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Junior Member
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18. September 2010 @ 23:52 |
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So, recently (two years ago) my portable hard drive seemed to have some sort of error causing it to be formatted constantly. No one would really determine why... so it went to the garbage. Since this was my first and only portable hard drive I am a little paranoid to just outright buy a new one.
I figured why not use a tower/spare computer to just store things on. So, I scored a working tower, Pentium 4 with 512MB of RAM, two CD/DVD ROM drives and floppy drive (sounds stupid but I felt nostalgic). It did not have any hard drive in it, the owner took it, so I plugged in a "new to me" one. It once belonged TO a portable hard drive... so it does not have Windows or anything on it. So, got two questions:
- how can I connect this tower to my laptop (an HP G60, two years old, Windows 7) to the tower in way to either use the laptop as a monitor OR use the tower as a second drive.
-do I need to have Windows on the tower HDD, if so how do I get a drive that's never had an OS on it to boot an OS.
(please be detailed, I am quite new to getting this done and I am amazed I got the tower connected and powered without the thing exploding).
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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20. September 2010 @ 07:10 |
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Do you have any form of networking in your house, such as a router? If you don't, you will need to buy a switch so you can network the two PCs together, which will cost at least as much as an external hard disk enclosure, so you may as well just buy one of those instead.
I would only advocate using a file server if you're going to be using more than one hard disk.
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Junior Member
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20. September 2010 @ 09:18 |
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I do have a router, wireless, and cable internet connected. The tower does have ethernet connections available. I've been told of this method of connection before however no one was willing to explain how it works, how to set it up, or answer if the operating system needs to be installed or if it matters which OS to use. But I am open to learning if you are kind enough to explain it.
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AfterDawn Addict
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20. September 2010 @ 09:32 |
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An operating system does need to be installed on the system. Which you use is up to you, but it needs to be able to run network shares (any Windows, and I assume most Linux operating systems). To install windows you typically use the installation CD with a CDROM drive. If that isn't viable, you can run a Windows install from a USB key, but that is a rather awkward process.
With an OS setup on the system (bear in mind running any OS will reduce your available disk space as it needs to be installed) enable network shares, and set one up for the drive in question (or multiple, if you wish to have a separate share for each folder).
Right click the folder/drive you want shared and go to the sharing tab. The rest should be relatively self-explanatory. If you don't mind accessing the entire drive, you can just enable sharing and not bother with any shares, simply going to the administrative share of the drive.
If the IP address of the system (if you plug the system into a router, it should get an IP automatically. If you are just using a switch, it will not) is, for example, 192.168.1.20, then you would simply go (in a runbox, or windows explorer address window), \\192.168.1.20\c$ - the dollar sign indicating you're accessing the Administrative share, that shares the entire drive.
If you've made a particular share, for example called TV, you'd just go \\192.168.1.20\tv
Most routers only contain 100Mbps switches, which means if you use a router, the transfer speed between the PCs will be limited to 11MB/s, or similar to 8x DVD speed. If you want it faster you'll need gigabit (which allows up to 110MB/s or so, though most hard disks won't go that fast), hence the use of a gigabit switch.
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Junior Member
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20. September 2010 @ 14:54 |
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That is a wonderful exaplanation. Slight catch to it which I need some assistance with.
I have a viable (non-pirate :) ) version of Windows XP which I will gladly use on the tower. Question is how to get it on there visually. It is possible I failed to mention I have no monitor or input (keyboard/mouse) for this tower... it is just a tower. I wanted to know also if and how I could use my laptop as the input/output (monitor) for this tower to install the OS, enable and setup for the network shares, then go about disconnecting it all and leaving the tower itself just connected to the router.
Any ideas? Or do I need all that bulky monitor/keyboard/mouse stuff.
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pastysams
Junior Member
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20. September 2010 @ 18:42 |
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i know keyboard/mouses are really cheap if you look in the right places id suggest newegg.com as for the video source why not buy a cable to go from your tower to a t.v (most new-ish tv.s have the fitting to connect it) after all it should be worth it for the data storage....
have you thaught about just hooking up your external to your pc? it will still register as an external but might behave itself
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Junior Member
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20. September 2010 @ 20:36 |
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The problem is I do not have the space or even the funds to really spend on the input/output devices. I live in a very cramped area, and cheap monitors (I am looking at 5$) are big monitors.
The external is already gone, and the problem was not really its registering it was the fact that each time I formatted it and put my data back on it, the next time I connect it the drive would become unrecognizable and need to be formatted again.
And what kind of fitting am I looking for on my TV. I only have the standard Red/Yellow/White and the co-ax cable jack. I think it may have component but not sure, my VCR has that though.
I need the names of these things. lol
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pastysams
Junior Member
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21. September 2010 @ 04:54 |
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im pretty sure its a vga 15 pin fitting also it looks like the fitting that your monitor would normally fit into
most t.vs (mainly hd/plasma) have em its so much easier
or you could go for a pc connector that fits into the r/w/y
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 21. September 2010 @ 04:55
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Junior Member
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1. October 2010 @ 21:57 |
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All right, so I gave up... bit the bullet and got a keyboard, mouse and monitor.
I frankensteined the portable HDD's actual drive, got Windows XP on it... and then it wanted to activate. Well, this is an IBM rev 1.5 with no setup/driver discs. I cannot get the ethernet built in to work, I tried installing a D-Link 538TX F3 and I cannot seem to get the drivers to function properly for it! I've tried various versions of the drivers, and none of them seem to do the trick.
I did get one of them to install (the others just came up with errors). But it still does not recognize the D-Link ethernet card.
I am not sure what needs to be done. I cannot activate Windows XP to update, nor connect to the internet to use a service to scan for drivers. And it is nearly impossible to get drivers for an IBM rev 1.5.
---any thoughts? I am SO close to getting this together (by the way, thank-you all for the kind suggestions and patience so far.)
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AfterDawn Addict
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1. October 2010 @ 23:39 |
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Junior Member
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2. October 2010 @ 12:00 |
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Originally posted by KillerBug:
Did you use these drivers?: http://tsd.dlink.com.tw/temp/download/26...4%5B1%5D.00.zip
Also, don't forget to install chipset drivers...you can usually get these from whoever made the chipset (probably intel in your case). As for onboard LAN, that D-Link is probably better anyway.
I think it's the chipset drivers I am missing. Here is what I think I know:
I've used HP laptops all my life... so I installed my old Windows XP copy from the HP discs... but the following discs (security updates, drivers, etc) are for HP computers only... I know this because when I put it in and run those discs a big window comes up and says it is NOT an HP computer. (duh lol).
I'll try those drivers and let you know. If you CAN find a goood link to the chipset drivers or recovery discs from that motherboard/build I would be grateful. I've come up with bupkiss after five hours of searching. Numerous websites promise them and none deliver.
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Junior Member
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2. October 2010 @ 16:11 |
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Originally posted by KillerBug:
Did you use these drivers?: http://tsd.dlink.com.tw/temp/download/26...4%5B1%5D.00.zip
Also, don't forget to install chipset drivers...you can usually get these from whoever made the chipset (probably intel in your case). As for onboard LAN, that D-Link is probably better anyway.
You are a genius!! Those drivers worked, D-Link card is up and running and I can get everything done. Thank-you very much. I've saved the drivers to an external source just in case it goes down in the future... I still have my doubts. Windows XP is activated, and I am setting up Network Shares as I type. Thank-you all again!
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Junior Member
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2. October 2010 @ 17:19 |
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So, I am fiddling with Network Shares. Not getting it. This is a road I've been down many times and left in utter failure.
On Frankentower I've enabled the sharing of the drive ( I think ). I right clicked on C: and clicked "Sharing and Security" and went through some Network setup. Computer restarted.
Now, I try to access the IP address on my laptop to send some files over to the Storage... nothing. Says it does not exist.
Sooooo:
-should my laptop be wired to the router? Frankentower is, but the laptop is wireless.
-have I missed something, or is there some site with step by step and pictures to help me? Microsoft's walkthrough is a little... text heavy.
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AfterDawn Addict
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4. October 2010 @ 06:12 |
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Sounds like a firewall issue; whenever I have issues like that, they are usually traced to windows firewall running in the background and messing everything up in spite of the fact that some better firewall is installed. On the rare occasion that it isn't the fault of windows firewall, it is the fault of the better firewall that is installed.
If you need a good, super-safe, ultra-configurable firewall for free, check out Comodo...it is better than any of the paid firewalls I have tried; even the specialized "server" firewalls don't have so many features.
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Junior Member
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4. October 2010 @ 10:01 |
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Actually, I went to HP support and they gave me a sweet page specifically on getting sharing to work between Windows 7 and Windows XP. Turns out the sharing on my laptop was password enabled, turning that off I could see Frankentower in the available networks.
So, one LAST question (I promise).
I've been trying to hook up other older HDDs I've had laying around. They are very old, but are IDE like the one I put in and to which Frankentower is compatible with. However, when I connect the second drive, the computer will not boot the OS from the HDD I put in. It just keeps saying Boot Sequence Failed, check cables. Cables are all fine, even tried replacing the IDE cable (actually, I had to because I ripped one of the pin connections in half taking it out of the HDD). If I take this second HDD off the cable, the OS loads just fine. I have the second drive set as Slave, too... so not sure what is going on.
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AfterDawn Addict
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4. October 2010 @ 10:05 |
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Is the first drive actually set as Master?
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AfterDawn Addict
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5. October 2010 @ 04:27 |
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...And is the second drive set as slave?
BTW...I don't want to discourage you when you are so close, but it seems like you might be able to get more space with a single modern drive than all those old ATA drives put together.
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Junior Member
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6. October 2010 @ 21:40 |
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LOL
Yes, the first drive is set as Master... and the second as slave. Read many tutorials and took a YouTube video to show me the basics of that.
As for the discouragement, it is not. The HDD in there now is a "modern" drive. It took apart my aforementioned faulty external drive and used the actual HDD. Turns out the faulty part was the power to the drive. It carries 250GB. There are two reasons I want these smaller drives to work:
-to get some old information off of them
-to slightly expand my storage (secondary benefit, I would be adding an extra 16GB)
--any help is still greatly appreciated.
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AfterDawn Addict
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8. October 2010 @ 23:54 |
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I would just connect them alone to try to get the data off and then put them away. 16GB is like a small flash drive; it is nothing.
[edit]
For under $80, you could get a 1TB USB drive from WD or Seagate...if you intend to leave this server on 24-7, then one of these drives would probably pay for itself in saved electricity.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 8. October 2010 @ 23:57
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pastysams
Junior Member
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9. October 2010 @ 19:41 |
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in the case of the drives what you could do is find an enclosure (if the info is really needed that is) and just have the master plugged in. with the enclosure it will treat the 2nd IDE as an external....
but the other alternative if you do go for the enclosure is why not test one on the old external? (the 250gb) if it was the power source that was messing it up then a new enclosure should make it behave itself....and it should cost around £15 ($20-$25)
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 9. October 2010 @ 19:42
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Junior Member
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9. October 2010 @ 20:43 |
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I think I am going to give up on the extra drives. Killer is right, in the end 16GB really is NOT worth all of this hassel.
But, to answer you Pasty, not only was the power source a problem in the END of the external's lifespan, but there was a secondary problem that kept plaguing the drive since day one.
When I used the drive, I was going between three different versions of Windows (XP, Vista, and 7). It would seem like the drive became incompatible when I would plug it into another operating system and request to be formatted. Each time I wold format in NFTS (as I was told this was the possible problem, the foling system between FAT/FAT32 and NFTS)... but this problem would persist.
With THIS setup... even though painstaking and time consuming... it has been no money spent. All of my computers that need storage can connect to it now without the worry or hazard of "Will it ask me to format the drive again?".
This external was a real pain in my side until I decided to get this task underway, and since it is complete I've enjoyed a week or so of solid worry-free storage. It's been nice. It is a little larger, and took some extra work, but damn it-- it works and it is dependable. Even BETTER is that I can access this from my iPhone since LogMeIn is on it. So, in the end while an enclosure or a new external might be easier... this still works for me. :)
Thanks all for your help. Frankentower is up and running, and life is good! You are all awesome!!
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Junior Member
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21. October 2010 @ 21:07 |
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Back to the drawing board guys.
So, Frankentower works great... so long as a mouse, keyboard and monitor are plugged in. Since I want to run this as external storage ONLY and remotely control the tower (powering down every now and again depending on circumstance) it needs to be able to turn it on... it boots the OS and voila, its ready for Network Sharing and LogMeIn.
However, when I start the tower without at least a monitor and keyboard attached to the tower the tower makes two beeps and will NOT run the OS. When I plug in the monitor is tells me the boot sequence failed, sometimes it tells me no media drive was found and runs over and over one of those messages. If I then reboot (monitor and keyboard plugged in) it boots fine.
Any ideas? I'd google it... but I do not even know how to define this.
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AfterDawn Addict
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21. October 2010 @ 23:05 |
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Go into the bios and make sure that it is not set to halt on any errors. Also remove that floppy drive (both physically, and from bios)...if you like the look of it, just leave it there and disconnect it. While you are in BIOS, set the "default display" to whatever display you are using.
As for startup, just use Wake on LAN...it is a setting in the bios, turn it on and you can boot the system using an app on another PC.
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Junior Member
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22. October 2010 @ 22:16 |
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Originally posted by KillerBug:
Go into the bios and make sure that it is not set to halt on any errors. Also remove that floppy drive (both physically, and from bios)...if you like the look of it, just leave it there and disconnect it. While you are in BIOS, set the "default display" to whatever display you are using.
As for startup, just use Wake on LAN...it is a setting in the bios, turn it on and you can boot the system using an app on another PC.
I'll give those a try. Getting into the BIOS is a challenge, it usually does not give me a key to get there before doing the error message I mentioned before. But hopefully I will get there and get this solved. Thanks! I'll let you know how it goes.
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Junior Member
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23. October 2010 @ 09:46 |
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Ah, problem solved. Thank-you again Killer, I am in your debt! The startup process is a litle slower now... not sure what I enabled or disabled to do it but it starts-up normally without monitor or keyboard just fine now every time. While I was in there I set it to startup at 8a.m., everyday AND added the new Audiogalaxy beta to stream my 30GB music library to my iPhone so long as I get a data signal. Frankentower's usefulness just grows and grows.
Thank-you again! You were all awesome!! I'd give you all donuts but they wouldn't fit in the ethernet port...
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