PC died......

[WebSlave]

Just did a quick look at the off the shelf PCs that BestBuy offers...

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcmcat166700050048&type=category

This one looks like it might be OK. Don't like the idea of Vista, though. Does anyone know if Best Buy will do upgrades inhouse? I would like a beefier power supply and more RAM installed. Still would be a LOT cheaper than what I have paid for the damned Velocity Micro system. I sure hate the thought of throwing more good money after bad by shipping this thing back to them.

Guess I need to clear out a spot in this den for another computer.

Oh yeah, I thought I read that this doesn't have onboard wireless. My cabled router is maxed out. Anyway to use some sort of router extension so I could plug in more than 4 ethernet devices on the same router? I've just found wired ethernet to be faster with the 1gb connection than the wireless connections anyway.

One good thing about this is that if I have problems, I CAN just take this back to them and dump it on their counter.

 

[HappyHillbilly]

...maybe just keep this one as a game machine where it won't matter a flip if it craps out now and again.

Ha! Ha! Having one crash during a lengthy session of Far Cry isn't a far cry from takin' it out for target practice, either. But I know what you mean.

I'll be there Saturday mornin' to salvage that un-fired Barrett .50 and a case or two of those rounds. I've been trying to con my cousin out of one of his Wilson Combat or Kimber .45s to no avail. I know he ain't gettin' off of his AR15.

Hang in there & let me know how things end up with that lemon PC.
Mike

 

[WebSlave]

Say Mike, do you know where I can find the files for my email folders in Outlook Express? I would like to recover them before shipping this turkey off.

As for an AR-15, I have a Bushmaster I'm going to be selling. Nice gun, but I already have a few other .223 guns I'm going to be keeping. I've been selling quite a bit of my stuff on GunBroker.com with real good results.

Sold my Barrett M82A1 to a local guy, which is great, because packing and shipping that monster would have been a real chore. Still got the Model 95 and model 99 to play with here.... If you've never seen spotter/tracer rounds fired in the .50, you will be in for a real treat when you finally do..

Thanks,

Rich Z.

 

[HappyHillbilly]

Your messages are stored here: C:\Documents and Settings\Your Username\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{49BDB564-AA67-4C8E-9DDA-A81C76D8C888}\Microsoft\Outlook Express

The lengthy Identities number will be different than the one listed above.

For your address book: C:\Documents and Settings\Your Username\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book

For your e-mail account settings I'll have look that up because I don't remember right offhand where they're stored. I know you can export them from within OE if you can get that lemon to run long enough.

To export from within OE click on TOOLS in the top-left and then click on ACCOUNTS. Highlight the account you want & click the Export button. It will save it as a .iaf file and then you can copy it & import it to another system from within OE.

Here's a great site with more info than you'll want to know about the nitty gritty of Outlook Express: http://www.insideoe.com/sitemap.htm

I'll take a look to see if I can find out where the e-mail account settings are stored and get back with you here in a lil' bit. That site I just linked should say. I'll see.


I've seen tracer rounds fired from a .50 caliber mounted on a Bradley back when I used to work for Martin Marietta in Orlando. It was trucked in to be fitted with a TADS PNVS for testing back in the early '80s. A Bradley tank and an Apache helicopter. That was a sight to see!

Later!
Mike

 

[HappyHillbilly]

Rich,
Best I can tell you'll have to fire up that lemon in order to get your e-mail account(s) settings. Seems that the info is only stored in the Registry & it's encrypted, so you won't be able to see it. At least that's info you can get from your e-mail account holder so it's not like it's lost.

Hold onto that link I posted earlier to that OE site in case you run into problems importing anything.

Yell if you've got any other questions.

Catch ya later!
Mike

 

[WebSlave]

Thanks for the help with that Outlook Express thing. I NEVER would have found it just poking around in the system.

Man, I was all ready to get a Gateway system, as they have a really nice one shown on their website, but apparently they are out of them and not making them any longer. This threw a couple of red flags on the field. Too many businesses going under these days, and I don't want to buy into one that rolls over a month later leaving me holding a worthless 3 year warranty.

So I don't know what the heck to do now. Going to be sending the turkey sytem back to Velocity Micro on Monday. Would have sent it Friday, but I hate having something shipped over the weekend just held in some storage facility for a day or two.

I was going to try the default settings on the motherboard, but thought better of it. Had I done that, I'm betting VM would then claim that I had screwed up my system by playing around with those settings. So I just let them be. Had that RAID error hit a couple of times again. And the system might run with the screen saver active for 4 to 6 hours without locking up. But often takes two tries to get it to come up after a reboot. Earlier today I wanted to go into the BIOS settings and it locked up as soon as the settings screen showed up.

Want to take any bets that they will send it back to me claiming "no problem found"?

Wish I knew of a good computer tech around here somewhere. I just don't have the time any longer to mess with this. Got to start working on my taxes or I'm going to be deep into breeding season trying to do too much all at one time. I REALLY REALLY don't want to lose all my marbles this year.

 

[WebSlave]

Darn.... this is going to be tougher than I thought. Here in Tallahassee, both CompUSA and Circuit City went out of business. The only place that has any selection at all of desktop PCs is Best Buy, and their selection is puny, at best. I'm not getting any responses from them about the options on the Gateway computers. Gateway appears to have discontinued their flagship model.

But if I have to go and buy a system mail order, then I might be right back in the same boat I am in now with Velocity Micro. I've been looking at the CyberPower boxes that have some pretty nice offerings, but man, they are located in California, which will make shipping back to them for warranty issues a problem, even moreso than shipping back to Virginia.

And I understand that Microsoft is working on Windows 7 to replace their failed VISA OS, so do I really want to get a system with VISTA installed on it now?

What a REAL pain in the ass this is........ I REALLY don't want to have to spend the money right now on a new PC, but I don't have any faith in Velocity Micro fixing my system at this point.... And this old SAG box isn't going to last forever. This thing is 6 years old now, and beginning to show it's age.

 

[HappyHillbilly]

Catch 22

I sure don't envy your situation. Getting a new system pretty much means having to use Vista. Even though its supposed to be more stable now there's a reason Microsoft is working on a new OS. Plus, the learning curve. With your PC not being a major name brand I'd imagine that you could the XP disc to install it on another PC. A lot of people buy new systems that have Vista on it & turn around & reformat the hard drive & install XP. It can be a hassle finding the XP drivers for some pre-built systems, though. Any new system you're thinking about getting that has Vista on it I would take a look at that company's website & see if they offer XP drivers for that system. Some started doing so.

One good thing about some of the larger brand name PCs is most have factory authorized service centers, which means that a local computer shop may be able to work on it. I usually suggest going with a system that's been out for awhile but isn't already considered old. That gives them time to fix bugs, fine tune it. Once in awhile a company will phase out a good system, but sometimes there's a good reason they phase them out.

What gets most of us in unnecessary trouble, including me, is wanting all the bells & whistles when we don't really need 'em, & never will. Technology's marketing strategy is effective in drawing us in. I'd venture to say that at least 95% of the users today can easily do anything/everything they need with a system that's 1 - 2 years old, if not older.

Reviews can be lifesavers. Places like "PC Magazine Buyer's Guide" and "Newegg.com" have great unbiased reviews written by customers and not an outfit that could have something to gain by writing reviews like some of the computer & motherboard review websites.

For the average home user I recommend getting one of the pre-built name brand PCs. For the more advanced user, like you, Rich, I always suggest having someone build one from scratch. That way you can have the system built according to your needs & desires because its hard to find a manufactured complete system with everything needed without costing an arm and a leg.

When having systems custom built you usually don't get 2 - 3 years warranty but the money you save without will most likely be more than you'd spend in future repairs, if needed. Think about that ol' PC you've been using. Look how long it's been around.

I can understand you not foolin' with the BIOS settings so they couldn't blame you for anything. That's their baby. They set it up & it should work or they fix it. Unfortunately, even with a warranty its still costing you some money.

What would I do? I'd most likely begin looking for another PC, either to have one built or a pre-built one, but wait to see if they fix that lemon this time before buying a new one. Ask everyone you know close by if they know of a good PC repair shop close by. Tell them to ask their friends. Call local community colleges, universities & other schools and speak to their IT department and ask them for leads. As big as Tallahassee is there's got to be a few good repair shops that may have pre-built or will build you one, if not fix that VM. Heck, with all that you've done in trying to get that PC runnin' like it should you should be able to build your own. But, with breeding season, taxes and forum drama, on top of everyday life, time versus money is a huge factor. I'll be more than glad to help you find reviews or selecting parts or complete sytems in anyway I can.

Hang in there, Lucky!
Mike

 

[crotalusadamanteus]

if you got the gumption to put your own together...

http://www.barebone-kits.com/

 

[WebSlave]

No, I'm not really interested in building my own PC. I've got enough headaches as it is.

Been looking at this one -> http://www.digitalstormonline.com/twisterultraintel2.asp

But they are in California as well.

My attitude about buying a new computer is to go to the upper limit as much as possible. That way it will take much longer to become obsolete by newer technology.

Honestly I don't think checking around here for someone to build a system for me is a real good idea. Based on the results we have gotten from people working for us, I'm not too impressed with the competence and attention to detail I've seen so far as an average.

I posted a complaint on resellerratings.com yesterday, so we'll see if that gets someone's attention at Velocity Micro. Haven't seen it published there yet, however....

 

[HappyHillbilly]

Just did a quick look at the off the shelf PCs that BestBuy offers...

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcmcat166700050048&type=category

This one looks like it might be OK. Don't like the idea of Vista, though. Does anyone know if Best Buy will do upgrades inhouse? I would like a beefier power supply and more RAM installed. Still would be a LOT cheaper than what I have paid for the damned Velocity Micro system. I sure hate the thought of throwing more good money after bad by shipping this thing back to them.

Guess I need to clear out a spot in this den for another computer.

Oh yeah, I thought I read that this doesn't have onboard wireless. My cabled router is maxed out. Anyway to use some sort of router extension so I could plug in more than 4 ethernet devices on the same router? I've just found wired ethernet to be faster with the 1gb connection than the wireless connections anyway.

One good thing about this is that if I have problems, I CAN just take this back to them and dump it on their counter.

Somehow I missed the above post the other day and just saw it when I posted my reply earlier today. Sorry 'bout that!

I just got in & checked my messages; I've got to make a few phones calls & tend to some critters but will take a look at the things you've mentioned and post back later tonight.

Later!
Mike

 

[HappyHillbilly]

About the Gateway FX6800 from Best Buy - A 4.6 out of 5.0 rating from 80-something people appears to be impressive. I didn't read all the reviews but it was hard to tell who knew what as far as being able to tell whether that PC was as good as it should be or not. But still, that's a good average for that many people. There were some that got ahold of a bad system and that raised some concerns.

Here's a link to one the earlier models of that line: Gateway FX6710 at Newegg.com
It appears to have the same video card as the one you linked to at Best Buy and that model video card has good reviews on Newegg.

Here's a link to gaming machines that Newegg has to offer: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2032280010%201308920938&name=Gaming

I don't own stock in Newegg.com. I wish I did, though. I purchase nearly all of my parts from them and always use their reviews & ratings, which are written by customers and not staff, and I've always been very satisfied with the products & service.

I don't know if Best Buy will perform upgrades or not. I'm thinking that any addition or swapping of hardware not provided and/or done by Gateway (or a factory authorized service center) would void the overall warranty. If you upgraded the power supply unit and something eventually happened to another component they could try to blame it on the upgrade if they didn't perform it or approve it.


As for an extension to a router - You can use either a hub or a switch. I suggest an Ethernet switch instead of a hub. You'll lose speed with a hub due to its packet technology.

As for the Digital Storm - I couldn't give you any input since I'm not familiar with them. They've got a good rating on Reseller Ratings, but so does Velocity Micro. Although, Digital Storm has a slightly better rating.

So Tallahassee is about par for the course in reputable computer repair shops, 'eh? Its that way just about everywhere. I don't know what's happened to the American pride & honesty.

Best wishes!
Mike

 

[WebSlave]

Actually I took a look at what Newegg is offering, but when I checked out their warranty and return policy, I dropped them from consideration. Basically you are better off going directly to the manufacturer rather than buying from them for a desktop PC. Most manufacturers are offering a 30 day satisfaction guarantee, which Newegg will not honor. Any repairs, they say, may have to be done at the manufacturer anyway, so why bother wasting time dealing with Newegg?

So what is the scoop on the difference between the 32bit and 64bit operating systems? Can the older 32bit applications run on a 64bit platform? Sure would suck to have to get upgrades to all the software I have. And I have a LOT!

I believe most of the PC builders I checked out offer Windows XP or Vista, so I guess it would save me some money only getting 4gb of RAM since 32bit XP won't recognize anything over that for main RAM.

That darn Velocity Micro computer has been running for the last two days without locking up. It's trying to fool me, I know. Wanting me to try to do some work on it so it can flush it down the hopper. I can almost hear it saying "Please don't send me back to Virginia........". Adios, sucker! Maybe not Monday, because it's shaping up to be a hellacious day, but certainly by Tuesday.

Thanks for your help.

Man I DO have to get started on my taxes or it's going to be major panic time those first two weeks in April. I really shouldn't be screwing around with computer specs right now.....

 

[HappyHillbilly]

Well, I'm typing this for my second time. Somehow I must've hit the magical "erase all" key on my keyboard while typing my last sentence the first time around.

I linked to Newegg's gaming machines mostly so you could see the reviews of various PCs and get an idea of other manufacturers to look at. Sometimes they sell some cheaper than the mfg has them listed for, but yeah, much more than a DOA and you'll have to send it to the mfg, not Newegg. Unfortunately, you're in between a rock & hard place when it comes to repair/warranty due to the lack of competent PC repair in your area. I know that's why its a dreaded decision in buying another one, too. Hopefully the next one you get delievered to you, whether its your ol' VM or another one, will run like it's supposed to.

So what is the scoop on the difference between the 32bit and 64bit operating systems? Can the older 32bit applications run on a 64bit platform? Sure would suck to have to get upgrades to all the software I have. And I have a LOT!

You can look at 32-bit & 64-bit systems as a 4 lane highway & an 8 lane highway. Depends on whether or not your town has enough traffic to warrant the extra lanes. Because of the wider circuit of 64-bit systems more complex applications can run simultaneously. The wider circuit also enables the use of more RAM.

Some 32-bit apps will run on 64-bit systems & some won't. 16-bit apps (Legacy) won't run on a 64-bit system, but not many still use programs or games that old. You'll have to check with your software mfg's website to see if that software will run on a 64-bit platform.

For more about 32 & 64-bit systems, Google "32-bit or 64-bit" and you should find some good articles on it. It's a good read.


Some of the big name brand PC mfgs got hancuffed by Microsoft into only offering Vista. Microsoft offered them enticing deals/contracts to where every new PC had to have Vista. MS did that to push Vista when it first came out. After the crap hit the fan some of the name brand mfgs tried to back out but couldn't without penalty.

There for awhile it was hard to find a copy of XP because MS was trying to force it out and had talked about stopping production of it. I don't know if they've changed their mind or not but at least it's easier to find a copy of it now. I don't know if Gateway, Dell, HP and/or others are offering XP now or not. I think most of the marketing strategy is geared towards systems with Vista but XP may be available upon request for some of them.

That darn Velocity Micro computer has been running for the last two days without locking up. It's trying to fool me, I know. Wanting me to try to do some work on it so it can flush it down the hopper. I can almost hear it saying "Please don't send me back to Virginia........"

DO NOT start doing your taxes on that thing!!! Heck, I'd do 'em on that ol' standby you've got there.

You're more than welcome for what lil' help I've been able to give. Yell if you've got any other questions. If you happen to see my mileage logs layin' around anywhere let me know. I want to get started on my taxes, too, but can't find my logs. Arrgghhhh!!!

Catch ya later!
Mike

 

[WebSlave]

I'm thinking more and more about getting a DigitalStorm system built. I hate to do it with everything else going on, but I just cannot operate with this old slower computer. If it were to die, I'd REALLY be up the creek. There is so much stuff that I have stored on it and my other computer, that trying to reconstruct it all from scratch would take me months, if I could do it at all.

I'm pretty sure that garbage hardware has corrupted Windows on tha Velocity Micro box. Even if they get the hardware straightened out, I'm going to have to bite the bullet and reload everything from scratch anyway. Might be best to just get a new system, and load everything I need from the old system while it is still alive, and get what I can off of the VM system working around the bad OS. But this is NOT the time of year where I have the time to do this. With just taxes and breeding season looming, this is going to be skirting a nervous breakdown, for certain. But I really can't see any other choice in what I need to do. It's just a lucky thing I decided to sell off most of my gun collection so that I can even afford to get another top of the line system right now. Honestly, if there wasn't this really beautiful glaringly bright light at the end of the tunnel right now, I would just go running off screaming into the woods right now.........

 

[HappyHillbilly]

Personally, I'd go ahead & swap out the power supply on the VM since you've got a new one for it. Its inconsistent behavior makes me think it's not an OS or driver issue, unless it acts up mainly during certain programs, functions. Other hardware being faulty is still likely, but I think it would be well worth your time to try the power supply. That would most likely be the last thing I'd ever do to the VM, other than sending it back and/or filling it full of bullet holes.

Honestly, if there wasn't this really beautiful glaringly bright light at the end of the tunnel right now, I would just go running off screaming into the woods right now.........

My effecting circumstances are different than yours but the temptation is still the same. If I beat you to the the middle of the woods I'll let you know how life is there. I'm nearing the point of welcoming it. Ha! Ha! It's amazing how well-planned courses can get so far off track by the unforeseen.

Later!
Mike

 

[WebSlave]

Personally, I'd go ahead & swap out the power supply on the VM since you've got a new one for it. Its inconsistent behavior makes me think it's not an OS or driver issue, unless it acts up mainly during certain programs, functions. Other hardware being faulty is still likely, but I think it would be well worth your time to try the power supply. That would most likely be the last thing I'd ever do to the VM, other than sending it back and/or filling it full of bullet holes.


My effecting circumstances are different than yours but the temptation is still the same. If I beat you to the the middle of the woods I'll let you know how life is there. I'm nearing the point of welcoming it. Ha! Ha! It's amazing how well-planned courses can get so far off track by the unforeseen.

Later!
Mike

Man, I hear ya..... There is a lot to be said for insanity. No more responsibility and worry beyond when they are going to be bringing me my next meal and wishing the color of the padded room was something I liked.....

No, the VM is on the way back to them right now. Let them deal with it. I've got to get some real work done and stop screwing around with that computer. I'll likely be getting another computer perhaps from digital storm, and if they happen to fix that one at VM, then I can just move out my old system I am using now and put one of the other in it's place once I have all my apps and data moved over. I'm just wondering how much of my old apps I'm going to have to either abandon or upgrade? I'm thinking about getting the new system in VISTA, simply because I think I would move that one over to Windows 7 anyway, and the transition may be easier if I am already upgrading apps anyway. Probably keep one of the systems with XP. I seriously considered Apple until I saw that funky keyboard. Funny thing is that they must KNOW their keyboard is funky. You NEVER see on in any of their ad photos..... Sheesh, if they are embarrassed by it, just replace it with something better..... Duh....

Actually, I feel better already that the turkey system is out of here. That sucker was just wearing on my nerves staring at me while I worked on this old system. Well, I insured it, so with any luck it will get lost or destroyed. I believe I have everything back up from it. Reloading all the apps would be a pain, but my guess I'm going to have to be doing that anyway. But looks like a lot of the female corns are going through their first shed right now, so this computer stuff is going to have to go back burner anyway...

Oh, what do you know about the ssd (solid state disks)? I'm thinking they should be the way to go for the main hard drive with Windows or Vista loaded on it. Maybe even another one for the data drive for processing video streams. The latest one I've seen is 250 gb, which is pretty darn decent.

Thanks.

 

[DeeSeven]

I brought my acer laptop at best buy and they did an upgrade right then and there and a month later when I asked for even more memory no issues with them. Actually quite impressed to be perfectly honest.

 

[HappyHillbilly]

I don't blame you for not foolin' with swapping out the power supply. Maybe one of the the shipper's warehouse guys that handle it will be drunk or stoned & take care of things for you.

Apple/Macs: Years ago I tried to navigate around with an old one I picked up at a yard sale real cheap. 45 minutes later I shut it down and never fired it up again. Those that aren't set in their ways and willing to learn say it's not that bad and they say they love their Macs. I'll take their word for it. I love to learn but I'm getting older and more set in my ways. For me, learning pretty much has to come with a need these days.

Oh, what do you know about the ssd (solid state disks)?

Expen$ive! They have great advantages but they've still got a ways to go. They will probably eventually replace hard disk drives but I think it's years away. Right now the performance increase isn't near worth the cost. The performance increase isn't an awful lot at the moment. The stability & life increase is significant, though.

As with most new technology, by the time it becomes mainstream it has undergone many changes, so where will today's SSDs be then? Is it worth the price? To some it is, to others it's not. Who knows, 10 years from now CDs & DVDs may be replaced with SSDs. It's probably time for me to backup my Deep Purple Machine Head 8-track tape to a newer technology. Now I'm depressed. Ha! Ha!

Take care!
Mike

 

[WebSlave]

Well the computer is at Velocity Micro and they are grousing at my instructions to NOT wipe my hard drive clean and reloading Windows. Seems far too many companies want to do that "just to see if it fixes the problem". But I have so much software loaded that this just isn't an option. If it turns out that their crappy hardware did corrupt Windows, then I will have to just struggle with that when I get it back and get my new system (just ordered yesterday) up to snuff. THEN I will wipe the VM system clean and start over with it. This might not be until the Fall months, so if that is the case, I quite likely will just rebuild it and put in some upgrades. Might as well, since it will be a new system anyway. Maybe Windows 7 will be out by then and I'll load that OS on the VM box.

Anyway, it was a real struggle trying to find someone to buy a new computer from. Too many bad omens with some of them, or they didn't have the options I was looking for. The company I finally settled on is AVADirect.com. No way to tell if they will be better or worse than VM or the other places I looked at, but at least they were responsive to emails right off the bat, and willing to get some things custom for me without any hassles. I guess I'll know more about whether my choice was good or not a year or so from now.

But, of course, what started out being a pretty plain vanilla system just got blown out of proportion. Something really wrong inside of me just craves the latest and greatest in performance. So, of course, I found myself clicking the high performance options with wild abandon! Fortunately I've sold off a lot of my guns, so I can afford this darn thing. This was NOT an expense I had planned on right now....

Anyway, here's the specs....

• INTEL, Core™ i7-965 Extreme Quad-Core, 3.2GHz, LGA1366, 6400 MT/s QPI, 8MB L3 Cache, 45nm, 130W, EM64T EIST VT XD, Retail
  
• THERMALRIGHT, Ultra-120 eXtreme 1366 RT CPU Cooler, Socket 1366, Aluminum
  
• ARCTIC COOLING, MX-2 High-Performance Thermal Compound, Non-Electrical Conductive
  
• SERVICE, FREE Overclocking (Post-Holiday Special), Quad-Core CPU, 10-20% Performance Increase
  
• eVGA, EVGA X58 SLI, LGA1366, Intel® X58, 6400 MT/s QPI, DDR3-1333MHz 12GB /6, PCIe x16 SLI CF /3, SATA 3 Gb/s RAID 5 /9, HDA, GbLAN /2, FW /2, ATX, Retail
  
• CORSAIR, 12GB (6 x 2GB) Dominator XMP PC3-12800 DDR3 1600MHz CL9 (8-8-8-24) 1.65V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
  
• eVGA, GeForce® GTX 295 576MHz, 1792MB GDDR3 1998MHz, PCIe x16 SLI, DVI /2, HDMI, Retail
  
• OCZ, 250GB Apex Series SSD, 230/160 MB/s, 2.5-Inch, SATA 3 Gb/s, Retail
  
• WESTERN DIGITAL, 300GB (WD3000HLFS) WD VelociRaptor™, SATA 3 Gb/s, 10000 RPM, 16MB cache
  
• WESTERN DIGITAL, 300GB (WD3000HLFS) WD VelociRaptor™, SATA 3 Gb/s, 10000 RPM, 16MB cache
  
• WESTERN DIGITAL, 1TB WD Caviar® Black™ (WD1001FALS), SATA 3 Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 32MB Cache
  
• RAID, RAID 0 (striping), min 2 hard drives required
  
• HIGHPOINT, RocketRAID 2320 SATA II RAID Controller, 8 ports, Levels 0/1/10/5, PCIe x4/x8/x16, Full-height/Low-profile, Retail
  
• SABRENT, CRW-UINB Black 65-in-1 Card Reader/Writer Drive, 3.5" Bay, Internal USB
  
• LG ELECTRONICS, GGW-H20L Black 6x/8x/24x BD/DVD±RW/CD-RW Blu-ray Disc™ Burner w/ Lightscribe, SATA, Retail
  
• COOLER MASTER, HAF 932 (RC-932-KKN1-GP) Black Tower Case, EATX, No PSU, Steel
  
• CUSTOM WIRING, Standard Wiring with Round Cables
  
• THERMALTAKE, Toughpower, 80 PLUS®, 1000W Power Supply w/ Modularized Cable Management, 24-pin ATX12V EPS12V, Quad +12V, Quad SLI Ready
  
• MICROSOFT, Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Edition w/ SP1, OEM
  
• SERVICE, OEM System Recovery (bootable CD/DVD only)
  
• SERVICE, System Binder
  
• CUSTOM GAMING PC, Platinum Warranty Package (5 Year Limited Parts & Lifetime Labor Warranty, Express/Priority Service)
  
• SERVICE, Standard Shipping (UPS, DHL, or Fedex)

Should really kick butt with performance, I think. Those Solid State Drives have come a long way and should really kick butt with the operating system loaded on it. At least I hope so. I hesitated getting VISTA, but I think with the hardware to run it properly, and especially with that SSD drive, it should be pretty snappy. I guess I'll find out when I get it.

Man I hope this doesn't turn out to be another lemon. I'll certainly pop a cork if it does.....