[OT] Headless COMPAQ P3

[Richmond Mathewson]

I am posting this to the RunRev use-list to show that even those of us
at the bottom-end of the geeko-scale can achieve somethings that are
normally only achieved by major geekoids if we trust ourselves a
little bit more.

Courage mes freres et soeurs!

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After about 24 hours of sweat, tears and a dropped PC on my foot
I have, finally, managed to get a tatty old P3 (600 MHz, 128 MB RAM)
running Windows XP, to run headlessly so that I can "play around"
with the Windows version of RunRev 4 dp-4 without the aching slowness
of Virtual PC (7.0.3 emulates a Pentium 2; so, even cranked up to
512 MB RAM is far worse than the tatty old P3). The whole thing is
now accessible via Microsoft's Remote Desktop Client on my Mac G4.

The most difficult thing was setting the BIOS to allow everything not
to come to a shuddering halt because there was no keyboard, mouse
or monitor connected. Luckily I found this:

http://www.snippety.org/articles/2008/01/14/headless-compaq-desktop-boot-without-a-keyboard-attached/

which (corny phrase though it be) saved me!

Why did I go to such bother when I could have picked up a monitor for $20?

1. No room in my 'cabin' (3 square metres).

2. 2 monitors shared between the G4 and the Mac mini (when I use it)
     and 1 more monitor connected to the HP P4 (new to me) that runs
     Ubuntu and has replaced the mongrel Fujitsu-Siemens-bits-scrounged
     -from-hither-and-yon that was there before (now downstairs in the
     school).

3. I am already going bonkers from the rays from the monitors and the
     little green men that hide behind them . . .   :)

4. Because it is difficult and a challenge.