I don’t know how many of you have thought of building a “survival computer,” but being in the business, (I am a Systems Administrator by trade) I think about the usefulness of such a system.
For instance, most survival and medical books are available for PC at substantially reduced costs. Digital copies are the ultimate in portability as well.
Further, the internet is far more resilient than any previous electronic communication system. Granted, in total world collapse it won’t be there, but one could easily envision scenarios with limited connectivity to the internet.
Even in a total upheaval, a PC would be an awesome thing to have. In the form of a laptop or other small device, it does not use much electricity either. Yet it is one of those amazing devices that many of us will be “jonesing” for- even if we don’t have connection to the internet.
Also limited connection networks will let us share information quickly and securely with our neighbors and family over a local area. Hacking is not very likely to be an issue after a societal collapse and it’s fairly easy to secure even a wireless network under such conditions.
Plus being able to watch a DVD or play a video game will be priceless and might buy you a meal or other service in trade. And it’s a great way to keep medical records quickly and easily on anyone you treat. (For those of us with a medical persuasion.) Also historical journals will be of great assistance to those that come after you. What we do will shape the tomorrow of our country.
Ok, so if you are still with me and are not bent over laughing at the idea of electronics in a post apocalyptic setting, let’s take a look at building a survival computer. Like any project, we should be defined what we are attempting to build first.
1. Portable.
2. Rugged or easily replaceable.
3. Reasonable power usage.
4. Adaptable.
5. Plenty of parts, cheap.
6. Cost should be reasonable.
Ok, so let’s look at what fits in that range.
Portability is the name of the game here. Odds are good that even if you plan to “bug in” at home, you will want portability. Portability IS security. It is pretty hard to steal something that is with you 24/7. So something that is lightweight is an absolute necessity.
That means we are talking small laptop\notebooks. As I type this, I am using “old reliable,” my very large laptop from 2003. A real antique, it is a Gateway laptop that puts out so much heat it keeps me warm here in North Dakota at night. Something like that is not going to cut the mustard. Fortunately, there are lots of smaller systems out there that are more powerful, newer and cheaper.
So we are talking about small laptops and notebooks here, what about even smaller?
Well my old standby Gateway has been dropped at least half a dozen times, my daughter has spilled milk and cereal on it to the point that I had to take it apart to clean it and likely many other strange and terrible things have happen to it that I have yet to hear of.
And it still works.
Contrast that with my wife’s hot new Windows 8.1 tablet. My daughter managed to drop it once. Well it now has a shattered screen, utterly reduced functionality and it still has Windows 8.
My point is this.
Beyond a certain point smaller becomes too delicate. There are those that will argue, but your best bet for size versus reliability versus usability are the small laptops and notebooks.
There is the issue of power usage, but since we are talking about preppers here, we should have the ability to make enough power to run a small laptop. If you have to skimp somewhere, power generation should not be one of them. So I am going for a machine in the above range.
Last we want something that has lots of parts for cheap. That means batteries, chargers and replacement parts can be had cheap. In fact the ultimate is to have two identical computers that can be clones of each other. One that you update and use to build your survival system and one that you clone every so often to act as a protected library in a protected storage environment.
So you are thinking, “Geez, who has all that money?” Well I am building the entire two systems for less than $300.
I have settled on the Dell D630, a very popular computer that is only a few years old. TONS of them are available used right now for right around $60. I have already purchased two machines. Upgraded memory has been installed and both machines are ready for a new operating system. New batteries and chargers have been purchased as well. So far I have only spent around $150. That leaves me $150 to find charging solutions appropriate for a survival situation.
Stick with this thread and I will give you updates as I move along. Both machines will have XP as the operating system, not because I don’t think Windows 7 is good; it is the best- but we are talking cheap here. XP is practically free and I have multiple licenses for it lying around.
YLEKIOT
For instance, most survival and medical books are available for PC at substantially reduced costs. Digital copies are the ultimate in portability as well.
Further, the internet is far more resilient than any previous electronic communication system. Granted, in total world collapse it won’t be there, but one could easily envision scenarios with limited connectivity to the internet.
Even in a total upheaval, a PC would be an awesome thing to have. In the form of a laptop or other small device, it does not use much electricity either. Yet it is one of those amazing devices that many of us will be “jonesing” for- even if we don’t have connection to the internet.
Also limited connection networks will let us share information quickly and securely with our neighbors and family over a local area. Hacking is not very likely to be an issue after a societal collapse and it’s fairly easy to secure even a wireless network under such conditions.
Plus being able to watch a DVD or play a video game will be priceless and might buy you a meal or other service in trade. And it’s a great way to keep medical records quickly and easily on anyone you treat. (For those of us with a medical persuasion.) Also historical journals will be of great assistance to those that come after you. What we do will shape the tomorrow of our country.
Ok, so if you are still with me and are not bent over laughing at the idea of electronics in a post apocalyptic setting, let’s take a look at building a survival computer. Like any project, we should be defined what we are attempting to build first.
1. Portable.
2. Rugged or easily replaceable.
3. Reasonable power usage.
4. Adaptable.
5. Plenty of parts, cheap.
6. Cost should be reasonable.
Ok, so let’s look at what fits in that range.
Portability is the name of the game here. Odds are good that even if you plan to “bug in” at home, you will want portability. Portability IS security. It is pretty hard to steal something that is with you 24/7. So something that is lightweight is an absolute necessity.
That means we are talking small laptop\notebooks. As I type this, I am using “old reliable,” my very large laptop from 2003. A real antique, it is a Gateway laptop that puts out so much heat it keeps me warm here in North Dakota at night. Something like that is not going to cut the mustard. Fortunately, there are lots of smaller systems out there that are more powerful, newer and cheaper.
So we are talking about small laptops and notebooks here, what about even smaller?
Well my old standby Gateway has been dropped at least half a dozen times, my daughter has spilled milk and cereal on it to the point that I had to take it apart to clean it and likely many other strange and terrible things have happen to it that I have yet to hear of.
And it still works.
Contrast that with my wife’s hot new Windows 8.1 tablet. My daughter managed to drop it once. Well it now has a shattered screen, utterly reduced functionality and it still has Windows 8.
My point is this.
Beyond a certain point smaller becomes too delicate. There are those that will argue, but your best bet for size versus reliability versus usability are the small laptops and notebooks.
There is the issue of power usage, but since we are talking about preppers here, we should have the ability to make enough power to run a small laptop. If you have to skimp somewhere, power generation should not be one of them. So I am going for a machine in the above range.
Last we want something that has lots of parts for cheap. That means batteries, chargers and replacement parts can be had cheap. In fact the ultimate is to have two identical computers that can be clones of each other. One that you update and use to build your survival system and one that you clone every so often to act as a protected library in a protected storage environment.
So you are thinking, “Geez, who has all that money?” Well I am building the entire two systems for less than $300.
I have settled on the Dell D630, a very popular computer that is only a few years old. TONS of them are available used right now for right around $60. I have already purchased two machines. Upgraded memory has been installed and both machines are ready for a new operating system. New batteries and chargers have been purchased as well. So far I have only spent around $150. That leaves me $150 to find charging solutions appropriate for a survival situation.
Stick with this thread and I will give you updates as I move along. Both machines will have XP as the operating system, not because I don’t think Windows 7 is good; it is the best- but we are talking cheap here. XP is practically free and I have multiple licenses for it lying around.
YLEKIOT
