The Devil made me do IT!

[amigadave]

I did something yesterday that I had hoped I would never have to do, purchase at retail cost an OEM Windows XP Professional package.  It was my Son's birthday and since he had been complaining that the old P2/400mHz Windows98 PC that belongs to my wife is too slow to play games and also had been fighting with his younger sister for computer time as they both become more interested in computers and the Internet.  So, in a moment of weakness, I bought all the pieces needed to build my Son a killer PC game machine (on a budget) using the guide at Ars Technica.  Beautiful black windowed case w/blue cathodes inside, blue led fans and blue bubble lights each side of the front bezel from Xoxide.com, MSI K8N Neo4-F nForce4 mobo w/Athlon 64 3000+, 512mb RAM, Sony DVD/CDRW, 80gb SATA HD, 256mb ATI Radeon X800XL PCI Express graphic card and Audigy2 sound card.

How much you ask???  5 years worth of allowance money ($1,008 USD)

It should all be here to put together in a few days.  My only consolation is that the first thing I am going to load after it is put together is Amiga Forever 6.

[amigadave]

I'll check it out and upgrade when it's available.  I am looking forward to seeing how well my Son's PC will run AF/UAE.  It should scream with all that power, now where did I store that Catweazle card and drivers?

[amigadave]

I am sure that we will load Linux and Open Office to do his school work in a format that is compatible with MS Office products which are most likely used at school, but most games he wants to play are only available for Windows.  Since he is only 12 and just starting to show an interest in computers, I think it will take a year or two for him to master Linux on his own.

[amigadave]

@Noster,  I know what you are saying and I do make sure he only spends a part of his day in front of a flickering screen (be it TV, Playstation, Amiga or PC).  He has every kind of sports equipment and ball and is actually very good at sports.  Now it is time to learn something new and I am looking forward to helping HIM put this PC together and explaining what all the parts are and what they do.

[amigadave]

@krize,  Good point, I set up an eMachine for my Dad several years ago and it had windows and Open Office pre-installed.  I don't plan on donating any more money to BG for badly written, bloated software, unless I absolutely have to.  Linux can wait until my Son is ready to install it for himself.  I have tons and tons of software to install on his Amiga Forever hardfile.  I hope AMOS and SAS C will work on WinUAE and my Son can learn a little about programming on the Amiga before he moves on to other platforms.

[amigadave]

@TjLaZer,  "like a 68040 @ 700mHz"  Hmmmm, that could make for some very nice (short) render times for Lightwave.  I wonder if anyone has ever tried to network their Toaster/Flyer (real Amiga) to WinUAE and use NewTek's ScreamerNet to speed up rendering their Lightwave anims?

[amigadave]

@Framiga,  Thanks, I think overall it was a good decision too.  Here is a link to the case we are using.  Just what every 12 year old boy needs.  Now I just need to figure out where to put the "Boing Ball" logo.  I am thinking a chrome and black boing ball would look better than the traditional red and white.

Xoxide Black PC case

[amigadave]

$27.99 is for the case and one blue 80mm LED fan only.  The PSU, Cathode Tube lights and other fans are extra cost, but the total with a 350w PSU, UV blue SATA adapter and 3 blue LED 80mm fans was only $62.00 or so.  The shipping was over $30.00 which brought the case total to almost $100.  I could have gotten a cheaper case with more power and maybe cheaper shipping, but this case will excite my son to take more interest and better care of it (I hope).

[amigadave]

@ TheMagicM,

8 years old and ready for Linux???  See Noster's post below and buy that boy a football!

(just kidding, I hope Linux puts the screws to Bill Gates & Co. and ends up with 35% to 55% market share within the next 5 years.  It would be great if Gates would just take his billions and go screw up something else.  He has done enough damage to the creative possibilities personal computing could have had, if not for his devious business practices.)

[amigadave]

"I´m sure there are Linux livecds aimed at kids, there seems to be livecds for everything these days."

I am sure there are easier installs than others.  @TheMagicM, which Linux distro are you considering for your 8 year old?  I like the idea of installing a dual boot system and letting my son search for free Linux software to download and use instead of spending so much money for bloated Windows compatible programs.

[amigadave]

Amiga Forever 2005 ordered!  Maybe I'll be one of the first 50 to get two decals.  

[amigadave]

Has anyone else here decided that AF 2005 is worth the money and pre-ordered?  I am currently not working due to an injury and not making any income due to a disagreement with work insurance adjuster, but I still thought it a worth while purchase.

[amigadave]

Okay, parts all here, build complete, just one apparent mistake made.  I installed Windows XP Pro (64bit edition) and notice that some setup files won't run because they are not XP certified.  Can't get onboard sound working or the Audigy2 card drivers installed or recognized yet, so I need to connect the new PC to my cable modem and search for updated drivers, BIOS updates, or other work-arounds.  God I hate Windows and appreciate Amiga (and even my Mac Powerbook) so much more!  I'll be installing Amiga Forever 2005 as soon as it arrives (was supposed to start shipping last Tuesday).

[amigadave]

@ blobrana,  I tried both setups in the BIOS for the on board sound.  My mistake is that I purchased the 64 bit XP Pro instead of the regular 32 bit version.  The drivers for the 64 bit version are incomplete and it rejects some setup.exe files from the device install CD-ROMs  I might try to return XP64 in exchange for the regular version of XP Pro.

[amigadave]

@DonnyEMU,

I know the 64bit XP Pro is faster, but since this machine is primarily for my 12 year old son, I think the older, more mature regular XP Pro would have been a better choice.  I have not physically moved the computer from it's original build location to my son's desk where an Internet connection is available yet.  I will do so as soon as I can lift it or have someone else move it (back trouble).  I know that most of the drivers I need will probably be available, but think that the XP64 is going to be more work for a while and the problems are going to be over my son's head and maybe over mine.  I use a Mac primarily and only use Windows at work where there is a large I.T. department to fix any problems.

Thanks for the offer to help, I will take you up on that offer in PM if I am still having trouble after I download the drivers.

As for PPC, that may be an option that I would consider for myself, but not a machine for my son, his games and his school work.