop which I use most is rather younger.
One of the servers I'm responsible for has been running since Nov 21st 2001, and has never been rebooted or turned off.
Which reminds me, I really must replace it before it goes tits up.
Apple G5, must be 7 to 8 years old
Realised this laptop must be at least four years old, possibly five! I thought it was still new! Oh well, seems to be okay apart from the dodgy keys where the puppy walks on it, the dodgy spacebar from being kicked off by said poop, and the three missing digits from ... yup, you guessed it! Must stop the little bugger form attacking the poor thing!
I suppose I'd better back up my files, got all my rude pictures of the wife on here
On a Dell Dimension 9200, about 6 year old now and working fine. At work we have a HP Model 712/60 from about 1995, and still as reliable as the day we got it.
My Dad's PC is still running ( just ) since he was given it 2nd hand around about 2000. I wish the thing would hurry up and die as his 'tech support' ( me ) gets very fed up constantly having to trouble-shoot the ancient, obsolete POS!
It's amazing how far we've come in such a short space of time - the thing is so unbelievably slow it's incredible to think we used to consider it normal.
N
dimension e521 for me here purchased 13/11/2006
running athlon 64 x2 4200 and 2 gb ram
still going strong but i have just ordered a imac so that should be here before xmas and this trusty time machine retired :-)
Not my main PC but...
I recently fired up a '99 Dell running W98, as it had a document on it I couldn't find, it worked perfectly. It also boots into Linux and NT4 but I didn't try those.
I have a 2001 vintage Toshiba laptop that I fire up from time and again works fine.
I've just brought down from the loft an IBM 486DX50 that I'm going to see if it still works. You may have guessed by now I'm a hoarder, but if this one works it will go on eBay as there is a small market for these classic computers and it may as well go to a good home...
Also got a '95 box running SCO Unix which boots but I can't remember the root password
That must be Sun hardware and running a flavour of Unix - there is surely no way it can be either HP/Dell or running any version of Windows and have that sort of uptime!Originally Posted by iml
I replaced my Shuttle small form factor PC last week, I built it in November 2001 and the only upgrade was a new graphics card halfway through its life. Still fine for browsing and spreadsheets apart from struggling with fullscreen youtube videos. It's still being used every day by a tenant of mine I passed it on to.
Bought May 2008, so getting close to the 5 year mark. New RAM, new HD and now running windows 7 like a dream.
I'm afraid that the noticeable lack of rodent droppings on the bottom of the case, no dessicated spider's webs around the empty drive bays and the absence of a thick matted build up of carpet dust around the fans all make me deeply suspicious as to the genuine nature of this claim.Bought May 2008, so getting close to the 5 year mark. New RAM, new HD and now running windows 7 like a dream.
Are you certain it's not a replica? (Or photoshopped?)
For some tips on spotting the real deal see here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/13/ventblockers/
or more recently here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/11/26/ventblockers_2/
Nope, it's a Dell running Windows 2000 server. Never been patched either, as it's completely inaccessible from the outside world (it does one very specific network traffic auditing job). I'm basically lazy :-)
But, now I'm thinking about it, and I reckon I'll replace it next week, because I've probably hexed it now. It's overdue to have a fan or PSU failure.
Last edited by iml; 6th December 2012 at 10:21.
I bumped into a old colleague a year or so ago. Some software I wrote in about 1990/91 is still in use and running on the DEC MicroVax I (and four others) developed on. They dare not turn it off for fear it will never boot again.
I have this model too, great spec at the time. I've updated the GFX card a couple of times and it's still running along nicely playing new games at high detailI have a Dell XPS420 desktop ( a fairly decent spec back then) which will be 5 years old in January - I recently downloaded Windows 8 over the old Vista and it's given it a new lease of life. However the laptop which I use most is rather younger.
7 year old HP laptop still in daily use and going well(ish)!
Once my machine goes odd, and if it is not hardware related, I iwll be changing over to Linux.
My old work laptop dated to 2006 (running XP) and only started getting flaky about 3 months ago and got replaced. SW rather than HW issues, so I installed Linux Mint (which I'd recommend as a beginner) and it is working very nicely as a home machine. It's a Dell and the chassis and HW are still in very good nick and seem better built than the Toshiba I've now got as a work machine.
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
Back on my 9 year old sony laptop.
Holy crap that site is scary. My PC gets a good clean at least once a year, the laminate floor cleaned once a week. I couldn't bare to know there was something that minging in the house!
(/ﾟДﾟ)/
Not a PC but from 1991....
The best thing anyone can do to extend the life of an old PC is make sure you max the RAM, wipe Windows off the HD and install a good Linux distro, Debian or Ubuntu would be my recommendations.
David
Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations
We have one Windows computer left in the house. A 2007-ish Dell. The boys are using it for games, vids etc. It's on its last legs now (random shutdowns; it needs rebooting every two or three days...).
I explained the kids in school the meaning of 'neologism' and used computer terms to explain it. Then I told them about my first PC, back in 1990.. a 286, 1MB memory, 16Hz, and a 40MB hd, black and white monitor, WordPerfect 5.1... As if I told them about the Stone Ages!
Menno
Posting Permissions
