Random Question Thread: Tech

[Caiyuo]

I know you generally don't want to place a regular machine in a router's DMZ, but is it safe to place a console there? Having trouble with XBL lately and looking for solutions

[setzer]

So for a while when I watched some youtube videos I got nothing but a green picture in the video, and now they do not work at all saying I am missing a plug in and when I try to install it, it always fails, and when I do a manual install it says it was successful but still does not work.

Am I doing something wrong or is my computer just stupid?

right click on the video, settings, uncheck "Enable hardware acceleration". refresh the page and it should work.

[Eddard]

I need some help... I built a new desktop about a week ago and everything seemed to go fine. The following day, after I got everything loaded on it, my computer just locks up. No mouse control, no keyboard input, nothing. Just frozen on the screen. I tried uninstalling any programs I put on there to see if they were the cause and had no luck. Even re-installed Flash and tried that. So I finally got around to re-installing windows7 again and still have the same issue. One thing I notice is it happens a lot when I am trying to watch stuff on twitch.tv or other websites with embedded video. Takes about 5min before the screen locks. If I am just playing a game (Starcraft II) it took about 10hrs before it finally locked up.

Anyone have any experience with this? The computer is literally only a day old. To get other stuff done I had to put my GPU into my old computer so I had a working system when this became a hassle. I am an amateur at this and this was my first PC build so any help is appreciated.

Specs if needed:

Spoiler: show

i7-3930k @3.2ghz stock
intel dx79si motherboard
16gbs ram
radeon hd 6950 (2gbs)
sandisk 120gb ssd (where my OS is saved to)

Thanks in advance.

[Qeomash]

I have two mechanical hard drives in my computer, both the same size (1.3TB). I use one for storage/programs/etc, the other for pretty much only the OS.

I'm considering buying a solid state drive and putting the OS on it and using both larger HDs as storage. Is it possible to just clone the system HD onto the solid state and avoid reinstalling windows?

[Senji]

yes

[Kenshiin]

The case that was recommended to me doesn't look like it can hold a SSD drive. Is there an adapter I need to get?

Here's the case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146078

[Niya]

Is it possible to just clone the system HD onto the solid state and avoid reinstalling windows?

possible: yes, in most cases
recommended: no. on a fresh install windows (7) should recognize that it's installed to an SSD and adapt to it (like turn off auto-defrag). You can do that on a cloned system yourself, but depending on the age of your windows installation you'll get quite a bit of "crap" with it that just clutters the SSD. You can do it to safe time, but a fresh system with only the needed programs/games on the SSD is the better choice.

@Kenshiin a simple 2,5" to 3,5" mounting bracket should do it. Some SSDs even come with brackets.

[Isiolia]

The case that was recommended to me doesn't look like it can hold a SSD drive. Is there an adapter I need to get?

Here's the case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146078

Many cases just have 3.5" drive bays, most SSDs are 2.5". Some come with an adapter to fit a 3.5" bay (such as pictured with this one). If the one you buy doesn't, you can buy one separately (like this or this).

Cases I've seen with "SSD mounts" tend to be kinda half-assed, without consideration for cables, but some may be better.

That said, SSDs have no moving parts, and are not sensitive to orientation. While it may not be ideal, you could duct tape one inside the case and it would work just as well.

[Purrrfect]

Not tech, but a bg forum question: Do sigs have a height limit? Not pictures, the whole sig.

[Omniyoji]

I think that the easiest way to test that Purrrfect would be to make another post (much longer one) and see if it's not tied to the vertical length of your post. I'm pretty sure there's a limit tho. You could just ask Rags also...

[Qeomash]

possible: yes, in most cases
recommended: no. on a fresh install windows (7) should recognize that it's installed to an SSD and adapt to it (like turn off auto-defrag). You can do that on a cloned system yourself, but depending on the age of your windows installation you'll get quite a bit of "crap" with it that just clutters the SSD. You can do it to safe time, but a fresh system with only the needed programs/games on the SSD is the better choice.

It is a fairly new install, the computer is nearing 9 months old or so. I have no problem doing a fresh install. My only issue is because it's such a pain to install windows with my (legitimate) copy of Windows 7. It a weird pseudo-"upgrade" version, yet is still a full version but needs a previous install already on the system. (Bought it back when my Uni had a deal with microsoft allowing for $15 copies of Windows 7 and free Office to students) So, basically, I have to install it twice.

[hey]

Not tech, but a bg forum question: Do sigs have a height limit? Not pictures, the whole sig.

It will stop displaying after a certain height, but the entire sig will still be there. You can see it with some custom css:

.signature { max-height: none ! important; }

[Kenshiin]

So I believe I successfully put together my first PC but I wanted to make sure my CPU temps looked good. While viewing the BIOS, I'm currently idling at 47C and my motherboard is at 33C.

Specs:
Asrock z68 extreme3 gen3 motherboard
intel i5-2500k 3.3
coolermaster hyper 212 plus
8GB ram

I googled around and saw people with temps down into the 20's and 30's so I got a little worried. I wanted to add that I currently don't have the GPU installed so I'm running off of the MB's GPU.

Also, what program do most people use to view they CPU or GPU temps?

[Senji]

Coretemp and afterburner.

People report cpu temp from two different areas, but most don't specify which. Don't bother worrying until your have a gpu in. If its still high; you just wipe down with alcohol and reseat with less paste.

[Intrinsic]

Roommates system is going on 4 years old and about 1/3 of the time he plays a game the video card will let out a faint, but very high pitched squeal, followed by the fan running incredibly quickly, usually until he shuts the pc down. He took the card out and cleaned it, had a ton of dust all over it, but it didn't seem to help. I'm guessing the card is on the way to dying, hoping someone can confirm this, but we need help on what card he could buy as a stop gap until he saves enough cash for a new pc. His current setup is a 9800 GT, phenom 9650 2.3 and a Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UDP4. Thanks for the help in advance.

[Zalrik21]

I tried looking in this issue a few pages back and did not find anything so posting here and hope i can get some help so i dont have to make a new topic. Earlier today i left my laptop on to download something while i was sleeping, i turned the brightness all the way down and noticed it turned a orange/brownish color, so i turned it back up and the issue went away. Fast forward a few hours, I wake up and noticed that my screen was off but my power light was still on so i tried moving my mouse thinking it somehow went into sleep mode after a windows update restarted it or something, and nothing happened. So i held the power button for a hard restart and i heard the beep it always makes and the screen flickered again that orange color and went straight to black and didnt do anything else, i tried hooking my HDMI cable to it and i was getting a "no signal" flash on my TV. The laptop is a Dell XPS M1530 Windows Vista 64bit 3GB RAM, got for xmas 2007, maybe the thing just finally died or something im not sure, i never really had any major issues with it or anything before

EDIT: Nvm I figured it out, my backlight burnt out and using a flashlight to see the screen for now lol

[Niya]

In most cases it's not the backlight itself but the inverter. That' a small curcuit board that generates the high voltages the backlight needs and also regulates its brighness.
If you still want to invest a bit of money into your laptop instead of buying a new one, you might be able to get a replacement inverter for a few bucks.
But be warned, depending on the laptop "layout" it might be really hard to get to the inverter. It's normally right above or below the display, so inside the lid.
Worst thing i ever saw was the Fujitsu (consumer) laptop of my parents, you had to take half of the laptop apart from the bottom over the keyboard to the display joint to be able to open the display frame and get to the inverter... Business notebooks are most of the time easier to open.

[Bilopdop]

So I was given an older model Ipod and shortly after it broke(It worked fine for about 2 weeks).

When I plug it in to charge with a power outlet it says to plug it into the computer and reset it, but when I plug it into a computer it just says, "Please wait, very low battery". The computer does not seem to even recognize that it is plugged in.

Does anyone know what might be wrong with it?

[Cadsuane]

Roommates system is going on 4 years old and about 1/3 of the time he plays a game the video card will let out a faint, but very high pitched squeal, followed by the fan running incredibly quickly, usually until he shuts the pc down. He took the card out and cleaned it, had a ton of dust all over it, but it didn't seem to help. I'm guessing the card is on the way to dying, hoping someone can confirm this, but we need help on what card he could buy as a stop gap until he saves enough cash for a new pc. His current setup is a 9800 GT, phenom 9650 2.3 and a Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UDP4. Thanks for the help in advance.

Graphics cards sometimes have sirens that sound when there's a diagnostic problem, usually when it's not receiving enough wattage from the power supply. Check that the aux power cable is seated firmly, and that the power supply is working correctly.

[Kaisha]

Was contemplating making a thread, but figured I'd ask here first.

Anyone here familiar with cheap/mid-range joysticks for PC that'll be suitable for entry level, but built well enough to not break after a few months of use? I've been wanting to play me some TIE Fighter lately (amongst other dogfighting games), and figured I'd get one so I have my left hand free to hover over the keyboard while my right hand controls all of the maneuvering.

I took a look at Logitech/Saitek's website (only manufacturers for them that I know of), and their low-end starts at $40-50, which have all I need as far as functionality goes, but I'd like to see what else there is first, or recommendations. I don't need anything too crazy, although I know these are like steering wheels where you get what you pay for.