After nine months of agony just trying to get my Sony Blu Ray player to be recognized by one of the OS's or my hardware, I limped along with a broken XP afraid to fix or change anything about the fragile house of cards keeping it usually able to play a Blu Ray disc. I was rebooting between two operating systems to do different things.
Finally after changing everything from the CPU to operating systems, to memory, and two video cards and trying seven Blu Ray software players I did the only thing I hadn't, which was to buy a cheapy motherboard.
I got a Gigabyte MA78GM-US2H. It has HDMI, SPDIF out, has its own audio and integrated ATI HD3200 video. Aside from the hard drive and memory the motherboard is the only thing remaining in the box.
In the end I threw 300 dollars at a player I paid 89 dollars for and now its working. Plays blu ray in all three Power DVD Ultras. Its running only the free
Windows 7 Release candidate with free XP mode, which I really don't need.
Pretty much everything I bought except for the Blu Ray now hits the trash, storage or Craigslist.
Cheap Gigabyte Mobo $65.00 after 10.00 rebate
AMD AM2 5600CPu $75
OS Windows 7 Ultimate/XP Release candidate legitimately Free
Sony Blu Ray with free Power DVD software now about 79 bucks. (Using 9)
Memory DDR2 2gigs bought on black friday for 14 bucks.
Good Cordless logitech mouse and Keyboard combo. Now 39.
Cost to buy in on what seems to be a trouble free combination that literally is doing everything I have wanted to do but never could do before.
It actually does craploads of stuff I didn't expect and has features galore.
Only about $265 looking only at what I have now.
Someone looking for an easy cheap HTPC...here you go.
May my pain be your gain.
Finally after changing everything from the CPU to operating systems, to memory, and two video cards and trying seven Blu Ray software players I did the only thing I hadn't, which was to buy a cheapy motherboard.
I got a Gigabyte MA78GM-US2H. It has HDMI, SPDIF out, has its own audio and integrated ATI HD3200 video. Aside from the hard drive and memory the motherboard is the only thing remaining in the box.
In the end I threw 300 dollars at a player I paid 89 dollars for and now its working. Plays blu ray in all three Power DVD Ultras. Its running only the free
Windows 7 Release candidate with free XP mode, which I really don't need.
Pretty much everything I bought except for the Blu Ray now hits the trash, storage or Craigslist.
Cheap Gigabyte Mobo $65.00 after 10.00 rebate
AMD AM2 5600CPu $75
OS Windows 7 Ultimate/XP Release candidate legitimately Free
Sony Blu Ray with free Power DVD software now about 79 bucks. (Using 9)
Memory DDR2 2gigs bought on black friday for 14 bucks.
Good Cordless logitech mouse and Keyboard combo. Now 39.
Cost to buy in on what seems to be a trouble free combination that literally is doing everything I have wanted to do but never could do before.
It actually does craploads of stuff I didn't expect and has features galore.
Only about $265 looking only at what I have now.
Someone looking for an easy cheap HTPC...here you go.
May my pain be your gain.
