need computer help

[NSCredondo]

ok sooo i have always been into computers but i want to get REALLY REALLY into computers and we have always had like 2 or 3 coputers just lying around..........but my real question is, is there a way to combine the two computers hard drives together so that I would have like both hard drives in one computer.............or if there isnt a way could u suggest a way to get more power out of my computer likein a fairly cheep way....

[Voltage Spike]

is there a way to combine the two computers hard drives together so that I would have like both hard drives in one computer

I assume you mean over a network? We cannot provide more specific information (since you didn't ask a specific question), but search for network file systems.

could u suggest a way to get more power out of my computer likein a fairly cheep way.

The cheapest manner of increasing perceived speed from the end-user perspective is to buy more RAM (assuming, of course, that you don't already have a sufficient amount).

PS: Please use proper grammar, capitalization, and spelling next time. It is terribly distracting to see so many mistakes in a single post.

[TheCotMan]

[]i have [] been interested in computers since I can remember using them and I want to learn more. We have always had a few computers that were underutilized. []Is there a way to combine the two computer[] hard drives together, so that I could have [] both hard drives in one computer? []if there isn't, would you suggest a way to get more speed from my computer [] cheaply ?

RAID is one method for combining disks on the same system.
Distributed computing is something that can be used to combine processing power from multiple machines. e.g.: amoeba, SETI@Home , folding@home, or distributed.net for some examples.

Use google to learn more.

PS: Please use proper grammar, capitalization, and spelling next time. It is terribly distracting to see so many mistakes in a single post.

Excellent idea.

[theprez98]

ok sooo i have always been into computers but i want to get REALLY REALLY into computers and we have always had like 2 or 3 coputers just lying around..........but my real question is, is there a way to combine the two computers hard drives together so that I would have like both hard drives in one computer.............or if there isnt a way could u suggest a way to get more power out of my computer likein a fairly cheep way....

Easy, set one HD as the master and the other as the slave.

As for "more power," not sure what you mean by that, but adding RAM almost always will give a slow computer a kick in the butt.

[NSCredondo]

ooooo sorry about the spelling wasnt payying attention. Thanks for the help though I ment a way to combine both computers together so i could have 1 computer with basically double of everything, or something near that. Im not really looking for double the sound quality or video quality, just basically ram, hard drive, ect... And prez when u said set 1 as the master and 1 as the slave, could go into more detail please im still kinda new on all this stuff.

[Second]

ooooo sorry about the spelling wasnt payying attention.

You still aren't.

Thanks for the help though I ment a way to combine both computers together so i could have 1 computer with basically double of everything, or something near that.

Take everything you want out of one, and put it in the other one.

And prez when u said set 1 as the master and 1 as the slave, could go into more detail please im still kinda new on all this stuff.

Setting drives as master or slaves sometimes requires you to place jumper pins in a specific place on the drive. The hard drive I am looking at has ten pins, and a jumper takes up two of the ten. Usually, the hard drive will tell you where you need to place the jumper in order to get master/slave. A master drive is basically your main drive, while a slave is an extra.

This explains it better than I did.

[Voltage Spike]

And prez when u said set 1 as the master and 1 as the slave, could go into more detail please im still kinda new on all this stuff.

Both theprez98 and TheCotMan thought you wanted to transfer parts out of one machine to make another one better. In the above instance, the master/slave terms are referring to parallel ATA connections (i.e., the most common way to hook up hard drives within a single system).

[theprez98]

ooooo sorry about the spelling wasnt payying attention. Thanks for the help though I ment a way to combine both computers together so i could have 1 computer with basically double of everything, or something near that. Im not really looking for double the sound quality or video quality, just basically ram, hard drive, ect... And prez when u said set 1 as the master and 1 as the slave, could go into more detail please im still kinda new on all this stuff.

Most hard drives have a sticker that explains the master/slave configuration. The jumpers have to be placed appropriately on both drives to make one the master (the drive your computer will boot from) and the second the slave.

Or, google for master slave configuration.

Or pay me lots of money and I'll do it for you.

[Clp727]

To add to what has already been suggested, if you do decide to pull components from one box and add to the other box, you will need to make sure that the harware is compatable. Example: RAM will need to be compatable with your system. The mother board will probably have a maximum amount of RAM that it can handle. The processor will also need to be compatable with the mother board. Can't stick a Socket A processor into Slot 1 processor slot.
In other words you can't just stick a bunch of stuff together and expect it to work.

[Voltage Spike]

In other words you can't just stick a bunch of stuff together and expect it to work.

Fortunately, a Socket A processor physically won't fit a Slot 1 motherboard. If it doesn't fit, don't force it. If it does fit, it might work. You won't (usually) destroy hardware if it fits into the slot/plug (unless, of course, the machine is from the Dell consumer line...).

[NSCredondo]

well i bought a 6 gig hard drive from my friend (just to get me by until i have enough for a 100 or 150) i just needed something to keep it from freezing all day. But i went with the master/slave configuration to do this so now im running like 15 gigs altogether. Thanks for the help though u guys really helped me get my dell running at least a little fast, for now. Do u have any ideas to which ram i should get. Im looking at getting my dell from running like a station wagon to a nice ferrari.

[Qu|rk]

There are many different types of RAM that could go into the box you want to upgrade. If you're not capable of identifying RAM by eye and pin count/marks on it... I recommend Astra32. The trial will do what you need it to, and it'll identify everything in the box. Write down what it found for RAM type that's in the box currently, that's the type you want to add more of.

Qu|rk-

[theprez98]

well i bought a 6 gig hard drive from my friend (just to get me by until i have enough for a 100 or 150) i just needed something to keep it from freezing all day. But i went with the master/slave configuration to do this so now im running like 15 gigs altogether. Thanks for the help though u guys really helped me get my dell running at least a little fast, for now. Do u have any ideas to which ram i should get. Im looking at getting my dell from running like a station wagon to a nice ferrari.

Crucial.com has a ram test for your computer.