Recent content by DaveFarquhar

The old Norton Utilities for DOS (I'm talking like version 8 or 9) had a tool, I think it was called REVIVE.EXE, that has brought floppies back from the dead for me. If you can track down an old copy of NU, give it a try. Run it on an older machine if possible (a 486 should be fine). Dave...

Ask the publisher if the book fits in a U.S. Postal Service Global Priority Mail flat-rate envelope. Anything that weighs less than four pounds and fits in the envelope can be shipped for about $10, and will arrive in less than a week. Dave Farquhar http://dfarq.homeip.net

What about it didn't work? Ghost typically adjusts automatically for different disk sizes and speeds. That was the biggest part of its appeal when it came out back in 1996 or 1997. A disk-to-disk clone ought to work fine, as should a disk-to-file clone using a network boot disk if necessary...

At 3,000 pages for a $70 cartridge, that's still 2.3 cents a page. An inkjet isn't going to beat that. Keep an eye out for a sale and you may be able to knock that cost down. Factory-sealed toner cartridges turn up on eBay from time to time, usually because someone had cartridges and the printer...

My new toner arrived on Monday and I installed it. So far, the printer is printing like new again. Looks like it's time to swear off recycled cartridges. It might be prudent to pick up another cartridge or two so I'll have them when I need them. Thanks again for the help. I really wasn't...

Thanks for the reply. It took me a week or so but I found a factory sealed genuine Lexmark cartridge on eBay for a good price. We'll see how that goes. Dave Farquhar http://dfarq.homeip.net

I'm not real good with printer hardware so I'm hoping someone can give me some tips. I have a low-mileage Lexmark 4039 (page count is about 5,200 pages) that I've had since sometime in 1996. Around a year ago it started printing a broken black band on the left side of the page. The page count...

The cost per page on any laser is going to be lower than an inkjet. The downside (which I'm sure you probably know) is at the price point you're looking, no color. My sister has an older version of the HP model you're talking about, and she's been happy with it. I have a good friend with the...

All you should really need is a hardware firewall such as the Linksys or Netgear routers sold in consumer electronics stores, and then load a basic antivirus package on the server itself. The router will provide security for your entire network, which is an added bonus. It's much better from a...

It's been a while since I worked on a 5500, but I believe Compaq servers of that vintage won't boot off the Smart Start 5.5 CDs, but they will boot off floppies made from the CDs. newBPhoneGuy's suggestion of running a system erase with an older version (anything 4.9 or older should do), making...

I've successfully used that method to test power supplies, but I will offer this caveat: Dell power supplies use a different pinout than standard ATX, even though the plug is the same. Don't put an off-the-shelf power supply into a Dell, or you'll blow the power supply or the motherboard...

It sounds more like a power supply issue to me, and that's easier to test anyway. Dave Farquhar http://dfarq.homeip.net

I've used Ghost, running off a bootable DOS disk, to accomplish exactly what you're trying to do. Usually I prefer to put images on CD-Rs instead of a hard drive, so I can rebuild a server without cracking the case, but I've done it both ways. I've also written images to an external USB 2.0 hard...

Ghost isn't officially supported (at least it didn't used to be), but I've been using it to image servers for 8 years and it's worked well for me. Dave Farquhar http://dfarq.homeip.net

The only thing I can think to add to this really good list you've gotten so far is to make sure you have enough free disk space on your system drive (usually C:). If the system drive fills up, lots of weird things can happen. Windows itself seems to get more finicky if there's less than 100 megs...