shai

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> "NO, PUNY MORTALS....YOU PARKED OVER THERE!!!!!!"

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> I considered that, but I wouldn't know where to begin. I was going to drop the platter into a different case, but I doubt it's that simple. If you/he could maybe email me some pointers, I'd give it a shot. This guy has written off the drive as a complete loss at this point...I'd love to prove him wrong.

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> Bump. Thanks, casek...but is that a Linux app? Also, it's a Mac drive...I can fix it on my comp, but I need the right tools. The drive makes some weird chirping noise when it's powered up. Usually, that means it's all bad, from my experience. The data is intact, I think...but the arm is stuck and won't read the platter. My bad...I just loked, and saw it was for Mac. Thanks, we'll try it out! We'll send you a list of movies if it works. Than, we'll work out the details.

So, anyone miss me? What's been going on? I'm not messing with the chemicals much...I haven't had time. I owe somebody on here some gear...he knows who he is, and to him I apologize, things got seriously weird thes past few months but I may be able to get that squared up soon. I'll remember who it is if he sends me a message and tells me what he ordered for me, so nobody try anything funny, okay? Just figured I should stop by and say hello...I'm out of ideas for now, but everything I had to share is on here. You just have to go back and look for it. Have fun! Oh, and don't boil ink...that doesn't work, it just makes your house reek.

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> Oh, I forgot...I posted a few days ago that my comp hadn't crashed while using a beta install. Guess what happened less than an hour after I wrote that? Not only did it crash, it left about 100MB of files with read-only status on one of my drives, and I can't erase them since that's where all my music is stored. I'd have to reformat the drive...no thanks. Then, I found out that the release date for MEPIS got pushed back another two weeks. At least they're doing what they need to do to make it solid, I guess. So I get to try Grafpup, and it rocks. If I had to recommend a distro for anybody on the board, this would probably be it. Also, my roommate has a 200GB hard drive that he dropped that we're trying to retrieve the data from. I tried freezing it, but that didn't help. Somebody probably has dealt with this before, so if you have any advice I'd like to hear it. There may be some movies in it for whoever comes up with a solution, if incentive is required.

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> I'll try my best. I am admittedly biased, since my last (self-inflicted) XP ordeal meant seeing a lot of work and music go down in flames. I decided then and there that there wasn't a OS or program worth paying for, since nothing/no one is guaranteed to not hose my computer...there should be an all-purpose disclaimer for software, free or not...something like, "This application/OS is only under warranty until it is installed. Humans make mistakes, and blaming technology for your own shortcomings makes you look like a sore loser. Good luck." Well, that's how Linux works, and I respect that. Mainter is right, but he's looking at it from a certain point of view. Before I continue, I'll take the following into account. 1. Your friend has the money to spend on a new laptop. That means he can get a clean install of XP Pro, which works fine if you know how to maintain it. Plus, he can get an extended care package, and take it in for service if (no, make that when) something goes wrong. I have my own reasons not to take this route, but I'm practical enough to see that my opinions aren't gospel truth, and I'm not here to sell anything. However, I think people are finally realizing that the only thing they really need to buy is hardware, and that free doesn't mean second-rate- Firefox, Open Office, Avast, and Java are all free, for example. 2. He's only used Windows, and doesn't want to have to learn a new OS from the ground up. This is a huge thing for some people, and shouldn't be overlooked. Also, I should add that Macs have a really easy learning curve, but that works for and against them. When you make something idiot-proof, that also means it's usually a lot harder to fix or hack, and if he plans to do anything beyond day to day computing it will become more of an issue the more he learns. 3. The time commitment involved with OSS (Open Source Software, which covers Linux. BSD and anything under the GPL) is considerable. If he's in college, he may need his computer right now and not be interested in coding in his spare time when he could be drinking beer and laying some pipe. It's great if he can do all three (I have), but it's not easy. The best thing about Linux is that it's free. You don't have to pay for it, and once it's on your computer you can change it as much or as little as you want to suit your needs. It's also the biggest collaborative project in history, with about 29 million users all over the world contributing their time and skill- right now, I'm actually helping out by using Linux to look at this page, and realizing that the way my stylesheet interacts with the text on 12 oz. (which runs on a Linux server, I've been told) could use some improvement. I can tell Opera to look into this, but I'll probably just fix it myself...and, if I think that it's a good patch, I can share it with other users. This is also the worst thing about Linux, too. It puts you in the driver's seat and hands you the keys, and the only way to learn how to drive it is to get out there and make it happen. It assumes a lot of its users, because you either have to be smart or broke (or both) to be motivated enough to make it work for you. There's a lot of helpful folks that will guide you, and tons of books on the subject...but it is up to you to figure out what you need to know, and if you lack patience and go on a forum saying things like, "It's broken, I don't know why, somebody needs to fix this for me RIGHT NOW," you can almost bet that no one will touch your problem until you can explain it in detail and wait for them to take the time to look into it. Personally, I like that, because it taught me how to solve my own problems instead of looking like the village idiot every time I made a mistake. No one is getting paid to fix your computer for you anymore, so you need to be nice or do it yourself. It's not hard to learn, but you'd be surprised. As far as recommending which distribution to install, that's a tough one. I've been using Grafpup 104 lately, which is good for me. It's primarily for graphic work, but it is a good general-use OS with a nice interface. It's not what I normally use, but I'm definitely impressed with it, so far. If he's interested, he should look at distrowatch.com- they keep an up-to-date list of all of the currently available versions of Linux, and he can read the articles on there to decide what would suit him best. Also, you can use a live CD to try out a lot of different things without having to install anything on your hard drive. A live CD simply loads the kernel into your RAM, and runs apps from the CD drive as they are needed. As far as software goes, there's tons of stuff to choose from. It's not hard to find programs that are as good as anything for XP that sell for hundreds of dollars. The GIMP is the best thing I've used for graphics and photo editing. Open Office for word processing, GAIM for chat, Azereus for torrents...KDE is a desktop suite and it comes with all of the above. It's a good way for most folks to try out Linux who are used to XP, anyway. I hope this helps. And, to whoever else is contemplating the switch, good luck....and make backups, you'll be glad you did.

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> casek, doesn't the oz. have a chat function? Now we can talk shit indirectly in real time! YAHOO!

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> Hey, I'm on Gaim now....had to talk to my roommate.

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> Casek, is there any way I can chat with you? I use Gaim, my handle is CoolCalmChris. I'll sign on right now....Mainter, you too. This is about the forum/board thing, BTW.

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> Not that I know of...I'm right there with you, but my situation involves about a hundred .wav files I sort of forgot to compress to mp3. You might want to check out Picasa. It's Google's free photo editing tool...and, it's really easy and fun to use. It's nothing serious, but they may have something that will do a batch resize. If this is to post photos online, try Photobucket. They rule.

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> Mainter- who? Casek- who? Answer Man- WHOOOOOOOO!!!! My comp hasn't crashed in three days...before you give me a hard time, I'm using a beta installation...rugged. I just needed to get the partitioning right, and so far, no more headaches. It freezes when I use Amarok sometimes, but that's also a beta version. And, Mainter- is there anyway to strip down OOO without fucking it up? I stripped it down to 130 MB, but EVERYTHING in KDE depends on it. I don't need it, but KDE does.

Taaaa-DAAAAAA!!!!!! I missed this shit.

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> Routers, I mean...I'm kind of drunk.

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> What I REALLY want to know is how Mainter's spelling and punctuation can go from hero to zero in nothing flat. Just kidding...what's shaking? How are those Cisco servers treating you?

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> I always assumed that was the point. It's funny, I have lost 99% of my interest in graff, but I continue to post here. The best advice I have for anyone who writes graff who wants to learn how computers work is to get another computer, and use it like a sketch book. Keep your main box, but learn how to get your game tight on the other one. Try out new apps and operating systems, and take notes...when you feel confident enough with something, install it on your regular computer. At some point, you will probably ditch the second computer and be comfortable enough with your skills to install anything you want....and being able to fix things when they break. That's the way I got better at this, but I still have a lot to learn...oh, and never assume you know everything. Doing so will put you in check every time. Also, be nice to people. That pays off as well.

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> I always hear this, and think, "If it was set up any different, it would just be harder to get people to pay attention." You got this whole thing rolling way back when, casek. I'll give you all the credit. It's almost to the point where a separate forum would make sense, but I like things the way they are. People come here, and get advice they can understand from people they can identify with. Think back to when you first started out...I had to put up with tons of BS just trying to get simple questions answered on other boards. If someone wants to set it up, I'd be willing to add my "expertise" to any forum you guys decided to start. I also like the fact that there's a lot of info volunteered on here...most boards don't do that, it's strictly a Q&A format. Basically, shai is okay with it.

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> Seems like it...someone asked me late last night about how to install Avast, so I did my best to explain the process and told him to ask you or casek if he got confused. Tired...need a nap. See you all later.

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> AVG- http://www.grisoft.com Avast- http://www.avast.com Both of those are links to the vendors. While you're at it, get these, too- Spybot- http://www.safer-networking.org (anti-spyware) Webwasher- http://www.cyberguard.com/products/webwasher/webwasher_products/classic/index.html?lang=de_EN (adblocker) Crap Cleaner- http://www.ccleaner.com (registry and temp file cleaner- this is a really powerful tool, read the directions twice and don't use it if you don't understand how it works- come back here, someone will explain it to you) ZoneAlarm- http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/zap_za_grid.jsp (firewall- there's a update feature in this that should be disabled, but I forgot the specifics- someone here should know more about this) All this stuff is free, and was used on XP by yours truly. Except for ccleaner, it's all fairly straightforward stuff and easy to install and use. The trick to ccleaner is telling it NOT to erase certain .ini files in the registry- Mainter knows which ones. And, again, if you install any security hardware, you have to uninstall what you are replacing. Otherwise, your comp will turn into a angry gorilla and beat the shit out of you. I don't miss using any of these, personally. All I run now is Guarddog, which is the KDE firewall...somehow it seems to leave the ports alone and filter out the crud. The following is for the other nerds on here....remember the OSX trojan from a few months back? It was embedded in a JPEG of a Tiger screenshot...anyway, turns out the only way it could run is if the machine was in root, and since nobody thought to scan it, people went ahead and opened it up...which ran an executable that fucked up the filesystem and spread through iChat to anyone who was on the host's buddy list. That's when I found out that file extentions are arbitrary in UNIX. They're mostly there as a convenience- for example, if it's a JPEG or BMP, it goes in /pictures, mp3's go into the /music file, etc. But, if you get a file from an untrusted source and don't bother to check it in mc or a text editor, you'd have no idea what the file was, and if it was something similar to the OSX trojan used in root, it would be nothing for it to run, say- umount -f -a shred -n 50 -z /dev/hda shred -n 50 -z /dev/hdb shred -n 50 -z /dev/sda ... -which would completely kill all your drives, mounted or not. I guess it would be possible for someone to add -f to the shred string and skip the umount command, and the user would never see it coming till it was too late. I haven't run across any viruses yet- most of them were written by developers as stress test, I hear...but, I thought it would be a good idea for people who are using open source to know about this. So, check anything you don't trust as a user in mc- it's easy to use, and it tells you when a file is executable regardless of the extension- also, back up your media and config files, and keep an install disc handy- one of the side effects of more folks going open source is the increased chance of this sort of thing happening.

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> AVG- free.grisoft.com/ Avast- http://www.avast.com/ There's tons of other links out there...I found these on Google in, oh, about a minute. I'm just razzing you, nightcrawler, don't mind me.....it's been a long day. Those link directly to the vendors, so don't worry, they're the real deal. That's another thing- I found Altavista to be a much better resource for tech-related searches. Also, I like to root for the underdog, so check 'em out.

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> Man, that will load Myspace SOOOOOOO fast. :rolleyes: What do they do with that kind of capability? Oh, play chess.....but they proved that computers could beat humans at chess...tic-tac-toe is out...I guess they could program it to find my keys when I lose them. Don't get me wrong, it's just that at that point, it's strictly academic and not too different from a dick contest. No matter how fast they make computers, there will never be- -Accurate weather/geological event predictions -An end to pi, or the highest prime number -An answer to life, the universe, and everything Maybe if these guys were sociologists, they could get cracking on a way to convince people that unless humanity learns how to work together, it won't really matter how fast you can make a computer run as long as kids are starving and land is being fought over. Sorry, maybe I shouldn't read the news before I post here. I guess I'm just concerned about where our priorities as a species are, and why so many resources go into developing faster machines that eventually end up in a landfill somewhere. Something to consider. And, yes, it was a bad day. I'm done.

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> So how well does Vista work? As soon as I heard about that weird pseudo-DRM on top of NTFS thing, that turned me off for good. What was wrong with FAT? That's one of the few things from MS I still use. And, I'll stick with Gaim, thanks. Works fine, and I rarely IM anyone anyway.

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> I don't know, Mainter...MEPIS is really good, I'm not even using the offical release and it's kicking the ass off of SuSe already. SuSe is awesome, but 10.1 needs a LOT of work.Thing is, they're already working on 10.2, so maybe that's going to be the next big thing...who knows, the OSS thing evolves so fast, I can barely keep up! As far as how OSS stacks up against MS, it mostly depends on what you need to do. I'm stubborn, so if I can't make it work, I'll hack it till it does work, or move on.

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> I was fucking with an 8086 emulator the other day. casek, get a live version of something Debian based and check out the apt pools..tons of emulators on there...Apple II. Atari 800, NEC, etc...I'm still looking for a PDP-7 or PDP-11 emulator, just to get a clue as to what it took to do the original Unics/Multics coding.

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> Actually, Mainter did make a good point that showed me the light. He said that if you really wanted to understand computers, learn UNIX....so, that's what I'm doing. And, what do you know, he was right! He's a lot more right than me about most things. I think he's smart to go for MSCE certification...talk about job security. I'll stop talking shit for now. I think everyone knows where I'm coming from.

Re: «<< 12Oz Computer Tech Support >>> I know someone who writes SAPE, so even if you aren't him, I'll do you a huge favor. Forget Vista for now, stick with XP or go open source....if you go the OSS route, try using a simpler version of Linux (MEPIS, Ubuntu, there's others, just ask)...OpenBSD is stable as hell, but there's a lot of things missing from it that I need. IMO, that's where the future of computing is headed....POSIX compliance is good shit. (Sorry, Mainter...you know how I roll.) Or, get a Mac. The new Intel Macs are amazing. You can run XP and OSX and have it both ways...and Darwin is BSD based. Even if the kernel is closed you can get an idea how UNIX works at least. Vista is going to be a fucking nightmare for a while, and people are doing some interesting things with XP. Checked out some of the stripped down versions of XP such as barely naked, casek is on point there. Also, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTFS sums it up pretty well. When filesystems are back-incompatible, I get nervous. I like what MS did as far as pushing the x86 architecture, but they need to get with the program as far as OS compatibility goes. That's including previous Windows systems. (Mainter is gonna kick my ass for this.)