7513 Responses to "Member's Area Discussion" (displaying 4361 to 4380)

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10/26/20
14:25:25

lazee

"Most people don't know their 'free' Windows 10 won't allow a hardware change."

I took that to mean OEMs, which are almost free when you buy a new PC. But I now take you were talking about Windows 10 unactivated.

So they don't let you upgrade hardware with Windows 10 unactivated.

I didn't know that. I've read about the restrictions, but I guess my rose colored glasses didn't catch that info.

Good info to know, thanks. I've never used Windows 10 unactivated, but I thought that was an OK option if need be, yet not so much now.

So, before I had said Microsoft disabled access to Win 7, but in correction to that, I think that was actually with XP.

Microsoft evil? Perhaps, I just don't personify them that way. I treat them as a soulless machine, as with most big corporations. Yet I'll agree that most marketers are evil.

Note, malware can be deployed across operating systems, networks, and often do such at the server level, which includes Linux, big time. Malware packages are just files, designed to activate on the target system via various means. A malware package for Windows can sit on a Linux system with no issues detected, but then expose it to Windows.. not good. There's been exploits with most everything imaginable in IT, but most hackers like to at least target something that is clearly exploitable, as with Win 7. Also, running software via Wine on Linux is another risk. Also "modified" USB cables can deploy malware, and more, much more.

10/26/20
19:57:31

OldGeezer916

@lazee
No, I was talking about the year long free offer, not trying to use Windows 10 inactivated. 7 will actually work inactivated. It will bring up a black desktop & just above the time say This copy of Windows is not genuine. 8.1 will block off half the screen & be become unusable inactivated. I told you about my legit 8 once showing up not genuine. All I had to do was briefly enable the wireless & click to activate & it restored my key without having to enter it. If 8 is unusable inactivated, I doubt 10 is either. When you buy a machine with Windows 10 already on it, it is not free. The hardware vendor paid for the key & that is included in the price of the machine. I'm sure they pay a lot less for a bulk rate.

I suppose anything is possible with malware. Most of the time all it is just pretty much harmless adware, but can be much worse, even ransomware. I don't have to worry about that since I clone so often. I have had 2 attempts at that, but since you never run Linux as an administrator, all I had to do was a hard shutdown & when I booted back up it was gone. It temporarily locked me up, but nothing in Linux can install without your password. If that hadn't worked I could always boot up from the USB & clone over my NVME drive.

Have you tried one of the newer MVME chips? The speed on the new one I just installed is unreal!

Never used XP not genuine. I bought a laptop once with Vista on it & it was so bad I bought a genuine XP disk & wiped it out. XP was pretty good, but like 95 & Millennium it was still pretty much a glorified DOS shell.

10/27/20
03:36:46

lazee

@OldGeezer916

"No, I was talking about the year long free offer, not trying to use Windows 10 inactivated."

So now I guess you're talking about the free upgrade, from 7/8 to 10?

If so, then I now take it that you were rather wrong to say "their 'free' Windows 10 won't allow a hardware change". Yet being that you said "a hardware change" that could mean you were just talking about the motherboard, but still, your lack of detail leaves room for more obvious assumptions to be interpreted by the reader. Regardless, whatever license one had with 7/8 gets transferred to the 10 upgrade, which again involves this official policy: Windows allows all hardware upgrades except for an upgrade to a different model, or if you replace the motherboard.

"If 8 is unusable inactivated, I doubt 10 is either."

That's a big "if" and moot, as it's been well reported that both Windows 8 and 10 non-activated are usable, with 10 having very little restrictions. There have been many articles and videos about this.

"When you buy a machine with Windows 10 already on it, it is not free"

First of all, I said "almost free". Also, when a PC manufacturer acquires bulk OEM licenses from Microsoft, we are not privy to how much they paid or what deals were made, which may even include free OEMs that are passed on to the customer when they buy a new PC. Such as been speculated, as with the low cost HP Laptops sold to compete with Chromebooks. Furthermore, we do know that individual copies of OEM Windows 10 can be bought via online brokers for just $6, which means that broker paid even less.

"nothing in Linux can install without your password"

There are ways for a hacker to get and use your Linux password. Also, one can install compromised software and/or updates and not know it. Also, you can be owned and not know it. Which means, your clones/backups can just be copies of your owned system.

NVMe chips? I'll take it you mean NVMe SSDs. Yes, they are very fast, yet I still prefer to buy/use hard drives, as they are much cheaper and they reliably retain data longer (i.e. less data loss), as with cold storage of a lot data. Perhaps the latest SSDs will eventually retain data better, but I will have to wait and see, as time is the best test IMO. Also, I don't need the speed of SSDs. Yet I do have my eyes on portable/external SSDs, as unlike HDDs they can be dropped and such and still work. This would be handy for with my laptop, when I go on trips and such. Yet those are still too expensive for me right now, but more so they are still too small for my needs.

I had XP genuine, but I preferred XP pre-activated/hacked, as it was faster with all the extra crap removed, and it still got security updates through trusted yet unofficial means. So, I used "Tiny XP" and the like, with no issues, just for playing offline games. When I got locked out in XP, I think that was just a test before I upgrade to 7 legit, where I tried to update XP via MS to see what would happen, and alas I got my system locked, ha.

As for your MS hate, I reckon that's why you keep making these questionable claims, or perhaps I'm just hallucinating again, ha.

I at least reckon that MS is at least guilty of indirectly incurring PTSD and such on many dissatisfied users, who have found solidarity as devotees of the growing anti-MS cult, and perhaps some good will come from that, ha.

Which reminds me, "Google sued by DOJ in antitrust case over search dominance" .. hmm.

10/27/20
04:16:41

lazee

@OldGeezer916

Back in the day, we had a co-worker/friend who bought an expensive Microsoft ME laptop, after we warned him not to. He had issues with it, but we just laughed and gave him a hard time, ha. Then when Vista came out, we warned him against that, but he went ahead and bought an expensive Visa laptop, and he had issues with that too, ha. He then started getting into the stock market, and made some software on that Vista rig. He showed it to me a said "try to crash it". Just with a mouse, I crashed it in no time. It was a rather magical event, leaving him shocked. He later said it took him over a week to fix it and was all mad me, as if, ha. He then quit his job and got into investing. Then the market crashed and I was told he lost big time and went paranoid crazy, and became homeless, which isn't funny, but there you go. My point being, I guess we can blame MS for much of his downfall, with a little help from his friends, ha.

10/27/20
04:29:47

lazee

@OldGeezer916

Over the years, when friends/family have come to me for free computer advice, I've often told them to buy a Mac. And now I often tell them to buy a Chromebook.

Why?

Because I don't want to hear about their problems with Windows, ha.

10/27/20
12:28:37

Aussie67

Hi guys,

Long time user of the site, first time poster.

Love all the hard work each and every one of you do.

Was wondering if any of you fine people would be able to either upload or point me in the direction of (a download link for) "The Dog Doc" currently on Amazon Prime and recently released on BluRay.

With thanks

10/27/20
20:10:47

OldGeezer916

@lazee
Yes, by hardware change I meant replacing the motherboard. I should have been more specific. I know they don't don't care about things like video or audio cards.

Since I have always been legit on my 8.1, my only experience with it running not genuine was when for some unknown reason it mistakenly said it wasn't. Half the screen was blank when trying to run programs with a message that I needed to activate it. I don't know if it was necessary, but I enabled the wireless & had my key ready, but just clicking to activate was all it took. Guess it found it in the registry.

My problem with Vista was so many 3rd party programs it wouldn't let me install. I let me install Office & not much more. My biggest complaint about XP was if I was copying several files, in the middle it would tell me a file already existed & if I told it no,it would cancel the rest of the transfer just like in DOS. In 7 & 8 it waits until the end for the duplicates & you could tell it to skip one at a time or all of them. Don't know about Vista. I gave up on it after just a few hours.

7 would let me install most of my XP programs, but some of them didn't work right. Using compatibility mode fixed most of them. Upgrading from 7 to 8 I lost one barely used program. Upgrading Ubuntu from 16.04 to 18.04, I not only didn't lose any programs, I found many new programs came with it.

My new NVME chip is supposed to be good for 288 TB written. I was reading that the SMART value for percentage of life used can even go negative & still be good as long as it shows you have a decent amount of reserve blocks. Gsmartcontrol will not read the SMART on it, but the command line "sudo smartctl -a /dev/nvme0" gives you everything.

I know any password can be hacked if they want to go to the trouble, but it's still unlikely they would for just the average Linux home user. I'm sure Windows is a much more tempting target. Most malware is spread by people dumb enough to open attachments or click links in scam emails.

Did you read that PC World article about Microsoft forcing Intel & others to only support 10? It goes on to talk about a lot or other ways they were trying to force 10 on everyone. Trying to MAKE someone give up a system they like by even malware tricks is just wrong. Google "Microsoft Uses Malware Tactics To Push Windows 10" Unless you were using GWX Control Panel, Most 7 & 8 machines had secretly downloaded it as the deadline approached. Ever think you would have to do a hard shutdown to stop something from Microsoft from installing? They went from starting the install by clicking the red X to a window without an X with the only buttons "Install now" & "Install tonight".

10/27/20
20:45:12

lazee

@Aussie67

Perhaps I can find. Check back tomorrow.

Also note that FilmRise is the distributor, thus it may pop up later on their YouTube channel "FilmRise Documentaries".

10/27/20
21:38:46

lazee

@OldGeezer916

I never had such issues with Windows 10 being forced on me with 7. And I skipped 8 as I thought it sucked.

I guess I've been lucky.

I still keep XP mainly for Jasc Paint Shop Pro and the zillions of plugins I have for it. I also have a printer and scanner hooked to it, and extra parts as need be. You know the gig.

My 7 box is collecting dust. I'm pretty sure all the software I used on it is available for 10. I guess I'll put Zorin OS on it eventually.

Note that beyond the high read/write ratings and redundancy for top SSDs, those drives will die long before they ever reach such levels. When will they die? No one is sure, but they don't expect them to last as long as HDDs. In other words, even if you never use an SSD, it still gets old, and exponentially becomes more and more unstable over time, which means a higher rate of lost data, and more so than HDDs. Again, this loss has nothing to do with read/write ratings or redundancy. Think of SSDs like batteries.

That said, SSDs are great for an OS drive and such when you want speed, but best not to use them for archiving data.

10/27/20
22:37:38

lazee

@Aussie67

No can find. Ask again next year if you still can't find it.

10/27/20
22:41:18

Aussie67

@MenOfMayhem

Thanks and I certainly agree, doco's are a niche market.

10/27/20
22:44:12

Aussie67

@lazee

Thank you for trying and I'll keep my eyes peeled on their YouTube channel (great tip).

And I will make another inquiry/plea next year if I don't have any luck.

10/27/20
22:47:08

lazee

@MeH

K-Lite Codec Pack is a player? Hmm.

Also, MPC-BE is rated as the top free player for Windows on videohelp, and I concur.

10/27/20
23:18:45

lazee

@MeH

Oh. I would just install MPC-HC (if that's what one wants), and then install any needed coded if and when need be, or perhaps a codec pack. See, adding too many codecs can make things buggy with conflicts and such.

I've used MPC-HC and it came with all the popular codecs.

I see little need for a codec pack, but perhaps I'm hallucinating again.

So I take it that "mega" pack is full of all sorts codecs and more?

Also, doesn't K-Lite Codec Pack have ads?

Back in the day I used CCCP, as that codec pack had no ads. IDK if they are still around.

I haven't had to install a codec pack in over 10 years, as the players I've used include more codecs than I'll ever use, as with MPC-BE and foobar2000.

What does K-Lite Codec Pack do most for you?

10/27/20
23:30:29

OldGeezer916

@lazee
GWX Control Panel was available as soon as the nagware started & it blocked all the windows popping up too. It also blocked any secret 10 downloads, so it was never a problem for me. Microsoft did get sued over the forced installs especially for making people click through several screens on every boot up before they could say no to the update. They had to pay the bills for repair shops to clean it out. Some forced upgrades failed & rendered the machine useless. Early on, the forced firmware updates were crashing things, especially some Nvidia cards. A lot of people were sheep & just started clicking OK, which is what Microsoft was counting on.

I ran my first NVME 24/7 for 3 & a half years. It was rated for 180 TB's & I had written 130. It was still good when I replaced it. It was just the prices have fallen & the new one was so much faster. I have been using SSD's for my system disks & clones for about 5 years including the main machine I ran all the time & never had one fail. I stuck with Crucial brand only because I had such good luck with them.

I only dim my monitors when I sleep. You never actually turn off a monitor unless you unplug them anyway. I have 2 70 inch screens, one on a cabinet to the side of my waterbed & the other mounted to the base. One reason I run it around clock is I'm on 4 medications on different timing that pop up reminders. Since I have frequent wake ups, I'm never far off schedule.

8 got a bad rap for that metro desktop everyone hated. I installed classic shell right away because I already knew about it. It can give you back your 7 desktop, only with lots of options. It can even emulate an XP desktop. There are improvements in the file explorer I like. I've also read there is better background disk monitoring. 8 removed all gadgets. Some of them I liked. It wasn't long before there were programs out to put them back.

10/28/20
00:51:22

lazee

@OldGeezer916

Okay, yes, I now remember reports of such MS issues with that. I imagine that was less than acceptable for some folks as you. Wow! Seriously though, that was indeed an evil move.

Perhaps MS didn't get around to attacking my 7 PC with that forced update until after they toned that process down, or I read about it and thus proactively turned my MS updates off.

As I remember, some users would get it, yet others would not. Perhaps that has something to do with that "X" click thingy you mentioned? But no worries about explaining it all further, as I know about that event now.

Crucial, good to know. Noted.

Yup, I too use big displays. My main one is on 24/7, because it's my best friend, ha. I also have my own radio station going 24/7, with a playlist that lasts well over a week.

As an alarm, I use an old Nexus 7. I keep it plugged in and on 24/7. If the power fails it sill keeps on working. It no longer gets updates, so that's pretty much all it's good for now. Otherwise I'd use the alarm on my Casio watch, if I could find it. It's one of those classic calculator watches from the '80s, ha.

Yup, I know folks with 8 who like it, as with the fixes and such. If I was on 8 now, I'm sure I'd be happy with it. Too bad they just didn't keep updating 8 before moving of with 10. I'm sure those evil marketers are to blame, ha.

I used classic shell, until support ended. I don't use my start menu in 10 that much as it's sucky. I just make shortcuts to everything in a dropdown toolbar in my taskbar.

Gadgets, widgets, yup. I played around with those back in the day. Now like to keeps things minimal, but I do always have folders on my desktop, as a staging area to sort files.

I had a housemate that always kept his desktop clean. He was a extreme neat freak. I'm a moderate slob, yet still rather organized, where I allow the lazy me to dictate where I keep things. For example, if I keep putting my dirty clothes in that corner of my room, then that's where the dirty clothes basket goes, regardless if I had wanted it in the closet, ha.

10/28/20
01:06:48

lazee

@MeH

I don't doubt you, as it's really no matter to me, but on videohelp is says KLCP has ads, and there's this warning/note:

"If you install all the included codecs/decoders you might get problem with other video software on your computer."

But whatever, as it's rated 9.3/10 so reckon it's doing a great job for those who voted.

Regardless, if and when need be I'll perhaps give it a try, as CCCP is dead.

Thanks.

10/28/20
03:43:12

OldGeezer916

MS did use a variety of stunts & it was seemingly random who got them & which ones. The one that got a lot of people was putting the 10 upgrade in important updates because many just kept the default to automatically install them. Not me. Even when you would study them, the language was so deceptive you wouldn't find out until later you let them slip some telemetry in on you. When I checked the update that bricked all future security updates, I missed it. It wasn't until I read it again too late I had to squint between the lines to get it. As far as firmware, if something was working I saw no reason to update it. No choice in 10.

Playlist over a week. Sorry, I have to chuckle. I have around 15,000 tracks from mid 50, 60's, & 70's. I used to listen to an MP3 player 8 hours a day at work. I would set them to play alphabetically. I don't remember how many, but it took many months to get through them all.

I have 3 very large battery backups. I can lose power & run my main machine & both monitors for well over an hour & a half.

Don't know anything about support ending on classic shell. Must not need updates because it's working fine for me. I even put it on 7 because of all the extra options.

I'm kind of a hoarder. Not one of the freaks with dead cats in the freezer. I save stuff that could likely be useful later. I keep that stuff organized. Otherwise I'm a slob.

10/28/20
09:12:02

lazee

@OldGeezer916

I used to have a MUCH larger MP3 collection, but I went through it all and deleted the ones I didn't like, and tagged them all proper, and ran them through MP3Gain with a target volume of 94 db. I also had about 300 CDs that I ripped and did the same too.

Before CDs I had vinyl records and cassette tapes. The tapes were mostly recordings of college radio(circa 1979 to 1989), and the rest were mixes from our record collections. I used those radio tapes to find what I liked and then bought records, and later CDs. A friend owned an indie record store that I worked by, so I was there most every day for my lunch break. In circa 2004, I threw all my cassette tapes away, which filled up 3+ trash cans. Soon after that I gave all my vinyl records away to a friend.

I started downloading MP3s in circa 1994 via BBS, and I'm sure you know the rest of that story.

It took me decades to consolidate down to what I have know, with only the songs I like, and I'm very picky, involving a wide range of musical styles.

For the most part, I no longer have any LPs. Just individual songs, all in one big folder, of about 12,000 mp3 songs.

Foobar2000 has a great randomize feature, where I can make a playlist of my whole collection, and thus not hear the same song twice with that, but that only works if I'm playing from a PC. To play true random on an MP3 player device, I run a copy of my collection through Advanced Renamer, which give them random number titles. Thus I can play those one after another and not hear the same song twice. Being that it's truly random, I never know what I'll get, which I like.

I don't collect music much anymore, as I'm very satisfied with my collection as is. I've only added perhaps 20 songs to it over the past 5 years.

I listen to music to enjoy, not as a lifestyle, or to send a message about how cool I think I am or whatever, ha.

"I have 3 very large battery backups. I can lose power & run my main machine & both monitors for well over an hour & a half." ----- Wow, very cool!

When the power goes out here, I use a laptop and/or tablet, which gets me through a few days, when need be. I also have a portable battery I keep charged, to mainly power small appliances and LED lights as need be.

I also have a small trailer with a refrigerator and the like, that is powered via propane tanks. I actually lived in it for a about 4 years, and rented out my room in the house, ha.

"I'm kind of a hoarder..." That sounds like me. I have a lot of old stuff, much is junk but handy for parts and the like. I could get rid of the junk in one day if need be, as it's all rather organized in sheds and mostly in trash cans. Yup, cheap plastic trash cans work great for outdoor storage, and are cheap.

Obsessives hoarding is a serious problem for some folks. I've seen the worst of it, and it's not pretty. It's not just that they like to collect trash, it's also that they can't tolerate open spaces, where they have a great need to fill space with most anything, otherwise they get all stressed out. It truly is a mental disorder: "Obsessives Hoarding Disorder".

I do understand that having a lot of junk doesn't simply make one a hoarder. As most folks go through phases of collecting junk and cleaning things up, which can get harder to do as we get older.

But with those crazy hoarders, just the mention of throwing some of their trash away puts them in panic. As if they are facing losing a finger. They treat their trash as a living extension of their bodies, ha.

As you may know, there are specialized companies who deal with such hoarders, involving lawyers, psychologists, movers, fire departments, and police.

Then there's obsessive hoarders who are VERY organized, yet they spend WAY too much time and money on such to make it worth it. These are folks who often have 5 or more of common things.. 10 scissors, a hundred spoons, 40 pairs of shoes, and such. And as such, although there stuff is organized, they have so much stuff that they can't often find what they need in any reasonable time frame, as they can't remember where things are. They will dig through their well organized boxes for an hour, and then say "I found it", and then spend another hour organizing.

That neat freak I told you about, he was an obsessive hoarder. But he kept a numbered file system to keep track of where everything was in his many boxes. Yet he spent WAY too much time with all that, and he paid for storage, packed full of his boxes, all organized and numbered, ha. He stacked his boxes on wheeled carts, and had a floor plan map. It was like he was managing a warehouse, ha. I would tell him: chances are you will never need all that stuff, so why pay to keep it in storage? Let the "stores" be your storage for all that stuff you might need. That's why they call them "stores"!

I lived with this dude for 8 years, and he would visit his storage about once per month, mostly to pay his bill and perhaps jam more stuff in his box of boxes. It was very rare he ever actually used something from his storage. And if he did use something from storage, it was some superfluous thing, like a left handed flash light.

We went camping a lot, and I noticed he wouldn't simply keep his gear in his pack. He would keep all that stuff in his boxes in storage. It would take him hours to get ready. Yet I can just grab my pack and say "let's go". Ha.

I like to be ready to go with my stuff. Most of my stuff is on wheeled shelfs and tables, that I can roll all the way outside if need be.

I also have a full wall of shelfs, with a huge curtain in front of it. It works great!

I like to able to see my stuff. Not hidden in boxes, drawers and such.

My basic rules with stuff is: Avoid owning anything you can't simply move yourself, and if you don't use something at least once a year, then get rid of it.

That all said, I'm clearly a digital hoarder, but that a good thing IMO, ha.

10/28/20
09:47:40

lazee

@OldGeezer916

Also, I'm always buying and selling stuff, with the goal of making an overall profit from my stuff.

Thanks to the boomers, that surplus market has been huge and cheap. And thanks to the young hipsters, I've made some good money selling old stuff. For example, I had a huge collection of luggage cases from the '50s, that cost me near nothing in the '80s. I used them for storage. Then around 2002, I saw that those so-called hipsters were paying $200+ each for such. So I sold them all, ha. I guess those neo-hipsters didn't understand that it's only hip to own '50s luggage IF you paid near nothing for them, ha.