first questions

[SteveSatch]

Hi,
I am brand new to the squeezebox. I just ordered a duet. I'll be using my Dell Dimension 8400 desktop and D-Link DI-624 wireless router with it. I have two questions 1) is there a way to have my computer on, but in sleep mode, and have it "wake up" by using the squeezebox remote or do I have to go to my computer and wake it up? 2) I do not want to store my music on my computer, but on an external hard drive. It would just be hooked up to the computer by USB. I'd like to get a hard drive that also can be in sleep mode when not in use, one that goes into and out of sleep mode when the computer does. What is a good external hard drive for this task? I'd like to get at least 500 gig and maybe twice that. My budget is about $150. I'm not too computer savy. Thanks for any help,
Steve

[Kuben72]

Congratulations on your Duet. You won't regret buying it.

I think Wakeup On Lan was implemented in SC 7.2 so all you have to do is make sure that your pc has that enabled in the BIOS.

When the disk does not have to actually run SC then you can use just about every kind of USB disk or NAS for that matter. So take your pick. If your are a bit of a Do-It-Yourself kinda person then you could just buy a USB- harddrive box and then buy your favourite kind of harddrive and put those two things together. It is all up to you.
For me tough I like IOMegas because they are small and doesn't make a lot of noise.

[SteveSatch]

Thanks for the response! What is Lan? How do I enable my computer to wakeup on Lan? No, as you can see, I'm not techie or a DIY

[Kuben72]

LAN=Local Area Network. That's your network.

When your pc is booting then you can enter the basic setup of the pc (usually by pressing F10). This is called the BIOS. In here (somewhere) you can enable Wakeup On Lan which means when the computer get a signal via network it will wake up and start feeding your Duet. BUT act carefully - if you change the wrong thing in the BIOS then it could stop your pc from working.

[SuperQ]

Yes, wake-on-lan (WOL) will be what you want. There is a guide in the Slimdevices wiki: http://wiki.slimdevices.com/index.php/WOL

It's best to setup your PC wired ethernet to your wifi router, and setting it to a static IP will also help make sure your squeezebox can find it correctly every time it starts up.

I don't normally recommend novice users use external drives for squeezecenter. But if I had to suggest one, I would say Seagate.

Here's a good 1T option for $150:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148332

[Goodsounds]

I don't normally recommend novice users use external drives for squeezecenter. But if I had to suggest one, I would say Seagate.

Here's a good 1T option for $150:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148332

I'm sure this or other Seagate drives will be excellent.

But to SteveSatch, you should be aware that external drives come in two flavors - those that are powered by the USB connection itself, and others that have a separate AC connection. Some people have a preference (the ones powered by the USB connection are more easily "portable" and produce less clutter). Some people don't care. For larger drives, you may be stuck with an AC cord in any event. You might want to look in stores, and ask people you know, to decide what works best for you.

[Nonreality]

I'm sure this or other Seagate drives will be excellent.

But to SteveSatch, you should be aware that external drives come in two flavors - those that are powered by the USB connection itself, and others that have a separate AC connection. Some people have a preference (the ones powered by the USB connection are more easily "portable" and produce less clutter). Some people don't care. For larger drives, you may be stuck with an AC cord in any event. You might want to look in stores, and ask people you know, to decide what works best for you.

I have a Seagate 750gB Free agent external than can be usb, firewire and sata. I have it hooked up with firewire and it's the best drive I think I've ever had. Really happy with it right out of the box.