Linksys WRT160N Overheat Solution

I have a Linksys WRT160N that I used for about 1 month before it crashed hard.  I took the device apart to discover that the Broadcom chips get very hot to the touch.

OS Upgrade/Downgrade Tools : Universal Extractor

When upgrading or downgrading an OS, there's 1 tool in my toolbox that I can't live without, and that's Universal Extractor.  Universal Extractor will explode most any installer file so that you can manually install drivers.  This is particularly useful for manufacturer provided installers that verify the version of the OS before installing.

Alienware Aurora m7700 Upgrade

So now that my Alienware Aurora m7700 is working great (see article where I had to send the laptop in for repairs), I have the need to upgrade it.

Alienware Aurora m7700 original specifications can be found here:

• Release Year: 2006
• Display: 17" 1900 x 1200 pixel display.  Nvidia GeForce Go 6800 Ultra graphics card PCI Express 256 megs of graphics memory.
• Battery: 12 cell 6,600 mAh Lithium Ion battery. 220 watt brick charger.
• Performance: AMD desktop CPU. Athlon 64 x2 4200+. 2 memory slots for PC400 SODIMMs.
• Motherboard: VIA K8T890 chipset.
• Size: (H x W x D): 2.1” x 15.6” x 11.7”. Our unit weighs 12 pounds, 5 ounces.
• Drives: 8X dual layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW.  80GB hard drives SATA 150 RAID capable.
• Audio: Sound: Realtek AC97 Audio for VIA chipsets, high-definition audio with surround sound, five built in speakers (one is a subwoofer). 3.5mm standard stereo headphone and 5.1 SPDIF jacks. Built-in mic.
• Networking: Realtek RTL8169/8110 Gigabit Ethernet and 56k V. 92 modem.
• Ports and slots: One PCMCIA - Type II/Type I card slot with CardBus support, 4 slot card reader (reads 7 media types). One parallel port, one serial port, one DVI connector, One S-Video out connector, Video-IN Ports (TV-Tuner required, not included, two PS2 connections, two mini IEEE 1394a (4-pin) ports, 4 Hi-speed USB 2.0, one headphone jack, 5.1 channel out (S/PDIF) / Line-in, microphone in, gigabit ethernet RJ-45, 56K V.92 modem RJ-11, Infrared port for Data transfer.

Fighting Obsolescence : Stereo System

If you've got a spare computer sitting around and/or you've got a stereo system that you're not using very often, you can put together a music jukebox.  The great thing about a computer controlled jukebox is that you can remote control it via Remote Desktop (RDP), leave the audio output at the computer and, viola, centralized control over music.

Components:

• Stereo System.  I've got the Sony CMT-RB5, a 3 piece stereo system.
• Any laptop that can still decode MP3s, play CDs, etc.  The good thing about this, is that the major hurdle in this case isn't the MP3 decoding.  That's a low CPU overhead task for any Pentium generation processor.  In my case, I've got an HP Compaq Evo N410c.
• 3.5 mm Male to 2 RCA Male Audio Cable
• Software:  Windows Media Player, Foobar2000, Winamp, Musicmatch Jukebox, etc.
• Or service:  Pandora, Spotify, Last.fm, etc.

Trying to revive the Sony VAIO PCG-N505VX

So it's March 2012 and I'm trying to revive my Sony VAIO PCG-N505VX.  This is the 2nd iteration of the famous Sony VAIO 505TX that turned laptops into a fashion statement.  The N505VX was featured as a fashion accessory in ads and was small enough to fit into a purse.  Why you ask do I even care?  Sentimental reasons.  It's still the thinest and lightest notebook I own and it still runs.

Resources:

• http://repair4laptop.org/disassembly_sony.html - Provides a comprehensive list of Sony VAIO 505 enthusiast information.  However, it's mostly in Japanese.  Use translate.google.com to read the page in english.

Today, it's old and it's slow.  I managed to upgrade the harddrive to the 40GB variety, but haven't made much headway into getting a more modern operating system that would work, that is short of going back to Windows XP SP3.  Windows 7 won't install because it has a minimum of 512MB RAM limitation, unless I modify the Windows 7 boot disk to ignore that minimum RAM requirement.  I've tried Ubuntu, but the Gnome interface is too heavy for the 128MB RAM and Pentium II 333MHz processor.  Xubutu and LXDE is better, but once you load up an application, it's all over.