The totally off-topic thread

[blackcat20]

Gosh, I can't believe you are able to use Vista. I lasted a couple of weeks and reverted back to XP then went on to later windows versions. I must say I love the current version while most people seem to hate it, according to HN and Good Guys. I have reinstalled a couple of the original windows apps though.

It was fine. I think my desktop has XP on it but the harddrive is full so it doesnt run anymore. Netbook has 7 I think. Looking forward to trying out the current version (8?).

 

[Flashback]

It was fine. I think my desktop has XP on it but the harddrive is full so it doesnt run anymore. Netbook has 7 I think. Looking forward to trying out the current version (8?).

In just over 6 weeks, Win 10 (free upgrade so long as it's triggered in the first 12 months from release)

 

[coriander]

Just means I'm without a computer for a few days... though I am open to suggestions.

I'm writing this on my newish Dell XPS-13 - an ultrabook that has Windows 8 and all my other software in a package that's almost as compact and light as my ipad Air 2. It is now my carry-everywhere laptop, has backlit keyboard, is dead silent and a beuatiful sharp screen. Highly recommended.

I have a collection of old laptops - Compaq, Acer, Asus, Alienware, etc. (about 6 I think) as a result of three boys going through secondary school. Several languish in cupboards - too old too slow too heavy, whilst three have been pressganged into workstations at work; whilst their battery life is short due to their age, they remain on main power all the time and are a compact solution on our vital overcrowded bench space.

 

[blackcat20]

In just over 6 weeks, Win 10 (free upgrade so long as it's triggered in the first 12 months from release)

Good to know, thanks.

I'm writing this on my newish Dell XPS-13 - an ultrabook that has Windows 8 and all my other software in a package that's almost as compact and light as my ipad Air 2. It is now my carry-everywhere laptop, has backlit keyboard, is dead silent and a beuatiful sharp screen. Highly recommended.

I have a collection of old laptops - Compaq, Acer, Asus, Alienware, etc. (about 6 I think) as a result of three boys going through secondary school. Several languish in cupboards - too old too slow too heavy, whilst three have been pressganged into workstations at work; whilst their battery life is short due to their age, they remain on main power all the time and are a compact solution on our vital overcrowded bench space.

I'm looking forward to my new Toshiba. Same screen size as my old one (15") but so much thinner and lighter! I have a stash of old laptops too; one from my PhD and an old school one somewhere...

 

[There'sOnlyOneJimmy]

My old laptop must know it's days are numbered; as of last night it loads the log-in screen with nothing on it. Can't log in, no matter how many times I reboot it...

This looks like a difficult issue to resolve without hands on tech assistance.
I've done a quick review and found that there are a large number of possible causes of this symptom, some of which need solid tech knowledge to troubleshoot.
I'd like to give you a quick recipe to try, but there's just too many possible causes. I think that if you want to put any time & money into it you'll need to take it to tech support. But that said, if you've already salvaged all the important files, then it may not make economic sense to even try.

If you don't want to put any money into it (to the point where you're ready to throw it out and you've got nothing to lose) and just want to have a go at DIY, then this article may assist -

Windows Vista Boots to a Black Screen with only the Mouse Cursor - Ask the Core Team - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

It goes pretty deep, and may not address yoour exact problem, but (with the above caveats) may be worth a try. Also note the list of some of the alternative procedures in the comment to the article dated 3 Mar 2014.
Hope this helps.
Good luck.
J

 

[Pushka]

We have a carpet of old laptops.

With the tablet style laptops, MrP detests the flat keyboards (real keyboards not the screen ones) but wants to get one. Do any of them come with a raised keyboard, that isn't flat eek

 

[RooFlyer]

My old laptop must know it's days are numbered; as of last night it loads the log-in screen with nothing on it. Can't log in, no matter how many times I reboot it...

My previous car sensed that it was on the way out when I visited the new car place for a test drive. About 3 things went wrong between that time and when the dealer finally took it off my hands, at which time it was on the car equivalent of life support.

Its a 2009 Toshiba running Vista...its not really worth saving and fortunately I've copied off all the files I need most. Just means I'm without a computer for a few days... though I am open to suggestions.

And my previous back-up was also a Toshiba running Vista . I couldn't believe that I had put up with it at any time! Fortunately I now have my old Sony as a back-up (Windows 8, but with a Win7 shell around it). I got it out the other day and updated everything on it, just in case ...

I have another old Sony laptop (died early) which I leave sitting in the living room plugged into its charger when I go away as bait should the place be broken into. Hopefully if its something like kids they will snatch that and leave the rest ... Small odds, but a cheap bet.

I'm looking forward to my new Toshiba. Same screen size as my old one (15") but so much thinner and lighter! I have a stash of old laptops too; one from my PhD and an old school one somewhere... .

I switched back to Toshiba when Sony left the laptop game. A Portege and very happy with it.

 

[blackcat20]

My previous car sensed that it was on the way out when I visited the new car place for a test drive. About 3 things went wrong between that time and when the dealer finally took it off my hands, at which time it was on the car equivalent of life support.


And my previous back-up was also a Toshiba running Vista . I couldn't believe that I had put up with it at any time! Fortunately I now have my old Sony as a back-up (Windows 8, but with a Win7 shell around it). I got it out the other day and updated everything on it, just in case ...

I have another old Sony laptop (died early) which I leave sitting in the living room plugged into its charger when I go away as bait should the place be broken into. Hopefully if its something like kids they will snatch that and leave the rest ... Small odds, but a cheap bet.




I switched back to Toshiba when Sony left the laptop game. A Portege and very happy with it.

I've always had Toshibas and been very happy with them. The only failure I've had (touch wood) was when my PhD laptop lost its boot file; fortunately all of my work was recovered the the computer wiped and reloaded.

 

[RooFlyer]

Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup .

Flames to win next year ..

 

[Pushka]

My new laptop is a Toshiba too. Three weeks old. Very nice. Sometimes the sleep function doesn't work properly though and the battery goes flat overnight. Not good when you decide to leave the charger at work.

 

[Pushka]

Heat a little olive oil in a pan.Throw in 2 cloves of garlic sliced finely plus one onion.
2-3 minutes then juice of a lime and a splash of white wine.Reduce 50%.Then throw in the cream,smoked salmon and fresh herbs.
Then throw in the pasta which has been cooking whilst making the sauce.
Easy peasy.

Master P asked for this for dinner tonight so had to do a bit of searching - yay, found it.

 

[JohnK]

Are we all ready for the real life Greek Tragedy to play out? They may get booted out of the Euro pretty soon.

The arrogance is amazing. Still can't believe they voted in a communist government after all they went through in 1947.

 

[anat0l]

From Win XP onwards, I have not had significant problems with Windows and stability. All of them, however, suffer from much the same thing, which is that the speed and stability wane as they age without a refresh. This is mainly due to installing new stuff, de-installing it, caching / wipe caching, countless updates patched into place, etc. As new programs came in and start to push the boundaries, and perhaps old programs do the same the other way, the OS also starts to strain under that.

I did move off Vista fairly quickly after Win 7 was introduced, as even though I wasn't having big problems, with the pundits all around not happy I thought it would be best to move.

Diagnosis of problems in Windows these days are really formulaic with the exception of some specific stuff. At the very end, backing up (perhaps by going through the back door, e.g. boot from USB Linux) and refreshing is the go-to solution.

With the tablet style laptops, MrP detests the flat keyboards (real keyboards not the screen ones) but wants to get one. Do any of them come with a raised keyboard, that isn't flat eek

You won't find a tablet that comes with a keyboard - they are all optional extras. The exceptions are, of course, the laptops with touch screens, which can be used as a tablet as well.

There are several accessory keyboards out there, at various prices. I don't know how cheap they can go, but they are not exactly rare. These keyboards connect via Bluetooth, which means you won't get "true" integration with the system you are using until the Bluetooth adapter pairs with your keyboard, which is not necessarily from the get-go. (Of course, this means you target device must have a Bluetooth adapter).

Not sure what you mean by a "flat keyboard" versus a raised one; I assume this means a keyboard with actual raised keys rather than the absolute flat style (e.g. Surface keyboards). But there are certainly "raised" accessory keyboards available.

 

[TomVexille]

Master P asked for this for dinner tonight so had to do a bit of searching - yay, found it.

Had it last week

 

[TomVexille]

Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup .

Flames to win next year ..

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dynasty baby!

 

[robd]

Seeing that the computer topic has arisen, I am interested to know what the best way is to dispose of the old ones? I have 3 old laptops and a desktop computer that is gathering dust and taking up space, but don't want to toss them in the garbage lest there be valuable data (bank, FF account, photos, passwords etc.) that can be used by evil people for no good. Are you supposed to remove the hard drive somehow and smash it to smithereens?

 

[anat0l]

Master P asked for this for dinner tonight so had to do a bit of searching - yay, found it.

Next time he can try to do it himself.

 

[anat0l]

Seeing that the computer topic has arisen, I am interested to know what the best way is to dispose of the old ones? I have 3 old laptops and a desktop computer that is gathering dust and taking up space, but don't want to toss them in the garbage lest there be valuable data (bank, FF account, photos, passwords etc.) that can be used by evil people for no good. Are you supposed to remove the hard drive somehow and smash it to smithereens?

Depends on if you want to retain the components or not.

If you want to retain the components, then a format and wipe is recommended before giving it away / on-selling it. You can easily get utilities which boot from USB (or CD, or even floppy disk if they are that old) which can do the wipe for you. If you have enough time on your hands and don't mind a computer just chugging away for a long time, you can select the 7 or even 35 pass wipes (they will take a very long time!)

If you don't want to retain the components and are happy to see them destroyed, then the following article may give you some tips to destroy your hard drive:

10 Easy Ways to Destroy a Hard Drive (with Pictures)

Be careful when destroying your hard drive as many of the components can be toxic when subjected to heat or other physical / chemical disturbance. Wear PPE, be in a well ventilated area and be prepared for an emergency situation.

As an alternative, you can always just wipe then throw it away without further physical intervention.

 

[RooFlyer]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dynasty baby!

Looking for the 'intense dislike' button ( I'm assuming you didn't mean a Flames dynasty! )

 

[robd]

Depends on if you want to retain the components or not.

If you want to retain the components, then a format and wipe is recommended before giving it away / on-selling it. You can easily get utilities which boot from USB (or CD, or even floppy disk if they are that old) which can do the wipe for you. If you have enough time on your hands and don't mind a computer just chugging away for a long time, you can select the 7 or even 35 pass wipes (they will take a very long time!)

If you don't want to retain the components and are happy to see them destroyed, then the following article may give you some tips to destroy your hard drive:

10 Easy Ways to Destroy a Hard Drive (with Pictures)

Be careful when destroying your hard drive as many of the components can be toxic when subjected to heat or other physical / chemical disturbance. Wear PPE, be in a well ventilated area and be prepared for an emergency situation.

As an alternative, you can always just wipe then throw it away without further physical intervention.

Wow, some of those methods are very extreme. Might wipe the hard drive, then run over it with the car (wearing gloves, face mask and using a long pair of tongs to chuck it in the bin). :shock: