- Dec 27, 2014
- 12
- 0
- 4,510
Hi, you guys have really helped me out before, so I'll ask here again! This might be a bit long; forgive me.
My dad has a computer that is outside in a garage in hot and humid Florida, and it runs slow as heck. It's a pretty old HP computer still running Windows XP. When we brought it inside to get the files off because it's Florida out there, and I wasn't about to stand outside for hours getting files, the PC actually ran just fine.
Now, my dad had his computer turned on most of the time because it was both slow and there's this "advice" to not turn your computer off because it's hard on the components and shortens the computer's lifespan. My assessment was that since he had it on all the time outside, that it was running slow because it was so overheated. It ran just fine indoors. So great, in fact, that we returned the replacement computer we'd bought for him. The CPU temp was a pretty consistent 33-35 degrees C, and applications opened up just as fast as they would on my brand new computer. I was shocked.
In any case, we talked and researched about how to keep the computer indoors to keep it running smoothly, and came across something called a console extender. It works, I believe, via ethernet cable. You plug the CPU tower into one end, and the monitor and keyboard and mouse into the other. My dad's shop has hard-wired ethernet, so this isn't an issue. My dad also has a wireless keyboard and mouse that connect to the same USB port via a small receiver (not a dongle).
I have two questions:
- Is a console extender even a good idea in this case? Maybe the overheating was only caused by my dad leaving his computer on all the time. He now turns it off. He would also like the space in his shop afforded by not having the tower out there, so that is something else to consider.
- Can a printer be hooked up to the portion of the console extender going outside? Most console extenders have two USB ports, but these ports are labeled keyboard and mouse. My dad only needs one port for his keyboard and mouse, so would hooking a printer up via USB to the second port have all three devices work in theory?
Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
My dad has a computer that is outside in a garage in hot and humid Florida, and it runs slow as heck. It's a pretty old HP computer still running Windows XP. When we brought it inside to get the files off because it's Florida out there, and I wasn't about to stand outside for hours getting files, the PC actually ran just fine.
Now, my dad had his computer turned on most of the time because it was both slow and there's this "advice" to not turn your computer off because it's hard on the components and shortens the computer's lifespan. My assessment was that since he had it on all the time outside, that it was running slow because it was so overheated. It ran just fine indoors. So great, in fact, that we returned the replacement computer we'd bought for him. The CPU temp was a pretty consistent 33-35 degrees C, and applications opened up just as fast as they would on my brand new computer. I was shocked.
In any case, we talked and researched about how to keep the computer indoors to keep it running smoothly, and came across something called a console extender. It works, I believe, via ethernet cable. You plug the CPU tower into one end, and the monitor and keyboard and mouse into the other. My dad's shop has hard-wired ethernet, so this isn't an issue. My dad also has a wireless keyboard and mouse that connect to the same USB port via a small receiver (not a dongle).
I have two questions:
- Is a console extender even a good idea in this case? Maybe the overheating was only caused by my dad leaving his computer on all the time. He now turns it off. He would also like the space in his shop afforded by not having the tower out there, so that is something else to consider.
- Can a printer be hooked up to the portion of the console extender going outside? Most console extenders have two USB ports, but these ports are labeled keyboard and mouse. My dad only needs one port for his keyboard and mouse, so would hooking a printer up via USB to the second port have all three devices work in theory?
Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
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