Are there not many small stand alone computer places anymore?

In my small town, there are not. Well, there are, but the one or two of
them are "repair" and not "sales." They might have some second-hand stuff
to sell, but it is not the type of place you'd walk into in order to buy a
new laptop, printer, or a network card, for example.

Mike
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Re: Re: The Decline Of Pcs
By: MIKE POWELL to ROB MCCART on Sat Dec 20 2025 09:20 am

Are there not many small stand alone computer places
anymore?

In my small town, there are not. Well, there are, but the one or two
of them are "repair" and not "sales." They might have some
second-hand stuff to sell, but it is not the type of place you'd
walk into in order to buy a new laptop, printer, or a network
card, for example.

i dont even know why people are pretending to miss places like that. they
had old stock and the prices were higher than everything else.
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Re: Re: The Decline Of Pcs
By: MIKE POWELL to ROB MCCART on Sat Dec 20 2025 09:20 am

Are there not many small stand alone computer places anymore?

In my small town, there are not.

None here in RVA...

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The golden age for me was my first corporate job. My boss really wasn't
technically minded and made bad decisions. Modems that didn't error
correct ended up in a box in a storage room. AT-based cash register
systems lasted a few months before the 386-based systems came out. Lots
of one-off systems like an Olivetti PC and a Compaq Portable II they
tried out and ditched.

At a place I worked, we had a client who purchase what IIRC was a Compaq
(or maybe Digital?) machine that looked a lot like a MAC in the sense that
it was a monitor and PC all in one case. This would have been in the
Summer of 1994. We had to add a card to it and it was a *bear* to work
on. It might have been neat to have around as a conversation piece but I wouldn't have wanted trying to use one myself.

When I was asked to clean out the storage room and toss everything in
the "dumpster", it felt like Christmas day to me. :)

Unfortunately, most places I have worked had a process for surplus
equipment that prohibited them from leaving the premises via the actual dumpster, or via the type of "dumpster" that you refer to. Even things
like old chairs... really pissed me off when we moved and they told us we
had to leave some really nice old chairs behind for another group to come through to pick things for their own offices. They wanted more modern
stuff so those chairs (and a lot of other decent office stuff) went in one
of those rent-a-dumpsters.

In these parts, diving in one of those is a good way to get bed bugs so
that is where those chair stayed. They should have went to surplus but
didn't. :(

Mike
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Re: Re: The Decline Of Pcs
By: MIKE POWELL to POINDEXTER FORTRAN on Sat Dec 27 2025 09:34 am

At a place I worked, we had a client who purchase what IIRC was a Compaq (or maybe Digital?) machine that looked a lot like a MAC in the sense that it was a monitor and PC all in one case. This would have been in the Summer of 1994. We had to add a card to it and it was a *bear* to work on. It might have been neat to have around as a conversation piece but I wouldn't have wanted trying to use one myself.

I've seen PCs like that, and I always guessed that they might not be upgradeable (or not designed to be upgraded). Did that one actually have expansion slots in it for cards?

Nightfox

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At a place I worked, we had a client who purchase what IIRC was a Compaq (or maybe Digital?) machine that looked a lot like a MAC in the sense th it was a monitor and PC all in one case. This would have been in the Summer of 1994. We had to add a card to it and it was a *bear* to work on. It might have been neat to have around as a conversation piece but wouldn't have wanted trying to use one myself.

I've seen PCs like that, and I always guessed that they might not be upgradeable (or not designed to be upgraded). Did that one actually have expansion slots in it for cards?

My recollection is hazy now, but I think it must have had at least one.
IIRC, we were trying to add a modem, or possibly a NIC, to it. I can say
for sure that it didn't have as many slots as my older-by-then XT or my
386-40 did, even though it was newer than either.

Mike
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I haven't done anything but Print since I left school, other than for a signature. My writing wasn't too terrible but I just didn't stick with it. Possibly some can write a lot faster than they can print things out but
I find that speed means sloppy, regardless of what I use..

Same. IIRC, I think I quit using cursive as soon as possible... most
teachers (after the year or two where we learned it) didn't require it so
I quit trying to use it. My writing was pretty terrible, and was a lot
more legible in print.

I do still use cursive for my signature but that is it.

Mike
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MIKE POWELL wrote to POINDEXTER FORTRAN <=-

At a place I worked, we had a client who purchase what IIRC was a
Compaq (or maybe Digital?) machine that looked a lot like a MAC in the sense that it was a monitor and PC all in one case. This would have
been in the Summer of 1994. We had to add a card to it and it was a *bear* to work on. It might have been neat to have around as a conversation piece but I wouldn't have wanted trying to use one myself.

The Compaq was pretty easy to open up - this one had 2 ISA card, one of
which had a HardCard - a full-length ISA card with a 20 MB card on the
end. It was known as a "brick on a stick".

Unfortunately, most places I have worked had a process for surplus equipment that prohibited them from leaving the premises via the actual dumpster, or via the type of "dumpster" that you refer to. Even things like old chairs... really pissed me off when we moved and they told us
we had to leave some really nice old chairs behind for another group to come through to pick things for their own offices. They wanted more modern stuff so those chairs (and a lot of other decent office stuff)
went in one of those rent-a-dumpsters.

Yeah, I need to go through an ewaste process, asset disposal and data destruction process now. Nowhere near as lucrative. :)


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Ha.. For ages I had a huge Server system with 5 full sized bays but
the hardware eventually got too old to mess with anymore and for
a number of years it ended up being an end table beside my main
computer desk. Sitting on the floor it was as tall as the desk.

Lol. I have seen photographs of people using the old "double wide tower" servers as end tables. I have also seen pictures of some other old
computer equipment being used as furnature. Aside from setting them on
their side to use as risers in my basement, I don't have any old equipment that would make suitable furnature... most of the towers are too narrow to even sit a decent sized lamp on. ;)

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Re: Re: The Decline Of Pcs
By: MIKE POWELL to ROB MCCART on Wed Dec 31 2025 08:54 am

their side to use as risers in my basement, I don't have any old equipment that would make suitable furnature... most of the towers are too narrow to

I could probably make a little fort out of SparcStations.. Make a wall out of the PC towers and we'll hurl ISA and PCI cards at it from the fort.

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Lol. I have seen photographs of people using the old "double wide tower"

>servers as end tables. I have also seen pictures of some other old
>computer equipment being used as furnature. Aside from setting them on
>their side to use as risers in my basement, I don't have any old equipment
>that would make suitable furnature... most of the towers are too narrow to
>even sit a decent sized lamp on. ;)

Most of my desktop systems I built myself, or at least got to choose
exactly what was used in making it and I always went with wider
cases, figuring they had more space to work with on the inside..

Small is good for a portable but not so important for a desktop..

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Re: Re: The Decline Of Pcs
By: Rob Mccart to MIKE POWELL on Fri Jan 02 2026 09:49:17

Most of my desktop systems I built myself, or at least got to choose
exactly what was used in making it and I always went with wider
cases, figuring they had more space to work with on the inside..

Ditto mostly. I stuck with std. full towers. I always built my systems with room to grow, though I've yet to fill a tower up. That was OK. Like you said, it made it easier to work in and provided better air flow.

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phigan wrote to MIKE POWELL <=-

I could probably make a little fort out of SparcStations.. Make a wall
out of the PC towers and we'll hurl ISA and PCI cards at it from the
fort.

Hey, I'm thinking chairs made from 2 Sun Enterprise 250s as armrests
with a seat made of stacks of SS20s, another SS20 as the back. I'd pay
for that.



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their side to use as risers in my basement, I don't have any old equipment that would make suitable furnature... most of the towers are too narrow to

I could probably make a little fort out of SparcStations.. Make a wall out of the PC towers and we'll hurl ISA and PCI cards at it from the fort.

Hmmm, now there is an idea. :D

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Most of my desktop systems I built myself, or at least got to choose

> > exactly what was used in making it and I always went with wider
> > cases, figuring they had more space to work with on the inside..

Ditto mostly. I stuck with std. full towers. I always built my systems with

>om to grow, though I've yet to fill a tower up. That was OK. Like you said,
> made it easier to work in and provided better air flow.

Yes, it's different now than it was back when I first started
building computers. Everything is smaller and a lot of parts do
mutiple things saving more space, but I like the air flow idea too.

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Re: Re: The Decline Of Pcs
By: Rob Mccart to MORTAR on Sun Jan 04 2026 08:46 am

Yes, it's different now than it was back when I first started building computers. Everything is smaller and a lot of parts do mutiple things saving more space, but I like the air flow idea too.

Y'all need to remember to replace your thermal paste every couple of years, esp ecially in smaller cases. my mid-tower was creeping up into the 80s (celsius) w hen I wasn't doing much on my system. I swapped out the thermal paste and dropp ed the idle temp by 20 degrees. Configured CPU throttling and my idle temp is n ow in the mid-40s.

A cool CPU is a happy CPU!

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Re: Re: The Decline Of Pcs
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Rob Mccart on Sun Jan 04 2026 05:39 pm

Y'all need to remember to replace your thermal paste every couple
of years, esp ecially in smaller cases. my mid-tower was creeping
up into the 80s (celsius) w hen I wasn't doing much on my system.

This isn't the 80s and 90s anymore. I would only replace it if it was needed. I keep an eye on my temps.
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Re: Re: The Decline Of Pcs
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Rob Mccart on Sun Jan 04 2026 05:39 pm

Yes, it's different now than it was back when I first started building
computers. Everything is smaller and a lot of parts do mutiple things
saving more space, but I like the air flow idea too.

Y'all need to remember to replace your thermal paste every couple of years, esp ecially in smaller cases. my mid-tower was creeping up into the 80s (celsius) w hen I wasn't doing much on my system. I swapped out the thermal paste and dropp ed the idle temp by 20 degrees. Configured CPU throttling and my idle temp is n ow in the mid-40s.

In the early 90's my brother built a system, He was really frustrated when he called me, his computer on boot would just shut down.
1st thing I asked him, "did you put hermal paste on the CPU", he said what is thermal paste, he went and bought some and his system booted normally afterwards.

... I like my Butt rubbed, and my Pork Pulled. <-sign at BBQ place.

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Denn wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

In the early 90's my brother built a system, He was really frustrated when he called me, his computer on boot would just shut down.
1st thing I asked him, "did you put hermal paste on the CPU", he said what is thermal paste, he went and bought some and his system booted normally afterwards.

He had a 50/50 chance of putting it on the pin side. Glad it worked out
for him. :)



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Re: Re: The Decline Of Pcs
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Denn on Mon Jan 05 2026 06:30 am

In the early 90's my brother built a system, He was really
frustrated when he called me, his computer on boot would just shut
down. 1st thing I asked him, "did you put hermal paste on the CPU",
he said what is thermal paste, he went and bought some and his
system booted normally afterwards.

He had a 50/50 chance of putting it on the pin side. Glad it worked out for him. :)

Not really, I explained to him the thermal paste goes between the top of the CPU and the heat sink.

... If you can't make 'em, steal 'em! - Tagine stealers local 406

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computers. Everything is smaller and a lot of parts do mutiple things

> saving more space, but I like the air flow idea too.

Y'all need to remember to replace your thermal paste every couple of years, e

>ecially in smaller cases. my mid-tower was creeping up into the 80s (celsius)
>hen I wasn't doing much on my system. I swapped out the thermal paste and dro
>ed the idle temp by 20 degrees. Configured CPU throttling and my idle temp is
>ow in the mid-40s.

A cool CPU is a happy CPU!

Yes, that's true. I usually have a thermal sensor monitor on my computers
and only once have I run into that problem really, although I'm pretty
easy on computers, very rarely doing anything stressful on them.
Most of my software is so old that a new processor can sleep though
running it.. B)

At the moment the processor on this computer is at 50c and it
is rated to be okay up to 115c.. The load with 3 programs running
is down in the 35% range..

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