[Cialug] computers in unusual conditions

[David Champion]

Nathan C. Smith wrote:
[snip]
> But would you trade it for the lower prices, faster speeds and better
> availability we have today?  Remember when you couldn't buy blank CDs in
> Walgreens or Target in a pinch?

<old man mode>
Remember when there was no such thing as CD's? I had a 160k single sided 
  single density 5.25" 1541 diskette drive on my Commodore 64 that 
communicated over a serial bus to the computer at 1200bps. And that's 
the way we liked it. Fiddle dee floo. It was SO much faster than the 
Datasette it replaced. :p
</old man mode>

But on the original question - strip the system down to remove anything 
you don't need, and I'd also suggest putting some kind of foam filter in 
front of the intake fans. Oh, and make sure you have some good intake 
fans. Ones with real ball bearings. Take the rubber plug off and look if 
you're not sure (usually under the sticker). A lot of the fans that say 
"ball bearing" are either a simple metal sleeve, or even worse, a 
plastic bushing. If you can afford it, get a UPS, and possibly a line 
conditioner, if they're going to be in a location with "iffy" power, or 
prone to lightning strikes.

I have seen PC's in server closets that had mouse droppings in them.

-dc