The DIY rack cabinet (v.2) has finally been moved into its home. Permission was granted for space next to the fridge and it fits perfectly! Its amazing how quiet the bedroom is now!
If you want to make a 19″ rackmount cabinet, all you need are IKEA ‘Lack’ tables, optionally some casters and you have a very cheap and expandable system!
Well the guys at work have started a Counter Strike Source clan so I decided it was a good time to upgrade my graphics card in my main machine. My main machine is an aging Compaq Preasrio (S5100UK) which unfortunatly only has an AGP slot available. I chose an ATI Radeon (gecube) HD2400pro (256mb), the AGP version obviously. The card seems nice. 2d support in windows (xp) is great and it runs my 24″ acer tft much better than my onboard chip used too. However, when trying to run Steam the games do not load. They crash and juts return to Windows with no visible error message. It turns out that ATI have failed to fully support direct3d in the driver. GRRR! After spending hours trying to use older drivers, third party builds, browsing blogs on the net, I am left with a card that simply wont provide direct3d for my system. Now if i want to play CS I will have to either use the lappy or take this card out and return to my nvidia onboard chipset. Nice on ATI! (not!!) I really hop the next version of the driver realease will include a fix for this.
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF06b/21675-38187-38191-38191-38191-80632411-81033124.html
Specifications
General
Recommended Use
Home use
Platform Technology
Intel Centrino Duo
System Type
Notebook
Built-in Devices
Stereo speakers, wireless LAN aerial, Bluetooth aerial
Embedded Security
Fingerprint reader
Width
33.4 cm
Depth
23.7 cm
Height
3.9 cm
Weight
2.5 kg
Localisation
English / United Kingdom
Processor
Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 / 1.66 GHz
Multi-Core Technology
Dual-Core
64-bit Computing
Yes
Cache Memory
Type
L2 Cache
Installed Size
2 MB
RAM
Installed Size
2 GB / 2 GB (max)
Technology
DDR II SDRAM
Form Factor
SO DIMM 200-pin
Configuration Features
2 x 1 GB
Storage Controller
Type
Serial ATA
Serial ATA Interface
Serial ATA-150
Storage
Hard Drive
160 GB – Serial ATA-150 – 5400 rpm
Optical Storage
Type
DVD±RW (+R double layer) / DVD-RAM
Disc Labeling Technology
LightScribe Technology
Card Reader
Type
5 in 1 card reader
Supported Flash Memory Cards
SD Memory Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, MultiMediaCard, xD-Picture Card
Display
Display Type
14.1″ TFT active matrix
Max Resolution
1280 x 800 ( WXGA )
Widescreen Display
Yes
Features
BrightView
Video
Graphics Processor / Vendor
Intel GMA X3100
Video Memory
Dynamic Video Memory Technology 4.0
Max Allocated RAM Size
384 MB
Audio
Audio Output
Sound card
Compliant Standards
Sound Blaster Pro
Features
Altec Lansing speakers
Audio Input
Stereo microphone
Input Device(s)
Type
Keyboard, touchpad, QuickPlay
Telecom
Modem
Fax / modem
Max Transfer Rate
56 Kbps
Networking
Networking
Network adapter
Wireless LAN Supported
Yes
Wireless NIC
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG
Data Link Protocol
Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g
Compliant Standards
IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g
Expansion / Connectivity
Expansion Slots Total (Free)
2 ( 0 ) x memory – SO DIMM 200-pin
1 ( 1 ) x ExpressCard/54
Interfaces
3 x Hi-Speed USB – 4 PIN USB Type A
1 x display / video – VGA – 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15)
1 x modem – phone line – RJ-11
1 x network – Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX – RJ-45
1 x display / video – S-video output
1 x headphones – output – mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm
1 x microphone – input – mini-phone 3.5mm
1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire)
1 x remote control – infrared
1 x docking / port replicator
Miscellaneous
Included Accessories
Remote control, web camera
Power
Power Device
External
Battery
Technology
6-cell Lithium Ion
Installed Qty
1
Operating System / Software
OS Provided
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Software
Microsoft Windows Media Player, Microsoft Windows Movie Maker, Roxio Easy CD & DVD Creator Basic, Microsoft Works 8.0, HP QuickPlay Software, HP Photosmart Essential, Norton Internet Security 2007 (60 days subscription), Adobe Reader 8.0, Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0, Microsoft Windows DVD Maker, Microsoft Windows Mail, Microsoft Windows Media Center, Microsoft Windows Photo Gallery, Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (Trial), VeriSoft Access Manager, Roxio My DVD Basic
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support
1 year warranty
Service & Support Details
Limited warranty – parts and labour – 1 year – pick-up and return
Well my new toy has been with me now for a couple of days. It is the Nokia smartphone, the N95. OMG! It so rocks. Not the cheapest out there (especially on UK contract) but the feature list is impressive. With built in WIFI and GPS it truly is the portable device that is really really useful. The camera (5 MP) is superb for both still images and videos. It is a great device and now I can trade in my Ipod, old phone PDA & GPS reciever and just use the N95. Well done Nokia!!
My laptop (a Sharp – Actius MV1214) needs a new keyboard and i guess a general service as some of the screws have gone missing over the years. A review of the laptop is available here:
http://www.itreviews.co.uk/hardware/h511.htm
If anyone knows of a good, cheap place to get a replacement keyboard – please let me know 
Or should I just get this: http://www.mcscom.co.uk/product.php?xProd=2552 
