Tom Verbeure5d ago
Scope update: one had a spinning HD but no BIOS boot screen and lots of beeps, the other has boot screen but no HD.

Trying to extract the HD, but the Agilent design dumbasses made it so that you need to disassemble pretty much the whole scope just to extract the HD…
It’s an IBM TravelStar, close cousin to the IBM DeathStar and just as prone to catastrophic failure…
Show threadTom Verbeure5d ago
Most of the effort is because of this %%**^% screw.
I’ll admit: Agilent tried hard to shield the HD from vibrations… It is mounted on a holding plate with rubber spacers.
Show threadTom Verbeure5d ago
HD liberation!
I’m 99% sure the drive is dead, but hoping for that 1%, so let’s connect to a IDE to USB adapter.
Show threadTom Verbeure5d ago
IT'S ALIVE!!!
Show threadTom Verbeure5d ago
Full HD copy went smooth without any audible attempts to retry and no errors reported.
I also checked if there was any proprietary data left from the previous owner, but no. 🙂
Next step: trying to make this things boot. Replace bios battery. Connect VGA monitors. Anything to get some amount of life out of it beyond ominous beeps and a black screen...
Show threadTom Verbeure5d ago
Long beeps. No BIOS screen. Only RAM and alternate VGA card plugged in, but even with those unplugged it behaves the same. CPU fault?
I could try swapping the motherboard of the other scope…
Show threadTom Verbeure5d ago
How do you remove the fan/heatsink of a CPU?
Show threadAndy5d ago
@tom_verbeure If it's glued on, try putting it in a freezer. That makes the glue brittle and with a bit of careful twisting, you might snap it off. Careful though, don't blame me if you cracked the die!
Show threadTom Verbeure5d ago
@G33KatWork Better view of the metal clip.
Show threadAndy5d ago
@tom_verbeure Ah, I didn't see that. Then, no idea.
Very carefully pull it down. Not sure how old you are, but during Athlon XP times these were common. The clip usually had some place to put a screwdriver into to push it down. If that's not there, then I have no idea.
Show threadpenguin425d ago
@G33KatWork @tom_verbeure Yeh I agree it's probably just pressure on that clip; I remember finding one where the tab had broken off one year in the office after it cooled down over the xmas hols!.
I noticed it said 'thermaltake' on the top; a bit of searching I reckon that's a 'Thermaltake Golden orb':
https://www.electromyne.de/public/catalog_xmlxslproducts.aspx?art=viewproduct&suid=11565&productid=1028313753&zid=210bd6ab-f876-4795-91f7-6b11a146206f&ln=gb
Thermaltake Golden Orb Mini Socket A 462 370 AMD Intel CPU 3Pin Heat-Sink Kühler

Neue und gebrauchte Computer- und Server-Hardware wie Mainboards, Arbeitsspeicher (RAMs), Prozessoren (CPUs), Netzteile, Festplatten (HDDs), Laufwerke, Grafikkarten & elektronische Bauteile.

Show threadTom Verbeure

@penguin42 @G33KatWork Awesome! A Google on that led to this:

https://www.frostytech.com/articles/256/index.html

You need to rotate the cooler to fasten it. It’s removed now!

But first I’ll still look up POST codes…

Mar 15 at 9:26pmIceCubesApp
Show threadpenguin425d ago
@tom_verbeure @G33KatWork Oh wacky, I've not seen the rotation thing before!