TEXTURES FROM CFS2 to CFS1: A SNEAK-PEEK

[Ivan]

How about this one instead?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-305W-Di...-/272130156178

or this one from ebay Canada?

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/305W-Genuine-...-/201510957779

- Thomas.

[hubbabubba]

Okay...

First offer: 35.70$ USD = 48.98$ CDN once shipping and duty charges applied using the actual exchange rate (could be a lot more) - refurbished by non-approved seller - can take 2-3 months to get here - Global has surcharged us for "duty fees" so many times that my wife - a "power user" - specifically demands any other companies but Global (hence the "No additional import charges on delivery" mention to take with a grain of salt). They say paid at check-out, but they go back to their warehouse with the parcel under their arms if you don't pay "on the spot". No thanks.

Second offer: $19.99 (approximately $26.87 CDN according to EBay) + $55.75 for shipping (approximately $74.95) - so $101.82 CDN... and it's a used one. At least it comes from USPS (very good service btw...).

You have to thread lightly on EBay. Anyway, if push comes to shove, I may just do that, but I will be on lookout for a PS that could offer a bit more juice. Dell Dimension power failures are, apparently, the Achille's heal of some of their machines.

And just to clarify; I'm sure that the power supply is fried because I was there when it did. But is it the only thing wrong or just a symptom of a more serious problem? I frankly don't know. My only clues is that, on the second "revival", I was quick enough to switch the screen on and see a "warning! Previous fan failure." message. Was it the PSU fan? Was the original failure gone at the second "revival"? The number code was pointing to a power-HD-floppy issue on the front (I've checked with the repair manual that I had downloaded just before the final "firework").

Better to go to the dealer and have someone who actually knows what he's doing. I'm still lurking at my old and dear Compaq W98SE machine for risking a DIY experience...

[Ivan]

Hello Hubbabubba,

Perhaps my search didn't work out quite as I expected.
Here is why:

I did a search on the model of power supply on eBay with price and shipping lowest first.
The first search was on ebay.COM which is the US site.
Then I remembered that you were in Canadia, so I did the SAME search for ebay.CA....

The specification for Price and Shipping lowest first is retaining MY LOCATION rather than yours which is why shipping is so high to you.

I suggest you run the same search from your location with Price and Shipping Lowest First from YOUR LOCATION and perhaps the numbers will look better.
I am certain there is some Canadian dealer willing to ship to you for free and of course you don' have to worry about customs duties and such.

- Ivan.

P.S. I was wondering a bit when I got nearly the same results with both searches.

Also, I personally have assembled or replaced pieces on several hundred desktop computers, server class machines, and even opened up a couple laptops.
The current power supply on the Pentium 233 MMX I am using was also rebuilt by me around a decade ago and held up well for quite a few years.
I also accumulate quite a few spares for these machines.
The problem comes when there are custom form factors (which Dell tends to do a lot) and with equipment that is very new designs and I have no spares.

[hubbabubba]

I've been loading videos after videos of building/repairing a PC just to build-up my own self-confidence in doing it. It is not that I'm not "crafty" - I have worked with electronics as a hobby for decades - but I was blessed with a W98 machine that worked almost flawlessly for 15 years. And if it ain't broken...

Still have to clean and dust my workbench first.

[Ivan]

So were you able to find better deals with a local eBay search?
I tried doing the search with no cookies and I believe eBay is still detecting my approximate location via IP Address, so it keeps sending me to US Dealers. The option to pick Canadian dealers does not work, so I may not be able to get the same search results are you get.

I was already pretty sure you knew your way around electronics from the conversation we had when we met years ago.

- Tomax.

[hubbabubba]

Hi all

Left EBay for Kijiji and bought TWO machines;
- An old Pentium 4 DELL running XP Pro (20$!!!);
- A DELL Dimension E521 (almost a twin to the recently dead one) running W7 32bits (85$).

Both sellers delivered, free of charge. Both machines are working a-okay. Now on the lurk for monitors, keyboards... and a way to install all that menagerie!

Will now sign-out on the Compaq Presario 5220 (the saved from the curb one) and return it to the mothballs. More on my new acquisitions later...