Laptops, UPS, Sound

[Jonathan Hutchins]

Quoting Tim Reid <darkweb4 at gbronline.com>: 
 
> First of all, I'm looking at maybe buying a used/refurbished IBM  
> thinkpad.   
 
I'll make you a deal on a 380Z.  I think it's 150MHz. 
 
> ... what are some pitfalls to look out for in buying older laptops?   
 
Assume that you will have to buy a new battery. 
 
Modem, network card, CD, Display, and Memory are the things that fail, in that 
order.  (Displays fail from abuse, the rest just goes.)  If it boots, runs a 
RAM test, reads a recorded CD, dials and connects to the network, I would have 
it suspend and resume to make sur most of it comes back on line. 
 
> Does anyone have much experiance with UPS's for personal use?   
 
APC or Belkin are good brands, I would go for one that has "conditioning" or 
voltage regulation - will make up brownouts, which can be very hard on some 
equipment.  You don't really need a "smart" ups for a single PC. Linux will 
work with any I've seen. 
 
> I'm looking for a mid-line soundcard ... 
 
I've never understood why anyone would mess with anything but a SoundBlaster 
(Live) if they were serious, unless they were into high-end digital recording. 

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