Windows 3.1 Computers - Question on old computers "losing memory"

I recently got a question from a newsletter subscriber named John who asks:

"Hello Worth. I have a question. Do computers lose their memory? I had an old one stored for some time. I want to give it to someone but first I hooked it all up - but it gives me this message "Drive nor ready error Insert Boot diskette in A: Press any key when ready" Whats the problem.? {This has Windows 3.1 } Thanks in advance for any help you can give me. John"

Thanks for the question, John. I guess you could say that computers can "lose their memory", so to speak.

Computers store their "memory" (their files) on something called a hard drive. You can think of it as storage shelves, or a filing cabinet, that you're storing information in.

The problem is, the hard drive is part of a machine, and like all machines, it breaks down over time, and can break down even if it's not being used.

If this old computer was running Windows 3.1, it's not likely to be less than 13 years old, since Windows 3.1 was replaced in 1995 when Windows 95 came out. Some computers did get Windows 3.1 installed on them for a while after that, but chances are the computer is at least 12 years old.

Now 12 years old may not sound that old to a lot of people, and it's not if you're talking about a person. But if you're talking about, say, a dog, that's pretty up there in years.

And when you're talking about a *computer* -- well, that's positively ancient!

So John, while the thought was a nice one, to give the computer to someone, it's no surprise that it doesn't work well, and even if it actually still worked and started up into Windows 3.1, your friend would not have gotten much out of having it.

Even if it was working, the computer would not be able to do much more than maybe use it as a word processor, and unless you still had the old printer that came with the computer (and it still worked) they wouldn't be able to print out what they'd written, since modern printers wouldn't work with such an old computer. And they'd be saving their files onto an old, untrustworthy hard drive and may have big challenges moving them to another computer to print, etc. since it wouldn't have a CD burner, has no USB port for a flash drive, and only uses very out of date floppy drive that might not be working anymore.

If your friend wanted to look at web pages and check email, they probably wouldn't be able to view the vast majority of websites, and might not be able to connect to the Internet at all -- the modem (if it has one) would be too slow for most Internet Service Providers, and it's highly doubtful that it came with a network card needed to use cable or DSL, and it'd be nearly impossible to find one that you could add to it.

So basically, trying to use that computer today would be like trying to drive a horse and buggy on a major highway -- *maybe* possible, but probably not a good idea.

So my advice to you would be to take the computer someplace for recycling (don't just throw old electronics in the landfill -- they leak toxic chemicals) and let it rest in peace.

And for anyone who is still keeping an old computer like that (Windows or Mac), if it's still working and you have *any* important files on it, do yourself a favor and get them moved to a more modern computer right away.

Because you never know how long it will keep working, and the longer you wait, the harder it will be to move the files since everything changes so quickly in the world of computers.

Internet Service Providers For Mac OS 7 - A Word of Advice

Internet Service Providers For Mac OS 7 - A Word of Advice

I recently learned, to my amazement, that there are people out there looking on search engines every day, trying to find Internet service providers that work with Mac OS 7 (which, if you want to get technical, is actually called Mac *System* 7 since Apple stopped using the name "System" many years ago and switched to "OS" starting with OS 8 -- short for Operating System 8).

The reason this amazed me was that it's really pretty surprising that there are that many computers old enough to run System 7 even working still, let alone enough of them for there to be enough searches being done to even make a blip on the search engine trends.

On the off chance that you're one of those people who is looking to find Internet Service Providers for Mac OS 7 (System 7), I've written this article for you.

First I'll briefly try to answer your question, and then I strongly suggest you read my article on the hidden dangers in keeping old computers. Mac System 7 was replaced over 11 years ago, in 1997, which is a *very* long time ago in computer terms.

It's really a very very bad idea to try to keep using computers that old, and I go into more detail in that article.

So here's the thing. If you still have a working computer running System 7, in theory you might actually be able to use it with most ISPs (Internet Service Providers).

Maybe.

Now if your computer only has a dialup modem, then you may be out of luck. Most ISPs have an absolute minimum speed requirement of a 28.8kbps modem, which your computer may or may not have, depending on exactly how old it is.

If your computer has a network port built into it, which a fair number of Apple's early to mid 1990s-era Macs actually had (which was fairly unusual at the time), then you might have a little more luck.

But the thing is, either way, you're not going to get any tech support from the ISP, and you'll basically have to lie to them about your computer's "specs" and tell them it's something more modern, or they'll tell you it won't work.

Several years ago, I was hired by a client with a mid 1990s Mac running System 7 or OS 8 (I forget now, it has been a few years) and they wanted to get DSL.

The phone company had told her she couldn't do it, but when she called me and told me the exact computer she had, I said it'd theoretically be possible to do, since she had a built-in network port.

I was able to hook up the DSL connection and go into her Control Panel settings and set the TCP/IP control panel to use DHCP, which is really the only setting that has to be made. The computer connected, and was able to check email and browse *some* websites.

But don't get your hopes up *too* high -- again, this was probably 5 years ago, and 5 years is a long time in computer years -- the Web has moved on a lot since then, and while she may have been able to visit a fair number of websites then, the number has been dwindling year after year as web sites move on with newer technology.

So the basic answer here is yes, it *may* be possible, but it will work poorly at best, many websites will just not work or may even crash your computer, and in my opinion, it's really not worth it.

It's like trying to drive an old and rickety horse-drawn carriage on the Autobahn -- theoretically it might work, but in practice it's probably not a good idea.

And I'm not exaggerating with that comparison, either; it's all due to something called Moore's Law, which I talk about in my article on the dangers of keeping old computers for too long.

So again, if you're still using an old computer from the mid or early 1990s that's running Mac System 7, get a new computer now.

I'm serious, and I really mean this as genuinely good advice that I really hope you'll follow: a computer that old will break down soon; it's only a matter of time. And while it's working, you won't be able to do most of what a modern computer can do, and what you can do will work slowly and poorly.

If you have any important files on the computer, you're already going to have trouble moving them to a modern Mac, and if the computer breaks down, you might have no chance of saving your files at all.

I don't want to end this article on a down note, but please do read my article "The Hidden Dangers of Keeping Old Computers For Too Long" to learn more about this, and please heed my advice or you will end up regretting it.

I really do hope you listen.

The Hidden Dangers In Keeping Old Computers For Too Long

You know how they say dog years are like 7 people years?

Well, with computers it's more like 15 to 20 computer years for every real year, thanks to something called "Moore's Law."

I won't go into a lot of technical detail about what Moore's Law is, but to boil it down it means basically that stuff in computers roughly doubles every 18 months.

So in other words, about every 18 months, the average hard drive (storage space) size will approximately double.

About every 18 months processor (computer brain) speeds will roughly double.

About every 18 months RAM size (temporary working space like a tabletop or work bench) will roughly double.

And so on. peace of mind

What this means for you is that while your computer isn't obsolete in a year and a half, it's definitely not cutting edge anymore, even if you got a high end model.

But that doesn't mean you need to throw it away or anything.

BUT, the thing you should remember is that while 5 years doesn't seem like a long time to us, it's 75 to 100 years for your computer.

And just like a 100 year old person can't be expected to be as physically active as a 17 year old, we can't expect our 5 year old computers to be able to handle all the modern programs.

This is one reason I mentioned in a recent email that you shouldn't try to put the new Windows Vista on an older PC -- it just can't handle it!

But there's a different problem, too, that a lot of people don't think of.

Not only does the hardware (physical parts of the computer) change radically in a few years time in terms of "strength" and speed, companies come up with new *types* of hardware that the old computers may not be able to even understand or be able to talk to.

This doesn't happen as quickly as the "every 18 months" Moore's Law that I mentioned earlier, but the bottom line is that if you keep your computer for too long, you can run into problems when the inevitable time comes to upgrade to a new machine.

Here's why.

I had a client named Dorothy several years ago who had an old Mac (what I'm talking about applies to both Windows PCs and Macs). This was around 2003 or so, and her Mac dated from the mid 1990s.

I don't remember the problem I fixed, but I told her at the time that she should replace the computer immediately because she was playing with fire trying to keep an old computer like that running.

She ignored my advice, and lived to regret it.

A year or two later, she called me asking me for my help because her old Mac had died and she had all her files on it and she wanted me to move everything over to a newer computer.

When it turned out that the computer didn't even turn on, I had to tell her that there was nothing I could do, at least not without it costing her several hundred dollars in parts and my time, and it wasn't a guarantee.

The problem was, the type of hard drive (remember, that's where all the files that she wanted are stored) wasn't being made any more, and I'd long ago had all of my old equipment that could read the old drive type break down and I'd had no reason to replace it.

Now if she'd been backing up her files, she would have been better off -- you know this if you've gotten my "5 Common & Costly Computer Mistakes" CD which comes for free with the amazing deal I'm offering on my website right now -- but she didn't.

Now we might have been able to do something if we'd hunted around on eBay for a really old computer, and shelled out a few hundred for it, plus a lot of my billable time.

Or if she'd just listened to me in the first place.

Hopefully you'll heed my advice: don't keep your computer for more than six years or so, and *please* back up your files, or one day you will be sorry, just like Dorothy was.

So keep reading my articles so you can keep up to speed yourself. And if you haven't already, rush over to my website and take advantage of the amazing opportunity I'm offering. One of the first disks you'll get will show you exactly how to back up your important files to protect yourself.

And the price will be going up sharply in a few days!

until next time,

Worth Godwin

P.S. Remember, when it comes to computers, what you don't know *can* hurt you, so keep reading my emails. Also, if you haven't tried out my easy video computer lessons for Mac or Windows you really should take a look. You get plain English lessons that are easy to follow, and each lesson is short enough to fit into even a busy schedule, and they all come with a full guarantee. The video lessons let you see every step, every click of the mouse, while you hear me explaining every step in plain English.

I've got a pretty incredible deal going on right now, which you better take a look at before I change my mind. Find out more on my website.
Just go to: www.WorthGodwin.com