After looking inside the Ubuntu machine I noticed that it has different cables/connectors for the hard drives. SATA, I believe. Definitely not the IDE cables that both my WinME computer or my friends XP computer have.

Well, I tried :-)

However, you might want to think about an external hard drive casing so you can turn any hard drive into a USB external one.

This could be the best solution. I will look into it, thanks :-)

Edited March 15, 201412 yr by LostInSpace2012

However, you might want to think about an external hard drive casing so you can turn any hard drive into a USB external one.

This could be the best solution. I will look into it, thanks :-)

Another benefit to this approach is that if there was something bad wrong with the drive, then this would put one more protection layer between the drive and the computer to make it less likely that it would affect the computer detrimentally. Good luck!

Cheers and Regards

A common USB 2.0 to IDE/SATA adapter is probably a cheaper and more versatile option, which however has all the advantages pointed-out for an external hard drive casing. It's another option to consider.

Thanks guys, appreciate the help. I will probably get both the adapter and the external docking station. They both will be handy.

I have an external hard drive casing myself which is really nice so that I don't even have to crack open the computer and worry about slaving and hooking up to the computer's power supply. Good luck with your project and keep us informed with your results!

I have an external hard drive casing myself which is really nice so that I don't even have to crack open the computer and worry about slaving and hooking up to the computer's power supply. Good luck with your project and keep us informed with your results!

Sure.

And both we (dencorso and myself) even have an external USB (non)case that we even don't have to crank open to change the disk inside it (that's what dencorso was talking about), something *like*:

which has additionally the not-so trifling added feature that it is compatible with both 2.5" and 3.5" Pata disk drives and with Sata ones.

jaclaz

I did a close visual inspection of the motherboard, and I did find something that looks bad. Some serious corrosion, or buildup of stuff on some transistors (?). They're right next to the CPU, they almost look melted or like an exploded battery. There is several of these. All the other ones on the board look shiny and normal. I'll attach a pic in a second.

Those are capacitors. The picture is too blurry to be sure but one looks misshapen which is a bad sign for caps. Be aware they usually use a thick glue which is clear or white around caps and some other components to prevent any movement. Some folks mistake this for leaking. Please get a better photo ( you don't need to zoom in, that can be done by us. Instead take a high resolution picture with higher megapixel setting, with the "auto" turned off for longer exposure and no flash. Make sure it is in focus. You need to either hold the camera steady or set it down or use a tripod. ).

I have an external hard drive casing myself which is really nice so that I don't even have to crack open the computer and worry about slaving and hooking up to the computer's power supply. Good luck with your project and keep us informed with your results!

Sure.

And both we (dencorso and myself) even have an external USB (non)case that we even don't have to crank open to change the disk inside it (that's what dencorso was talking about), something *like*:

which has additionally the not-so trifling added feature that it is compatible with both 2.5" and 3.5" Pata disk drives and with Sata ones.

jaclaz

That is actually really sweet, Jaclaz. I've personally never see one of those but I'm intrigued. I might have to take a look into it. And using the NTFS program for 9x, you should literally be able to plug in any sort of hard drive and use it externally, right?

More pics.

In the second picture, compare the capacitor at the top left corner and the ones to right of the CPU. The ones next to the CPU have a corroded hard material on top, while the rest are neat and shiny looking.

Computer is an "Emachine T6410."

Edited March 15, 201412 yr by LostInSpace2012

Yikes, not good at all. What brand of motherboard is it? Does it say on it? If it came from around the 2003-2005 era, it could've fallen victim to the bad caps produced around that time.

I couldn't see what the motherboard is, but the computer model is "Emachine T6410" which came with XP Sp2.

Yeah those are blown, that motherboard is dead.

Yeah those are blown, that motherboard is dead.

I'm surprised it lasted that long. My Optiplex had two caps just barely even beginning to bulge at the top, nothing was even leaking yet and yet it still died.

More pics.

In the second picture, compare the capacitor at the top left corner and the ones to right of the CPU. The ones next to the CPU have a corroded hard material on top, while the rest are neat and shiny looking.

Computer is an "Emachine T6410."

To be honest it looks like caked dust clinging to the adhesive, but I can't be sure.

I would nail that thing with canned air, a lot of it. Be sure to hold the fan blades when spraying the air to stop them from spinning and really clean out around the CPU and caps. And then take a higher resolution photo ( more pixels ), That one is in focus but even zoomed it is inconclusive. I don't see that misshapen cap in the new photo, is was probably an illusion. Just saying it might not be bad.

Use your eyeballs ... are those caps leaking with a brownish/blackish goo, or is it just the crud and dust?

Additionally, and NO matter if "clean" (or brownish/blackish, as often it's orangish), are the capacitor tops "flat" or "bulging"?

Do any of these have "leakings" at the bottom?

See here for some reference images:

http://www.markdigital.com/2011/02/14/bad-capacitors-lcd-monitor-repaired/

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=195

http://www.geeksinphoenix.com/blog/?tag=/hardware

http://www.capacitorlab.com/visible-failures/

jaclaz