DIGIT-ARC read-only archive · snapshot: July 23, 2026

infra_red_dude causing heavy loss to the hardware industry !!!

60 posts · originally from https://geek.digit.in/community/threads/infra_red_dude-causing-heavy-loss-to-the-hardware-industry.96449/

din
din Original post #1
Aug 26, 2008 at 5:49 PM
Beware of the senior member - Mr. Anirudh (infra_red_dude) if you are a hardware dealer. He is advising people how to upgrade computers / laptops and to meet all their needs instead of buying / assembling a brand new PC. The Indian hardware dealers association is concerned over this issue and issued a red alert and sent him a threatening email. And infra_red_dude had to leave the country :( He is in the USA right now.

LOL, ok, jokes apart. Here is the incident which made me a great fan of infra_red_dude (already a fan of him, now I am rotating at even more speed :D). I had a chat with him over yahoo regarding one of my requirements - PC for my village home. I may go there, stay there for 2-3 months, then will come back, may go again like that. Not an every day traveling, and laptop alone was not a solution (as I wanted big screen). So I asked him which config will suit my requirement etc. Before that I mentioned him I am having an old (3 yr) laptop. Instead of suggesting new configuration he asked me about the laptop, its config etc. I was thinking like its too old, that will not be of much use etc, but gave him all details. Also told him it has about 3 hr battery backup and I have an APC universal battery for that laptop which will give it another 3 hr backup. He strongly recommended not to buy a new PC !! He told me I can go for an HDD (from 40 GB to 160 GB) upgrade and may be RAM (from 512 MB to 1.5 GB) if needed. He told me if I am not comfortable to work whole day looking at the small screen, I can connect an LCD monitor (which I already have). I was not convinced and told him, it may not support bigger screen / resolution / wide screen. Again, he checked the specifications of the laptop and told me it will work perfectly.

Finally I thought I will give it a try. I upgraded RAM and HDD (total Rs.5000) and tried connecting to my 17 inch (normal) LCD as well as 19 inch (wide screen) LCD. And to my surprise, it supported both and I am getting exactly (and more) what I wanted. So instead of spending about 25,000 or 30,000, I am pretty happy with this new arrangement. Like when I go to my village home, I can take this LCD monitor plus my laptop and I am sure that will work perfectly for all my needs.

End of the story lol.

Footnote / Morale of the story: If you think your PC or laptop is obsolete and really want a new one, get an expert advise form senior members like infra_red_dude. Some times that will make a big difference (also you can save money, buy some dress for your wife / GF and make them happy as well :D).
krazzy
krazzy #2
Aug 26, 2008 at 5:56 PM
already a fan of him, now I am rotating at even more speed :D.
*s269.photobucket.com/albums/jj44/visio159/Unismilies/17large.png
iMav
iMav #4
Aug 26, 2008 at 5:59 PM
:lol:
victor_rambo
Aug 26, 2008 at 6:03 PM
I am thinking of converting my old PC into a server and starting a 'microdatacenter' at my home :D. I am also looking to get Ubuntu or open SUSE installed. Cool G5 is helping me out :)

I will seek his advice soon :)
BBThumbHealer
Aug 26, 2008 at 6:04 PM
Din Uncle , u always narrate interesting stories ! :lol:
RCuber
RCuber #7
Aug 26, 2008 at 6:06 PM
Is a warrant issued against infra_red_dude? :D .. I guess he ray away fearing heavy retaliation from the hardware vendors :D
gxsaurav
Aug 26, 2008 at 6:14 PM
it's was just a PC upgrade quary he solved.
MetalheadGautham
Aug 26, 2008 at 6:19 PM
:lol:

But seriously, I too am trying to get something done in that angle. I am trying to use my old TwinHead i486E laptop as a console for my desktop.
tarey_g
tarey_g #10
Aug 26, 2008 at 6:20 PM
@gx, and Just saved many bucks for din uncle :D . I am sure you wud also have given din a good suggestion, but i hope you appreciate the effort.
The_Devil_Himself
Aug 26, 2008 at 7:03 PM
:>..

din uncle,save all the money you can,din junior is gonna rip open all your treasure chests soon enough!(ask my dad if you dont believe me)
M
mehulved #14
Aug 26, 2008 at 7:16 PM
Didn't he suggest some Infra Red Dude Adaptor for wireless communications? :D

I am thinking of converting my old PC into a server and starting a 'microdatacenter' at my home :D. I am also looking to get Ubuntu or open SUSE installed. Cool G5 is helping me out :)
:!: Ubuntu opensuse server <= these words don't go well together.
victor_rambo
Aug 26, 2008 at 7:20 PM
Didn't he suggest some Infra Red Dude Adaptor for wireless communications? :D


:!: Ubuntu opensuse server <= these words don't go well together.
You mean my choice of distro is not appropriate? Please suggest one then! I am a linux noobie!

btw I need it for desktop as well!
MetalheadGautham
Aug 26, 2008 at 7:33 PM
:>..

din uncle,save all the money you can,din junior is gonna rip open all your treasure chests soon enough!(ask my dad if you dont believe me)
Yeah. I too used to be a spending fr33k from age 13 to age 15.5. But my dad is quite happy because I troubled him only for 2.5 years, and then, thanks to my (then) newly found hobby in internet and linux, and thanks to me seeing sense early, I never troubled him since and now+ HE is the person w+ho pesters me to buy things for myself.
M
mehulved #18
Aug 26, 2008 at 7:49 PM
You mean my choice of distro is not appropriate? Please suggest one then! I am a linux noobie!

btw I need it for desktop as well!
Both are fine for desktop usage, but if you try any server histronics with it you will be pulling your hair out. I would strongly suggest Debian or CentOS for servers depending on your choice.
iinfi
iinfi #19
Aug 26, 2008 at 8:01 PM
good story. you started it off like a action thriller, only to end in 20 lines.

Footnote / Morale of the story: If you think your PC or laptop is obsolete and really want a new one, get an expert advise form senior members like infra_red_dude. Some times that will make a big difference (also you can save money, buy some dress for your wife / GF and make them happy as well :D).

infra_red_dude can make your gf happy. so beware folks
Garbage
Garbage #20
Aug 26, 2008 at 8:06 PM
You mean my choice of distro is not appropriate? Please suggest one then! I am a linux noobie!

btw I need it for desktop as well!
CentOS FTW !
MetalheadGautham
Aug 26, 2008 at 8:16 PM
CentOS FTW !
CentOS sucks. It gets pwned by Arch if you are a pro, and it gets pw+ned by ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dr+eam Lin+ux if you are a newbie.
victor_rambo
Aug 26, 2008 at 8:20 PM
So should I go for CentOS? desktop+server?
M
mehulved #23
Aug 26, 2008 at 8:20 PM
CentOS sucks. It gets pwned by Arch if you are a pro, and it gets pw+ned by ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dr+eam Lin+ux if you are a newbie.
Someone please ban him till the idiot gets a new keyboard.
And yeah go use arch on a server.
Gigacore
Gigacore #26
Aug 26, 2008 at 9:02 PM
hmmm..
krates
krates #27
Aug 26, 2008 at 9:27 PM
You mean my choice of distro is not appropriate? Please suggest one then! I am a linux noobie!

btw I need it for desktop as well!

go with CENT OS 4 not 5 it will be the best
Sukhdeep Singh
Aug 26, 2008 at 9:52 PM
CentOS is good for servers specially when you are looking for Panels, some packages etc
Garbage
Garbage #30
Aug 26, 2008 at 10:16 PM
BTW... whats the topic ??
Ecko
Ecko #33
Aug 26, 2008 at 10:35 PM
How abt Vista on P2 :D
BTW excellent presence of mind :)
drsubhadip
Aug 26, 2008 at 10:39 PM
so what is the topic????????????????
infra_red_dude
Aug 26, 2008 at 11:39 PM
@din
Glad my advice helped you :)

@Rohan
I'd suggest CentOS for your server as well. And beware if you are not an experienced desktop user then stay away from Arch!
victor_rambo
Aug 27, 2008 at 12:00 AM
^Thanks Ani.
I will see of this issue of LFY mag has centOS. btw I am a linux newbie!
M
mehulved #38
Aug 27, 2008 at 12:32 AM
^Thanks Ani.
I will see of this issue of LFY mag has centOS. btw I am a linux newbie!
So much the better. CentOS is an enterprise grade distribution created out of srpm's of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Again, this means it's server oriented distribution. So, you will find better GUI's to handle server administration on CentOS than Debian. Debian is rock solid and there are people who'd swear by debian for good reasons. One thing is though, Debian stable is always a bit outdated, not so with CentOS.
victor_rambo
Aug 27, 2008 at 12:41 AM
So Mehul, I will go with centOS. :)
Thanks for ur helps guyz, Mehul and Ani :)
infra_red_dude
Aug 27, 2008 at 2:05 AM
[Offtopic]

^^^ You needn't be a Lin expert to setup CentOS. Its fairly easy (and definitely easier than Arch :D )

[/Offtopic]
esumitkumar
Aug 27, 2008 at 6:20 AM
@infra_LAAL_dude :D
I have acer aspire 5500 laptop..i want to upgrade its hard disk to 250 GB..does it support SATA and frm which website in US I can purchase ?
din
din #42
Aug 27, 2008 at 9:10 AM
Oh no !!!

You guys knew I was going to sleep, and hijacked the whole thread !!!

LOL, ok, I do not mind as its for a good cause ;)

Posting this from the 'famous' laptop :D
infra_red_dude
Aug 27, 2008 at 9:46 AM
@infra_LAAL_dude :D
I have acer aspire 5500 laptop..i want to upgrade its hard disk to 250 GB..does it support SATA and frm which website in US I can purchase ?
This is the first of the centrino platforms with P-M proc. AFAIK this will not support SATA HDDs. Correct me if I'm wrong.

The "LAAL" portion was a good one :D

Oh no !!!

You guys knew I was going to sleep, and hijacked the whole thread !!!

LOL, ok, I do not mind as its for a good cause ;)

Posting this from the 'famous' laptop :D

Cheers for teh "famous" laptop :))
esumitkumar
Aug 27, 2008 at 4:47 PM
The "LAAL" portion was a good one
My pleasure :D :D :D
laptop has Pentium M processor ..does that mean centrino ? also is ATA compatible ?

and thanks LAAL :)
din
din #45
Aug 27, 2008 at 5:14 PM
After googling

Pentium M = Pentium Mobile (Processors meant for laptops)

Centrino = Pentium-M + Intel 855 chipset + Intel 802.11b

And AFAIK, infra is right, the Acer aspire 5500 support only IDE HDD and not SATA.

Ever seen a thread starter hijacking his own thread ? :D

Coming back to the topic - infra helped me in many tech issues actually. Like settings up Wi-Fi network, multiple broadband connections and single Wi-Fi router and many.

@GX

Duniya Badal Gayi, ThinkDigit forum badal gayi, GX nahi badala? :D
M
mehulved #46
Aug 27, 2008 at 6:15 PM
Ever seen a thread starter hijacking his own thread ? :D
Ever seen a forum giving so much free publicity to an upcoming film? :p
Garbage
Garbage #47
Aug 27, 2008 at 7:11 PM
din said:
@GX

Duniya Badal Gayi, ThinkDigit forum badal gayi, GX nahi badala?

ROFLOL !! :D :D
infra_red_dude
Aug 28, 2008 at 4:49 AM
My pleasure :D :D :D
laptop has Pentium M processor ..does that mean centrino ? also is ATA compatible ?

and thanks LAAL :)
P-M doesn't mean its a centrino platform. As rightly pointed by din Sir, its a combo of 3 components.

Its ATA compatible. AFAIK the ATA HDDs in the current market max out at 120GBs (I don't think you can find any higher capacity ATA drives EASILY).

@GX

Duniya Badal Gayi, ThinkDigit forum badal gayi, GX nahi badala? :D
ROTFL.. Classic! :))

Ever seen a forum giving so much free publicity to an upcoming film? :p
???!!!!
din
din #49
Aug 28, 2008 at 9:20 AM
Its ATA compatible. AFAIK the ATA HDDs in the current market max out at 120GBs (I don't think you can find any higher capacity ATA drives EASILY).
You meant normal (IDE) HDD right ? Sorry if you meant diff type, but my laptop HDD was also IDE type (it was 40 GB). I could buy 160 GB (Western Digital) HDD (Rs.3000 here in Cochin), may be max is 160 GB ?
M
mehulved #50
Aug 28, 2008 at 9:33 AM
*hijack.erosentertainment.com/

You meant normal (IDE) HDD right ? Sorry if you meant diff type, but my laptop HDD was also IDE type (it was 40 GB). I could buy 160 GB (Western Digital) HDD (Rs.3000 here in Cochin), may be max is 160 GB ?
I have 250 GB one and surely remember that a 320GB one was available too.
infra_red_dude
Aug 28, 2008 at 10:55 AM
You meant normal (IDE) HDD right ? Sorry if you meant diff type, but my laptop HDD was also IDE type (it was 40 GB). I could buy 160 GB (Western Digital) HDD (Rs.3000 here in Cochin), may be max is 160 GB ?
Yes, by ATA I meant IDE. Actually before SATA it was all ATA and IDE. The terms were interchangeable. Max is 320GB but what I meant was finding one is not so easy and it may not be cheap since IDE is slowly being phased out.

*hijack.erosentertainment.com/


I have 250 GB one and surely remember that a 320GB one was available too.
Yes, I only meant it may be harder to find and costly.
C
Aug 28, 2008 at 11:31 AM
it's was just a PC upgrade quary he solved.
Why this jealousy on infra_red_dude? Can't you appreciate a good helping act which has made someone happy?
Zangetsu
Zangetsu #54
Aug 28, 2008 at 2:19 PM
lol....one BIG fan...hehe

some body also bcome my fan or else i'll change my profile to gama_ray_dude *s269.photobucket.com/albums/jj44/visio159/Unismilies/77.png
infra_red_dude
Aug 29, 2008 at 1:32 AM
Not that costly at all. I got my 250GB one for some 2.4-2.5K in November
Thats a deal, dude! I went nuts searching for a WD 250GB HDD a few months ago for a "decent" price.
iMav
iMav #57
Aug 29, 2008 at 1:33 AM
2.5k? :O WTF! A really big WTF! I paid around 6k for it!
RCuber
RCuber #58
Aug 29, 2008 at 1:42 AM
^^ LOL .. rice drop within a blink of a eye .. an one of the two :p
gary4gar
gary4gar #59
Aug 29, 2008 at 4:19 AM
HDDs are cheaper these days,
WD's 640GB model is around 3.7k
infra_red_dude
Aug 29, 2008 at 5:16 AM
^^^ Err.. we are talking about Laptop IDE HDDs..