new system

ok, I've got this figured out.

gonna snag the lower-spec'd Asus from my local Best Buy for $399 total, along with 8GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive from amazon for $86 total.. as of right now, the Phenom II x4 is only $112 and the USB 3.0 PCIe cards aren't that expensive (like $30).
      so I spend $485 to get started off quite nicely, and a mere $140 or so to upgrade later on. still cheaper than buying the better spec'd system plus RAM and hard drive.

with initial purchases and tinkering:
dual boot Win7 and Ubuntu
main drive = 160GB
secondary drive = 1TB
12GB RAM
AMD Athlon II X2 220
ATI Radeon 3000
8ct USB 2.0
card reader
DVD-RW

I can't wait for a faster machine.. this poor HP has had it. Taryn might still get it- Orb through the Wii didn't work out so well.. movies encoded to iTunes need iTunes to play. but then I'd have to get her an LCD TV with all the correct connections.
       I need to win the damn lottery.

Wii Homebrew

the Wii mainly stays in Taryn's room. her DVD player is shitting out.

I used LetterBomb to install HomeBrew.

I open the HomeBrew Channel, and nothing is there- oh, hey, you need to load stuff on an SD card. ok then.

I almost threw my computer in the dumpster yesterday. the HP is once again a POS incapable of doing what I want it to do. for fuck's sake. seriously. but to it's credit, the netbook running Ubuntu was almost as frustrating.. it just wasn't as painfully slow about it. and I didn't have to restart it several times before it acted normally.
      it's them damn boot.(whatever) files. try to copy them over to the SD and everything freezes. tried renaming it first, transfer went well, but as soon as I renamed it boot.(whatever) the system starts acting all wacky.
      going to try the rename using the netbook. I just want her to be able to watch DVDs through the Wii.

anyway, I finally get the HomeBrew Browser installed. I wait until the WiFi icon in the lower right corner goes solid, and I load the Browser to look for WiiMC and it's Channel Installer (I had given up on getting on them on the SD card). Unable to Initialise .. for 5 fucking minutes I waited.. had to shut the Wii down by holding the power button.
      when I restarted, I did a Network test.. new router so I checked from the netbook to make sure the Wii was on the client list- and there it was, connected. so I try again.. and same G D thing.

so I don't fuckin know.. I gave up yesterday.. there were other things to do. will try one more time to get WiiMC and it's Channel Installer on the SD card.

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managed to rename in Ubuntu and actually get it onto the SD card in Windows. but of course, when I go to test in the Wii, the batteries in the wireless sensor bar were out. so now they are charging. and I'm going to bring up the wired sensor bar.

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WiiMC and it's Channel are installed. newer DVDs, like Pirates of the Caribbean 3, great. semi-dated, like Mulan II, played ok- the ratio was off. old ones, like from my Indiana Jones box set, do not want to play. code dumps and whatnot.

at least it works!

CM7.1.0 upgrade

-Titanium Backup for all apps

-screenshots of each panel

-export global Agenda settings

-using ROM manager, download CM7.1.0, yes on Google Apps, no on GTalk video chat
      (I don't have a FFC- no point)

-Backup Existing ROM, Wipe Data and Cache, Wipe Dalvik Cache

-sit and wait

-GD it! this means I have to start all over again with Jewels.

-restart, 4-corner skip

-add home WiFi, go to Market, sign into Google, download Titanium, restore all apps

-fix screen panels and background image

we have CM7.1.0

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edit: went back to 7.0.3. for some reason, my calendar wouldn't load and all text messages were from May.

Asus - Essentio Desktop

the HP cannot be upgraded.. new processors are less expensive than tracking down a faster Socket 939.

the only reason I need a new computer is cuz the HP is old and can't run Virtual Box and sucks at running Visual Studio- for just normal docs and stuff and web surfing, it's still a champ. the HP will still be in use- I'm thinking of replacing Taryn's TV with an LCD- have all her DVDs and digital versions accessible over the network. she is smart enough to know how to use it. unless I can get the Wii picking up media from a Windows network like the PS3 does... hmm..
      check this shit out- Orb Media Player. ok then.. the HP is getting gutted or sold. or donated to my school.

granted, I need to have money to do all this.. if that job actually happens, this will be happening. and no matter what, in the next few weeks, I'm getting down on some serious cable management. I see it out of the corner of my eye all damn day and it's driving me nutz.

this is what I'm looking at as a replacement:
Asus - Essentio Desktop / AMD Athlon™ II X2 Processor / 4GB Memory / 1TB Hard Drive - CM1730-03
(only 1MB of L2 cache- but it's superbly upgrade friendly)

I have my eye on this one too.. though it's above my budget... but I'm sure I can justify it. I wouldn't need to upgrade it at all.. for a long while at least.
Asus - Essentio Desktop / AMD A-Series Processor / 8GB Memory / 1TB Hard Drive

there will probably be better ones by the time I'm actually out picking one, but I don't want to spend more than $500 total. multi-TB externals will be inexpensive to get as needed in the future, in 3.0 even- ooh, another justification..
      the 1TB attached to the Mac mini will remain where it is for music storage, as Andy continues to build his collection and is comfortable with iTunes. that reminds me- I need to find him an iPod Classic 160GB for not a lot.

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here is my plan of action:
-make a back-up DVD of the OS, make restore image

-using my handy-dandy Ubuntu SD card, reformat the 1TB drive and the HP's 200GB drive (or I can snag a 160GB for about $40)

-install the smaller drive as primary, set 1TB drive as slave

-install Windows 7 and then Ubuntu as dual-boot

-use Ubuntu K9copy or one of the many other programs to copy all of our DVDs into a digital format comprehended in Windows, iPhone and Android. if I own it, I have every right to copy it for our own personal use.

-can't be wireless anymore, so another Ethernet cable running over this way (still working on the Mac connecting to the Windows machines using wireless via the router, but it just doesn't want to)

Audacity

I have the last cassette tape my dad ever made.. and I want it in mp3 form so I can actually listen to it.

I have an idea to take the PC-to-TV audio cord from the headphones jack on the huge stereo (not hooked up, sitting in our bedroom collecting dust) to the mic jack on the netbook, play the tape and record with Audacity.

I have been told this will work. I hope so!