TapA321 0 Posted December 22, 2011 Report Share Posted December 22, 2011 Hi all, I need a cheap PC that will act as a server to run the software for my weather station 24/7 (so it can produce a live weather feed, whilst uploading to several different sites). I have no experience in this field whatsoever, so I'm guessing a cheap PC is a good idea? I have an old monitor which I would use to initialise the software and connections etc. and then that would be switched off. So my question - is this the best way to run the software 24/7 and can anybody suggest something to fit the bill? The station will communicate wirelessly to an "envoy" which then connects via USB to the PC. Thank you for the help and Merry Christmas! George Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted December 22, 2011 Report Share Posted December 22, 2011 This is really a great app for an older desktop that someone has replaced with a newer PC. You can probably buy one for a song from someone who can't bear to throw an old one away, but is really done with it. It doesn't take all that much computing horsepower to be an effective home server. John Link to post Share on other sites
TapA321 0 Posted December 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2011 This is really a great app for an older desktop that someone has replaced with a newer PC. You can probably buy one for a song from someone who can't bear to throw an old one away, but is really done with it. It doesn't take all that much computing horsepower to be an effective home server. John As it happens, John, I do have another PC (4 years old) that I guess would be pretty good for the job. Its graphics card is broken, but that's not a problem. It's a complete mess though, so I'd need to wipe the hardrive and reinstall windows. I've never wiped a hardrive on a PC, and then reinstalled windows. How do you go about doing that? Cheers, George Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted December 22, 2011 Report Share Posted December 22, 2011 Ah - others are going to have to jump in there. For me, the emphasis is on the first syllable of "hardware". I think you just need to be sure you have a Windows install disk set available, and then Format C: in a command window, but don't take my word for it. I don't claim much knowledge of the hardware/OS world. John Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,487 Posted December 23, 2011 Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 You can wipe the hard disk as part of the re-install of Windows. Cheers, Joe Link to post Share on other sites
simi_av8r 0 Posted December 23, 2011 Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 You can wipe the hard disk as part of the re-install of Windows. Cheers, Joe Indeed you can, but you'd need a monitor to see what's going on. One point o note is that you make sure you do a 'complete format' not a "quick" wipe or a simple delete of the Windows partition as this will lead to possible corruption in the future. Depending on the size of the HDD installed, a 'complete format' will take 30-60 minutes or more. Also, to save needing a monitor for the server, it could be controlled with the use of 'Remote Desktop' software included with Windows. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now