PC fettling and repairs thread

[DRM]

So the deed is done, all back together, powered up. You sense a but...

I can't get Command R to work on the machine to recover/install a copy of the Mac OS. All I get is a flashing folder with a ? on it. Any ideas, anyone?

It’ll be the ribbon cable from the mother board to the hdd that’s failed, my MacBook Pro did exactly the same, it’s a dead easy, inexpensive fix they break where it goes under the hdd, it’s telling you it can’t see the hdd.
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Unibody+Mid+2012+Hard+Drive+Cable+Replacement/10379

 

[HMS_Dave]

Im back on my Linux machine after my trusted HP Z620 started having freezing and crashing issues. After doing the usual diagnostics, i ran a memory test which showed significant failures, in multiple sectors far beyond anything i had seen before. After swapping the memory modules out for known working modules, the issues continued. I suspected Motherboard failure and proceeded to get hold of a spare one and fitted it. Same problems. After much farting about i got hold of another E5-2690 CPU of the same stepping as my current pair of CPU's in this machine and after replacing the first CPU, my issues went away. For the first time in 25 years of PC'ing i have had a CPU failure. I was beginning to think it was just folklore. After a painful time of being back on windows on my wifes Laptop, im happy on linux once more and the old HP lives again.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

It’ll be the ribbon cable from the mother board to the hdd that’s failed, my MacBook Pro did exactly the same, it’s a dead easy, inexpensive fix they break where it goes under the hdd, it’s telling you it can’t see the hdd.
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Unibody+Mid+2012+Hard+Drive+Cable+Replacement/10379

By way of an update, as I'd explained, it was the HDD that had failed. I successfully installed an SSD and was all gung-ho trying to install an OS X using a DVD, to no avail, so it's back with the man to extract the DVD - Mac wouldn't give it back, and install High Sierra, so let's hope all's good or I'll be cutting my losses and going with a Mac Mini.

 

[DCBassman]

Im back on my Linux machine after my trusted HP Z620 started having freezing and crashing issues. After doing the usual diagnostics, i ran a memory test which showed significant failures, in multiple sectors far beyond anything i had seen before. After swapping the memory modules out for known working modules, the issues continued. I suspected Motherboard failure and proceeded to get hold of a spare one and fitted it. Same problems. After much farting about i got hold of another E5-2690 CPU of the same stepping as my current pair of CPU's in this machine and after replacing the first CPU, my issues went away. For the first time in 25 years of PC'ing i have had a CPU failure. I was beginning to think it was just folklore. After a painful time of being back on windows on my wifes Laptop, im happy on linux once more and the old HP lives again.

Not surprised, a laptop running anything at all isn't going to stack up to an 8-core, 16-thread machine!

 

[DCBassman]

My newish little hand-me-down Asus netbook thingy is back on Win 10. Why? Surpreisingly, it works beter and quicker than Linux. That's actually really unusual. But it is working better in Windows, so in Windows it stays...

 

[HMS_Dave]

Not surprised, a laptop running anything at all isn't going to stack up to an 8-core, 16-thread machine!

It has a pair of those in it for a total 16 cores 32 threads! Useful for Virtual Machines and for keeping your room warm in the Winter!

 

[HMS_Dave]

My newish little hand-me-down Asus netbook thingy is back on Win 10. Why? Surpreisingly, it works beter and quicker than Linux. That's actually really unusual. But it is working better in Windows, so in Windows it stays...

Being a laptop maybe windows just has better optimised drivers for that machine. Either way, you have to stick with whatever experience is best for you.

 

[StuAff]

It has a pair of those in it for a total 16 cores 32 threads! Useful for Virtual Machines and for keeping your room warm in the Winter!

Nice! One hell of a beast. Also Hackintoshable, and cheap these days (I'm resisting, not least because my next Macs- plural- will be ARMed). Xeon machines make lovely radiators, don't they? Mine are Mac Pro 1,1- dual Woodcrest Xeon 5150 2.66GHz, and 5,1 Westmere X5690 3.46GHz. The latter is 12 years old now, but with an RX 580 it's still up to most tasks.

 

[HMS_Dave]

Nice! One hell of a beast. Also Hackintoshable, and cheap these days (I'm resisting, not least because my next Macs- plural- will be ARMed). Xeon machines make lovely radiators, don't they? Mine are Mac Pro 1,1- dual Woodcrest Xeon 5150 2.66GHz, and 5,1 Westmere X5690 3.46GHz. The latter is 12 years old now, but with an RX 580 it's still up to most tasks.

Absolutely. A robust heater indeed. I did have a pair of Westmeres a number of years ago. X5670's. Them, with a r9 390 GPU made for a toasty experience indeed!

I couldn't pass up the upgrade to a HP Z620. USB 3.0, Sata III, Quad Channel Memory and PCI Express 3.0. No need for messing around with compatibility issues of expansion cards. The 12c/24t Westmeres were still powerful enough mind.

 

[MontyVeda]

I've managed to delete all of my saved passwords from Chrome, which is a bit of a nightmare

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Woo and indeed hoo.

The man has installed an OS X (after he'd first got the wrong end of the stick and told me I had a HDD failure...), updated the firmware, installed my programs and I collect tomorrow. I know it's a billionty-six years old, but for a second Mac, used for very light duties only, it's absolutely fine.

Am please that armed with only YouTube, a Torx 10 and some sticky fixers (really - who needs a cradle anyway ) I done pulled Brer Mac apart and put it together again in the right order.

 

[MontyVeda]

...after spending much of the last couple of hours googling "recover lost passwords from chrome" and "find stored passwords in chrome" etc, and trying various methods that did not work... I suddenly remembered that I used to use firefox!

 

[ColinJ]

...after spending much of the last couple of hours googling "recover lost passwords from chrome" and "find stored passwords in chrome" etc, and trying various methods that did not work... I suddenly remembered that I used to use firefox!

Now Google "How to backup stored passwords from Firefox"!

 

[MontyVeda]

It's not funny @ColinJ !!! I've had a frustrating day... got home from work to a PC monitor that wouldn't come on, rummaged around for a spare VGA cable, still no screen. Dug out the laptop and started looking at PC world and Argos for a new one... all the cheap ones are out of stock and didnt' really want to spend £150+. Then i found a little place on the quay the sells refurbished laptops, rang them to see if they had any monitors... yes. Half an hour later, new monitor for £20

then i deleted all my passwords! ...and bookmarks.

I do have a back-up of sorts... a screenshot of the password page, but could i find it? Could i buggery! ...not until after I remembered firefox had them stored too

 

[Milzy]

I need a bang per buck 1TB SSD with transfer software.
Shoot…