The PC thread

[BlobVanDam]

I'd either get an external enclosure that supports Windows 10, or if you have another machine the dock works on, copy the files over the network. That is a shit slow solution though.

[faizoff]

HELP!

Old PC finally died.  2007 WinXP 32-bit system.  Pretty good for its time, but that time has gone.  That's okay, we have a backup drive thing that runs every week, and does a full system backup every month.

New PC is Windows 10 64-bit.  Way cool.  I hook up the backup thing to it, and it restores a "bunch" of files, then freezes when it goes to grab the next batch.  Never moves.  Some Google searching reveals that this is a known issue with no known solution.  The software on the backup drive thing self-installs on the new PC, should be automatic and painless, but it won't run right on a 64-bit system.  SOL, buddy.  Toshiba Convo, if it matters.

So I get one of those external docks that you plug into a USB port and can mount up to two hard drives.  I pull the drives out of the old PC and stick them in.  Fire up the docking station, the system is supposed to recognize it and install everything automatically.  Should be painless, but it won't run under Windows 10.  Go to the manufacturers website, no Win10 driver.  Some Google searching reveals that this is a known issue with no known solution.  Thermaltake BlacX Duet, if it matters.

Fuck my life.  All my mp3s, pictures, documents, and of course pron, sitting there on drives and backed up externally, and I can't get to any of it.


Suggestions?

When you plug in the backup drive to the dock, does the drive show up on 'This PC' on your new machine? can't you just manually copy the files for now rather than use a program to do it?

[BlobVanDam]

I got paid this week, so I'm finally going to upgrade my graphics card to a 1060, and also grab some new case fans because I'm concerned about cooling. I'm currently down to one front fan and one rear fan, because the cheap-ass fans I usually buy only last a year or two before they start rattling and I unplug them.
So I'm going to load up every available slot on my case, and have 4 x 120mm fans and the 140mm fan for the top. I've never used the case side fan spot before, but I hope having an extra fan blowing in there right over the GPU might help. I've read some different opinions about whether to use a side fan and what direction they should face, but I'll probably do some testing on it.
And then I just hope my PSU can handle the new card, because I'm not too keen to spend another couple of hundred on top of the $400 for the card. It *should* be fine. I think.

[Orbert]

When you plug in the backup drive to the dock, does the drive show up on 'This PC' on your new machine? can't you just manually copy the files for now rather than use a program to do it?

The backup drive is an external standalone device.  Hard drive and software in one.  The idea is that you hook it up and forget about it, and it will run its backups dutifully on schedule.  Then if/when you need to restore everything to a new machine (or the old one), you just hook it up, the software loads, and off you go.  Everything works fine, except that the software on the device won't run in a 64-bit environment.

The docking station is for mounting the physical drives, removed from the old PC.  It too has issues because apparently there's no Win10 driver, and Win10 doesn't even recognize it.

I'd either get an external enclosure that supports Windows 10, or if you have another machine the dock works on, copy the files over the network. That is a shit slow solution though.

I can get another enclosure, but this was the one and only one at the Best Buy I went to, it was USB 3.0, so I figured it had to be fairly recent and thus supported until Win10.  Stupid of me to assume, I know, but since it was the only one, I just went with it.  I'll be returning it soon.


In the meantime, a friend has suggested something that I didn't even think of because I was too busy panicking when the less-invasive procedures failed.  I can just take the drives from the old machine and stick them into the empty bays in the new machine.  I wasn't sure if that would work because the new OS is 64-bit and the old drives are formatted 32-bit, but he says that that shouldn't matter.  Also, I didn't want to open up a brand-new machine and perform surgery on it if it wasn't going to work anyway, but he says it should.  So that's probably my next step.

[BlobVanDam]

In the meantime, a friend has suggested something that I didn't even think of because I was too busy panicking when the less-invasive procedures failed.  I can just take the drives from the old machine and stick them into the empty bays in the new machine.  I wasn't sure if that would work because the new OS is 64-bit and the old drives are formatted 32-bit, but he says that that shouldn't matter.  Also, I didn't want to open up a brand-new machine and perform surgery on it if it wasn't going to work anyway, but he says it should.  So that's probably my next step.

32bit vs 64bit OS doesn't make a difference for the way your data is stored, only for the compatibility of the OS and programs. You'd have no problem copying across your data that way, because the underlying file system is compatible.
I always just grab a generic enclosure and HDD separately, because I don't like automatic backup solutions for this reason.

[faizoff]

What Blob said.

The 32 vs 64 bit version doesn't come into play as Windows 10 will recognize the old drive in whatever format the drive is in. If you're comfortable with it I'd do the same as your friend suggested, just plug the old drive in the new machine.

[faizoff]

I got paid this week, so I'm finally going to upgrade my graphics card to a 1060, and also grab some new case fans because I'm concerned about cooling. I'm currently down to one front fan and one rear fan, because the cheap-ass fans I usually buy only last a year or two before they start rattling and I unplug them.
So I'm going to load up every available slot on my case, and have 4 x 120mm fans and the 140mm fan for the top. I've never used the case side fan spot before, but I hope having an extra fan blowing in there right over the GPU might help. I've read some different opinions about whether to use a side fan and what direction they should face, but I'll probably do some testing on it.
And then I just hope my PSU can handle the new card, because I'm not too keen to spend another couple of hundred on top of the $400 for the card. It *should* be fine. I think.

What GPU are you upgrading from? I have an AMD Radeon HD 6870 that is still more than adequate some 6 years since bought it. Will only become a problem once I finally want to upgrade to 4k.

I'll have to take a look at my fan setup, the case came with six fans already installed and running. I've never noticed if it makes a difference or not as most of the time I really don't do anything intense. I will also need to clean out all the dust that's been accumulating all these years inside.

[BlobVanDam]

I got paid this week, so I'm finally going to upgrade my graphics card to a 1060, and also grab some new case fans because I'm concerned about cooling. I'm currently down to one front fan and one rear fan, because the cheap-ass fans I usually buy only last a year or two before they start rattling and I unplug them.
So I'm going to load up every available slot on my case, and have 4 x 120mm fans and the 140mm fan for the top. I've never used the case side fan spot before, but I hope having an extra fan blowing in there right over the GPU might help. I've read some different opinions about whether to use a side fan and what direction they should face, but I'll probably do some testing on it.
And then I just hope my PSU can handle the new card, because I'm not too keen to spend another couple of hundred on top of the $400 for the card. It *should* be fine. I think.

What GPU are you upgrading from? I have an AMD Radeon HD 6870 that is still more than adequate some 6 years since bought it. Will only become a problem once I finally want to upgrade to 4k.

My current card is a Quadro 600. I intentionally chose it to avoid a gamer card, so it wasn't even great performance when I got it 5 years ago.
Here's a comparison between my current card, and the 1060. It's literally 20x better.

https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-Quadro-600-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1060-6GB/m8084vs3639

[BlobVanDam]

My GTX 1060 arrived today, so I spent the day installing the new card, the new fans, and also giving my computer a good dusting, because it was getting ridiculous after 5 years or so of not giving a crap.

I haven't actually tested out anything 3D yet, but it appears it's all working. I also tweaked the fan curve a bit so it spins up faster when the temp gets higher. Also, 4 case fans are a little noisy, and I haven't even installed the 5th yet. I'm not sure whether it's one in particular being noisy, or the cumulative effect.

[TioJorge]

It's always so nice to have a clean PC with a boost in power.

I'm meticulous about mine...After a few days of not dusting I begin to get really crack-head-ish about it. *Twitch twitch* gottadustthatshit *twitch twitch*

[faizoff]

So how do you guys clean inside the PC, do you use a compressed air cleaner? One of these weekends I'll get on it, I've been meaning to reapply the thermal paste on the CPU as well.

[BlobVanDam]

So how do you guys clean inside the PC, do you use a compressed air cleaner? One of these weekends I'll get on it, I've been meaning to reapply the thermal paste on the CPU as well.

I wish I had some compressed air, although I have no idea if it's good/bad to use that inside a computer. I just have a paintbrush I use to get it all out (apparently synthetic bristles are bad because static or something, so it has to be real). Took me hours to clean it all out, and today my back is killing me from hunching over the computer case all day.

The new graphics card is working out great. I don't have any really intensive games on my PC, since it all had to run on my old card, so I just tried out Rocket League on max settings, and it didn't drop below 60fps (I have V-sync on, so I have no idea how much faster it would manage), and it didn't even break a sweat. The GPU got up to 45C max.
And by lucky coincidence, I got my new card the day the Steam summer sale starts, so that seems like a good opportunity to see what this thing can do.

[ReaperKK]

I have an air compressor in my garage so I just take my PC out there. I usually do it once a year, maybe less.

[Podaar]

I know this is going to sound like my typical bullshit, but I swear it's 100% true. I carry the box outside, take the covers off and clean the dust out of my computers with a leaf blower. It takes 45 seconds. It's fantastic.

[faizoff]

I saw a youtube video of a guy doing the same thing, the leaf blower cleared all the dust in a matter of seconds. I would do the same except I don't have a leaf blower.

[TioJorge]

That legitimately gives me a smidgen of anxiety.  To each their own though!

Compressed air is totally safe, Blobby. At least the kind that I've been using, the classic "Dust Off Electronics Duster". Been around forever.

[BlobVanDam]

That legitimately gives me a smidgen of anxiety.  To each their own though!

Compressed air is totally safe, Blobby. At least the kind that I've been using, the classic "Dust Off Electronics Duster". Been around forever.

Oh good, because I planned to huff it when I was done with cleaning the PC.

[Podaar]

That legitimately gives me a smidgen of anxiety.  To each their own though!

Compressed air is totally safe, Blobby. At least the kind that I've been using, the classic "Dust Off Electronics Duster". Been around forever.

As long as you don't put the nozzle too close it's completely safe, TJ. Totally dry air, inexpensive, and guaranteed to get all your fans really clean!  I've been using this technique for decades and have never had a problem.

[BlobVanDam]

Yeah, I wouldn't let garden equipment anywhere near my sensitive electronics, but that's just me.

[faizoff]

This is the video I watched with the leaf blower
https://youtu.be/F2C_MhGJQGk?t=1m39s

[Bolsters]

I just use the can duster made for cleaning electronics, it does the job good enough.

[cramx3]

[Orbert]

Holy shit!  If you're literally seeing clouds of dust pouring out of your PC like that, you don't clean it often enough.

[cramx3]

 

I have a cat so cat hair can be an issue, I use compressed air.  I don't clean the inside of my case very often. I do need to scrub the hair off the front of the fan intake though like every other week.  That I can just peel off with my fingers though.

The new graphics card is working out great. I don't have any really intensive games on my PC, since it all had to run on my old card, so I just tried out Rocket League on max settings, and it didn't drop below 60fps (I have V-sync on, so I have no idea how much faster it would manage), and it didn't even break a sweat. The GPU got up to 45C max.
And by lucky coincidence, I got my new card the day the Steam summer sale starts, so that seems like a good opportunity to see what this thing can do.

I'm sure you could hit 100fps in rocket league

[BlobVanDam]

The new graphics card is working out great. I don't have any really intensive games on my PC, since it all had to run on my old card, so I just tried out Rocket League on max settings, and it didn't drop below 60fps (I have V-sync on, so I have no idea how much faster it would manage), and it didn't even break a sweat. The GPU got up to 45C max.
And by lucky coincidence, I got my new card the day the Steam summer sale starts, so that seems like a good opportunity to see what this thing can do.

I'm sure you could hit 100fps in rocket league

Probably. As I said, it wasn't even trying with that game, but it's the best I had on hand. I'm not much of a gamer, so I doubt I'll be pushing it too hard with what I play.
I'm kinda itching to get the Vive now though, although it's $1400 in this country, and I don't know if I want to spend that much right now.

[ReaperKK]

Watching that is oddly satisfying

[cramx3]

I keep that gif saved for when someone asks me (usually jokingly) to get the dust off a server.

[PowerSlave]

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/06/23/windows_10_leak?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

[ReaperKK]

Wow that is a big ass leak.

I wasn't aware of the Windows 2000 leak either.

[faizoff]

It's not a leak of the source code like The Register claims from what I read. This is the statement from Betaarchive, the site which held the data presumed to be source code.

The Register article [/size]https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/06/2 ... s_10_leak/[/color][/size] has got BetaArchive a fair amount of attention this evening. They claim, and I quote “32TB of Windows 10 internal builds, core source code leak online”.[/size]First of all let us clear up a few facts. The “Shared Source Kit” folder did exist on the FTP until this article came to light. We have removed it from our FTP and listings pending further review just in case we missed something in our initial release. We currently have no plans to restore it until a full review of its contents is carried out and it is deemed acceptable under our rules.The folder itself was 1.2GB in size, contained 12 releases each being 100MB. This is far from the claimed “32TB” as stated in The Register’s article, and cannot possibly cover “core source code” as it would be simply too small, not to mention it is against our rules to store such data.At this time all we can deduct is that The Register refers to the large Windows 10 release we had on March 24th which included a lot of Windows releases provided to us, sourced from various forum members, Windows Insider members, and Microsoft Connect members. All of these we deemed safe for release to BetaArchive as they are all beta releases and defunct builds superseded by newer ones, and they were covered under our rules.If any of this should change we will remove these builds from the FTP and we will happily comply with any instructions to do so by Microsoft.With regards to the BBC article https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-40366823 about two Britons that have been arrested following an alleged Microsoft hack, we don’t believe there is any connection with this alleged “Windows 10 core source code leak”.Update 09:58 GMT 24/06/2017A spokesperson for Microsoft contacted The Register and said: "Our review confirms that these files are actually a portion of the source code from the Shared Source Initiative and is used by OEMs and partners."

And a comment from the mod on reddit

Hi, everyone. I'm Ranma_chan, and I'm a moderator on BetaArchive.com-- We're trying to clear up some facts being mistaken and falsehoods being spread, and so I'd like to clarify that the leak was not 32TB in size, but was instead a 1.2GB archive of driver source files from Windows 10 that were accessible to OEMs and developers.

Please read this statement from our administrator, and not listen to the sensationalist rhetoric forwarded by the mainstream media.
https://www.betaarchive.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=37283


We at BetaArchive strive to limit ourselves to the pursuit of preservation of hard to access oddware-- that is, software which is old, forgotten and obsolete (to paraphrase Lazy Game Reviews here); and we take every effort we can to sanitize any releases before release. There was no security threat from this release.

[ReaperKK]

I know there are probably not a lot of edm fans here but I did find deadmau5 house tour pretty amazing.

https://youtu.be/dBiqFNNfudA

The lighting rig is pretty impressive.

[PowerSlave]

I have a technical question about partitions and running two different operating systems. Please forgive my ignorance, but this is something that I've never done before...

I have a newer desktop that I bought in the spring. It came pre-loaded with windows 10, but I'd like to make a partition and install windows 7 on the new section. From what I've read it looks like making a partition windows 10 is really easy, so I'm not really worried about that part. And I do have a fresh copy of 7. However, I was reading an article that was saying that I would need an external optical drive to install windows7 on the partition. I was wondering if there was any way that I could simply use the drive that I already have installed in my tower? I'd rather not have the added expense of purchasing an additional drive that I would only be using once.

[ReaperKK]

I've haven't done a duel boot with Windows 10 but you shouldn't need an optical drive to install Win 7. Make a win7 thumbdrive and install win 7 on the partition. You may have to edit the bootcfg file so you get prompted on boot which OS you want to boot into.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Just bought a new monitor for my PC, my old one still works but since I have a GPU with a DisplayPort and my old monitor only uses DVI port I thought I might aswell take advantage of it. So I bought a 24" 144Hz G-sync monitor and it's pretty much an entire new gaming experience, everything feels so smooth even though I haven't changed any hardware.

Since I had my old monitor left I decided to run Dual monitors also which worked great and I must say it's alot more convenient than I thought.

[cramx3]

Nice! Yea dual monitors is the way to go if you can.  I've been thinking of stealing my work monitor that I don't use, a really nice Dell 28 inch 2k monitor.  Beats my Acer 24 inch 1080p.  My second monitor is a samsung 22in 1080p I stole from my old job