THE COMPUTER THREAD

[Darth Geek]

Due to the issues I was having with my computer, I decided to get a new laptop. So I now have a new HP with an i5 processor and 1TB memory.
I am currently using the Microsoft Edge that came with it. Does anybody have experience with how it compares to Chrome?

[Pastor of Muppets]

I'm leaning toward dropping $100 on a 4 Tb hard drive.

It's worth it but for a couple dozen dollars more you could get a 6TB

Yes but then after that it's just a relatively small leap to 7 TB, then 8Tb, then 10 Tb.  I remember looking at hard drives in 2004 and being blown away by the fact that 1 Tb drives were even available.  Now I'm outgrowing a 1 Tb drive....  These Rifftrax projects are very space intensive.

I bit the bullet and ordered this 4 Tb drive.  I looked inside my computer case and it looks like I have the available power supply connectors for an additional drive, and spare motherboard ports as well.  So I think I'll keep the 1 Tb in there, and use it to store video and sound files.  Maybe move my Starcraft II installation there... it's a surprisingly hard drive intensive game.  The 4 Tb drive will be exclusively Rifftrax workspace and ISO files.

It's still not clear if this hard drive has the cable to connect to the motherboard included.  On the one hand I hate to buy a cable I don't need.  On the other hand I also hate to have to wait an extra week or more to mail order this... I can't think of what brick and mortar store would have this in stock.

Now I need to start thinking of backup strategies.  Carbonite served me well in the past, but the recovery process moves at a glacial pace.

[RVR II]

That's a pretty good hard drive there for the price
They usually don't come with a SATA cable included but maybe that's change 
Office Depot, Staples, etc any office store will have a SATA cable..

[LucasM]

I have a question for those that know more than me about computers (which is likely everyone else reading this thread).

I thought my laptop's screen died (a Dell Inspiron, running Windows XP [to give an idea of the age of the thing]).  I could hear the 'Windows start' sounds, the lights flicker showing the hard drive is being accessed, and then when turning the power off, the 'Windows end' sound while leaving.  But nothing on the screen.

However, I just used a VGA cable to hook it up to an HGTV with a VGA input, and the TV says "No Signal" when using that input.

The question is: does this mean that the laptop thinks the screen still works, so is only sending information to that (which would require adjusting settings to change screen output in a computer I cannot see what is going on in)?  However, I seem to recall hooking it up to an external screen before and just having both screens showing the same thing, but I'm not positive on that.  Or - as that would suggest (if it did, indeed, happen) - is the VGA output always active regardless, and my laptop's video card is dead?  [If so, the laptop is ancient and slow and I'll just replace it rather than try to compensate.]

Any help/feedback would be appreciated.  Thanks!

[MartyS (Gromit)]

However, I seem to recall hooking it up to an external screen before and just having both screens showing the same thing, but I'm not positive on that.  Or - as that would suggest (if it did, indeed, happen) - is the VGA output always active regardless, and my laptop's video card is dead?

Most laptops turn off the VGA port by default to save battery life.

Most laptops do have a button that cycles between the different modes (screen only, screen + vga, vga only) each time you hit it.  Usually accessed by holding function, look for a key that has a screen icon the same color as the function key. 

[Variety of Cells]

However, I seem to recall hooking it up to an external screen before and just having both screens showing the same thing, but I'm not positive on that.  Or - as that would suggest (if it did, indeed, happen) - is the VGA output always active regardless, and my laptop's video card is dead?

Most laptops turn off the VGA port by default to save battery life.

Most laptops do have a button that cycles between the different modes (screen only, screen + vga, vga only) each time you hit it.  Usually accessed by holding function, look for a key that has a screen icon the same color as the function key.

That's worth a try. I was about to say the graphics card or integrated graphics was probably dead, but I'm no expert.

[LucasM]

However, I seem to recall hooking it up to an external screen before and just having both screens showing the same thing, but I'm not positive on that.  Or - as that would suggest (if it did, indeed, happen) - is the VGA output always active regardless, and my laptop's video card is dead?

Most laptops turn off the VGA port by default to save battery life.

Most laptops do have a button that cycles between the different modes (screen only, screen + vga, vga only) each time you hit it.  Usually accessed by holding function, look for a key that has a screen icon the same color as the function key.

Thank you.

I'm not using it on a battery (the battery died completely about a year or so ago, and it wasn't worth the cost to replace since I always used it near an outlet anyway).  Unfortunately, I can't find any buttons other than the power button and the audio/video buttons (mute, volume, stop, pause, play).  [Ironically, after it being dead for months, when I opened it to try to look for a video-switching button, the Windows XP screen flashed briefly (in a dull kind-of orange) then disappeared before I could get it plugged back in again.  It hasn't appeared since rushing to get it to an outlet and plugged in again.]

Something I am realizing now.  With the VGA input on the back, when selecting input on the TV, it shows "COMP" as the only one that was appropriate (only other options are 'TV' 'HDMI' or 'RGB').  So I'd interpreted "COMP" as 'computer' since there was no other option even coming close.  However, in digging further, that is obviously the "component" input (RGB,Aud, etc.).  Though there is a VGA input on the TV, when using the 'Input' button on the remote (the only way to get anything done on it), it does not appear that it gives the OPTION to switch to the VGA input in the interface!

So for all I know, the laptop could be pumping out a signal, but the TV refuses to even show it can switch to the VGA input to actually display it.   The manual says it accepts a VGA input, and shows connecting the cable, but nothing on switching to that.  This is the TV: Vizio E24-C1  The manual (which includes all the crap that's buried in the firmware of the thing itself so can be seen on-screen, but is not on paper) is useless for this.  It shows the ability to attach a home computer - has a whole damn page for that, and it even shows a laptop - yet on the page where it shows the selection of 'Input', there is NO "VGA" shown in the options there, just as there isn't one on the TV itself.  Other than "you can connect a home computer" to it, there is NO mention of it elsewhere.  Perhaps they are being very careful: "you CAN connect a home computer to it (it just can't be displayed)" would be the complete sentence.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

The button I'm talking about would be on the keyboard.  But maybe it's too old.

Is there and "fn" key?  If so there will be some extra icons on certain keys to do stuff like change fonts, volume, screen brightness, and one to cycle between the 3 modes I mentioned before.  The icons are normally the same color as the "fn".

If no function key then you are stuck using windows commands to activate the VGA port, but if the laptop display is dead there is no way to do that.

If it flickered like you said the cold cathode lamp that lights up the display probably burned out, that's what usually dies on old laptop displays.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Oh, and the VGA input on the TV is RGB, so that is the one to use.

[Pastor of Muppets]

Lucas, it's not actually a button per se, but a keystroke combination.  Should be a Function (Fn) key, usually on the lower left next to the Ctrl button.  Then one of the F-keys, I think it's often F3 or F8.  It's inconsistent, but it should have a small image of what looks like two monitors or two squares or something like that on it.

You can also bring up the Screen Resolution control panel in Windows which shows.  Looks kinda like this.  Should be one rectangle for each monitor the computer detects.  If you only see one, then the computer is only picking up the laptop screen.  If you see more than one, but one is faded and kinda grainy in appearance (sorta like this), then all the monitors are detected, but one is deactivated.  You can activate it through Windows by right clicking.

[Pastor of Muppets]

It did just occur to me that the 1 Tb drive will also be pretty handy as a "workspace" folder for Rifftrax projects.  The final product is always an ISO file of about 4.7 Gb in size, plus some extra files of negligible size that I keep around.  But the reauthoring process always produces a lot of intermediary files which can balloon as high as 20 Gb.  I always delete these, but as the drive gets fuller and fuller, there's less room to expand.

Also, does anyone know how many Rifftrax there have been?  I want to estimate the space requirements if I kept an ISO for each one.

[RVR II]

Also, does anyone know how many Rifftrax there have been?  I want to estimate the space requirements if I kept an ISO for each one.

Over 200 full length RiffTrax, Even more Shorts
Currently my RiffTrax folder in my 4TB hard drive is 1.86TB and I stopped getting the releases starting back in June 2016 of last year due to my wife's cancer (and passing 7 months later ) so I'm quite behind myself now, but I would say you would need a 2TB hard drive minimum at current level of releases

[Pastor of Muppets]

Also, does anyone know how many Rifftrax there have been?  I want to estimate the space requirements if I kept an ISO for each one.

Over 200 full length RiffTrax, Even more Shorts
Currently my RiffTrax folder in my 4TB hard drive is 1.86TB and I stopped getting the releases starting back in June 2016 of last year due to my wife's cancer (and passing 7 months later ) so I'm quite behind myself now, but I would say you would need a 2TB hard drive minimum at current level of releases

Well that's a 4 Tb on order...  which really comes out to about 3.4 since hard drives never use their full capacity.  Maybe that'll hold me for another 5 years.

[Pastor of Muppets]

Newegg always makes me feel like a kid in a candy store.  I don't shop there often.... I find it tough to control myself.

I bought my current computer there in August 2014.  I was overdue to move from Windows XP to Windows 7.  I knew that the upgrade was going to require basically a re installation of Windows.  Plus I'd have to buy the Windows 7 software.  My computer was having increasing troubles anyway.  It had a tendency to shut down randomly... I think it was a failing power supply.  That computer was a self-assembled piece.  I bought the chassis, motherboard, hard drives, DVD-RW drive, power supply, RAM, processor, and graphics card all separate and put it all together.  I did that in early 2009.  It was a fun project but led to a not very reliable computer.

Its replacement, my current desktop, was sort of the same thing, except I didn't assemble it.  Bought through Newegg from a company called "Ibuypower".  I basically picked the options a la carte and they assembled it for me.  Came out to $717.17  I would be willing to bet that was still cheaper than the do-it-yourself box I assembled in 2009.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

I live about 15 minutes from the Microcenter store in PA, that place really has the kid in a candy store feel, computer and networking parts piled up all over, 3D printers, hobby electronics...  And their prices are comparable with online shops.

When support for XP ended I also did the complete rebuild from scratch to move to windows 7, did the online order pick up at the store option, filled the trunk of my car with all this and spend the day building:



I've since upgraded the Video to a 1070 card and the SSD to 1TB.