My Linux Machine Started Smoking - which has to be unhealthy!

[buster]

The box has a little speaker but the wires fried even the connection. So I doubt it's going to chirp again. And William, don't go out of your way please unless you happened to find one. I only need it if something goes wrong and it can give out the warning beeps as it boots. Have used that in the past to diagnose a problem.

The computer works very well without a speaker, but I do miss the reassuring beep as it boots.

[Jason]

In that case, the little paizo speaker that William linked would be fine. You will likely need not just a new wire but a new speaker since the wire is probably soldered directly to the speaker.

[buster]

That little speaker would cost me $4.99! Do you think I'm made of money Jason?

So let's analyze what this old machine has cost so far:
$0.00 Case from old machine
$0.00 Excellent Megabyte motherboard
$0.00 Phenom 3-core cpu
$40.00 (?) power supply unit replacement
$100.00 new hd
$??? extra ram
$0.00 Win7 reclaimed from destroyed laptop
$0.00 Mint free as in Linux
$0.00 Mouse and keyboard
$0.00 21 inch 1080p display, gift for fixing a computer
$0.00 Excellent video card

Doesn't make sense to keep pouring money into it. So what I'm going to do, if I can't get a free one, is to go 'Beep' every time it boots. No one will notice the difference. Money doesn't grow on trees at our house you know.

[Jason]

Lol. In that case, don't even bother with the comforting beep. You'll know when it's not working when you can't start it up again or more smoke comes out of it.

[ssfc72]

Doesn't Peterborough have 2 weekends a year, where everyone can put their unwanted stuff, at the curb for free pickup by anyone else?

Buster you could just walk your street/neighbourhood, and probably find an old desktop computer, at the curb and rifle the tiny speaker and wire from that computer. :-)

Who knows, maybe the curbside desktop computer may be better/newer, than the one you have. :-)

[Jason]

Who knows, maybe the curbside desktop computer may be better/newer, than the one you have. :-)

I was thinking that, too I don't know if Peterborough officially does this but I often see people putting furniture, tvs, monitors sometimes, outside hoping somebody will take it off their hands.

Could also try Reboot. If you tell them of your vow of poverty, Buster, they might even give it to you free!

[buster]

"maybe the curbside desktop computer may be better/newer, than the one you have. :-)"

You are so wrong! This is a superb machine, tried and tested over the years. And by the way I have to add one more item to the cost:

$2.00 (Coffee gift to a computer store employee) for a paizo speaker.

So all is well in the world of ancient computers at our house.

[Jason]

$2.00 (Coffee gift to a computer store employee) for a paizo speaker.

I will buy you a coffee and a bagel if you bury it in your backyard :-D Think of it as a time capsule. Seriously though, if the reference was for one of us - Scott left PC Paramedics a year or two ago. I don't think we have any members that work at a computer store now.

What started as a concern about a polluting computer is rapidly turning into an intervention! ;-)

[buster]

"I don't think we have any members that work at a computer store now."

No. He's not a member.

[Jason]

I just use member in the sense of they post here or come to meetings, at least once in a while, not that they bought a membership. I don't know who you mean then.

[buster]

Not sure he even uses Linux. I just happen to know him.