FrankenLaptop

It’s been some time since I’ve created a post for Doc’s Tech Notes and I have received a message or two from readers asking, “What’s up Doc?” Well, with a new job and a household move, many disposable hours that could have been used for blogging have been reserved for new job tasks, home improvements and unpacking boxes (yep...STILL!). However, there have been a few side projects I have been working on that I hope will lead to some additional blog posts in the future. Click the link below read about and see a faux picture of the first project I had on the workbench this weekend -- FrankenLaptop!

Okay, so given that lead in, when do I find time for any projects? I found time for this one while unpacking boxes. I HATE unpacking boxes and the only way I was going to get through this chore was to have something to look forward as the day progressed. I unpacked my first box of the day and noticed that in it were a couple of old laptops. Both “sort of” worked, but not well. So my mind got to chugging. It was cannibalization time!

The Corpses are Dug From the Grave:
The first laptop was an old Averatec 13” machine with a small 60Gb hard drive and only 512Mb RAM. It was slow and clunky with an old Windows XP install. The other machine was a 17” no-name machine (probably with an Abbie Normal brain) with a 40GB hard drive that had an amazing number of bad sectors and 1.5Gb of RAM. The Fedora 12 install located on the HD was corrupt. This laptop was DOA. But it would become the shell for my new creation given the larger screen size, memory, expansion slots and better keyboard.

It’s Doc Frankenstein:
Both Machines were into their 5th and 7th years respectively. That is a pretty good lifespan for a laptop. Then I thought to myself (always a danger), with some cannibalization I could combine the parts of both and create a hybrid. A kind of FrankenLaptop. MaWaHaHaHaHaaaa (cue the thunder and lightening)! So I grabbed my screwdriver and began hacking away at the Averatec. As bits of plastic flew, what should have been an easy removal was a pain in the bolt incrusted neck. Creating new life is hard and time consuming. So as not to forget why I was really in the basement, I removed a few screws, got a bit frustrated and then would unpack a box. I would remove a cover or plate and then unpack a box. You see my workflow now? Even Doc Frankenstein has a honey-do list.

The Beating Heart:
I finally got the hard drive out of the Averatec body. I raised it above my head in one hand and marveled at my ability (cue the thunder and lightening again). My hope was that the hard drive (no...heart drive!) would be compatible with the drive in the unnamed body...err no-name laptop. After removing all the rails, I removed the worn out heart drive from the no-name and placed the working drive into the no-name. I zapped the laptop with electricity (cue the thunder and lightening again). It immediately began to try and load the Windows install from the Averatec. It obviously didn’t get very far. I would persevere. A new Fedora 12 install was to be the OS of choice to fully restore this machine to life. Fedora 12 because this was the version I had on hand. I began the install, walked away and unpacked some more boxes (cue the...awww...you know).

The Brain that Ate New York:
With the install complete, I rebooted and looked for brain activity. Fedora 12 loaded in all its splendor. But I had forgotten about the Wi-Fi. It was kaput! Argh. I looked at the Wi-Fi inside the Averatec and considered a Wi-Fi-sectomy. That just seemed too daunting of a task for my current situation. So, I rummaged through a box of old spare USB parts and found an old USB Linksys 802.11g Wi-Fi adapter. I located an old USB cable and plugged it into the adapter and then into FrankenLaptop. Fedora 12 recognized it immediately. I was on a roll and ready to say those magical words when I noticed something. I had an outdated brain!

Its’ a Zombie without an OS:
The current brain was Fedora 12. A newer brain was now available. One that would make my creation better, faster, stronger (wrong cultural reference...back to horror). The new version was 13! That number seemed appropriate for my new creation. I dug into the current OS and fired up Yum. I began the upgrade and everything was going great until I received an error that some software pack would not install. I clicked retry. Nope, that didn’t do it either? Oh well, I thought to my myself, how important could this one piece of code be to the entire install. (cue it!) Evidently VERY important. Upon reboot, the laptop would present the login screen, but after entering the login credentials, FrankenLaptop would yield the black screen of death. The GUI was DEAD! My creation would not be completed that day.

It’s ALIVEEEEEE?
What’s a mad scientist to do but put the creation aside until another time. However, during the time waiting for installs, rebooting, and trouble-shooting I did get a bunch of boxes unloaded in the basement/secret laboratory. I also have a laptop that was once useless now showing some signs of life as well as another laptop with its innards all hanging out just waiting itself for some future project. For FrankenLaptop I’m downloading the latest version of Ubunutu 10.10 and give that a shot. Hopefully it won’t be long before I utter those classic words, “It’s ALIVEEEEEE!!!!!” I’ll keep you posted. You might want to subscribe to my Twitter feed to receive those updates.

The Bride of FrankenLaptop:
In a later post, I’ll share a bit about my second project that was running concurrently with this one. It involves a netbook and a rogue OS. I guess multitasking really was my middle name this weekend. Hope you enjoyed this little change from my normal posts. Not sure what or if we learned anything from it, but it was fun and will hopefully get you in the mood for one of my favorite holidays!

Involved in any of your own little projects lately? Have an interesting story to share or a Halloween project? Or maybe you just have a question about FrankenLaptop. Post a comment. I would love to hear from you.