Decisions, decisions... (upgrade project, plus 1)

[evasive]

http://badcaps.net/index.php?pageid=repair_costs

[Toby B.]

http://badcaps.net/index.php?pageid=repair_costs

Yeah I saw that, financially not feasible right now..

[Karlsweldt]

http://www.newegg.com/Mouse-Keyboard-PS ... ry/ID-3024

[Toby B.]

http://www.newegg.com/Mouse-Keyboard-PS2-Adapters/SubCategory/ID-3024

hmm that completely slipped my mind... Thanks

[Twisty]

Really it is not worth investing any effort in this old kit, especially now the $35 pi3 is out and is powerful enough to do proper computering.

But if you are doing this as a fun challenge then why not.

I used to keep a stack of old mobos/graphics cards etc boards in a box, so that I could salvage caps etc off them as required. Generally you just need to replace caps with something which matches or exceeds the voltage and capacitance. You shouldn't need to travel far to get donor boards, nearby computer shop, skips, freecycle, etc

At one point I stuck an MP processor in a desktop board and used that as a media server. They run cool and the unlocked multiplier opens up lots of options for overclocking/underclocking but you have to be careful as some boards work better with MP processors and FSB tweaking than others.

[evasive]

Can you run windows (any version) on your RP3? We deal with windows software/tools/utilities so we need something to run that stuff on. Yeah, I know, for basically anything else it's a viable option, just not in this case.

[Toby B.]

Can you run windows (any version) on your RP3? We deal with windows software/tools/utilities so we need something to run that stuff on. Yeah, I know, for basically anything else it's a viable option, just not in this case.

huh? No disks.. I could theoretically, albeit an illegal copy..

[Karlsweldt]

The R-pi3 has only one USB data port, but adding a powered USB hub may allow an external hard drive or two.
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-add ... pberry-pi/
Doubt the pi3 could handle the bloatware of Windows, but is fine with Linux as an OS on its SD card.
One 'inventor' made a NAS storage unit with a pi3!
http://www.howtogeek.com/139433/how-to- ... ge-device/

[Twisty]

Microsoft have actually compiled a cut down version of windows 10 which is available for free on the pi3. Other than that I think you are right, any software compiled for x86 is not going to run well or at all, you need to use Linux or Android compiled for ARM. Maybe I should've suggested a cheap atom based alternative to the old HP

On all the RPis it is best to run the os from the on-board microUSB which is handy in that you can switch out OS's really easily, it runs better than you might think, especially on a card with a decent write speed, but obviously not going to bench like an SSD SATA.
It's also possible to run OS or access files from a USB flash or hard drive, the pi3 has 4 usb 2 ports.