PC fettling and repairs thread

[MontyVeda]

Surprisingly, Windows accepted the same licence key I'm using on this PC

 

[DCBassman]

Surprisingly, Windows accepted the same licence key I'm using on this PC

Good result!

 

[DCBassman]

Decided I needed more USB on my main laptop. I almost invariably use a mouse because I don't like touchpads. So I'm always a USB port down.
Lightbulb: there's an ExpressCard slot. Quick search through eBay nets me a 3-port USB3 card for slightly north of a tenner, delivered. Click.

Of course, it cannot actually do the full USB3 thing, because the ExpressCard bus doesn't run that fast, but 3 extra ports is very useful.

 

[MontyVeda]

one can never have too many USBs.

 

[MontyVeda]

in other news... I'd forgotten how much i hate a new PC. All the fecking around trying to find where i'd put all my passwords, installing all those piddly bits of software I'll seldom use, trying to figure out why i can't download anything, and wondering why the hell it won't let me look in my mahoosive 'photos' folder when i 'm logged in as the Admin yet 'access is denied'

 

[MontyVeda]

I was adequately happy with the install of W10 on my other PC, but the install of W10 on this new(old) one is like I've installed a draconian nanny state. I've had to give myself, as an administrator, special administrative permission to view my own photos folder, but am still blocked from looking inside any subfolders within it, possibly because, as an administrator, i don't have administrative rights to look at my own stuff. AND every time i open uTorrent, i have to open it as an administrator otherwise the M$ nanny state will block me from using a torrent client to download any torrents. All the while I'm logged in as the administrator and it keeps saying "nah you can't do that" FFS . I'm seriously considering moving over to the lightside of the force and installing a Linux OS instead. Life needn't be so awkward.

 

[MontyVeda]

...and to top it all... the audiophile sound card was working fine yesterday, today (after a reboot) Windows says it has no drivers and even pointing it directly at the folder with the drivers in, it won't install them

EDIT... uninstalled the device and reinstalled the drivers, working again... but for how long?

 

[icowden]

...and to top it all... the audiophile sound card was working fine yesterday, today (after a reboot) Windows says it has no drivers and even pointing it directly at the folder with the drivers in, it won't install them

EDIT... uninstalled the device and reinstalled the drivers, working again... but for how long?

Until the next update if it is anything like my audiophile sound card. I sold it in the end and got a USB UR44C instead.

 

[DCBassman]

Hopefully, the Mac Pro finds a new home today. I just don't find it or its OS any great fun to play with...

 

[Grant Fondo]

Hopefully, the Mac Pro finds a new home today. I just don't find it or its OS any great fun to play with...

I recently specced up a mates new pc after he took the plunge after years with Macs, he's an architect. Awesome rig, AMD 5900X and RX6800XT plus big 4K monitor ... he's over the moon with it.

 

[DCBassman]

I recently specced up a mates new pc after he took the plunge after years with Macs, he's an architect. Awesome rig, AMD 5900X and RX6800XT plus big 4K monitor ... he's over the moon with it.

I'd like to persuade my niece to do the same, she's also an architect.

 

[DCBassman]

Next small project: find a way to get more RAM into the SFF box. This has 2 slots and will take 2x8GB, but I don't have any of those. A shedload of 4GB sticks, however.
It currently runs an I7-2600K, so can use older Intel chipsets. A few days of perusing eBay and I find a Q67-based Intel business board. Sold as parts because it won't boot with the i3-3220 also supplied. It cannot, doesn't support that generation. So, this will almost certainly be ok, and I can sell on the CPU to offset the total cost of £11.36 delivered! The board has four RAM slots to a max of 32GB. I'll install 16 and be happy. It also has faster SATA channels, so a bonus there too.
Asus P8H61M LX2 will go up for sale with 4GB RAM and an i5-3470. That's a great general purpose PC right there.

 

[Grant Fondo]

Next small project: find a way to get more RAM into the SFF box. This has 2 slots and will take 2x8GB, but I don't have any of those. A shedload of 4GB sticks, however.
It currently runs an I7-2600K, so can use older Intel chipsets. A few days of perusing eBay and I find a Q67-based Intel business board. Sold as parts because it won't boot with the i3-3220 also supplied. It cannot, doesn't support that generation. So, this will almost certainly be ok, and I can sell on the CPU to offset the total cost of £11.36 delivered! The board has four RAM slots to a max of 32GB. I'll install 16 and be happy. It also has faster SATA channels, so a bonus there too.
Asus P8H61M LX2 will go up for sale with 4GB RAM and an i5-3470. That's a great general purpose PC right there.

Same here, loads of RAM knocking about ... DDR2 800 to DDR4 3000 .... if you or any CC'ers need anything let me know. Just took an 8800GT out of an old gaming rig + a nice Dark Rock Pro cooler spare from when I switched to water

 

[DCBassman]

Same here, loads of RAM knocking about ... DDR2 800 to DDR4 3000 .... if you or any CC'ers need anything let me know. Just took an 8800GT out of an old gaming rig + a nice Dark Rock Pro cooler spare from when I switched to water
View attachment 648218

Will keep in mind!
Astonishingly, the 8800GT is far slower han the 'office grade' GT1030 I'm currently running! Such is progress...

 

[Grant Fondo]

Will keep in mind!
Astonishingly, the 8800GT is far slower han the 'office grade' GT1030 I'm currently running! Such is progress...

Aye .... It was a great card back in the day as well. Didn't cost the earth either.