Friday March 29, 2024

Converting a Virgin Webplayer into a PC

About the DOC

The DOC (Disk On Chip) I've been referring to is a 48mb 32-pin flash chip that holds the default operating system of the Webplayer. It contains an embedded controller that emulates a standard hard disk interface. If you don't have a spare laptop or desktop drive hanging around, there are utilities available that allow you to put Win98 lite or linux on the DOC. If you'll be installing a hard drive, there is absolutely no need to keep the DOC in there, but it won't hurt anything if you leave it in. I decided to remove it, but you can skip the next step if you don't intend to remove it.



Step 5: Extracting the DOC

If you have a chip extractor, removing the DOC is a simple task. Just place the edges of the extractor under the grooves between the DOC and the socket and pull up. If, on the other hand you aren't a proud owner of a chip extractor, this job can be completed using a flat head screw driver.. you just have to be a bit more careful. Work each side a little at a time and don't use too much force all at once or you'll have bent or broken pins.



Step 6: Making Room for the Hard Drive



After removing the motherboard, you should have been left with a gutted case as pictured. If you aren't installing a laptop hard drive in the case you can skip this step or adapt it to your application. The laptop drive won't fit in the case without a little modification. I've seen other mods involving removal of three of the plastic motherboard stands, along with using double-sided tape to keep the hard drive in place. Since I didn't have any tape and also wanted to keep the destruction to a minimum, I found the optimal place for the hard drive. The only thing that stood in my way was a single motherboard stand.

Now, you've probably been wondering what those needle nose pliers would be used for. Although I'm sure the plastic stand could have been removed by hand, the pliers allow for easier twisting of the plastic fins on the stand. Without very much effort, I removed the plastic stand along with the piece of metal. I was left with a nice flat area that no longer obstructed the drive. The drive then fit firmly bewteen the outer edge of the case and the other two motherboard stands to the right.

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