clueless from Portsmouth needs advice

[Neale]

You could buy a cheap second-hand PC off eBay for less than £100, install your existing PCI card in it (but make sure that if it is a full-height card, the PC is in a big enough box - a lot of the eBay PCs are "small form factor" which won't take a full-height card). Install Mach3 - you can still download it off the Internet. Copy across the existing licence file and settings from the old hard drive, and you are all set. Don't think about a USB/serial adapter - it probably would not work in this situation. All depends on whether you want to sell a working system or maybe keep it and use it, or just see the back of the whole thing with minimum effort.

Well, that's how I would do it, but I have to say that I'm better at IT than CNC...

[Crazy L]

Install Mach3 - you can still download it off the Internet. Copy across the existing licence file and settings from the old hard drive, and you are all set.

Well, that's how I would do it, but I have to say that I'm better at IT than CNC...

Thanks for the reply Neale. I still have the install file on my everyday PC, so that's not a problem, I also don't have the licence key anymore. I bought the mill 2nd hand as a going concern, but when the hard drive dropped dead in that PC, I lost the lot, and the tower that's just died now was primed for use as it had vista installed.

I'm better at CNC than IT, but only if I'm at a heidenhain of fanuc control , lol.