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i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) vwbug19 Profile hey all check out at microcenter these barebone i-net small pc(similar size to shuttle f24) socket 370pga with everything including slimline cdrom drive and accepts cpu up to 800mhz for cool 99 bucks their sku is 921403 ,also amd barebone pc for 99 bucks too it's gotagp slot,amd gvc socket 462 up to 1 ghz their sku is 920934 01-08-2002 16:07:43

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Zack Profile Can you elaborate on where to find these systems? I looked at www.microcenterorder.com but I couldn't find anything. This sounds like something I'm looking for, but I think I need your help finding it. Thanks 01-08-2002 22:24:03

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) zyxw Profile | Email Hi, I did a google search on "920934" and found it, but I couldn't get any additional information other than there is a sku with 920934 on it for $99 (it's in the monthly specials page). I was unable to get any additional information, as all scripting is disabled on my PC (and I'm not going to enable it for this experiment) perhaps someone would be kind enough to visit http://www.microcenter.com/monthly_specials.html and with scripting enabled let me know if there's more to the story... thanks. 01-09-2002 02:37:18

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) ckbone Profile I found this several days ago....Here's a link to a picture of one on E-Bay, haven't found them anywhere other than Microcenter. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1317523181 01-09-2002 04:27:43

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) smee Profile I was going to post this in the other thread, but since this one is more active and specific to microcenter... I picked up one of these at MicroCenter a couple days ago. Threw in a Celeron 500, 256M, and 40G drive I had lying around. I'm running XP home on it. For video, audio, and network, I'm using the drivers included with XP and all seem to work ok. The composite/s-video out do not seem to be available with these drivers. I haven't tried to get the modem working yet. Overall, I'm happy enough with the machine that I think it's going to become my primary home automation machine and mp3 server. It's much quieter than the machine I was using before (an EasyNow). Also, XP on this seems much more stable than 98 on the old machine (something was leaking memory even when no applications were running - couldn't leave the machine on for more than a day or so without eating up all 256M and going into virtual memory). One warning: The CD drive in this machine has permanently damaged one CD (and only one). Part of the drive contacted the disk surface and put a nice gouge in it. It only happened with one disk and it happens consistently with that disk. You might want to make copies of any CDs that you put in the drive. In conclusion, I was happy enough with the machine I've got that I went ahead and picked up another one. The guy in line in front of me that second time was buying 2 and somebody at another register was buying 1. Seem to be popular. 01-09-2002 05:54:51

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) joemac Profile One warning: The CD drive in this machine has permanently damaged one CD (and only one). Part of the drive contacted the disk That's a huge problem. Is this because of the vertical arrangement of the drive? Do you think the disk slipped off the drive at speed? How would this thing look sitting on its side so the drive is horizontal? 01-09-2002 06:49:52

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) smee Profile Damaged CD: The CD didn't slip. After it happened, I put the CD in again, very carefully, and had the same problem. I could not get it to do this with any other CD - of course, after this happened I only used CD/Rs and CD/RWs. It only happened with one CD. I couldn't (easily) force it to scratch any others. It's a very compact mechanism - standard laptop-type drive. Between the mechanism and this disk is a thin sheet-metal cover. I think it's one of the corners of this cover but I'm not sure yet. I guess the CD that had problems is slightly different from the others. I'll try bending the cover or removing it. After I got the OS on the machine, I stopped putting CDs in the drive. I did everything over the LAN after that. It helped that the OS (XP home) recognized the network stuff right away. I haven't looked at the drive on my second machine yet. 01-09-2002 07:10:06

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) vwbug19 Profile as for slim cd drive you have to snap the cd to the center hub like laptop(you know i-opener ?) i like slim cd drive for a reason it can be used in any position where a regular cd drive cant' the cd gouging can happen on regular cd drive if you're attempting to insert the cd in the tray in vertical position, the cd will fall out of alginment :) 01-09-2002 13:56:08

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Easystreet Profile So they can't be ordered online.....just brick and mortar? 01-09-2002 21:30:32

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Zack Profile That's what I was told when I called to order online. The rep on the phone said that that was a special that they were running in-store. What I did though is call the local store and order over the phone. Hell, they're even shipping my 3 units directly to me, so as far as i'm concerned, you can still order them if you don't have a local microcenter. 01-09-2002 22:35:59

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) nubz69 Profile Does it have a cd or dvd player? Can you switch it to a dvd player if it's not? It looks like it has 2 rca's out on the back are two for audio? If so that would be perfect for my in car computer setup I've been thinking about. 01-10-2002 02:01:25

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) ckbone Profile Anybody figure out who makes the mother-board? I am interested in getting the video out working on XP. You're probably going to need a specific driver for this....usually included with the video driver. Probably the generic video driver loaded in XP will not support the video or svhs out. FWIW: There are Intel utilities available to speed up the hard drive and also an application accellerator. There's also a chipset utitity that you probably won't need with XP....you will with W98. I'm using these utilities on an Intel 820 chipset machine...they work really well. http://developer.intel.com/design/software/drivers/platform/820.htm 01-10-2002 04:38:38

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) lowmazda Profile The motherboard pic on the ebay linked brought me to this site http://www.deltanetworks.com.tw/products/products_barebone.htm Drivers, manual, and more on that site. Knock yourself out! I ordered 3 from a MicroCenter. Hopefully they will call back w/ my confirmation that the order was placed. 01-10-2002 10:52:55

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) cybercypher Profile | Email I don't know if anyone else has checked this out, but the picture on Ebay has a website address in the corner, NOPcode.com I searched their site, and found no mention of the system...I also emailed the webmaster last week, and so far haven't gotten a response...I tried looking at google's cache, but to no avail. anyone else interested in continuing the search? 01-10-2002 17:24:51

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) lowmazda Profile There is no site that I have found that sells these things besides Micro Center. I tried to email the contact on the deltanetwork.com.tw site that I posted above but they have not sent me a reply back. Just suck it up and order it from MC. I ordered 3 from Philly MC and they called me back and told me that someone ordered 8 before me and they had 7 in stock. So they couldnt sell them to me. I called another store to order some and they told me they had 'plenty' in stock so I ordered 4. $413 and change shipped tomorrow. I will call and check the status of the order tomorrow. I've searched the net high and low for some type of info on these things and the only place that came up was delta networks. 01-10-2002 17:54:37

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) vwbug19 Profile as of the moment today(1/10/02) mayfield hts microcenter has sold out them including amd barebone too 01-10-2002 18:22:00

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) ckbone Profile Here's another E-Bay link with more pictures.....This sure seems to be a unknown computer. You'd think there would be more info around. Don't know anything about Delta. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1319880550 01-10-2002 18:40:05

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Chicago773 Profile | Email 34 at MicroCenter in Chicago as of last night (January 11, 2002). I picked up two and will post a quick review here once I get it running XP. Any word on drivers for XP to enable the Video-out? Could it be as simple as making sure the resolution and refresh rate are at a low-enough setting? 01-11-2002 07:17:16

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) nubz69 Profile My micro center is already sold out of these. I only have 2 problems with it though. 1. No pci slots from what I can see 2. it has cd instead of dvd. With a dvd player in this thing it would be the cheapest cd/DVD/mp3/computer out there. I looked into slim line DVD rom drives. They seem to be about $89. How hard would it be to swap one in? 01-11-2002 16:18:24

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Clueless Profile | Email I picked one of these up at my local Microcenter (Dallas) and put a 1gig celeron in it ($80.00) and a stick of 128meg ram (i had that laying around). After installing XP on it and dumping a Pinabll Emulator on it, I can say that i'm impressed with this little box. Three screws and the back comes off, Front is snapped on, one screw and the motherboard and side of the box folds down for access. I dropped a 8gig drive I had in for the time being and its been running solid for the last 24hrs. Only problem I have with it is that it has no expantion slots to add another card in it. But its got a mini-pci slot that has the 10/100 nic card in it, built in modem (which i haven't enabled yet), audio out and mic in on the front (none on the back, but that can be fixed later).. All in all a nice little box for $99.00... Looks like the CD-Rom could be swapped out with a laptop type dvd player (looks like a laptop cdrom drive in it) and might run as a nice little dvd player. I might try that at a later time and see. I have a dvd player in my Thinkpad for work and might see what happens with that... Chaos, panic, and disorder... My work here is almost done... 01-13-2002 11:53:09

Small Display? (modified 0 times) joemac Profile Anyone have a source for a small display for one of these or for any PC? What I'd like is the ability to have the thing running without a display at all, except for some sort of small LCD setup with controls on it for playing MP3s. Not looking for colors or a huge screen, just something simple that could be hooked up to a USB or serial port to provide input and get minimal output from the machine. Any ideas/links? 01-13-2002 16:50:23

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) lowmazda Profile the only thing that I think would bother me is the lack of floppy drive on the unit. Is there a floppy connector onboard though? I'm sure you could use a usb one but they arent cheap. Too bad there isnt 2 serial ports on this thing. Make a good emu machine ;) Maybe running Pitou over network 01-13-2002 17:44:42

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Miyu2002 Profile The latest Tiger Catalog had a 14.1 LCD for 230. Here is the link. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?sku=D158-1400 01-13-2002 18:24:19

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) ckbone Profile If you want a really small screen to go with this computer....about 5" or so.....there's a TFT screen for Playstations available. I've seen these at CC and BestBuy for about $120. They are available in a sort-of rounded housing or a squared housing. They each have small speakers on either side of the screen. They run on a video input that the I-Net has. I've heard the square one is the best. There was a thread going on these a while ago. I've seen the square version running...not bad. The speakers were not so good, but maybe the one I heard was damaged...... 01-14-2002 04:35:52

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) ckbone Profile Here's another small 5.6" screen...this looks pretty neat... http://mp3playerstore.com/stuff_you_need/special/index.html 01-15-2002 04:32:17

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) PeteC Profile Wanting to purchase noticed two different models with SKU's 920934 & 921403. One is Intel and one is AMD. Anyone know the specs on the AMD one...and differences between the two. 01-15-2002 09:07:11

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Clueless Profile | Email I saw the AMD version and its what i'd call a small tower setup. Its a MB that has 3 pci, 1 agp slot with a modem, 200 watt power supply (handles a 800mhz duron and would need to be changed out to use anything higher) and a floppy. Standard bareboanes pc. 01-15-2002 11:20:57

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) BubbaDog56 Profile Just ran across town at lunch to MicroCenter and picked up one of these babies, quite a bit of stuff for $99. Grabbed a Celeron 766 on the way to the checkout for $50, and I'm good to go with memory and HD at home. The CD drive looks just like a standard laptop drive, so a DVD drive replacement isn't out of the question. It's a good looking little box, should fit in with the living room entertainment center just fine.... B'Dog 01-15-2002 12:02:09

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) lowmazda Profile I bought 4 from the Chicago office. They sent the order yesterday FedEx ground and they got to NY today. They are at home, I am at work. :( Going out after work tonight so I won't be able to mess with them until tomorrow night. boohoo 01-15-2002 13:17:50

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) joemac Profile Any luck with the Video-out on these things? Also - is the power source AC (with DC converter inside) or does it have a wall-wart type plug? 01-15-2002 20:28:48

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) PeteC Profile Chicago MicroCenter was out of Intel I-Net's as of last night and had 4 AMD I-Nets left. When I called on MON 01/14 night person answering phone didn't have a clue about what I was asking about (or seemed not to comprehend the english language). Anyone know where to get one? Chicago Micro sales person was under the impression that they would be getting more in stock shortly. (don't really think he knew).... 01-15-2002 22:19:25

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) BubbaDog56 Profile MicroCenter Houston had about six visible on the floor when I was there yesterday, maybe more in the back room. If they don't know what you're talking about, tell them they are on display right by the store entrance and service department. Good luck.... B'Dog 01-16-2002 05:33:52

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) jerry456 Profile | Email I ordered two i-net units (921403). but they shipped the AMD units (920934) instead. I may want to sell them. They are untouched and will go for my cost (cost plus shipping to me) = 103.48 each, plus shipping to you. Drop me an E-mail if your interested. Jerry 01-16-2002 15:43:58

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) jerry456 Profile | Email OK I called every location (18)... the only place that MAY have 3 is Tustin, Ca. H7i4-566-8500. He looked in the warehouse but couldn't find them ! All the other locations were out. Jerry 01-16-2002 17:24:01

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) lowmazda Profile What OS's did you guys try to install. I have one and I put a 866 P3 w/ 256 mb of memory. I boot off the CD to try and install Windows XP and I get to a point and the computer just reboots or gives a halt error. I haven't tried loading the OS onto the hard drive and the halt error just gives a buncha numbers but doesnt point out any drivers or hardware errors. Any ideas? 01-16-2002 21:17:14

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) lowmazda Profile My bad. Looked up the error. Seems to be related to a 'hardware' issue. Too late to try and investigate this. Suggestions are still welcome if anyone else has experienced this problem. 01-16-2002 21:51:56

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) PeteC Profile B'Dog...ordered one from Houston. They had four left when I called yesterday. I asked to validate that they were the Intel style as I do not want the AMD ones. Shipping was reasonable @ 6.50 for ground FED-EX. Thanks again for the information. 01-17-2002 05:53:21

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) smee Profile lowmazda: I'm running XP Home on mine (Celeron 950, 256 M, 40G). No problems installing the OS - went very smoothly with no errors. There are some more details in my first post above. 01-17-2002 06:00:48

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) lowmazda Profile So far I'm 0 for 2. Atleast the other one booted. I tried to setup another machine. Put in the same parts I did from the other. It doesn't even get through the memory test. Just hangs there. BLAH! Sad part on my receipt (ordered from Chicago Microcenter) it says that they may be used and are not able to be returned. Looks like I will have to take up these possible bad units with American Express. I will have to investigate more this weekend as there is no more time to toy with it this week. NOT IMPRESSED... yet. 01-17-2002 08:41:59

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) vwbug19 Profile did you check the bios socket by pressing it firmly or check your memory sticks that it's in proper seating and at last is cpu seated and did you check jumpers for correct config? they usually happen , mine was a fic pa2013 brand new mobo that ocasionally fail to boot it was traced to bad bios socket 01-17-2002 11:29:52

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) lowmazda Profile Bios is seated properly. Memory is seated properly. Memory is showing up at different amounts. Sometimes 130MB sometimes 128mb sometimes 60mb. 2 different sticks of 128. Both 3.3v One is Kingston, other is Simple Tech. Kingston wont even show memory in DIMM1. It will be added to the total when its in DIMM2, but the computer gives the same result, hangs at POST. I cant even get into the bios. I think there is a prob w/ this board. As far as the rebooting issue on the other machine, I couldn't get Windows 2000 to boot from the cd to try it out. There is an option to boot from a usb floppy drive so I think I'm going to try that when I get home. Windows XP was crashing right after I formatted the hard drive. 01-17-2002 12:29:42

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) gadgetaddict Profile -lowmazda If you can't figure out what's wrong or take them back, would you consider selling one of them? I have been looking for a project case and these would work nicely. Thanks for your consideration! 01-17-2002 13:08:51

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) lowmazda Profile I got the 2nd machine to boot. I'm trying to install XP Pro on it now. The fan was giving me issues. So far I got along further then I did with the 1st machine. Will have to investigate what happened with that. The CD rom on this one seems to be MUCH faster. The other took forever to boot up the XP disc. 01-17-2002 17:38:59

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) HammerinHank Profile New i-net out of box won't boot up. CD-ROM light comes on, fans power up, no video, sounds etc. Is there a jumper for CPU (using 1 gig FC Celeron) that is hidden on MB someplace? Any ideas what I'm missing? On Barbies bad CMOS batteries prevented boot. Same thing here? TIA, Hank 01-20-2002 03:31:19

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) HammerinHank Profile My bad. As good as the I-Nets are, they need memory to boot. Forgot to install. Have a good chortle on me, I am 01-20-2002 04:13:31

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) vwbug19 Profile NOTICE! to all dummy users that i-net intel barebone only support up to 800mhz!!!!!!! and you can't put in a 1 ghz celeron in that thing ,only amd barebone can go up to 1 ghz max!!!!! so sheck your cpu speed! the only reason i stayed away from i-net barebone at the time is the cpu speed limitation good thing i didn't spend the $$$ on it YES! these are sold AS-IS meaning it's not under warranty and not returnable and you assume it at your own risk!!! SO CHECK OR READ THE FINE PRINT AT THE STORE!!!!! 01-20-2002 10:27:02

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) artc Profile maybe ... maybe not, look here --> http://4apc.com/i-net.jpg 01-20-2002 15:13:35

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Zack Profile 800Mhz, I don't think so. I have mine running at 866Mhz right now. 01-20-2002 17:33:29

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) lowmazda Profile I have mine running at 1ghz as well. As far as the warranty they never told me that it was the case. I read it on the invoice, however I used Amex to charge it so if its gonna die I hope it does it within 90 days because I get return protection on it. :) Seems fine so far. CD Drive is bugging on me a little bit. I bought 4 and I've only messed w/ 2 so far. I the first one was acting up a little bit w/ loading XP so I think I just might swap out the CD drive into the unit I'm using now and see if that fixes my problem. If so, and the other is still screwed up its gonna get claimed on my Amex. 01-20-2002 18:54:10

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) vwbug19 Profile artc, heheheh your copy going to expire in 25 days(avication sucks) 01-21-2002 00:13:35

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) HammerinHank Profile Agree with previous comments both about "As-Is" and CPU speed. I purchased my I-Net out of the Chicago store via UPS after viewing the sparse ad on their web site. Nothing on web site, nothing in the ordering dialog, nothing on invoice etc concerning As-Is. While the manual suggests up to 800 MHz Celeron, probably so stated because that was the maximum available when the manual was printed. Mine ran all day yesterday at 1 gig with never a burp. BTW, used AlohoBob's PC Relocator 3.0 to move all old stuff via wireless (Linksys) to I-Net from old 166 tax records etc system. Worked like a charm. However, Norton found 577 problems with Windows when finished; moved stuff does run. All but 43 repaired. 01-21-2002 07:03:59

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Chicago773 Profile | Email Any word of the modem and video-out on the I-Net when running XP. I've been real impressed with my I-Nets as supplemental home PCs. Lack of expandability is an issue, but at $99, I think it was a real bargain. Any help on the modem or video would be greatly appreciated. 01-21-2002 07:32:53

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) BubbaDog56 Profile Okay Folks, Maybe I'm missing something, but what's the easiest way to get Win98 loaded onto this thing? If I connect a HD w/DOS 6.22 system files on it, it doesn't see the CD drive to allow me to run the Win98 install CD. I really don't want to copy most of the CD (Win98, cab files, etc.) onto the HD to install if I don't have to. This is probably pretty simple, and I'll feel like a doofus for even asking, but I will anyway.... B'Dog 01-23-2002 19:32:00

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) PeteC Profile <BubbaDog56> Just take out the HD and copy the WIN98 directory to it re-insert the drive into the computer and run setup. Or load up generic DOS CDROM drivers in (you need the XXX.sys driver for your CDROM)statement like device=c:©dromdriver©dromdriver.sys in your config.sys file and load it in your autoexec.bat file...but its a lot easier just to copy your WIN98 files over to the HD. 01-23-2002 20:06:33

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) smee Profile I've done the copy-cd-to-hard-drive route before (GCT). I didn't need to do it for this machine. My 98 CD is bootable and this machine had no trouble with it. When I've installed other os's that didn't come on bootable cds, I've used this same cd. When it boots, it gives you the option to boot to dos with cd support. From there, you just run the setup on whatever os you're loading. So, in conclusion, I was able to boot from the 98 cd. Are there different versions of the cd, some bootable and others not? 01-24-2002 10:22:22

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Zogg Profile If you have a working Win98 system, just make a boot floppy from it. If you didn't make one when you installed, I think the option is under Control Panel somewhere, maybe Add-Remove and then it's one of the Windows setup options (been a while since I looked for it). Then use that floppy to boot the I-Net to DOS and it should have the CD driver. If not, look for the device file OAKCDROM.SYS, and put it in your config.sys file. Here is what I basically have in one that works: files=10 buffers=10 dos=high,umb stacks=9,256 lastdrive=z device=himem.sys /testmem:off device=oakcdrom.sys /D:mscd001 Then in your autoexec.bat file put: LH MSCDEX.EXE /D:mscd001 LH is Loadhigh, which will put the drive in high memory. If you can't find HIMEM.SYS, then take that line out of the config.sys file, and change the autoexec to "MSCDEX.EXE /D:mscd001". BTW I loaded XP on my I-Net with a Celeron 533 and 128MB, and it really works well. I'm very impressed! Haven't tried the modem or video out though as I don't need it. 01-24-2002 10:35:43

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Zogg Profile Oh yeah, to make a bootable floppy from scratch on Win98 put a floppy in that you want to use, then from the command prompt type "FORMAT A: /S" to format the floppy and put the basic system files on it. You'll have to go to \Windows\Command to get the files like MSCDEX.EXE, HIMEM.SYS, and anything else you want. I think OAKCDROM.SYS may be there too, if not just search the Internet for it. I know there is a CD driver there but it may be a different one. I have found OAKCDROM.SYS to be the best for me, though. 01-24-2002 10:38:43

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) BubbaDog56 Profile Folks, Thanks for the suggestions, I think I can lick this now. Smee, did you set up your CD drive in the i-Net as the Primary Master (IDE1) with the HD as the Secondary Master (IDE2)? The i-Net CD drive doesn't appear to have any Master/Slave jumpers, so it can't daisy chain into the same connector as the HD. Making a boot floppy sounded good until you remember that the i-Net doesn't have a floppy drive to put it into, oops. If I can't find a Win98 bootable CD, I think I can also make a Win98 Startup Disk on my desktop box (aka Recovery Disk), then copy the floppy over to the i-Net HD while it's plugged into my desktop box. I dropped a 733Mhz CPU & 256MB PC133 RAM into this thing, add wireless keyboard w/integrated trackball and this should be perfect for the entertainment center. MP3s and streaming audio/video over the home network, and wireless web surfing and computing from the couch on a 32" TV. Gawd, life can be good.... B'Dog 01-24-2002 11:34:04

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Zack Profile If you're going to bother hooking up the hard drive in a desktop as a master slave, then you should just use the sys command or the format d: drive (assuming that the inet is the d: drive) on the inet hard drive instead of trying to copy a boot floppy over there. Here's what you need in order to boot this 1) active dos partion on the hard drive (fdisk command with an active flag marked) 2) system files on the hard drive (the proceedure I mentioned above) 3) a CONFIG.SYS and that has a .sys cdrom device driver in it (the format goes like this DEVICE=[cdromdrivername].sys /d:[give it a name here] ***example of above*** DEVICE=OAKCDROM.SYS /D:MYCDROM LASTDRIVE=Z 4) optionally an autoexec.bat file that reads like this mscdex.exe /d:[same name as what was chosen above] ***so, in this example, the autoexec.bat file would look like this*** MSCDEX/EXE /D:MYCDROM That's it. If i'm unclear, shoot me an email and i'll try to explain, but hopefully what I wrote is clear. Zack 01-24-2002 12:04:53

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) smee Profile B'Dog: My CD is connected to the secondary IDE (IDE2). I didn't worry about master/slave configuration. I don't remember seeing any jumpers. The hard drive is a master and connected to the primary IDE (IDE1). The boot order is configured in the bios. I think I left the default which probably went to the hard drive first and then to the cd. If your hard drive is already bootable, then it will never make it to the cd. You should be able to change the order in the bios so it boots from the cd first. Then, if your 98 cd is bootable, you should be good to go. Along the lines of creating a boot floppy, you can create bootable cds. I don't remember the process, but Nero leads you through it step by step. My guess is you probably just need to change the boot order in the bios and you'll be all set. 01-24-2002 12:38:22

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Zogg Profile Oops, you're right - no floppy. I forgot which box I was talking about. If you have a CD burner, you can take the floppy I mentioned and make your own bootable CD with it using the floppy as the bootable image. Copy the contents from the Win98 CD, and burn them onto your custom CD and install from there. If you do this, be sure and copy some of the other useful programs like FDISK and FORMAT onto the floppy before you make the CD. Both Nero and EZCD Creator can make a bootable CD. It's actually pretty easy. Yes, be sure to change the boot order in the BIOS. If you can't do this, then follow Zack's instructions for making the hard drive bootable. 01-24-2002 12:44:13

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Chicago773 Profile | Email Still hoping someone has figured out the modem and video-out on the I-Net in XP? Any progress? 01-25-2002 08:06:32

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) PeteC Profile I-Net up and running. Comments: - Did get a receipt from Microcenter about computer sold "as is" and no returns - mine had been used / it was setup at one time. Case was scratched, only one screw holding plastic cover intact. The other two mounting holes were broken off internally. - Ordering mine from Houston was an ordeal - called them three times and each time put on hold for over 15 minutes. (better than Chicago where the person answering the phone didn't know what a computer was and did not have the best command of the english language) - based on this I would not recommend dealing with Microcenter as I am surprised that with their poor service/employee's they are still in business. - Tested mine with 1GHz/256 Meg/40GIG WIN98 SE setup works well. - Next test will be Windows XP - Any comments on quality of S-Video out running Windows 98SE? - Like this machine much more than the Biostar (have two new/with AMD processors if anyone is interested) 01-25-2002 14:04:08

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) smee Profile PeteC: I've got two of these. The first one was fine. The second had the same problem with the screws that you described (the case was broken around two of them). I saw no indication that the machine had been used or set up. Maybe there were problems with the manufacturing. I've seen three other machines that did not have this problem (1 out of 5 bad). I'm ignoring it. I haven't tried s-video out. I have looked at the composite out. I'm running a Celeron 950, 256M, 98SE. With 800x600 on a 13 inch tv, the results with Windows applications were marginal. However, playing mpeg-1's (VCD quality) from a machine across my network looked pretty good (if you make it full screen (edge to edge)). I haven't gotten composite video out on my XP machine. 01-25-2002 15:03:37

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) D2tw4all Profile I used to work for MicroCenter in Cambridge, MA, the stores weren't really equipped for mail order as I recall, this was a few years ago but I can't imagine much has changed. In any event, overall it was a really good store, best part of it is they have "yellow tags" that are returned merchandise that they mark down, at least in the Cambridge store... Most of these are in the peripherals section, if you bring it to a sales assoc. they can sometimes (usually) mark it down some if you haggle a litte bit, just be polite and ask if they can do any better, when I worked there it was usually instant 50%, I think that's the most they can do but either way even after I left I knew to ask and could get it marked down. Also, many OEM style things they sell (memory, hard drives) they also have yellow tags available but they don't leave them lying around, they keep them behind counters or in lock up so you have to ask. When working there I used to get 1/2 price on almost everything I bought because I worked in service and had to test it all and set up the yellow tags so I got first dibs, just had to ask the Sales guys to mark it down to the max for me! Anyway, just an FYI on the company, it really isn't a bad place, though the POWERSPEC line has always been really CHEAP, beware of that... D2. 01-25-2002 16:00:12

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) BubbaDog56 Profile Thanks Guys! All the help was appreciated, been so long since I've setup a system from scratch. Smee was right on the money, set the BIOS to make the CD first in the boot order and the Win98 CD came right up for install. General first impressions: - My system was in good condition out-of-box, looked to be new w/no scratches or busted stuff. - The open slotted area at the top of the plastic case looks like a good place to put a cold cathode colored neon tube to jazz things up for additional coolness. - It is a tight little box, the fan/heatsink combo I bought for the CPU almost rubs into the ribbon cables from the HD/CD bay. - I just tried the S-Video out, not very impressive on my 32" Sanyo. The composite out on the system doesn't seem to work, so I don't know if it's any better. Output quality might be OK for an MP3 front end program, but not really suitable for regular PC work or web surfing. Any thoughts from others that have tried the video outs? Oh well, I'll get some rest and tackle it in the morning.... B'Dog 01-25-2002 21:42:06

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) PeteC Profile <D2tw4all>It sounds like the one you worked for in MA was a nice place to work and a professionally run operation. The two that I dealt with over the phone in Chicago and Houston were not. I have not had a chance to hook mine up using the S-Video output. Will do so shortly. Been checking temperatures etc....no overheating problems. 01-27-2002 19:36:25

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Billj Profile | Email There is only one Microcenter in Houston that I know of and it is a very nice place.The employees are much more helpful than the sales drones at Fry's.I noticed both the AMD and the I-net right after XMas and bought one of each. Both units where new in the box and work pretty well.The AMD had no drivers but the I-net did.There were quite a few in stock until they were mentioned on this board.Now there are none anywhere.Some of you guys are just like locust why would you buy four or five of the same pc/device.I mean I only keep 4 or 5 different machines around the house but this is how I pay the rent.Next time exercise a some restraint (2) is enough.Also if you trim some of the 'features' out of XP,these simple boxes will run a lot smoother and faster.With any Microsoft$ OS you have the option of a minmal install.Then add the other stuff.Trust me, I have run Win98 on a 486 66-133 with the proper tweaks. I thought this was about doing more with less.Check this guy,Darek out http://www.emulators.com 01-29-2002 00:48:42

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) johndierks Profile Hi all. I was wondering if any of you who bought a bunch of these would be willing to let one go. I can pay all costs you incurred. I'd prefer a pentium model, but amd would suffice. Thanks so much. dierksj at seattleu dot edu 01-30-2002 01:45:31

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) CountryComputer Profile | Email I have a pretty large stack of laptop cd-roms a couple of dvds and mayme a burner or 2 e-mail me if interested 02-01-2002 01:24:34

XP-SVIDEO OUT (modified 0 times) PeteC Profile If anyone is interested I was able to get SVIDEO out in XP Pro by downloading the following drivers: http://appsr.intel.com/scripts-df/filter_results.asp?strOSs=44&strTypes=DRV&ProductID=798&OSFullName=Windows*+XP+Professional&submit=Go%21 Works well. I had no problems installing except for Video and the only problem with the video were the SVIDEO drivers. Audio, modem etc worked with first installation. 02-09-2002 18:11:14

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Chicago773 Profile | Email Got the composite-out workijng in XP (thanks PeteC). My TV cuts off a good portion of the bottom of the screen when I output using the XP drivers. Does anyone know of a compatible program that will 'move' the screeen. Every other video card with NTSC-out that I've owned has included a utility for moving and compressing the x and y axis to get it to 'fix' particular devices. 02-13-2002 12:25:30

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) BillL2 Profile Is this one of these on ebay? "I-Net Barebones Book PC with slimline CDROM" http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2004184929 02-20-2002 08:24:19

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Zogg Profile BillL2, That sure sounds like it. The description of the purple and black case is right on. Unfortunately the pictures won't come up for me so I can't verify, but that has to be it. Mine has been rock solid. I wish I had bought the other two that were still there. Zogg 02-20-2002 09:02:32

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Chicago773 Profile | Email I got the video-out working on XP (too bad it is only monitor OR tv and no option for both). How do I enable/disable TV out on Win98? I'm using the 810 drivers from the Intel site, but don't see any options in video settings. Thanks in advance. 02-24-2002 10:36:07

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) stretch Profile | Email From what I have read so far in win98 you have to be sure to have your tv plugged in before you load the drivers. I haven't got around to trying it yet .Maybe tomorrow . I sure wish there was some way to hook up a internal pcmcia reader on these units . 02-24-2002 12:27:41

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) phix919 Profile anyone got an updated link for this thing i would really like to check it out. None of the links above work anymore 02-28-2002 10:46:43

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) BubbaDog56 Profile This one to the manufacturer from above still works, but it wasn't set up as a 'link' for the cut and paste challenged.... B'Dog http://www.deltanetworks.com.tw/products/products_barebone.htm 02-28-2002 11:33:42

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Zack Profile Well guys, I did the unthinkable, I dragged my a$$ for too long and finally got around to testing the 2nd unit that I bought only to find out that it won't boot. I tested it when I first got it, to make sure that it posted, but I never tried reading from the cd or a hard drive. Here's what's happening: The machine comes up and counts the memory just fine, but once it's done and getting ready to finish it's POST and go on to reading a boot source, it freezes. I've tried going into the bios, but all that does is lock up the machine on the opening bios screen. If I let it just continue past the bios page, sometimes it makes it to the screen that shows the config, but it won't go any further, then other times, it hange before it even gets to that screen with a flashing cursor inthe top left corner. Luckily, I'm running a second computer config'd the exact same way, so I pulled the cpu and ram from the good machine and put it in the bad machine, but that didn't make a difference. Also, I totally pulled the ide cables out so that I could see if I can at least get a message regarding an invalid boot device, but that didn't help. Finally, I tried clearing the bios, but that didn't help. Does anyone have any info that can help me out? I tried looking on the mfg webpage, but there's no info on service, or replacement motherboards. Zack 03-01-2002 13:21:17

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Zogg Profile Zack, That behavior has usually indicated bad memory, at least for me. Some systems are pickier about the memory than others. I would try the memory from your working i-net and see if that makes the second one work correctly. Also make sure that your heatsink has a good fit on the cpu. If not then the chip can get too hot and not work right. Clear the CMOS, just to make sure. If it still won't boot after disconnecting everything else, then you may be out of luck. Zogg 03-01-2002 14:45:56

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Zack Profile Unfortunatley, I think I may be SOL since i've tried both the cpu & ram from the good unit in the bad unit. Also, at the same time, I disconnected the ide devices, along with a bios clear. Does anyone else have any suggestions? Is it possible that some of these dont' like to work at 866 Mhz? 03-01-2002 16:41:08

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) stretch Profile | Email I had the same problem with mine and what I did was replace the hard drive flat ribbon cable with a standard 40 wire cable instead of the 80 wire that came with the unit. 03-01-2002 18:56:08

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Zack Profile Thanks for the suggestion stretch, but I can't get it to boot with no cable connected at all, so I think we may have been having different problems. 03-01-2002 18:57:58

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) stretch Profile | Email A little off topic but has anyone ever heard of a hard drive that makes a noice like a chirping sound or a alarm system at the drive itself ? Its a new fujitsu 20g laptop drive I think they call it a Hornet drive. I put it in to format and part but the sys won't see it and I keep hearing this sound almost like a car alarm. Can't figure it out any ideas anyone. 03-01-2002 21:58:46

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) 02U2 Profile That sounds wierd... I've recycled several hundred hardrives,Wiped,Fdisk and formatted and never had one sound like you describe... 03-01-2002 23:24:10

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) stretch Profile | Email HELP!!! I just picked up a OEM cdrw for this unit and I can't get windows to see it. The bios see it as cdrom but thats all. Do you have to unlock these drives by flashing the firmware or what ? The drive is new it's a UJDA330 made by Matsu####a aka panasonic. Any help or direction. 03-21-2002 06:23:09

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Chicago773 Profile | Email Any chance some knows what version of the Intel Graphics drivers works in Windows 98 with BOTH the monitor AND tv at the same time? My old driver worked great, I upgraded it and now I can't roll it back. Arg! I was trying to get Unreal Tournament working on the I-NET (other than the fact that it won't run in true 'full screen' using Direct3D, it runs pretty darn well). 01-21-2003 18:08:23

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) Zack Profile Is anyone looking for one of these units? If you read the thread above, you'll see that I had purchased 2 of these units and given up on one of them after I couldn't get it to work. Well, I hadn't touched my Inet pc for the past 8 months and just the other day I played with it again and guess what, I have finally gotten it to work (it turns out that this unit didn't like the PIII 866 I was putting in it with the 100 Mhz RAM). I put in a different speed cpu and it booted just fine and even loaded Win 2000 advanced server. Right now, it has a Celleron 466 Mhz processor in it, 128 MB of PC100 RAM, & a 4.3 Gig Maxtor Hard drive. I'm looking to sell it though because after I gave up on it, I picked up 2 of those new shuttle computers, so I dont really need it. The unit is still just as new as it was the day I received it because I never used it and i'll throw in all the parts I listed above. If anyone is interested, contact me back and make me an offer at zfrangi @ att.net (take out the spaces that appear in the email address). Thanks, Zack 02-27-2003 12:03:04

RE:i-net barebone pc (modified 0 times) PeteC Profile Looking to upgrade two of these with CDRW/DVD slim types...any suggestions where to look? Think it was a standard IDE interface....thanks in advance fellow hackers... 03-21-2003 19:16:16

RE:screeching hard drive (modified 0 times) drdoc Profile | Email The squealing noise is probably from sticktion. It stopped with the heads on the platter and they are stuck. It squeals when it tries to spin up. You can verify this by listning carefully for the platters spinning up. You can fix it by taking the lid off and spin the platters and heads back to position. It will probably have a media error. Another way to fix it is to apply power and hit it.... THere is technique to this. Picture this. The platters are on a bearing and spin freely (normally). If you rapidly spin the drive 90 degrees then the platters remain still.. the chassis moves around the axis of the hub. So if you apply power and at the same time rap it lightly in the axis of rotation you can sometimes free the heads. Or you can rip the heads off... Looking down from the top you want to hit the drive to give it clockwise (from the top) rotation. Good luck. 03-24-2003 19:15:30

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