The Spam Thread!

[cpd2009]

With USB 3.0 and a USB hard disk, booting Linux externally shouldn't be a problem.

Nope >.<

As I've found out the hard way, many machines with USB 3.0 ports can't actually boot from them. Because these ports are connected to an external controller that isn't part of the chipset, and/or the UEFI BIOS isn't designed to support booting from USB 3.0 devices, usually out of sheer stupidity.

Well, I guess I'm going to have to see if Audrey can boot from the front USB 3.0 ports and see if it works. If not, then I will have to stick to slow flash drives I guess.

[Blackberry Bun]

Question:
If I move some free space from D partition to C partition, will it improve computer performance?
If I move the free space from C partition to D partition until there's nearly no free space left in C partition, will it hinder computer performance?

[RAMChYLD]

Question:
If I move some free space from D partition to C partition, will it improve computer performance?
If I move the free space from C partition to D partition until there's nearly no free space left in C partition, will it hinder computer performance?

That's because the computer creates temporary files (ie. browser cache, swap file, hibernation store) in the C partition regularly. So the C partition requires a lot of free space. Clearing it out helps.

As a rule of the thumb, always have at least 40GB free in the C partition, the more the better. Also, delete off any temprary files using the disk cleanup tool regularly and then defragment to keep the performance good.

Well, I guess I'm going to have to see if Audrey can boot from the front USB 3.0 ports and see if it works. If not, then I will have to stick to slow flash drives I guess.

I actually wasted money on a USB 3.0 flash drive >.< Again, out of the want of running Linux from a USB flash drive. And then promptly found out that Violette had trouble booting from the sole USB3 port. In fact, she doesn't detect anything connected to said port until the USB3 device drivers have loaded. Asus claimed that they knew about the limitation but aren't going to do anything about it >.<

[cpd2009]

Question:
If I move some free space from D partition to C partition, will it improve computer performance?
If I move the free space from C partition to D partition until there's nearly no free space left in C partition, will it hinder computer performance?

One more thing... if there are any programs that you haven't used in ages or never used, you should uninstall them to free up the space those unused applications take. Laptops usually come with pre-installed software (like CyberLink PowerDVD or trial versions of backup suites or games) and if you never use these, they can also go.

BTW, did you ever figure out that computer freezing issue your brother's computer had?

[RAMChYLD]

Gas prices went up by 20 cents today. Again government lied when they said that they weren't going to remove gas subsidies (yes, I saw this coming. This is the same government who implemented Internet censorship when up until a month before that they promised freedom of the net). Sad that the locals are so foolish, yellow and have the memory of a goldfish.

[cpd2009]

I went to create Audrey's Recovery Drive (to reinstall the factory Win8 image in case I have to replace the hard drive or hardware failure), but it turns out you can only transfer said image to a 16gb+ USB flash drive. You can make a System Repair Disc on a DVD, but not a full factory recovery set.

Luckily, I scored a 16gb Flash Drive for this purpose for only $15 on sale, and it will fit nicely in my little DVD case for all my recovery media, but they should have included the option to create a DVD set nevertheless.

[Blackberry Bun]

TW, did you ever figure out that computer freezing issue your brother's computer had?

It never happened again, even though made no attempt to fix it. I can only wonder.

[cpd2009]

I have been happy with Anna-Lena V3, the 32'' RCA HDTV that I got handed down from my brother. Great picture quality and support for PAL format pictures, but there is one random issue that she has that I'm afraid may be getting worse.

Once in awhile, she randomly shuts down and restarts as if the internal protection circult activates. At first, it happened infrequently enough that I can play a game or watch TV for a few hours without it happening. Now, it appears to be getting somewhat more frequent. It's still not enough to make the TV unuseable, but I'm afraid that in the near future, that will indeed happen, or worse, Anna-Lena will refuse to turn on. The TV is nearly seven years old, mostly cared for by my brother so it's otherwise in great shape.

If I do need to get a new 32'' HDTV, I have several options. First choice would be a "Sansui" brand set. They are basically a third-tier brand these days, but they don't have all the fancy picture processing that the name-brands have, and thus, input lag is so minimal that I can still play my Wii/PS2 games without any issues, at least with my old Sansui TV, Max. He was my first HDTV I got back in 2008, and he still works fine.

But, there are the name brand sets, which tend to come with better support and tend to last far longer than off-brands. One name-brand I may go for is a Sony... or the most basic Sony I can find. I have no need for built in WiFi or Netflix. I just need a basic, bare-bones set that I can watch my stuff on. There are basic Sony HDTVs that I can get for less than $300, but one thing I worry about is possible input lag on component, which is what I use for Lars and Elsie. A possible deal-killer is lack of PAL support. True PAL support isn't really a necessary feature, but it is nice to watch my R2 DVDs in their intended picture formats without any sort of on-the-fly conversion. Anna-Lena v2 and her current form both support PAL video over AV/Component connections.

As for brands to avoid...

I know that LG sets can induce horrible lag on component connections, as attested to by David and Quetzal III I believe, who is an LG set. For me, LG is a brand to be avoided because of this.

Another brand I need to avoid is Vizio. They look like great TV sets, but I heard that they tend to crap out within a short period of time because of a poor quality power supply or firmware issues. There are many complaints about Vizio sets and their warranty services. I do know my old friend did get a Vizio HDTV. I wonder if it still works?

I also read that Samsung TVs tend to induce horrid input lag as well. I could be wrong.


So, if I do need to get a new HDTV, I have a lot of choices, and I will have trouble deciding. Do you know of any name-brand sets that work well for TV and gaming?

[Stella Grapes]

Everybody's favorite overworked caregiver (that'd be me) has been having mental health problems. She's more optimistic and closer to recovery now, though, and has more kids to care for. Simply put, I'm operating a one-woman nanny business and I've become a foster parent. I'm good with kids, so this is very successful so far! Very busy organizing my time between work and family and combining the two, though, and my (lack of) mental health has been killing me whenever I do have downtime. (I cry, shake, and lose my breath in panic at night when James is too busy to be with me. The kids don't know.)

I do think I am close to getting a lot better. Things just need to keep going right.

[RAMChYLD]

Once in awhile, she randomly shuts down and restarts as if the internal protection circult activates. At first, it happened infrequently enough that I can play a game or watch TV for a few hours without it happening. Now, it appears to be getting somewhat more frequent.

One of the power capacitors is going bad (as in, bulging). This happened to both Sharp CRT TVs in my house. My dad pulled them open and replaced the caps.

One name-brand I may go for is a Sony... or the most basic Sony I can find. I have no need for built in WiFi or Netflix. I just need a basic, bare-bones set that I can watch my stuff on. There are basic Sony HDTVs that I can get for less than $300, but one thing I worry about is possible input lag on component, which is what I use for Lars and Elsie. A possible deal-killer is lack of PAL support. True PAL support isn't really a necessary feature, but it is nice to watch my R2 DVDs in their intended picture formats without any sort of on-the-fly conversion. Anna-Lena v2 and her current form both support PAL video over AV/Component connections.

Well, why would Sony TVs not support PAL?

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.sony.com.my/product/kdl-42w804a">http://www.sony.com.my/product/kdl-42w804a</a><!-- m -->

I'm planning to replace Quetzal III with this if my pay raise request goes through. HD3D support and multi system analog (although Digital is DVB-T/T2-only. The silly thing is that they're selling this set in The Philippines as well, which is using ISDB-T. So maybe it's DVB-T/ISDB-T dual system?)

I know that LG sets can induce horrible lag on component connections, as attested to by David and Quetzal III I believe, who is an LG set. For me, LG is a brand to be avoided because of this.

Correct, Quetzal III is a LG set, and has this horrible lag issue. Afaik, Sony sets are alright, most don't have lag, since they're designed with the Playstation in mind.

Everybody's favorite overworked caregiver (that'd be me) has been having mental health problems.

Happens to the best of us. Between the sudden increase of the prices of everything and my other personal issues, I've broken down into fits far too frequently this month. Honestly, I don't know if I can still survive at this salary rate.