Octopus Overlords

Posted: **Sat Dec 19, 2015 5:48 pm**

On Windows 10.

Does anybody have any idea what program put 'slot' folders on my C: drive? C: has 39 folders. 25 of them are SlotX. They were all created at the same time about a week ago, and the add/remove programs doesn't show any new programs installed that day. The folders are all empty. The drive looks like:

PerfLogs
Program Files
Program Files (x86)
ProgramData
Slot Names
Slot1
Slot2
Slot3
Slot4
Slot5
.(etc)
.
.
.
Slot25
Users
Windows

Posted: **Sat Dec 19, 2015 8:08 pm**

Microsoft has a piece of software called Process Monitor that can monitor read/writes to specific folders and let you know what process is accessing it. Unfortunately I don't think it can tell you what created an already existing folder.

Posted: **Sat Dec 19, 2015 8:57 pm**

I've used Process Monitor before, but these folders aren't being modified or used in any way as far as I can tell, but I'd hate to delete them and having something go cockeyed down the road.

Posted: **Sat Dec 19, 2015 8:59 pm**

Know what? Nevermind. I just figured out what did it. I sorted by date and saw another folder that was created at the same time. It was an ENB manager I used for Skyrim. It didn't require an actual install, so there was no entry in the add/remove programs section.

I'm not using ENBs anymore, so off they go.

Posted: **Wed Dec 30, 2015 9:29 pm**

Here's a semi-random question: How does one convince a Toshiba laptop running Win 10 to boot up with NumLock on? I must not have burrowed deeply enough into the bowels of Windows to find the toggle.

Posted: **Wed Dec 30, 2015 9:58 pm**

Usually a BIOS setting.

Posted: **Wed Dec 30, 2015 11:36 pm**

I didn't think of that. Will see if I can poke around in there tomorrow.

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2016 3:39 pm**

Quick question: I haven't run dual monitors in years. I've been researching, and found that it is probably possible to hook my TV up via the Display Port on my graphics card as a second monitor (both the TV and monitor are HDMI, but this claims to be able to cross the ports.)

Here's the question: With dual monitors, is it still possible to run in cloned mode? This isn't for PC gaming, but for my pen-and-paper groups, and it would only be hooked up that way one or two days a month, and use to play audio files, view images, and run Photoshop.

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2016 3:42 pm**

Yes, you have the option to extend or duplicate with multiple monitors.

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2016 3:53 pm**

coopasonic wrote:Yes, you have the option to extend or duplicate with multiple monitors.

Excellent, thanks. The computer currently hooked up the the TV is really, really slow. It would be simpler to just hook my gaming PC directly to the TV, but I have problems reading the text from where I sit. Having my regular monitor at hand with cloned content would be a boon.

Posted: **Thu Jan 07, 2016 9:29 am**

For a long time I've struggled with wireless networking at work, often feeling frustrated and annoyed by it. It fails frequently, can be a headache to set up, every manufacturer seems to want to re-invent the wheel each time in their UI, and it takes me longer than it should to set up what feel like basic things. I keep asking myself why I'm so bad at it.

Then I came across a video by an IT person, and his ideas opened my eyes with one simple line. "Consumer grade wifi is poo."

I just need to accept it and learn to live with it. Businesses don't want to invest hundreds or more in good WiFi devices, then they get poo.

Posted: **Thu Jan 07, 2016 11:00 am**

Then I came across a video by an IT person, and his ideas opened my eyes with one simple line. "Consumer grade wifi is poo."

Hahaha thats Linus. I've watched his videos for years.

Posted: **Thu Jan 07, 2016 12:32 pm**

You can definitely run video ports as clone rather than extended desktop. And the whole thing is confusing enough enough that different ports have different resolution capabilities. Most monitors have VGA / DVI, maybe Displayport, and really recent ones have HDMI.

My laptop is not *that* new so it's DVI and VGA. Turns out VGA supports LESS resolutions. Who'd have known?

When I get my next desk I am going to get proper monitor arms. so I can keep my desk CLEAR, even a laptop arm. I can get combo monitor+laptop arms for like 50 on Amazon. It's just my current desk (one of those single student desk w/ hutch) has no room for it and I'm making do with a crap IKEA side desk and a monitor riser.

Posted: **Sun Feb 14, 2016 8:17 pm**

First Thunderbird, now Picasa.

Dear computing world: Please stop discontinuing all of the software I've grown dependent on. Thank you.

Posted: **Mon Feb 15, 2016 3:28 am**

Dear Blackhawk,

LOL

Love, computing world

Posted: **Thu Mar 03, 2016 1:28 am**

I had a friend ask me if I'd mind putting together a PC for him if he bought the parts. He's done me some favors, and I've put PCs together dozens of times, so of course I said yes. Parts came in this morning. I let them warm up to room temperature for a couple of hours, and then put 'em together.

It took until midnight to get the damned thing to boot, and even then it will only boot if the RAM is in one or two specific slots - on different channels. Put anything in either of the other two RAM slots and it just goes into a boot loop. Start. Spin the fans for ten seconds. Power itself back off, power itself back on. Rinse, repeat.

Since it doesn't matter which RAM is in which slot, just which slot it is in, I'm guessing a bad motherboard. Now I get to call my friend tomorrow and tell him that his new system - which he was going to pick up as a gift for his fiance on Saturday - doesn't work. He'll have to RMA the board, which is at my house, and I don't have a car to take it to the post office.

I'm also paranoid that he'll think I had something to do with it failing.

Sometimes I hate computers.

Posted: **Thu Mar 03, 2016 1:50 am**

Kraken wrote:Dear Blackhawk,

LOL

Love, computing world

Posted: **Thu Mar 03, 2016 3:04 am**

I'm also paranoid that he'll think I had something to do with it failing.

Doesn't sound like much of a friend if you think that of him.

Posted: **Thu Mar 03, 2016 11:59 am**

Daehawk wrote:
I'm also paranoid that he'll think I had something to do with it failing.
Doesn't sound like much of a friend if you think that of him.

I didn't say I thought he was going to get mad. I said that I was paranoid he'd get mad.

One is rational. The other is my sideways psyche dancing a jig.

Posted: **Thu Mar 03, 2016 12:01 pm**

You're not building me a computer, are you? Because that's exactly why I stopped. I've heard more terrifying beeps and klaxons from first power ups than I care to remember. Godspeed.

Posted: **Thu Mar 03, 2016 1:14 pm**

Nothing instills more dread and terror than the first time you push the power button.

Posted: **Thu Mar 03, 2016 8:36 pm**

In these days of bitching and complaining, I'd like to throw out a sincere compliment to any company who uses captchas where all the letters are from the left hand side of the keyboard by design. They are so much faster to enter.

Posted: **Thu Mar 03, 2016 10:10 pm**

Blackhawk wrote:I had a friend ask me if I'd mind putting together a PC for him if he bought the parts. He's done me some favors, and I've put PCs together dozens of times, so of course I said yes. Parts came in this morning. I let them warm up to room temperature for a couple of hours, and then put 'em together.

It took until midnight to get the damned thing to boot, and even then it will only boot if the RAM is in one or two specific slots - on different channels. Put anything in either of the other two RAM slots and it just goes into a boot loop. Start. Spin the fans for ten seconds. Power itself back off, power itself back on. Rinse, repeat.

Since it doesn't matter which RAM is in which slot, just which slot it is in, I'm guessing a bad motherboard. Now I get to call my friend tomorrow and tell him that his new system - which he was going to pick up as a gift for his fiance on Saturday - doesn't work. He'll have to RMA the board, which is at my house, and I don't have a car to take it to the post office.

I talked to him this morning. His boyfriend's PC has been out for a while, and they really, really needed this. He asked if I could get it up and running anyway. He said if I could that he'd just replace the whole motherboard the next time he was due for an upgrade.

So, with due warnings about possible instability, inability to add more RAM, the (minor) loss of speed from not running the RAM in dual channel mode, and tying Windows 10 to a bad motherboard, I was able to get it running well enough to keep the Unigine Heaven benchmark running on ultra settings for over an hour without any issues.

Posted: **Wed Mar 09, 2016 3:50 pm**

I just LOVE this:

Posted: **Wed Mar 09, 2016 5:10 pm**

It's funny. In college, during my first Linux course, the very first thing I said as I sat down next to my partner was "I thought Linux was for people who don't bathe" (hippies with beards slathered in patchouli oil) ... he was shocked that I'd say that. I still don't know who seriously supports it as a viable platform.

Don't get me wrong - I love the concept to death and when it works, it's rock solid - but who the hell has the time to learn and maintain the arcane spell casting required to run it well? Fighting a Windows server isn't overly painful for me - the few times I've had to fight Linux I was willing to sacrifice a goat with my bare hands just to make it stop.

Posted: **Thu Mar 10, 2016 12:13 pm**

Paingod wrote:Don't get me wrong - I love the concept to death and when it works, it's rock solid

Yeah, I love the concept too. I have a Unix background (long ago) and enjoyed that part of my professional career a lot. So, when I see Linux, it's like a going back to that a little. The system that I'm currently the program manager for is a Linux system too but it's a big data national system. Not the same as having it on PC where everything is so fragmented, you don't have paid support, and you really do need to know what you're doing. I still love it but I'm a gamer and I follow the games. So, that means Windows for me. Linux has just been a toy to tinker with at times.

Posted: **Thu Mar 17, 2016 11:02 pm**

Posted: **Thu Mar 24, 2016 7:38 am**

I think the network card is dead in my PC. Seriously, that's, like, one thing that I've never had to replace because it usually outlived the PC. Such a PITA...

With the blizzard yesterday, we never lost power but the lights flickered quite a bit. I wonder if there was a power surge that fried the NIC card.

Edit: after 5 hours of trying everything under the sun, it suddenly started working. I don't actually understand why but I'm not complaining...

Posted: **Tue Aug 09, 2016 3:34 pm**

Great job, hardware manufacturer. I love that I can either use my mouse dongle or the SD card reader in my case-front panel. Excellent design, there.

Posted: **Tue Aug 09, 2016 4:23 pm**

Isgrimnur wrote:Great job, hardware manufacturer. I love that I can either use my mouse dongle or the SD card reader in my case-front panel. Excellent design, there.

Do you mean you dongle is the size of a mouse's or did you actually have a transplant?

Posted: **Tue Aug 09, 2016 5:58 pm**

You need to get you one of those dongle extenders. I brought those into my house a few years ago. We've never been happier. TOGETHER.

Posted: **Tue Aug 09, 2016 11:40 pm**

Isgrimnur wrote:Great job, hardware manufacturer. I love that I can either use my mouse dongle or the SD card reader in my case-front panel. Excellent design, there.

So put the dongle in the back. The mouse doesn't care.

If that doesn't work, buy a hub. I have like 3-4 around my desk (and yes, they are ALL in use, I connect a lot of crap to my PC)

* External backup drive (3 TB)
* Podcast-quality Microphone
* Headset (USB)
* Keyboard
* Mouse
* Webcam
* Logitech lefthand keyboard
* SD card reader
* TV Tuner
* Xbox 360 wireless dongle
* USB drives for backup and stuff

There's probably a couple items I forgot about.

Posted: **Wed Jan 04, 2017 2:59 pm**

How is it that two cables, when run alongside each other will, if given privacy behind a desk for a few months, form a Gordian knot?

Posted: **Wed Jan 04, 2017 3:29 pm**

Blackhawk wrote:How is it that two cables, when run alongside each other will, if given privacy behind a desk for a few months, form a Gordian knot?

Entropy.

Posted: **Mon Jan 09, 2017 12:23 pm**

Blackhawk wrote:How is it that two cables, when run alongside each other will, if given privacy behind a desk for a few months, form a Gordian knot?

This is why I periodically cleanse my cabling with a reset. How it happens mystifies me, but my tidy little array of cables behind my computer become a snarled tangle that becomes no fun to fight with. Pull 'em all , kill any dust bunnies lurking underneath, and put 'em back.

The only "permanent" solution I've found is to bind the cables together with either zip ties or Velcro straps. Then they can't cavort wildly in the night.

Posted: **Fri Apr 14, 2017 10:55 am**

Computer rant #692

I just love when gaming sites review performance enhancing software and boosters. In the past week, I've seen at least a dozen reviews of Windows 10's new Game Mode. Every one of them seems to use the same methodology: They test a slew of games and measure the framerates both with and without the feature enabled, and they do it on a Core i7 90,000 with 32gb of RAM and an Nvidia 1080.

And they find no benefit to Game Mode.

Tip to reviewers: You're not going to benefit from maximizing resources on a system that's overflowing with resources. Look up the latest Steam survey and run it on a system that fits in the lower third of the real-world average. Right now that's a dual core under 3Ghz, 4gb RAM, and a video card with one gig of VRAM.

Posted: **Mon Aug 14, 2017 7:27 pm**

My $5 keypuller arrived today. tested and it works perfect. So easy to use. Plan to removed all keys next week to clean . May take off the top of the KB too to get to the reflective plastic inside of it that makes the LEDs brighter.

Posted: **Mon Aug 21, 2017 11:51 am**

My quest for properly working microphone continues, but let me start at the beginning.

I have a 7 year old (or more?) Dell XPS 17 laptop (First gen i7). Built-in Dell sound card.

I have a headphone and a boom mic attachment (designed for headphones), connected to the built-in sound-card. Sound works fine, the microphone... doesn't. Can't seem to get enough volume, even with auto-gain-control on, for voice recognition (I have Dragon)

I thought it was the microphone, so I bought the cheap Logitech headset with the built-in mic. SAME PROBLEM.

Further research seems to indicate it was a known problem with Win10 and the sound card, so I tried a USB sound card. STILL same problem. ARGH!

I have a USB microphone (M-Audio USB Producer) on my desk, I bought a long time ago when I thought I may try podcasting, so I tried installing that. Except this thing was so old it only has Win7 drivers, and is not supported under Win10. It works, but somehow it STILL doesn't have enough volume to satisfy the voice recognition software. ARGH!

At this point, I pretty much conclude that this audio problem is inherent to the old PC and I need a new PC.

Posted: **Mon Aug 21, 2017 12:07 pm**

If you do want a mic the best I keep seeing pop up in reviews is Antlion Audio ModMic Attachable Boom Microphone

Posted: **Mon Aug 21, 2017 12:26 pm**

Yeah, but they are 40-60 just for the mic.

and I've pretty much concluded it's my system, not the mic, that's the problem.

Octopus Overlords

General Computing Randomness

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