Free OLD pc-upgradable?

[eskifan]

My company is getting rid of many old pc's. I managed to get an HP Vectra 166Mhz, 32MB, 8x cd, with modem and 3GB drive. Installed WIN NT(only thing handy).
I want to donate this pc to a local animal rescue for use with email, some lite web surfing and general office-type tasks. Should any additions be made? Was thinking of going to WIN 98 to free up some memory. Are CPU upgrades still available for these things?? Any advice appreciated. It's been awhile since I cracked a cover on these.
Thanks in advance!!

[techs]

Dirtied my hands on one just a couple of weeks ago. If you have a p166 without the mmx odds are it doesn't support the 2.8 voltage of pent. mmx. I can't remember but i think it may have the jumper settings on the inside of the case(like some old compaqs). If it is a pent 166mmx try setting the multiplier to run it at 200. therer was no difference in the p166-233 mmx chips, except some passed the test to be labled faster, but many just as fast were labeled slower. try toms hardware guide for info. on overclocking.
But my suggestion is add ram(most of these hp vectras have 6 slots!!!) put on win95b and stay away from office 2000!

[eskifan]

Thanks. RAM was a concern. Four slots filled now with 8MB each. All taken from the other "junk" pc's on the pile. I can get 2-4MB's here yet or pay for some elsewhere. Is there a good, cheap, online site to get decent RAM for this oldie?
Thanks again.
BTW-It is an MMX and I found a 133 with "overclock" switch settings on a label inside. Yeah!

[This message has been edited by eskifan (edited 08-16-2000).]

[RataToo]

i got two 16 mb sticks and four 12 mb sticks of that old 72 pin ram...i'll sell em to ya cheap, but you have to keep in mind that ram is touchy..particularly in old puters. you might be in for some trial and error with the ram..um other than that I agree with the first dude...go with windows 95 and office 97 and what you got should do fine for them...the only other thing I can think of is a BIG monitor....everyone loves a BIG monitor. You might be able to get a pentium 233 mmx to work in there, thats a great little cpu...I ran windows 98 on it for many moons and it was just dandy, and them are cheep too...I reckon. e-mail me if yer interested in da ram yo.

[This message has been edited by RataToo (edited 08-20-2000).]

[This message has been edited by RataToo (edited 08-20-2000).]

[OuTpaTienT]

I got some 72pin ram.

4 sticks of 32mb each
2 sticks of 16mb each

Considering you're gonna donate the system to an animal rescue shelter, I'll donate a couple sticks of ram to you. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/wink.gif Do ya want a couple 32mb'ers?

They're all EDO 60ns.

[eskifan]

Thanks outpatient!! I'll go for the free RAM if you're still in a giving mood. Need to install in pairs in this puppy. Currently have 4-8MB sticks in there. I need to get a modem for this thing(old was one toasted) and dig up a working keyboard and mouse. Wouldn't mind laying out a bit of cash for a proc upgrade. Know where I can get a good one for low cash? 166Mhz isn't bad, but everyone needs speed!! TIA!!

[OuTpaTienT]

I'd try overclocking that CPU first. Right now I'm running a K6/166 that's overclocked to 233 and it's stable as a rock. Just need a big heatsink. If you want to go faster than 233 you'll probably need a new motherboard, and then the whole project's gonna get cost prohibited.

About the ram, email me at outpatient@rocketmail.com with your address and I'll send ya 64mb (2 matched sticks of 32mb each)...but only if ya promise you're gonna donate the system to the animal shelter.