Storage Shed Clean-out Part 68. An Attempted Fix (Fail) of a Vintage 1996 Compaq Deskpro Computer.

An important aspect of the emergency storage shed clean-out is to be able to make decisions and deal with stuff! I had a plan with this vintage computer and even though the repair didn't work out - I've achieved my goal of processing this PC and moving it on from my shed!
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[@TheUltimateRecycler]

If you found this video helpful & feel like giving something back to the channel, you can do that here.. www.buymeacoffee.com/theultimat9 All coffees are hugely appreciated and keeping me well caffeinated is likely to bring you many more helpful videos! ☕☕😊😊

[@michaelwhary7697]

12:10 bro, just take a flathead screwdriver and pry it up.

[@tenminutetokyo2643]

These should be preserved since there are a limited number of them in existence and they are part of computing history.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

True! I'm hoping someone comes and saves it! 😊👍

[@Gr8thxAlot]

This era of cases from Compaq were excellent! Some of them included spare screws. The motherboards were rock solid too. We repurposed a few of these into servers, running critical applications. I never saw one failure.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

That's interesting to know! Thanks! 😊👍

[@scohen88]

The rabbit is strong with that one! (Keep him away from holes!)

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Haha.. 🐰🐰

[@tassiebob]

Brings back memories - I bought a few of those 2nd hand/surplus in about 2002...

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks Bob, I hope they are good memories! I'll get to the ones you were interested in soon.. 😊👍

[@HughJeffreys]

I don't believe you need to worry about those types of batteries. The ones known for leaking are cylindrical ones.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Ah, thanks Hugh! 😊👍

[@Nas_Atlas]

Yes, typically the bad ones are Varta brand. I have a 486 project board that had one and it ate away dozens of traces. It's a long term project of mine to restore it.

[@user-ow4rf4fz5q]

How do you feel about customers who are constantly getting their devices fixed? I've fitted new frames and screens to the same iPhone 11 about 4 times now and whilst the money earned is good it's a little disheartening to see my hard work undone so quickly. Love your channel keep up the good work.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

@@user-ow4rf4fz5q I guess you are talking to Hugh? I know nothing about phones! 🤣

[@Nas_Atlas]

Excellent vid! I knew nothing of MOV components before and I have the nerve to call myself a geek! It looks like you have plenty of other boxes that may have working power supplies so if it doesn't sell by next week I look forward to you bringing a power supply over from one and trying to POST this old box. Cheers.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Yeah Nas, I may just try that.. 👍😊

[@ShadowMoonFarms]

Thanks for sharing

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks Cynthia! 😊👍

[@theaussienurseflipper.8113]

Interesting video mate. I was surprised when the power supply went bang without the trigger wire being earth out. I had feeling there would something seriously wrong with a power supply. Cheers Graham

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks Graham! Yeah it sure surprised me at the time! The fault is obviously in the early stages of the circuit!

[@andyc972]

I used the small form factor version of these at work for a while in the early 2000s, they were popular in the office as they could sit under the monitor without taking up too much desk space and because they were on a LAN they didn't need all the expansion space that this has, I think I've still got one in the garage ! 🤔😬 I believe Compaq were taken over by HP around this time and started to be phased out over the next few years !

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Yes, that would be about right Andy. I don't think I've seen much newer Compaq PCs than this one.

[@CoStarRecycling]

Awesome video!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks mate! 😊👍

[@Th3Pr0digalS0n]

Ive pulled apart my fair share of old desktop PC's, back then they were junk, just piled up for the trash heap. I wasn't very good at bringing them back to life.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

They certainly can be a challenge Kayle. I had to be tough on myself and stay out of the rabbit hole that I started down as I don't have the time at the moment. I may try another power supply in this PC if it sits around for awhile..

[@geofft3214]

Hate it when it goes bang! 😆 I remember using a Compaq in the 90s.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

It did give me a bit of a fright Geoff! 😱

[@deej4101]

That was interesting but I can't wait to get past the electronics shelf and into the really interesting stuff!🤣 Apologies to all who love electronics. I thought I could hear Coco in the background, and yes, there she is. Hi Coco!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

I'll try and mix things up a bit Dee, rather than do all the PCs in a row! We have another dog staying here for a bit, so it probably wasn't Coco you heard! She says hi back! 🐶😊

[@deej4101]

​@@TheUltimateRecycler Oh no Chris, I'm not complaining. Please do things in the order you want to. I know you like to clear an area before proceeding and that makes perfect sense to me.

[@BndP-ry3xr]

I think you do have a few more power supplies (of complete untested machines) to test the rest of the computers

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

That is true! Looks like I may get to test this one after all (if it doesn't sell in the meantime!)

[@alonys]

I was wondering all through this vid if Chris will manage not to scrap it after all. Well done. It looks like it was as hard as a kid alone in front of a candy display.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Hahaha, I can resist temptation sometimes Sarit! 😂

[@afineliner740]

That's a shame, you gave it a good chance. Maybe you can just swap out the power supply from another PC. 👍

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Yep Alex, that has been suggested - if I find time, it would be fun to try! 👍😊

[@johnmay4803]

the power supply happend because of the yellow glue that is used inside it absorbs water and mkes shorts

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Oh that's interesting - I hadn't considered that! Maybe I should clean off the glue in future before powering the units up.. 🤔 Thanks John 👍

[@user-ow4rf4fz5q]

I started my IT career fixing those old Compaq desktops. Built like tanks. That card is a parallel port, common for printers and other peripherals back in the day. The port it's plugged into is an ISA port, the predecessor to PCI. ISA hasn't been used for at least 20 years.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Ah, thanks Lucas! Appreciate the info! 😊👍

[@Nas_Atlas]

Didn't he say it was SCSI?

[@user-ow4rf4fz5q]

​@@Nas_Atlas I hadn't actually watched the end of the video but just saw it now. I assumed it was a spare parallel port for a zip drive or a dial up modem. Pretty old SCSI port having a db25 plug on it. May have been used for a zip drive. We had a parallel port zip drive and whilst the 100mb disks were cool, it took hours to transfer that much data.

[@martincowie4520]

The main problem with Compaq and other big brands, is their tendency to try and do their own thing, a bit like Apple... using cases and motherboards that aren't easy to upgrade or reuse... I personally would avoid, unless trying to repair an identical machine. Most of the machines you have in your pile seem to be similar big brand e-waste, but nothing really really old or special. Just my 2p... Btw if it weren't already e-waste I'd be nagging you for not taking proper static precautions or for suggesting removing the CMOS battery before attempting the 1,000,000 to 1 chance it was still alive, they are good for 5-10 years, but had it 'just' been replaced days before being last switched off, it might still be good! Tracking down optimal CMOS settings is tricky, so unless leaking, I'd leave it alone for the next owner to roll the dice.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks Martin, that's great advice with the battery. Apparently these type aren't really known to leak badly anyway - so I will leave them in place in the future 👍 Yeah, I didn't think there was anything too special with the PCs, but I thought they were better than just scrap! What basic static precautions should I take with a dismantle & clean like I did in this vid? I didn't disturb the CPU or RAM as you saw..

[@martincowie4520]

@@TheUltimateRecycler When you were just disconnecting leads without reconnecting everything as was, it means folks have to guess the correct/optimal ports to plug stuff back in to without looking for old user manuals. Just seeing how everything was plugged in, when it last worked is a huge help. All that information is lost when you focused more on cleaning it... and pulling it apart. Sometimes someone might use a certain port, because the main one has died! Now they might be scratching their head why the CD drive doesn't work when plugged into the normal IDE port. Did you take a photo of the correct ports to plug the power LED, power switch, HDD LED, etc sometimes they are marked on the MB, sometimes they aren't... and whilst it would be really nice if they were all the same, they vary by maker and even by the same maker. As for static, you have a wrist strap... maybe use it? But then again it's really just e-waste unless you have something really unique, like a hand built PC from the late 70's... Unlike an early music amp with valves that has a nice tone to it, old PC's from the late 80's, 90's, 00's are at best paper weights or props for an 80's style TV show. I'll be happy to eat my own words, if you tell me you've been contacted by someone that wants to relive their youth and is desperate to experience the POWER of a 286 hehe

[@martincowie4520]

Oh... if you find a machine from around 2010 with LOTs of dust and the words BITCOIN MAKER scribbled on the side with a sharpie, then that might be of interest! hehe Hmm perhaps I've just revealed how you can turn e-waste into a bidding war on ebay!?

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

@@martincowie4520 I thought I plugged everything back exactly as it came out - except for the ribbon cables which I left loose. The power LED, Switch (which was shorted & taped) & all other things were reconnected as were. It didn't have a HDD. As for a wrist strap - I don't have one and don't even know what they are! I did say I didn't know much about PCs! 🙄