Recycling Rescue: Dell Dimension 9100

I saw this sitting on top of a bin at an electronics recycling center/thrift store. At first, thinking I didn't have a chance in the world of getting it, I asked for permission* to take some of its parts. I then robbed it of both plastic hard drive carriers. It didn't look too good at the time, with a big pop spill down the side, grime all over, bubble gum and other food residue stuck to it. Of course, I couldn't leave anything well enough alone. Two weeks later, I took some stuff out of the Roach Palace and donated it. This computer was still sitting there, just pushed further back. That was on a Saturday afternoon and as such, the thrift store part was crawling with people. I didn't think much of my chances, even though I loitered around until just about closing time before going up to the cash register. Amazingly, "cash and carry" worked once again. The staff told me how to go out the back way and so I did. The first power up didn't go well, when the video card BIOS only displayed part of its copyright and revision notice before the computer froze with three diagnostic fault lights on. Dell's documentation only said this indicated "another failure has occurred" and suggested checking the cabling going to the optical drives. Disconnecting and reconnecting them fixed it. I suspect this problem led to the computer's trip to the recycler, as someone had shut off both the master and slave PATA device options in setup. It's all back together, cleaned up and working now. The only thing left to do is pick an OS, install it and clean off the chewing gum that someone left stuck to the side. Though I know it's a rhetorical question, once again it just amazes me that someone would pay good money for this computer (and unlike the Dimension 2300/2400/1100/3000/B110 models, it wasn't cheap) only to run it right into the ground. Specs: Pentium 4 630 (EM64T/x86-64 capable with SpeedStep), 2GB RAM, DVD-ROM and CD-RW, 160GB hard disk, Intel 945 chipset and ATi Radeon x300 PCI Express graphics with 256MB video RAM. No, I don't have an immediate need for it. I just like tinkering with these "lost causes". It's far more entertaining to me than whatever dreck passes for TV these days. Tinkering is what I do and very much what I thrive upon. I also dug up an APC Back UPS NS1250 with dead batteries from one of the bins. *I got the whole lecture about liability from the facility director: how there was sharp metal, broken glass, plastic and heavy stuff in the recycling area. I miss the days when people would accept responsibility for the things they did, before so many turned to dishonorable sue happy behavior.