Jeff's Computer

However, this computer cannot be upgraded easily.  It had no additional 5" bays, one additional internal 3.5" bay, and two open PCI slots.  I had just started my computer classes, and I was looking to upgrade our computer.  What I wanted was to be able to triple boot between Windows 98, Windows NT Workstation, and Windows NT Server.  I also wanted to add a CD burner and a  NIC card to network it with my other computer.  This would have been a real easy task, except that I had no room for an internal CD burner.  So what was the solution?  Rip all the guts out of my case, and shove then into a new case!

My fellow classmate Bob Kirbos agreed to help me with my project.  So I took the little Pavilion over to his house, and we spent two weekends making the transition.  Since I wanted to boot three operating systems, I had to back up my data.  We decided the best way was to network his computer with mine, and transfer the entire contents of my hard drive to his- and then transfer it back (please don't try this at home.)  I had around 4 GB of data, and it took about 4 hours for it to go each way, using a 10 Mbps network.

We also had to transfer the guts to the other case.  The hardest part was that since the case was so small, everything had to be crammed together very close.  It made it difficult to disassemble.  We finally got everything into the new case a running fine.  We added the CD burner, the NIC card, and a fan.  The line in/out/mic in jacks were proprietary to my original case, so Bob modified a PCI slot cover to hold the jacks.

Since the big transformation, I have made a few other changes.  The original floppy drive was proprietary to the original case, and looked stupid in my new case, so I replaced it.  I tripled the RAM to 192 MB.   I added a Pagis scanner, a Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback Joystick, a microphone, and connected my Fostex 4 track recorder to my computer.  I also bought an IBM 21" monitor (for a whopping $200.)  I bought a scrolling mouse, but I can't seem to find it.  I am considering giving the Pavilion case to my Mom to use as a planter.

The computer is really hurting with my onboard video.  But it would also benefit from a better soundcard, a faster processor, and a faster hard drive.  I could replace these, but I have decided to build a new computer from scratch in the near future.  I plan to build a 700 mgh+ system with at least 192 Mb of Ram, a 32 Mb video card, a very good sound card, and two 7200 rpm hard drives in a RAID configuration (20-30 Gb total storage.)  And I plan to spend less than $1500!  We'll see if I can do it.  I'll definitely add a section to my site when I do this, but it won't be for a few months yet.

Please note, as the title suggests, doing what I have done does void your warranty.  I am not suggesting that you modify your computer unless you know what you are doing, and realize that your computer manufacturer will no longer help you if something goes wrong.

The original Pavilion.   It;s so small and cute!

Here are the guts of my computer in it's new case.