Don's computers - Video Lab Update

 Origonal POst - March 15, 2015

This blog is not only about just the CLB and the local TVCUG club but covers computer technology in general and those items believed to be of interest to my computer community friends.  I attended the Saturday morning TVCUG meeting and was able to visit with some old friends.  The topic was Linux.  I have two computers that run Linux.

This is a summary of my current computer hardware:

2 iMACs running OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) - His and Hers (I have the old 2009 vintage iMAC)
   They are called the iMAC-21 and iMAC-24 (the screen size)
3 MS Vista based computers - An HP desk top, and HP laptop and a friends old custom PC
   These have 2007, 2009 , and 2005 vintage hardware, respectively
3 MS XP and / or Linux computers - An eMachine Model W3080 pure XP, a custom dual boot
   Linux-SUSE/XP and an old Dell Model Dimension 2350Linux-Umbutu computer.
   These are 2004, 2002, and about 2002 vintage hardware machines.

They are networked together on my Private Home Network which also included my son's Windows 7 PC and the HP WiFi printer.

This has been evolving over the past 14 years since I retired in Illinois and moved to Southern California.
My main computer use (besides email and surfing the interent, is for Video Creation and Photos.

Update - March 22, 2017

Well, the old Vista PC desktop (my workhorse PC) and the HP laptop, failed in 2016.
 I since then, have purchased a new W7 ASUS desktop and a new W10 HP laptop.
I disassembled the HP laptop so I still have those pieces and have moved the HP desktop
(HP Pavilion model a6110n) and keep trying to repair it.  I have changed everything but the motherboard and associated microprocessor.  I now believe the micro had been damaged or failed.

It remains an experiment for an old hardware engineer who enjoys working on "failure mode analysis" which I have done in my AT&T BTL Telephone Development career.

I also purchased an iPAD which serves as a mini-laptop (to get email and search the web) while
not at home.  It is easier to transport than my laptops with their 17 inch monitors. The old one which failed and the new W10 laptop.   I need big screens to edit images and videos.  Also lots of storage and fast micros and supporting motherboards.

The current summary of my PC hardware machines is as follows:

2 IMACs (as before) plus
1 iPAD
3 XP machines but the old Dell with Linux has been replaced by my daughters (I gave it to her)
1 W7 ASUS desktop
1 W10 HP laptop


Video Don 27