In most independent room control installations, the room control or thermostat only controls the fan in the baseboard or ceiling mounted exchanger. The heat or AC does not kick back on again until they are all calling for heat or AC. Then the liquid oil or freon flows through the entire system. That's the cheapest way to do it. Sorta like you see in some older hospitals.
I've also been in houses that had a heat pump system for every room. This is more like you would find in motels though.
Although they do make some nice individual room super small heat pump systems.
If you live in a cold area though, using inductance heating when it is too cold for the heat pump can cost a fortune.
As an aside: The installer finished installing the program, and is now installing packages and updates it is fetching from on-line. I guess that's a good sign, means the internet part is working, and it did pick the right size for the square display I'm using for the install.
Windows 10 did boot up after being shrunk, so we'll see if everything still works after it finishes.
TinyPics Demise
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Re: TinyPics Demise
Kellemora wrote: ↑13 Oct 2019, 18:03 As an aside: The installer finished installing the program, and is now installing packages and updates it is fetching from on-line. I guess that's a good sign, means the internet part is working, and it did pick the right size for the square display I'm using for the install.
Windows 10 did boot up after being shrunk, so we'll see if everything still works after it finishes.
I probably know what you are talking about here. It's just not part of my consciousness at the moment.
Re: TinyPics Demise
I was installing Linux Mint Maya after partitioning the drive on the computer I had bought for Debi with Windows 10.
During the install process, it updates itself with the latest changes since the Install Disk was made.
During the install process, it updates itself with the latest changes since the Install Disk was made.
Re: TinyPics Demise
I guess we got around to the gist of this in some other thread. I didn't read that one first. LOL
Yes, Windows wants you to think it is in total charge of updates. It is, if you don't know how to turn them off altogether. Just as an aside, the last Insider Preview update was Wednesday past. I've not been able to restart the computer since. I can shut it down. I'm certain it's part of something they are working on for their instant-on and instant-off feature. It was working excellent until last week. I could shut down or boot up faster than you can say "Micorsoft Windows is a service" five times fast. The secret, by the way, is that they don't really turn things off. Bastards.
Yes, Windows wants you to think it is in total charge of updates. It is, if you don't know how to turn them off altogether. Just as an aside, the last Insider Preview update was Wednesday past. I've not been able to restart the computer since. I can shut it down. I'm certain it's part of something they are working on for their instant-on and instant-off feature. It was working excellent until last week. I could shut down or boot up faster than you can say "Micorsoft Windows is a service" five times fast. The secret, by the way, is that they don't really turn things off. Bastards.
Re: TinyPics Demise
You got that right. One of the first things you have to turn off to dual boot is Windows instant on feature.
I'm not the only one wiping Windows 10. At least half a dozen guys I talked to have either reverted all the way back to Windows 7 or deleted Windows entirely since Mickey$oft has become so NASTY.
I'm not the only one wiping Windows 10. At least half a dozen guys I talked to have either reverted all the way back to Windows 7 or deleted Windows entirely since Mickey$oft has become so NASTY.
Re: TinyPics Demise
You make an interesting comment regarding instant-on. Everything I ever read about multi-boot, either on HDD or USB, says Secure Boot AND Quick Start has to be disabled first. I found out that it doesn't make one bit of difference in either case - at least not on the MSI laptop. The secure boot should be turned off so that Linux doesn't decide to boot in that mode. Booting Linux in secure mode is just an extra step; it's not a show stopper. The instant off has settings in both BIOS and in Windows itself. It's the setting inside Windows that they say needs to be shut down. Well, I've been running all this time with it on and am booting Linux six ways from heaven. So, I dunno about the value of shutting those things down.
The change to my system is that it goes into a kind of sleep mode -- not hibernation. This has the effect of keeping the power on to the machine. I don't want any OS to be sucking my battery dry just to be able to turn on instantly. However, in spite of what is happening now not much has changed. I simply hold down the power button until Windows shuts off all the way. It boots just as fast the next time and there is no apparent interaction with any of my Linux boots. So, I take note of all the warnings, but I also take them with a grain of salt.
The change to my system is that it goes into a kind of sleep mode -- not hibernation. This has the effect of keeping the power on to the machine. I don't want any OS to be sucking my battery dry just to be able to turn on instantly. However, in spite of what is happening now not much has changed. I simply hold down the power button until Windows shuts off all the way. It boots just as fast the next time and there is no apparent interaction with any of my Linux boots. So, I take note of all the warnings, but I also take them with a grain of salt.
Re: TinyPics Demise
I hear ya on that regard. I turned on Secure Mode on the Linux Mint I just installed by itself.
I never use Hibernate on any computer. Seems it always causes some problem on wake up.
Remember the little netbook I couldn't get Linux Mint to install on?
Well guess what. The reason was I was trying to install from an MBR type of Linux Mint disk, not a UEFI type of install disk.
After dinner last night, I pulled the little netbook out and plugged in my portable DVD player and dang if it didn't boot into it with no problem at all. Since I had no data stored on it, I used that partition for the install and it installed with no problems at all.
Now I have to uninstall the old Debian I have on it to get back a data storage area. The HD is not all that big, only 100 gigs total. It has Windows 7 on it, and did not give me any problems at all with Grub, works like a charm, boots into both Windows or both Linux Distro's without fail. And no I don't know why it works on this machine, unless it is using legacy boot? I didn't get that far into it to see.
I never use Hibernate on any computer. Seems it always causes some problem on wake up.
Remember the little netbook I couldn't get Linux Mint to install on?
Well guess what. The reason was I was trying to install from an MBR type of Linux Mint disk, not a UEFI type of install disk.
After dinner last night, I pulled the little netbook out and plugged in my portable DVD player and dang if it didn't boot into it with no problem at all. Since I had no data stored on it, I used that partition for the install and it installed with no problems at all.
Now I have to uninstall the old Debian I have on it to get back a data storage area. The HD is not all that big, only 100 gigs total. It has Windows 7 on it, and did not give me any problems at all with Grub, works like a charm, boots into both Windows or both Linux Distro's without fail. And no I don't know why it works on this machine, unless it is using legacy boot? I didn't get that far into it to see.
Re: TinyPics Demise
Use something like Gparted to examine the disk. If it's formatted MBR and not GPT, you have a legacy system.
You bring up an excellent point about being careful with the install medium. You can't install MBR by using a UEFI oriented operating system. That was a difficult concept for me to overcome because I have two computers; one being MBR and one being UEFI. I frequently made the mistake of booting UEFI and trying to make a MBR memory stick with it. Once you get the process down pat, it's not that complicated. There might be some extra steps involved with UEFI, but it's a fairly well mature technology. Cockpit errors are the most common reason for failure is what I see.
You bring up an excellent point about being careful with the install medium. You can't install MBR by using a UEFI oriented operating system. That was a difficult concept for me to overcome because I have two computers; one being MBR and one being UEFI. I frequently made the mistake of booting UEFI and trying to make a MBR memory stick with it. Once you get the process down pat, it's not that complicated. There might be some extra steps involved with UEFI, but it's a fairly well mature technology. Cockpit errors are the most common reason for failure is what I see.
Re: TinyPics Demise
That's where I made my mistakes all along. I thought the new computers were MBR AND UEFI and you could select which one to use for the OS.
One of the reasons Debi's new computer sat up here unused is I could not get Linux Mint to install on it, from the same disk I used to install it on my other computers.
It didn't dawn on me that it might a UEFI ONLY computer.
The new Linux DVD I downloaded I had the option of downloading the MBR version or the UEFI version in either 32 bit or 64 bit. I got the UEFI 64 bit version and it loaded onto her computer with no problems. Well until I rebooted Windows 10, which is now no longer on the machine at all. I reformatted the drive which fixed that problem, nipped it in the bud, hi hi. Nobody here would use the Windows 10 on that machine because it was as slow as molasses in the dead of winter.
I have a question you might know the answer to:
I want to put WINE on her computer, but am not sure which one to chose.
I know WINE STABLE, but they also have WINE STABLE AMD64.
I've read until I'm blue in the face and apparently 32 bit programs will run on AMD64 version if you install the i386 32 bit package along with it.
I don't really want to use the other WINE programs that are for geeks, hi hi.
I did install WINEHQSTABLE to try it out, which required adding their repository first, and it worked OK, but this was before I reformatted the HD and did a clean install of Linux Mint Maya on the machine.
What I could not figure out was, if I install WINE STABLE, which I assume is 32 bit. Will I be able to run 64 bit programs in it? If not, then I think I should go with WINE STABLE AMD64.
One of the reasons Debi's new computer sat up here unused is I could not get Linux Mint to install on it, from the same disk I used to install it on my other computers.
It didn't dawn on me that it might a UEFI ONLY computer.
The new Linux DVD I downloaded I had the option of downloading the MBR version or the UEFI version in either 32 bit or 64 bit. I got the UEFI 64 bit version and it loaded onto her computer with no problems. Well until I rebooted Windows 10, which is now no longer on the machine at all. I reformatted the drive which fixed that problem, nipped it in the bud, hi hi. Nobody here would use the Windows 10 on that machine because it was as slow as molasses in the dead of winter.
I have a question you might know the answer to:
I want to put WINE on her computer, but am not sure which one to chose.
I know WINE STABLE, but they also have WINE STABLE AMD64.
I've read until I'm blue in the face and apparently 32 bit programs will run on AMD64 version if you install the i386 32 bit package along with it.
I don't really want to use the other WINE programs that are for geeks, hi hi.
I did install WINEHQSTABLE to try it out, which required adding their repository first, and it worked OK, but this was before I reformatted the HD and did a clean install of Linux Mint Maya on the machine.
What I could not figure out was, if I install WINE STABLE, which I assume is 32 bit. Will I be able to run 64 bit programs in it? If not, then I think I should go with WINE STABLE AMD64.
Re: TinyPics Demise
I should clarify some points about UEFI lest you go through life misinformed. And I hate to be the guy responsible for the misinformation. 
UEFI and MBR is firmware residing in an EPROM on your motherboard. It's the first code that is run when you turn on your computer. Aside from checking out the hardware to see what it's up against, the firmware commonly known to us as BIOS searches for and selects all the devices that are bootable. Back in the legacy BIOS days, where all the booting took place in the MBR, that's all BIOS did. You might think that's enough, but as time moved on it got complicated. BIOS is obsolete for the same reasons that DOS is obsolete. It just can't do a lot of stuff that needs doing in computers of the 2019 generation.
When UEFI was invented to overcome the shortcomings of BIOS, an immediate problem was created. There weren't too many UEFI computers around during that initial period, but there were plans for that to all change. Thus, the founders of UEFI put into the specifications the requirement for EFI booting to also have a way to boot into legacy BIOS. It's not really legacy BIOS, but it does essentially the same thing. Since there were no specs or standards for BIOS (it's all just good practices), the UEFI council didn't specify how to emulate BIOS. It just said do it. It's because of that latitude I am having problems in my particular legacy BIOS computer. It's slightly different than the rest, being BIOS notwithstanding.
There is a special partition, called esp, on all EFI disks. During the POST (Power-on-self-test) the EFI boot sequence looks for the esp partition because it contains the boot scripts, such as Grub or a Windows bootloader. If it doesn't find that partition, EFI considres it a non-bootable device. There was no such thing as esp back in legacy BIOS days. That BIOS looked for the boot script in the Master Boot Record (MBR). So, it's easy to understand why the two approaches to booting are not compatible. They look for different things from which to boot.
The solution to the merging of these two different worlds is the introduction of a Compatibility Support Module (CSM). This is the feature of UEFI that allows it to recognize legacy BIOS installations and hand off booting to it. Somewhere in the motherboard firmware (BIOS) is a setting that will set the boot process to UEFI, legacy BIOS, or both (CSM). I'm guessing Deb's computer is set to permanently be UEFI, but it can be changed depending on your needs. Off the shelf computers more than likely have the setting at UEFI only, which explains why none of your BIOS discs would be recognized. The other half of the equation is the boot media itself, the CD/DVD, USB, ROM, or whatever. Those devices can be formatted with partition tables that are GPT for UEFI booting, or MBR for BIOS booting. Thus, the media on which your software is resident must match the settings in your motherboard firmware. An MBR formatted CD won't be recognized during a UEFI boot, for example. The tertiary issue has to do with the software, or operating system image. As you discovered it comes in various flavors too. It can be UEFI or not, not to mention 32 or 64 bits. Needless to say the software has to match as well.
It's a pain in the ass to figure that all out if you never had to do it before. And what I just told you is the very basics. Complications arise from the simple foundation. One of those complications is alluded to in your question about 32/64 bit WINE. I will say right here if I didn't make it clear previously, it's been a long while since I tinkered with WINE. Things could have changed; from what you tell me here they certainly have changed. But the fundamentals still apply. WINE is an abstraction layer that runs directly off the Linux kernel. It goes through the operating system to get there, but it should not be considered to be an app or software onto itself. It's just an extension of the Linux kernel. That's why it's portable from one OS to another. The OS is just the delivery method, and the action is pretty much kernel related. Somebody wrote code to allow the Linux kernel to run .exe files. Cool beans when you think about it. Yes, Windows did the same in reverse, but that's another subject.
So, will a 64-bit compiled program work on your 32-bit operating system? Well, no. It's like trying to put 64 bits of data onto a bus that is only 32 bits wide. This can be done in theory, but that's not how things work in practice. In general, and I'm certain there are exceptions, it will work the other way around. You can run 32-bit compiled programs on a 64-bit machine. You're wasting bus space and the processor has to compensate for the difference, but it is entirely possible in most cases. Consider WINE to just be part of the Linux kernel. If you can do it with the kernel you have installed, then you can very likely do it with WINE.
One other note to be made is in regard to your abandoning Windows. I think it was a good move in your case, but keep in mind that the motherboard was set up for Windows which came pre-installed. That means it has to be UEFI only. You can, and probably should, keep it that way. That means all the OS's you now install on that computer must also be UEFI compatible. Some Linux distro's have not come up to that level yet. Linux Mint has and you will not have any problems with it on any computer; that is, assuming you get the right version of Mint to begin with. By the way, I have a Mint iso that will allow either BIOS or UEFI. Just be careful to select something that is compatible with your setup. One option you have is to go into the firmware and turn on the CSM option to make booting an either/or situation. You can also abandon UEFI altogether and set the firmware to boot only (legacy BIOS) MBR. It's your choice. All those choices should be there because that's how the UEFI spec is written. Finding them and getting the setting right is a whole 'nother issue. LOL
UEFI and MBR is firmware residing in an EPROM on your motherboard. It's the first code that is run when you turn on your computer. Aside from checking out the hardware to see what it's up against, the firmware commonly known to us as BIOS searches for and selects all the devices that are bootable. Back in the legacy BIOS days, where all the booting took place in the MBR, that's all BIOS did. You might think that's enough, but as time moved on it got complicated. BIOS is obsolete for the same reasons that DOS is obsolete. It just can't do a lot of stuff that needs doing in computers of the 2019 generation.
When UEFI was invented to overcome the shortcomings of BIOS, an immediate problem was created. There weren't too many UEFI computers around during that initial period, but there were plans for that to all change. Thus, the founders of UEFI put into the specifications the requirement for EFI booting to also have a way to boot into legacy BIOS. It's not really legacy BIOS, but it does essentially the same thing. Since there were no specs or standards for BIOS (it's all just good practices), the UEFI council didn't specify how to emulate BIOS. It just said do it. It's because of that latitude I am having problems in my particular legacy BIOS computer. It's slightly different than the rest, being BIOS notwithstanding.
There is a special partition, called esp, on all EFI disks. During the POST (Power-on-self-test) the EFI boot sequence looks for the esp partition because it contains the boot scripts, such as Grub or a Windows bootloader. If it doesn't find that partition, EFI considres it a non-bootable device. There was no such thing as esp back in legacy BIOS days. That BIOS looked for the boot script in the Master Boot Record (MBR). So, it's easy to understand why the two approaches to booting are not compatible. They look for different things from which to boot.
The solution to the merging of these two different worlds is the introduction of a Compatibility Support Module (CSM). This is the feature of UEFI that allows it to recognize legacy BIOS installations and hand off booting to it. Somewhere in the motherboard firmware (BIOS) is a setting that will set the boot process to UEFI, legacy BIOS, or both (CSM). I'm guessing Deb's computer is set to permanently be UEFI, but it can be changed depending on your needs. Off the shelf computers more than likely have the setting at UEFI only, which explains why none of your BIOS discs would be recognized. The other half of the equation is the boot media itself, the CD/DVD, USB, ROM, or whatever. Those devices can be formatted with partition tables that are GPT for UEFI booting, or MBR for BIOS booting. Thus, the media on which your software is resident must match the settings in your motherboard firmware. An MBR formatted CD won't be recognized during a UEFI boot, for example. The tertiary issue has to do with the software, or operating system image. As you discovered it comes in various flavors too. It can be UEFI or not, not to mention 32 or 64 bits. Needless to say the software has to match as well.
It's a pain in the ass to figure that all out if you never had to do it before. And what I just told you is the very basics. Complications arise from the simple foundation. One of those complications is alluded to in your question about 32/64 bit WINE. I will say right here if I didn't make it clear previously, it's been a long while since I tinkered with WINE. Things could have changed; from what you tell me here they certainly have changed. But the fundamentals still apply. WINE is an abstraction layer that runs directly off the Linux kernel. It goes through the operating system to get there, but it should not be considered to be an app or software onto itself. It's just an extension of the Linux kernel. That's why it's portable from one OS to another. The OS is just the delivery method, and the action is pretty much kernel related. Somebody wrote code to allow the Linux kernel to run .exe files. Cool beans when you think about it. Yes, Windows did the same in reverse, but that's another subject.
So, will a 64-bit compiled program work on your 32-bit operating system? Well, no. It's like trying to put 64 bits of data onto a bus that is only 32 bits wide. This can be done in theory, but that's not how things work in practice. In general, and I'm certain there are exceptions, it will work the other way around. You can run 32-bit compiled programs on a 64-bit machine. You're wasting bus space and the processor has to compensate for the difference, but it is entirely possible in most cases. Consider WINE to just be part of the Linux kernel. If you can do it with the kernel you have installed, then you can very likely do it with WINE.
One other note to be made is in regard to your abandoning Windows. I think it was a good move in your case, but keep in mind that the motherboard was set up for Windows which came pre-installed. That means it has to be UEFI only. You can, and probably should, keep it that way. That means all the OS's you now install on that computer must also be UEFI compatible. Some Linux distro's have not come up to that level yet. Linux Mint has and you will not have any problems with it on any computer; that is, assuming you get the right version of Mint to begin with. By the way, I have a Mint iso that will allow either BIOS or UEFI. Just be careful to select something that is compatible with your setup. One option you have is to go into the firmware and turn on the CSM option to make booting an either/or situation. You can also abandon UEFI altogether and set the firmware to boot only (legacy BIOS) MBR. It's your choice. All those choices should be there because that's how the UEFI spec is written. Finding them and getting the setting right is a whole 'nother issue. LOL
Re: TinyPics Demise
Wow, this is super helpful Yogi - You explained it all very well. Even Mikey can understand it, hi hi.
I checked the Bios setup of Debi's computer and there is no place to even select legacy Bios or anything other than UEFI.
I assume since it was made for Windows 8 with the automatic Windows 10 upgrade, they left off anything you could change.
In fact, a lot of off the shelf computers have left out a lot of things.
I looked up a particular MoBo a while back, and found the computer I had, which was an old off the shelf model, did not have the slots to upgrade as shown on the OEM motherboard. A little more digging and I found the exact MoBo I had, same model but made for Acer or whoever that computer was made by, I don't remember anymore, since it is long gone now.
There was not even a way to install a second hard drive as all the sockets were not installed to do so. Nor the area it would be physically installed. In other words, they cut a lot of corners on that computer.
I may not have bought the computer, it could be a hand-me-down I got from someone else too!
But things like this is why I always have a computer store put together a computer for me with the OEM motherboard. That way it has all the sockets that belong on the board, and a power supply big enough to handle them all.
The only place I normally cut corners is whether to use Intel or AMD. AMD is usually a cheaper CPU and often has more power than the Intel, at least in how it is rated anyhow. In real life it may not be as powerful as the Intel.
I've never been disappointed with a computer store built-up computer. They know what works together and what doesn't.
And the store I used to use, only charged for the parts, plus 135 bucks to put it all together for me.
The new owner works a little differently, he charges price by the entire system, and a little higher priced than my old guy. But no where near as high as the other stores in our area.
I checked the Bios setup of Debi's computer and there is no place to even select legacy Bios or anything other than UEFI.
I assume since it was made for Windows 8 with the automatic Windows 10 upgrade, they left off anything you could change.
In fact, a lot of off the shelf computers have left out a lot of things.
I looked up a particular MoBo a while back, and found the computer I had, which was an old off the shelf model, did not have the slots to upgrade as shown on the OEM motherboard. A little more digging and I found the exact MoBo I had, same model but made for Acer or whoever that computer was made by, I don't remember anymore, since it is long gone now.
There was not even a way to install a second hard drive as all the sockets were not installed to do so. Nor the area it would be physically installed. In other words, they cut a lot of corners on that computer.
I may not have bought the computer, it could be a hand-me-down I got from someone else too!
But things like this is why I always have a computer store put together a computer for me with the OEM motherboard. That way it has all the sockets that belong on the board, and a power supply big enough to handle them all.
The only place I normally cut corners is whether to use Intel or AMD. AMD is usually a cheaper CPU and often has more power than the Intel, at least in how it is rated anyhow. In real life it may not be as powerful as the Intel.
I've never been disappointed with a computer store built-up computer. They know what works together and what doesn't.
And the store I used to use, only charged for the parts, plus 135 bucks to put it all together for me.
The new owner works a little differently, he charges price by the entire system, and a little higher priced than my old guy. But no where near as high as the other stores in our area.
Re: TinyPics Demise
I learned most of what is in that last reply during the past two months. Your encouragement and help motivated me, not to mention how stubborn I am when it comes to making things work they way they are supposed to work. Off the shelf OEM systems are fine for that uninformed crowd of computer users we often talk about. They don't know what they are missing and they don't care. The OEM's are happy because they can sell a lot of computers at a healthy profit. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with that whole approach. It makes computers affordable for a lot of folks who could not otherwise buy one.
You and I are not like that. We know more than the average bloke but not enough to be dangerous, obviously. LOL When people buy a computer with Windows pre-installed, they typically are not thinking of multi-boot with Linux on the side. They just want to get on Snap Chat and do some sexting. When it comes down to the more technically oriented among us, the settings in BIOS are important. I learned quite a bit about those settings during my recent explorations into UEFI and was shocked to learn what I really have in my possession. For example, I built this ASUS tower from specs I researched all on my own. Now I learn that the mobo I chose is designed for Windows 8. To be honest Win 8 isn't that much different than Win !0; it's like Win 7 growing out of Vista. But, the implication is that this mobo is a Windows only component and things are designed with that in mind. I don't know what they are talking about when they say that because they also say they do not support running Linux on this mobo. The moral of the story is that you can't go by what is advertised. If you know the limitations of the components, you can run anything on it.
BIOS, or what is referred to as such, is after all firmware that was written by somebody for a specific purpose. There is a specification that everybody in the world agreed to, but of course, that does not mean everybody in the world actually implements it. The spec says UEFI must provide a way to revert back to legacy BIOS. It doesn't say how you must do that, but it's clear that the requirement is part of the UEFI concept. I will concede that you might not have such an option on Deb's computer. But, how would you know that in advance? You could ask the clerk at WalMart, but we know how informed they are. You could call tech support, and if it's on their flowchart script, they might have an answer if they know what the heck you are talking about in the first place. What I'm getting at here is that the characteristics of BIOS, or UEFI firmware, are critical to people like you and me. But those characteristics are impossible to learn until after you purchase the machine. Nobody at WalMart is going to let you mess with the BIOS on their display models. I didn't buy my motherboard at Walmart. It was shipped to me directly from Taiwan after I ordered it from a distributor in Ohio. What chance did I have to inquire about BIOS there? None, even if I knew what to ask about.
You have a good shop building your computers if they get it right and support it every time. That silver yogi was ordered to have 7.1 surround sound output. The guy who built it said it does. It's not there. Never was intended to be there with that model of motherboard. So the guy who built it for me either lied or didn't know what he was talking about. That is why I now decided to build my own.
I've heard more horror stories about AMD than I have about Intel. All things being equal, I'd go with Intel. As it happens the laptop is AMD, runs cool and is blazing fast given the clock speed is half that of the ASUS tower. So I can't complain about AMD from personal experience. I just know of a lot of people who do. LOL
You and I are not like that. We know more than the average bloke but not enough to be dangerous, obviously. LOL When people buy a computer with Windows pre-installed, they typically are not thinking of multi-boot with Linux on the side. They just want to get on Snap Chat and do some sexting. When it comes down to the more technically oriented among us, the settings in BIOS are important. I learned quite a bit about those settings during my recent explorations into UEFI and was shocked to learn what I really have in my possession. For example, I built this ASUS tower from specs I researched all on my own. Now I learn that the mobo I chose is designed for Windows 8. To be honest Win 8 isn't that much different than Win !0; it's like Win 7 growing out of Vista. But, the implication is that this mobo is a Windows only component and things are designed with that in mind. I don't know what they are talking about when they say that because they also say they do not support running Linux on this mobo. The moral of the story is that you can't go by what is advertised. If you know the limitations of the components, you can run anything on it.
BIOS, or what is referred to as such, is after all firmware that was written by somebody for a specific purpose. There is a specification that everybody in the world agreed to, but of course, that does not mean everybody in the world actually implements it. The spec says UEFI must provide a way to revert back to legacy BIOS. It doesn't say how you must do that, but it's clear that the requirement is part of the UEFI concept. I will concede that you might not have such an option on Deb's computer. But, how would you know that in advance? You could ask the clerk at WalMart, but we know how informed they are. You could call tech support, and if it's on their flowchart script, they might have an answer if they know what the heck you are talking about in the first place. What I'm getting at here is that the characteristics of BIOS, or UEFI firmware, are critical to people like you and me. But those characteristics are impossible to learn until after you purchase the machine. Nobody at WalMart is going to let you mess with the BIOS on their display models. I didn't buy my motherboard at Walmart. It was shipped to me directly from Taiwan after I ordered it from a distributor in Ohio. What chance did I have to inquire about BIOS there? None, even if I knew what to ask about.
You have a good shop building your computers if they get it right and support it every time. That silver yogi was ordered to have 7.1 surround sound output. The guy who built it said it does. It's not there. Never was intended to be there with that model of motherboard. So the guy who built it for me either lied or didn't know what he was talking about. That is why I now decided to build my own.
I've heard more horror stories about AMD than I have about Intel. All things being equal, I'd go with Intel. As it happens the laptop is AMD, runs cool and is blazing fast given the clock speed is half that of the ASUS tower. So I can't complain about AMD from personal experience. I just know of a lot of people who do. LOL
Re: TinyPics Demise
Many eons ago, we had a computer store named Better Business World, this was back in the Windows 3.11 days, and times were moving into Windows 95/98 when I finally had them build me a couple of computers.
Back then, off the shelf computers worked OK, but we were not changing things inside, other than adding another hard drive. As long as it ran DOS and perhaps Windows 3.0 we were happy. It was a learning experience for all of us. Linux didn't even exist back then either I don't think.
The first computer they built for me was a Win95 computer. That thing NEVER DIED! Next I bought a Win98 machine from them and used both machines. The Win95 for my Ham Radio Station, and the Win98 at my daily working desk.
It too NEVER DIED. After I met Debi, we met on-line by the way, I'm pretty sure I was using a Windows XP computer just as she was, and they were both getting old too. They were little flat computers, that the monitor sat on top of the computer.
Aha, I remember now. I had the WANG PC with Windows XP on it, sold to me by WANG and it also ran the Wang programs I used at work on the Mainframe.
I had both of the old computers, the Win95 and Win98 on a little roll around platform, mainly to keep them off the floor after we moved to my mom's basement. Long story there, the 9/11 fiasco with the banks that shut my business down.
Since I had packed up my Ham Radio Station, I gave the Win95 computer to Debi's dad, who had never used a computer for anything. It was slow to boot up, could not be upgraded, but it still had all the games on it which he loved to play.
Then after we moved down here, I threw away the Win95 machine (actually gave it to someone), and gave her dad the Win98 machine. He loved how it booted up much faster, and how fast the games now ended. So he was happy.
I kept using the WANG PC for a long time after we moved down here, until I found the perfect computer store.
I bought both myself and Debi brand new built-up computers and we loved them. Debi's dad died and I gave away his Win98 computer to one of her relatives that had no computer at all.
All the rest of my computers were built-up from this same computer guy, except for the HP I bought to get the Scanner working which it didn't work with the HP computer either, up until I got the Silver Yogi from you. Plus a couple of hand me downs.
I've not bought another computer since I got the Silver Yogi, except for the emergency purchase I made for Debi, that we have talked about, off the shelf, slow, and the upgrade to Win10 bogged it down to impossibly slow speeds.
One thing I learned from you was the importance of Bus Speeds. And when you look at the specs on computers, none of them ever tell you what the bus speed is. So, if I could ever afford a new computer again, it will have to come from the new guy who's a wee bit higher priced than my old guy. But I do hear he builds great machines!
Back then, off the shelf computers worked OK, but we were not changing things inside, other than adding another hard drive. As long as it ran DOS and perhaps Windows 3.0 we were happy. It was a learning experience for all of us. Linux didn't even exist back then either I don't think.
The first computer they built for me was a Win95 computer. That thing NEVER DIED! Next I bought a Win98 machine from them and used both machines. The Win95 for my Ham Radio Station, and the Win98 at my daily working desk.
It too NEVER DIED. After I met Debi, we met on-line by the way, I'm pretty sure I was using a Windows XP computer just as she was, and they were both getting old too. They were little flat computers, that the monitor sat on top of the computer.
Aha, I remember now. I had the WANG PC with Windows XP on it, sold to me by WANG and it also ran the Wang programs I used at work on the Mainframe.
I had both of the old computers, the Win95 and Win98 on a little roll around platform, mainly to keep them off the floor after we moved to my mom's basement. Long story there, the 9/11 fiasco with the banks that shut my business down.
Since I had packed up my Ham Radio Station, I gave the Win95 computer to Debi's dad, who had never used a computer for anything. It was slow to boot up, could not be upgraded, but it still had all the games on it which he loved to play.
Then after we moved down here, I threw away the Win95 machine (actually gave it to someone), and gave her dad the Win98 machine. He loved how it booted up much faster, and how fast the games now ended. So he was happy.
I kept using the WANG PC for a long time after we moved down here, until I found the perfect computer store.
I bought both myself and Debi brand new built-up computers and we loved them. Debi's dad died and I gave away his Win98 computer to one of her relatives that had no computer at all.
All the rest of my computers were built-up from this same computer guy, except for the HP I bought to get the Scanner working which it didn't work with the HP computer either, up until I got the Silver Yogi from you. Plus a couple of hand me downs.
I've not bought another computer since I got the Silver Yogi, except for the emergency purchase I made for Debi, that we have talked about, off the shelf, slow, and the upgrade to Win10 bogged it down to impossibly slow speeds.
One thing I learned from you was the importance of Bus Speeds. And when you look at the specs on computers, none of them ever tell you what the bus speed is. So, if I could ever afford a new computer again, it will have to come from the new guy who's a wee bit higher priced than my old guy. But I do hear he builds great machines!
Re: TinyPics Demise
When I looked into this ASUS tower I made sure the chosen microprocessor would fit the socket provided and be able to max out the northbridge and southbridge chipsets that came with the board. Those chipsets probably are more important for performance than is the processor itself because they determine how fast the data gets transferred internally. I'm sure AMD has a similar set of chips but they must call them something else. Anyway, the specs for those chips and buses are on the datasheets for the individual components. Thus all you need to do is make sure the numbers on the spec sheets match. Of course that only says the combination of parts selected are compatible. If you have a specific purpose in mind, you also want to know where those numbers are; at the high end of the scale, the low end, or the middle.
The silver yogi came about as the result of an upgrade. The original configuration ran Windows as a 32 bit system on an Intel motherboard. I wanted to change that to 64 bits. Most of the people I called about doing that told me to just buy a new computer. They didn't think it was wroth the trouble converting. That meant they didn't know how to do it. I randomly picked somebody off a Google search who had his shop near to my home. I called him and he said it was not a problem. Then I asked if in the process of converting would he also be able to install Linux on one of the hard drives. Likewise, no problem. Given his willingness and enthusiasm I took it to his shop, which turned out to be the living room of his house. I almost turned around to go back home, but then I remembered that nobody else was willing to do it. And I didn't feel comfortable at all doing it myself. So, I told the guy what I wanted, gave him a list of requirements, and he quoted a reasonable price. As you know it's a damned good machine, but not exactly what I specified. Also, odd as it seems, at first he could not install Linux - I think it was a version of Ubuntu that I gave him. He was actually a Mac man and didn't know much about Linux at all. However, his son did. If I was willing to leave it there a few days longer, they would try to install Linux. The problem was ... the nVidia card. LOL They had a hell of a time figuring out how to install the required drivers. But, in the end they did figure it out and gave me a set of instructions if I ever had to do it again.
I never realized how that problem with the graphics card would haunt me in a later life. This problem first showed it's ugly head in 2013 when the silver yogi was reinvented. Here we are six, going on seven, years later and the Linux people STILL haven't figure it out. Fortunately you don't have the problem. Unfortunately it's because of a broken bus connector. I have plans on building at least one more computer before I die, and before they stop selling parts for desktops. I may have to build a Linux server and convert it, but I think I want to upgrade from what I have to something more modern. I won't likely trust any shop to do it for me. Part of that is because I don't know of any shops around here that can do it. Even if there were, I don't have a feel for their reputation or workmanship. So ... I will build my own going forward. The nice thing about a shop builder is that they know what works with what and do not have to do the research I would be doing. The not nice thing is that they would do it their way and not necessarily the way I would do it.
The silver yogi came about as the result of an upgrade. The original configuration ran Windows as a 32 bit system on an Intel motherboard. I wanted to change that to 64 bits. Most of the people I called about doing that told me to just buy a new computer. They didn't think it was wroth the trouble converting. That meant they didn't know how to do it. I randomly picked somebody off a Google search who had his shop near to my home. I called him and he said it was not a problem. Then I asked if in the process of converting would he also be able to install Linux on one of the hard drives. Likewise, no problem. Given his willingness and enthusiasm I took it to his shop, which turned out to be the living room of his house. I almost turned around to go back home, but then I remembered that nobody else was willing to do it. And I didn't feel comfortable at all doing it myself. So, I told the guy what I wanted, gave him a list of requirements, and he quoted a reasonable price. As you know it's a damned good machine, but not exactly what I specified. Also, odd as it seems, at first he could not install Linux - I think it was a version of Ubuntu that I gave him. He was actually a Mac man and didn't know much about Linux at all. However, his son did. If I was willing to leave it there a few days longer, they would try to install Linux. The problem was ... the nVidia card. LOL They had a hell of a time figuring out how to install the required drivers. But, in the end they did figure it out and gave me a set of instructions if I ever had to do it again.
I never realized how that problem with the graphics card would haunt me in a later life. This problem first showed it's ugly head in 2013 when the silver yogi was reinvented. Here we are six, going on seven, years later and the Linux people STILL haven't figure it out. Fortunately you don't have the problem. Unfortunately it's because of a broken bus connector. I have plans on building at least one more computer before I die, and before they stop selling parts for desktops. I may have to build a Linux server and convert it, but I think I want to upgrade from what I have to something more modern. I won't likely trust any shop to do it for me. Part of that is because I don't know of any shops around here that can do it. Even if there were, I don't have a feel for their reputation or workmanship. So ... I will build my own going forward. The nice thing about a shop builder is that they know what works with what and do not have to do the research I would be doing. The not nice thing is that they would do it their way and not necessarily the way I would do it.
Re: TinyPics Demise
Some fellow ran a small ad about computer repair here, right down the street from me actually.
I gave him a call to see if he could put a cheap graphics card in a computer the graphics died in.
He said graphics cards cannot be replaced they are part of the motherboard.
So I said I have a couple of cards here right now, but they have a different size slot so I can't use them in this machine.
It has four available slots.
To which he said, sounds like a desktop machine, I only work on laptops.
I said OK and hung up.
Talked to another guy who said, if my graphics section went out, there is a high probability the mobo is bad too.
I gave him the make and model of the mobo, hopefully to use the same CPU on a new mobo.
All he could say was Lort, we can't get parts for anything that old.
Old? It's only a four year old machine!
Maybe you bought it four years ago, but that mobo is from such n such a date, hi hi.
Trouble here is, all the new mobo's and CPUs need larger power supplies than in most of my cabinets sitting around here.
This is why I usually get a new cabinet each time I get a new computer. And why I've finally thrown away some of the older cabinets after pulling the parts out of them. The parts just sit around until I eventually throw them away too, hi hi.
I gave him a call to see if he could put a cheap graphics card in a computer the graphics died in.
He said graphics cards cannot be replaced they are part of the motherboard.
So I said I have a couple of cards here right now, but they have a different size slot so I can't use them in this machine.
It has four available slots.
To which he said, sounds like a desktop machine, I only work on laptops.
I said OK and hung up.
Talked to another guy who said, if my graphics section went out, there is a high probability the mobo is bad too.
I gave him the make and model of the mobo, hopefully to use the same CPU on a new mobo.
All he could say was Lort, we can't get parts for anything that old.
Old? It's only a four year old machine!
Maybe you bought it four years ago, but that mobo is from such n such a date, hi hi.
Trouble here is, all the new mobo's and CPUs need larger power supplies than in most of my cabinets sitting around here.
This is why I usually get a new cabinet each time I get a new computer. And why I've finally thrown away some of the older cabinets after pulling the parts out of them. The parts just sit around until I eventually throw them away too, hi hi.
Re: TinyPics Demise
Anything I would build for myself would be found in a Google search. Frankly, I don't have any other resources and they did me good the last time I used that approach. I did, however, need some inputs from an actual computer builder who was kind enough to look over my bill of materials and bless it. Now that I have the experience I'd be less hesitant to just dive in and see what happens.
The ASUS tower is overkill for what is in there. It could house a fully fledged server and have room left over. The power and cabling came from the same people who made the cabinet so that my only concern was the size of the motherboard. Turns out those things come in standard sizes and the largest one easily fits the cabinet. I guess I was pretty lucky for a first build. But then, I wasn't exactly a novice.
When we were looking for houses in O'Fallon we got to go through the insides of several residences. A few of them had some elaborate computing systems installed so that I know there is talent in this town. There is a shop that doesn't look too inviting from the outside but claims to deal with computers exclusively. I never felt the urge to see what was in there but I might have a reason to do that if and when I rebuild my system. I have a few peripherals laying around -- maybe half a dozen exotic keyboards -- but only one old laptop I keep for sentimental reasons. I know there are shops who will build a laptop from specs. I have to admire those guys. All the OEM's I took apart were nightmares. I don't want to even attempt building one on my own.
The ASUS tower is overkill for what is in there. It could house a fully fledged server and have room left over. The power and cabling came from the same people who made the cabinet so that my only concern was the size of the motherboard. Turns out those things come in standard sizes and the largest one easily fits the cabinet. I guess I was pretty lucky for a first build. But then, I wasn't exactly a novice.
When we were looking for houses in O'Fallon we got to go through the insides of several residences. A few of them had some elaborate computing systems installed so that I know there is talent in this town. There is a shop that doesn't look too inviting from the outside but claims to deal with computers exclusively. I never felt the urge to see what was in there but I might have a reason to do that if and when I rebuild my system. I have a few peripherals laying around -- maybe half a dozen exotic keyboards -- but only one old laptop I keep for sentimental reasons. I know there are shops who will build a laptop from specs. I have to admire those guys. All the OEM's I took apart were nightmares. I don't want to even attempt building one on my own.
Re: TinyPics Demise
I've been trying to get the guy across the street to come inside my office at least once.
I really think if he saw all the computers I have in here, most doing nothing.
He might not be so reluctant to talk to me.
Either that or he thinks if he does it might be a never ending stream of his answering questions for me, or helping me fix things. Who knows. He's just so hush hush all the time. Unless you have the money to get into the group he's in that is.
I think back to the 1970's and all the 6 foot high mini-mainframes that were installed in small businesses.
None were really elaborate, just a way to keep their computer and drives secure I suppose.
I also think about how big that WANG VS system we had was, and the cooled room it had to be in.
And a little cell phone has more power and memory than it did, and more storage space too.
Amazing when you really think about it.
I really think if he saw all the computers I have in here, most doing nothing.
He might not be so reluctant to talk to me.
Either that or he thinks if he does it might be a never ending stream of his answering questions for me, or helping me fix things. Who knows. He's just so hush hush all the time. Unless you have the money to get into the group he's in that is.
I think back to the 1970's and all the 6 foot high mini-mainframes that were installed in small businesses.
None were really elaborate, just a way to keep their computer and drives secure I suppose.
I also think about how big that WANG VS system we had was, and the cooled room it had to be in.
And a little cell phone has more power and memory than it did, and more storage space too.
Amazing when you really think about it.
Re: TinyPics Demise
When I worked with the IT organization at Motorola I was a bit shocked at the general attitude of the department. To put it nicely they were arrogant and abrasive when it came to technical matters. I did some desktop support and was the low man on the totem pole because I never got a degree or certification in anything. I was lucky those guys even talked to me, but generally I was assuming the role of stupid n00bie and begging for help. That was ok as long as I didn't question anything they said or did. The people I served loved me. The IT helpdesk folks gave me two awards in fact because they thought I was such a nice guy. And, that was my secret. I went out of my way to be nice to the people with computer problems. I never looked down on them and generally made light of their predicaments just to ease the tension. And, as you know, a broken computer can cause A LOT of stress and tension. I was good enough to fix what ailed my clients, but most of it was repetitious. After a few hundred desktop repairs there was no challenge anymore.
I don't know your neighbor, but if he is high tech and hangs around with bit heads all day I can see why he would not talk to you unless he had to. You know more than the average computer user and that is a threat in a vague kind of way. You would be able to see through any BS he fed you and yes, you would likely be asking a lot of what he thought to be inane questions. I know the type of guy you are referring to.
I lead an amazing life in the world of electronics. I got started before transistors were invented. Can you imagine such a world without silicon? LOL They quickly became passé as integrated circuits took over. It was all a race at breakneck speed after that. I recall replacing broken transistors with a solder iron and solder sucker. Now and days there are literally billions of transistors sitting right next to me in my clever phone and the two computers on my desktop. They are just electronic switches with two states of being in their life, either zero or one. How simple can you get? Yet all that simplicity connected in a billion different ways allows me to do things I could only dream of when nuvistors were state of the art. I lived through a couple sea changes in electronics and was an active force in the transition. It is indeed startling to think about, and I do wonder to where it will all lead before we annihilate ourselves.
I don't know your neighbor, but if he is high tech and hangs around with bit heads all day I can see why he would not talk to you unless he had to. You know more than the average computer user and that is a threat in a vague kind of way. You would be able to see through any BS he fed you and yes, you would likely be asking a lot of what he thought to be inane questions. I know the type of guy you are referring to.
I lead an amazing life in the world of electronics. I got started before transistors were invented. Can you imagine such a world without silicon? LOL They quickly became passé as integrated circuits took over. It was all a race at breakneck speed after that. I recall replacing broken transistors with a solder iron and solder sucker. Now and days there are literally billions of transistors sitting right next to me in my clever phone and the two computers on my desktop. They are just electronic switches with two states of being in their life, either zero or one. How simple can you get? Yet all that simplicity connected in a billion different ways allows me to do things I could only dream of when nuvistors were state of the art. I lived through a couple sea changes in electronics and was an active force in the transition. It is indeed startling to think about, and I do wonder to where it will all lead before we annihilate ourselves.
Re: TinyPics Demise
I became a Ham way back in 1959 and built most of my own gear over the years from scratch. Then moved up to buying Heathkit products. I think at one time or another I owned everything they made as a kit, including the big console TV, all my ham gear, and test equipment. This was all long before transistors, hi hi.
Working as a repair tech in the gaming industry, replacing transistors, and occasionally chips, on-site was the bulk of my work. We only brought a machine into the shop if it needed a good overhaul and cleaning.
I didn't like video games very much, but really loved the pinball machines. Since I cleaned and adjusted them, I would test them out to make sure they played just right before sending them back out again. This sorta spoiled me, because most of the machines out there were not adjusted properly when took part of the fun of playing them out, and cost those guys some revenues also.
Everyone knew our pinballs were always perfect, well, until they broke, hi hi. But because of this, we had some of the highest revenues per machine as any other company in the industry. After the Casino opened, and because Williams and Bally merged, and I was a certified Williams tech, I got tons of calls to work on the slots and other machines. My boss made a deal where they had to bring the machines in, rather than my going over there. Bringing in a machine is not exactly like bringing in a video game where you bring the whole game in. Most of the slots have a removable machine inside. This is the part they would bring me to work on. It was rare for the cabinet components to fail, but if they did, they replaced them themselves. FWIW: I hated working on the those things, but the boss got paid good for having me work on them, and gave me a good tip each time I had to do one also.
Wish I still knew a little bit about electronics, but it seems I've lost so much info, heck, after the attack, I couldn't even fix a simple analog power supply. I was as lost at the tech school as a fish out of water. Totally alien to me, and for some reason I just couldn't grasp it anymore. Oh well, I moved on to another industry I now understood.
Working as a repair tech in the gaming industry, replacing transistors, and occasionally chips, on-site was the bulk of my work. We only brought a machine into the shop if it needed a good overhaul and cleaning.
I didn't like video games very much, but really loved the pinball machines. Since I cleaned and adjusted them, I would test them out to make sure they played just right before sending them back out again. This sorta spoiled me, because most of the machines out there were not adjusted properly when took part of the fun of playing them out, and cost those guys some revenues also.
Everyone knew our pinballs were always perfect, well, until they broke, hi hi. But because of this, we had some of the highest revenues per machine as any other company in the industry. After the Casino opened, and because Williams and Bally merged, and I was a certified Williams tech, I got tons of calls to work on the slots and other machines. My boss made a deal where they had to bring the machines in, rather than my going over there. Bringing in a machine is not exactly like bringing in a video game where you bring the whole game in. Most of the slots have a removable machine inside. This is the part they would bring me to work on. It was rare for the cabinet components to fail, but if they did, they replaced them themselves. FWIW: I hated working on the those things, but the boss got paid good for having me work on them, and gave me a good tip each time I had to do one also.
Wish I still knew a little bit about electronics, but it seems I've lost so much info, heck, after the attack, I couldn't even fix a simple analog power supply. I was as lost at the tech school as a fish out of water. Totally alien to me, and for some reason I just couldn't grasp it anymore. Oh well, I moved on to another industry I now understood.
Re: TinyPics Demise
You seem to have a need to keep working while most people your age are pursuing their Golden Years. Just a bit of advice, those Golden Years are a myth. There are financial benefits to staying employed but in most cases it goes well beyond that. You can't just stop working tomorrow morning. I had to do that when they forced me into early retirement and I'm here to tell you it's a horrible feeling to realize you are no longer needed. True, there are family and friends, but that isn't the same as being productive and contributing to society.
It should not happen to anybody, but losing the memory of days gone by isn't that bad in some respects. You might have lost your sense of purpose but that just opens up the opportunity to create a new one without any encumbrances. That very point has been a debate in my own mind for many years. Is it better to remain lucid and experience all the pain and agony of growing old, or is it better to mentally separate from reality and live in a world of your own? I have yet to find a satisfactory answer to that quandary.
Selective memory loss probably is more difficult to deal with because you know it was there at one time. It's more than frustrating to try and get it back. The best response to that is probably similar to what I said above, start fresh in a different direction. If that's too hard, then it may be time to start looking for those mythical Golden Years.
It should not happen to anybody, but losing the memory of days gone by isn't that bad in some respects. You might have lost your sense of purpose but that just opens up the opportunity to create a new one without any encumbrances. That very point has been a debate in my own mind for many years. Is it better to remain lucid and experience all the pain and agony of growing old, or is it better to mentally separate from reality and live in a world of your own? I have yet to find a satisfactory answer to that quandary.
Selective memory loss probably is more difficult to deal with because you know it was there at one time. It's more than frustrating to try and get it back. The best response to that is probably similar to what I said above, start fresh in a different direction. If that's too hard, then it may be time to start looking for those mythical Golden Years.