JamesHardin
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This was really too valuable not to share. I have used it multiple times in the last few weeks and it worked perfectly every time.
gcsdblogs.org/roodhouse/?p=867&cpage=1#comment-1258
So in my line of work I often have to work on machines that are 6-10 years old with propitiatory software from a company that is most likely out of business, a decade of important finical data, no backups or install files, etc.
A good example of this would be working on a restaurant's POS system from 2001 that has a fried motherboard. Happens all of the time.
Before I only ever had two options to give them.
#1 - Replace all of the terminals, peripherals, and POS software for new. About $4000 per terminal total, so a three station setup would be $12,000. Plus another $1000 to try and backup their old finical data, plus time for employee training and system programming.
#2 - I can go on ebay and probably find a replacement motherboard of the exact make and model. However be aware that a computer of this age will fail again, and probably sooner than later. If the hard drive goes next their is little chance for recovery at all. So we should clone it over to a new drive and put a backup somewhere safe on an external. Also power supplies are fairly cheap so we should replace that as well. If we do not order new memory and/or CPU there is a chance that when the motherboard comes in that one of those is not working either which will delay it another week which will leave you down for close to a month (the ten days it probably took for them to decide to call someone, deal with 10 techs who didn't know what they were doing, finding me, scheduling an appoinment, doing the diagnostic, ordering the MB, waiting for shipping (probably no expedited shipping option, finding out more equipment is bad, ordering it, shipping, installation, etc......easy for these repairs to take a month if not thought out ahead of time) So we should order that as well. So that brings your total to about $1500 for a machine that is a decade out dated. And if you want to upgrade your system at a later date the machine that you just paid $1500 for is complete garbage and is not good for anything.
Well now because of that link I found I now have a wonderful option #3 which has changed the way that I do repairs!!!
#3 I can order a new, modern bookshelf POS unit for $900, clone your hard drive to the new one, clear the registry of driver associations, re install your drivers and for $1400 you get a brand new machine. And then if at a later date you decide that you want to modernize your POS software then this machine is capable of it.
This happens all the time. Most of the time POS, but sometimes with lawyers, mechanics, dentists, doctors, accountants, boat captains, the list is endless. I have had to give the first two options a hundred times and I always felt that there was a better way.
And for those that are thinking "You could always do a repair install if it blue screens after switching the drives". I know. And that sucks. It works maybe 25% of the time tops. And when it does work it is buggy and the machine is never the same as it was before.
So if any one has any questions I have done it a dozen times now with success. Hope it helps someone else as much as it has helped me.
gcsdblogs.org/roodhouse/?p=867&cpage=1#comment-1258
So in my line of work I often have to work on machines that are 6-10 years old with propitiatory software from a company that is most likely out of business, a decade of important finical data, no backups or install files, etc.
A good example of this would be working on a restaurant's POS system from 2001 that has a fried motherboard. Happens all of the time.
Before I only ever had two options to give them.
#1 - Replace all of the terminals, peripherals, and POS software for new. About $4000 per terminal total, so a three station setup would be $12,000. Plus another $1000 to try and backup their old finical data, plus time for employee training and system programming.
#2 - I can go on ebay and probably find a replacement motherboard of the exact make and model. However be aware that a computer of this age will fail again, and probably sooner than later. If the hard drive goes next their is little chance for recovery at all. So we should clone it over to a new drive and put a backup somewhere safe on an external. Also power supplies are fairly cheap so we should replace that as well. If we do not order new memory and/or CPU there is a chance that when the motherboard comes in that one of those is not working either which will delay it another week which will leave you down for close to a month (the ten days it probably took for them to decide to call someone, deal with 10 techs who didn't know what they were doing, finding me, scheduling an appoinment, doing the diagnostic, ordering the MB, waiting for shipping (probably no expedited shipping option, finding out more equipment is bad, ordering it, shipping, installation, etc......easy for these repairs to take a month if not thought out ahead of time) So we should order that as well. So that brings your total to about $1500 for a machine that is a decade out dated. And if you want to upgrade your system at a later date the machine that you just paid $1500 for is complete garbage and is not good for anything.
Well now because of that link I found I now have a wonderful option #3 which has changed the way that I do repairs!!!
#3 I can order a new, modern bookshelf POS unit for $900, clone your hard drive to the new one, clear the registry of driver associations, re install your drivers and for $1400 you get a brand new machine. And then if at a later date you decide that you want to modernize your POS software then this machine is capable of it.
This happens all the time. Most of the time POS, but sometimes with lawyers, mechanics, dentists, doctors, accountants, boat captains, the list is endless. I have had to give the first two options a hundred times and I always felt that there was a better way.
And for those that are thinking "You could always do a repair install if it blue screens after switching the drives". I know. And that sucks. It works maybe 25% of the time tops. And when it does work it is buggy and the machine is never the same as it was before.
So if any one has any questions I have done it a dozen times now with success. Hope it helps someone else as much as it has helped me.
