Personal computing discussed

Search found 119 matches

by demolition
Tue Jul 09, 2019 5:51 am
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Does this exist? VNC-like remote access through a sort-of KVM?
Replies: 7
Views: 9213

Re: Does this exist? VNC-like remote access through a sort-of KVM?

You could probably rig something with a Raspberry Pi Zero to emulate the keyboard/mouse, and aim a webcam at the display. Kind of ghetto, but ought to get the job done. Requires that the target system support USB keyboard and mouse since the RPiZ can't emulate PS/2 protocol. For the video, perhaps ...
by demolition
Thu Jul 04, 2019 8:42 am
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: Mass Transit Safety
Replies: 31
Views: 6382

Re: Mass Transit Safety

If by 'safety' you mean danger to your health then I think the risk is very small in general if you consider just how many people gets transported by mass transit every day. Driving in busy traffic isn't exactly safe either, although the risk of serious injury in a modern car is relatively small, pa...
by demolition
Thu Jul 04, 2019 2:53 am
Forum: Echo Vale
Topic: Looking for good open-ear headset
Replies: 10
Views: 6369

Re: Looking for good open-ear headset

Igor_Kavinski wrote:
You don't have to go expensive. Get the SR850 and incredulously marvel at their price/performance ratio.

Perhaps I'm missing something but I don't see a mic on those..
by demolition
Tue Jul 02, 2019 3:35 pm
Forum: Cases and Power Supplies
Topic: new PSU now SATA drives won't load
Replies: 24
Views: 12794

Re: new PSU now SATA drives won't load

Btw if I did indeed fry the electronics on these disks I assume the data is still recoverable provided I can find a new circuit board for them. I guess not for the SSDs but the magnetic drives....yes? (Please give a glimmer of hope lol) You used to be able to buy a drive with the same controller bo...
by demolition
Tue Jul 02, 2019 7:24 am
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: Which hair dryer do you use?
Replies: 33
Views: 8212

Re: Which hair dryer do you use?

Hair spray obviously - find one with a flammable propellant, use it with a lighter and your hair will be dry in a matter of seconds. A bonus is that next time you shower, you will no longer have any hair that needs drying so it will be even easier.
by demolition
Thu Jun 27, 2019 4:33 am
Forum: System Builders Anonymous
Topic: Retro Build
Replies: 31
Views: 9148

Re: Retro Build

The 2GB limit might not be a problem with the SB Live! sound card if you use the kX Project driver. I used that with my Live! card with Win XP back in the day and it was a lot better than the official drivers. Of course, if you decide to go Linux only, then this doesn't matter..
by demolition
Wed Jun 26, 2019 9:26 am
Forum: Storage
Topic: I've been trying Raxco Perfect Disk for NTFS Defrags
Replies: 48
Views: 13060

Re: I've been trying Raxco Perfect Disk for NTFS Defrags

Swap might see itself re-written several thousand times a day, whereas system files and stuff like the MBR/GPT will remain essentially unchanged for the service life of a volume. Without any wear-levelling done an SSD will end up with dead blocks and reduced capacity while the non-volatile sections...
by demolition
Wed Jun 26, 2019 4:10 am
Forum: Storage
Topic: I've been trying Raxco Perfect Disk for NTFS Defrags
Replies: 48
Views: 13060

Re: I've been trying Raxco Perfect Disk for NTFS Defrags

I do use defrag utils from time to time and even on purpose on flash media.. I find it useful when I am building images for various systems and after I finished installing everything, configuring stuff and cleaning up what I don't want, then I do a defrag before resizing the partition to a small siz...
by demolition
Mon Jun 17, 2019 9:29 am
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: For movies on disc (yeah), do you ever register your "digital copy?"
Replies: 32
Views: 5788

Re: For movies on disc (yeah), do you ever register your "digital copy?"

Usacomp2k3 wrote:
It's nice to have that option, especially when it is free.

https://blogs.harvard.edu/futureofthein ... e-product/
:-)
by demolition
Mon Jun 17, 2019 9:24 am
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: For movies on disc (yeah), do you ever register your "digital copy?"
Replies: 32
Views: 5788

Re: For movies on disc (yeah), do you ever register your "digital copy?"

To me, with all the DRM, they just feel like a scam. You would have thought by now they've learned that they need to provide something better than pirated versions if they want to defeat it. Piracy used to be a problem mainly because pirated versions were less hassle to get and the quality was bett...
by demolition
Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:37 am
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: For movies on disc (yeah), do you ever register your "digital copy?"
Replies: 32
Views: 5788

Re: For movies on disc (yeah), do you ever register your "digital copy?"

I tried doing it once just to check it out. Obviously it was DRM-infected and the quality was horrible so I really couldn't see the reason to use it as I would never watch that version. I can see that it kinda makes sense if you can use it to activate the movie on other services that you already use...
by demolition
Tue Jun 04, 2019 3:25 am
Forum: Echo Vale
Topic: Need Advice on External Equalizer
Replies: 10
Views: 9039

Re: Need Advice on External Equalizer

I read a review that said that Denon did the five channel stereo well. But, I'm not sure what that means. Is that like a 5.1 setup, except it's just stereo? It can do several types of upmixing where it takes a 2-channel input, applies some filters are splits it in multiple channels. A well-known me...
by demolition
Tue Jun 04, 2019 3:13 am
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: What's a good vacuum?
Replies: 49
Views: 7934

Re: What's a good vacuum?

I'm eyeing cordless vacuums. Anyone use those? So far I've acquainted myself with the Dyson and Shark websites, but it's impossible to find a review that seems honest and thorough, so any advise you all can give me is much appreciated. I have a Dyson V7 Motorhead and it sucks, quite literally.. (ye...
by demolition
Mon Jun 03, 2019 10:16 am
Forum: Echo Vale
Topic: Need Advice on External Equalizer
Replies: 10
Views: 9039

Re: Need Advice on External Equalizer

The reason it has pre out is so you can connect either active speakers or passive speakers through an external power amplifier. I'm a little confused - you write you have 4 speakers and a sub but is only using the receiver in stereo mode. How does that work? Using zone 2 for the loopback path would ...
by demolition
Wed May 22, 2019 8:38 am
Forum: Windows
Topic: Windows 10 Build 1903
Replies: 20
Views: 7243

Re: Windows 10 Build 1903

I had to use the media creation tool to upgrade from 1803 to 1809 on mine. I expect the same will be true for 1903. Yeah, I have the same issue with my desktop PC. It is still running 1803 and the two feature updates up to that version I only got because I forced the upgrade using the image created...
by demolition
Mon May 20, 2019 2:31 am
Forum: Graphics
Topic: How do i obtain 144Hz refresh rate on my new Asus Monitor?
Replies: 21
Views: 13622

Re: How do i obtain 144Hz refresh rate on my new Asus Monitor?

It seems that everyone here is assuming that the OP wants 144 Hz for gaming although it is not mentioned anywhere.. For plain 2D/desktop usage there is a big advantage in going 120+ Hz instead of the usual 60 Hz refresh rate. After I have gotten used to running 120 Hz on my desktop at home, all 60 H...
by demolition
Mon May 06, 2019 12:07 pm
Forum: Motherboards, Chipsets, & RAM
Topic: Weren't bad caps only an early 2000s phenomenon?
Replies: 38
Views: 13161

Re: Weren't bad caps only an early 2000s phenomenon?

I remember it being mostly a problem until around 2005, but even quality electrolytic caps can still dry out if they have been running very hot like right next to heatsinks in monitor/TV PSUs or simply if they have not been charged for many years. Many years without an applied voltage will degrade t...
by demolition
Mon May 06, 2019 11:55 am
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Bricked mini-pc - what to try?
Replies: 2
Views: 4124

Re: Bricked mini-pc - what to try?

If you didn't check the power switch, then that would definitely by my number one suspect.
by demolition
Tue Apr 23, 2019 8:02 am
Forum: Motherboards, Chipsets, & RAM
Topic: RAM
Replies: 8
Views: 5938

Re: RAM

I guess in theory it should be possible to make an adapter which will take two single-rank DIMMs and install it into a single slot to present them to the system as one dual rank DIMM? I might be missing something though. Obviously the system should support dual rank DIMMs, but I think most systems s...
by demolition
Tue Apr 23, 2019 4:59 am
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: High CRI LED bulbs -- I need!
Replies: 24
Views: 8373

Re: High CRI LED bulbs -- I need!

It probably varies from country to country, but I found that the LED bulbs they sell in IKEA around here are quite good value for money. I always go for bulbs with >90 CRI and warm/2700K temp and these fit the bill. Since they just specify >90, I cannot know whether it is actually 91 or 95, but the ...
by demolition
Wed Feb 06, 2019 10:00 am
Forum: Networking
Topic: Upgrading internet connection, time to upgrade firewall -- recommendations?
Replies: 28
Views: 13064

Re: Upgrading internet connection, time to upgrade firewall -- recommendations?

I am very happy with my EdgeRouter X as well. It may not be able to saturate a 1GBps connection if you need SPI, but without SPI it will handle it just fine. Due to the ridiculously low price it may seem like a low-end product at first glance, but it most certainly is not.
by demolition
Sat Dec 01, 2018 1:05 pm
Forum: General Software
Topic: "Single Signon" Browser Tabs...does something like this even exist?
Replies: 10
Views: 4475

Re: "Single Signon" Browser Tabs...does something like this even exist?

Have your browser remember your login info? Then you will just have to type the master password for the browser to provide you with access to all the individual ones. You could also use some external password manager like KeePass. In any case, being able to paste passwords will take care of the prob...
by demolition
Tue Oct 16, 2018 3:40 am
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: What's wrong with this Brother printer?
Replies: 2
Views: 2749

Re: What's wrong with this Brother printer?

Probably needs new printer heads. Some times they are replaceable but quite often they are almost as expensive as a completely new printer which is why many people tend to discard their printers rather than fixing them once they start exhibiting problems. I would start by cleaning the printer heads ...
by demolition
Mon Sep 17, 2018 7:29 am
Forum: Mobile Tech
Topic: Phone gives random popup ads
Replies: 10
Views: 8557

Re: Phone gives random popup ads

I'd go for a factory reset just to make sure any malware is cleaned out, and if it still happens then return it as faulty. While a stock ROM should not contain malware (which it sounds like it is), it is not completely unknown to happen. If it is a known 'feature' from the vendor, then I'd replace i...
by demolition
Sun Sep 16, 2018 5:25 am
Forum: Cases and Power Supplies
Topic: Should I upgrade my power supply?
Replies: 10
Views: 9151

Re: Should I upgrade my power supply?

Like the other poster, I'd say that if your PSU is a good quality brand and is not lacking power, then I see no reason to replace it. My PSU is also about 8 years old now, but it is an Antec PSU with internals built by Seasonic so I have no plans to replace it any time soon. It has served me well fo...
by demolition
Sun Sep 16, 2018 5:17 am
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Laptop turns off suddenly
Replies: 73
Views: 10032

Re: Laptop turns off suddenly

As long as the laptop is running, I don't see moisture as a big concern if you stick it in the fridge. Condensation happens when air hits a colder surface and is cooled down. WIth a powered on laptop, this is the opposite. The laptop is hotter than the air around it, which will cause the relative hu...
by demolition
Sun Sep 16, 2018 5:11 am
Forum: General Software
Topic: looking for a Windows event monitor
Replies: 7
Views: 4762

Re: looking for a Windows event monitor

I used this little tool when I had similar issues with loss of window focus to pinpoint what caused it: http://www.happydroid.com/focus Keep it running in the background and it will print the active process name on a new line every time the focus changes. There is also Process Explorer from MS which...
by demolition
Fri Sep 14, 2018 3:32 am
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: My thoughts on the Prusa I3 MK3 3d printer kit
Replies: 167
Views: 28566

Re: I got a delivery last night...

This is just a horrible product idea. I could think of a million (okay, maybe not literally) things that I would rather be able to print stuff on.. The big question here is - will it work with actual cheese? The yellow sheets on the pic looks like the cheap stuff you can get that looks like cheese b...
by demolition
Wed Sep 12, 2018 5:49 am
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Laptop turns off suddenly
Replies: 73
Views: 10032

Re: Laptop turns off suddenly

just brew it! wrote:
Short of physically snapping off fan blades (which is a definite risk!), I'm a little puzzled as to how high pressure air could've damaged it.

Perhaps the air pressure could push some dust to become lodged inside the bearing?
by demolition
Tue Sep 11, 2018 5:02 am
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Laptop turns off suddenly
Replies: 73
Views: 10032

Re: Laptop turns off suddenly

My first thought when something like this happens is overheating. Yes, it may not feel like the laptop is overheating, but remember that if it feels hot on the outside that means that it is actually able to dissipate the heat. When a fan is clogged, the heat just builds up inside and the CPU can ver...

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