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Author Topic:   Computer help?
nwr
Member
Posts: 6408
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.1


Message 166 of 297 (352247)
09-25-2006 7:41 PM
Reply to: Message 165 by Faith
09-25-2006 7:33 PM


Re: USB port
What's the problem with removing them?
You have to first click the appropriate icon in the system tray, to tell the system to prepare it for removal. Otherwise you might lose data. Not a real problem.
What's the wear factor on the thumb drive?
It's electronic, not mechanical. No wear factor. However, I do presume it has a finite life. I don't happen to know what is that life.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 165 by Faith, posted 09-25-2006 7:33 PM Faith has replied

Replies to this message:
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kuresu
Member (Idle past 2513 days)
Posts: 2544
From: boulder, colorado
Joined: 03-24-2006


Message 167 of 297 (352248)
09-25-2006 7:43 PM
Reply to: Message 165 by Faith
09-25-2006 7:33 PM


Re: USB port
if you don't ask the software to disengage (?) from the thumb drive, it's quite possible all the data can get erased. As to wear factor, my guess is since it's essentially a miniature hard drive, magnets are a very bad thing (at least, powerful ones).

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DrJones*
Member
Posts: 2284
From: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Joined: 08-19-2004
Member Rating: 6.8


Message 168 of 297 (352249)
09-25-2006 7:43 PM
Reply to: Message 165 by Faith
09-25-2006 7:33 PM


Re: USB port
The short part first.
What's the wear factor on the thumb drive?
I don't have any solid information but theoretically they should last quite a long time. There are no moving parts to break down, they have no surface to scratch, just make sure you don't bake them, freeze them or submerge them or clog the port with something and they should be fine. edited: yeah keep them away from magents too.
What's the problem with removing them?
Due to the way Windows handles them there is a danger of losing data if you just yank them out of the port. edited: it's like ejecting a floppy while the computer is still accessing/writing to it.
There is a software step that you have to do before removing them that essentialy closes the drive and makes it ready to be removed. When the thumb drive is installed a little icon will be present on your taskbar, when you want to remove the drive right click this icon and select "safely remove hardware" a confirmation box will appear and after that is checked you will get a message saying it is safe to remove the drive. Skipping the process isn't advised but it isn't automatically fatal either, I've forgotten about it multiple times and haven't lost any data.
Edited by DrJones*, : No reason given.
Edited by DrJones*, : some clarification added

Just a monkey in a long line of kings.
If "elitist" just means "not the dumbest motherfucker in the room", I'll be an elitist!
*not an actual doctor

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Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1445 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 169 of 297 (352250)
09-25-2006 7:49 PM
Reply to: Message 166 by nwr
09-25-2006 7:41 PM


Re: USB port
Sorry, "wear factor" was a bad choice of words. Mean corruption factor. Life of the thing. Disks corrupt, etc.

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crashfrog
Member (Idle past 1467 days)
Posts: 19762
From: Silver Spring, MD
Joined: 03-20-2003


Message 170 of 297 (352251)
09-25-2006 7:53 PM
Reply to: Message 167 by kuresu
09-25-2006 7:43 PM


Flash memory devices
As to wear factor, my guess is since it's essentially a miniature hard drive, magnets are a very bad thing (at least, powerful ones).
Thumb drives are actually a kind of RAM called "Flash RAM", also called "non-volatile RAM". This refers to the fact that these devices use solid-state, electrically-reprogrammable memory chips that, unlike the system RAM your computer uses to run programs, don't need a constant electrical current to maintain their contents.
They're not magnetic, to my knowledge. Theoretically they can even withstand intense pressure and boiling, but I wouldn't recommend it. Also they're supposed to be shock-resistant but I dropped a cheap thumb drive once and it stopped working completely.

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Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1445 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 171 of 297 (352256)
09-25-2006 8:13 PM
Reply to: Message 170 by crashfrog
09-25-2006 7:53 PM


magnets
Well two have said avoid magnets, one says not a problem.
I use a cassette tape eraser all the time so it's always near my computer -- it has its own corner away from everything else but it's still possible to make a mistake with it and put smoething else near it. I've printed loud messages on it to keep it away from "watches, recorded tapes, computer hardware and software" (which the packaging says in tiny print) and that would include the XP program disks I said a friend set it down on when helping me move. So the disks could be damaged after all.
It's enclosed in a box but if I put it near paper clips it picks them up through the box so it's pretty strong.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

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berberry
Inactive Member


Message 172 of 297 (352257)
09-25-2006 8:26 PM
Reply to: Message 171 by Faith
09-25-2006 8:13 PM


Re: magnets (and monitors)
It's very possible that a strong magnet could cause hard disc problems if it gets close enough, but I think it's even more likely that it could cause problems with your monitor. Open your word processor with a blank document full-screen and see if the color is consistently white all over. If not, don't worry, you can use the magnet to fix the problem, but don't ignore it because the longer you wait the harder it'll be to fix.

W.W.E.D.?

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Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1445 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 173 of 297 (352260)
09-25-2006 8:41 PM
Reply to: Message 172 by berberry
09-25-2006 8:26 PM


Re: magnets (and monitors)
The monitor has been getting dim I think, but the white tone is even on the Word doc, far as I can tell. That's not the problem, though, or the hard disk. The eraser doesn't get that close to either of them.
But it got put down right on top of the XP program disks which I'm going to need when I get a new computer in the nearish future, at least the Office Suite disk which has the Publisher program on it -- that won't come with the new computer and I can't do without it. I wonder if Microsoft would replace the disks if they're damaged? I have the codes for them.

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DrJones*
Member
Posts: 2284
From: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Joined: 08-19-2004
Member Rating: 6.8


Message 174 of 297 (352261)
09-25-2006 8:53 PM
Reply to: Message 173 by Faith
09-25-2006 8:41 PM


Re: magnets (and monitors)
But it got put down right on top of the XP program disks which I'm going to need
Magnets can't harm CDs, well not through their magnetic field at least.

Just a monkey in a long line of kings.
If "elitist" just means "not the dumbest motherfucker in the room", I'll be an elitist!
*not an actual doctor

This message is a reply to:
 Message 173 by Faith, posted 09-25-2006 8:41 PM Faith has not replied

crashfrog
Member (Idle past 1467 days)
Posts: 19762
From: Silver Spring, MD
Joined: 03-20-2003


Message 175 of 297 (352262)
09-25-2006 9:02 PM
Reply to: Message 173 by Faith
09-25-2006 8:41 PM


Re: magnets (and monitors)
But it got put down right on top of the XP program disks which I'm going to need when I get a new computer in the nearish future, at least the Office Suite disk which has the Publisher program on it -- that won't come with the new computer and I can't do without it.
Optical disks like CD's store data as pits in a reflective surface which is read with a laser, not as patterns of magnetic charge like floppies and hard disks.
So a bulk tape eraser won't harm them, unless they get really scratched up or something.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 173 by Faith, posted 09-25-2006 8:41 PM Faith has replied

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 Message 176 by Faith, posted 09-26-2006 6:08 AM crashfrog has not replied

Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1445 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 176 of 297 (352308)
09-26-2006 6:08 AM
Reply to: Message 175 by crashfrog
09-25-2006 9:02 PM


Re: magnets (and monitors)
OK, now I'm convinced. And relieved. Much obliged.

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 Message 177 by iano, posted 09-26-2006 7:05 AM Faith has replied

iano
Member (Idle past 1941 days)
Posts: 6165
From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland.
Joined: 07-27-2005


Message 177 of 297 (352318)
09-26-2006 7:05 AM
Reply to: Message 176 by Faith
09-26-2006 6:08 AM


Re: magnets (and monitors)
Try right clicking 'my computer', going to 'properties' and the 'advanced tab'. The first section is entitled 'performance' click the 'settings' button. The option that is checked is probable "let windows choose whats best for my computer" and there be a whole list of stuff checked in the panel below that. Instead click the 'adjust for best performance' tab - all the items will uncheck. Scroll to the bottom and check mark the LAST 3 entries. XP will look the same with a lot less stress.
If indeed all items are checked then you'll free up RAM by unchecking them. Read the descriptions to get the jist of one thing RAM has to do. The shadowing under you pointer is unnecessary but absorbs both ram and processing power. Same with all the rest of the items.
turn off system restore (unless they really use it) and get the properties of the recycle bin and set it to 3% to leave more space.
Did you have a go trying these Faith? They'll improve on those msconfig tips that Jazzns gave you. Let me know if you can't figure any of them out and I'll walk you through it
Edited by iano, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 176 by Faith, posted 09-26-2006 6:08 AM Faith has replied

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Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1445 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 178 of 297 (352499)
09-26-2006 10:07 PM
Reply to: Message 177 by iano
09-26-2006 7:05 AM


enhancing performance on a sick computer
No I didn't try all that. I don't understand System Restore at all. I remember trying it a long time ago and not liking the effect and since I had no idea why it did what it did or in fact WHAT it did, I've just avoided it.
The rest you quoted I should try. The "performance" tab. I'll do that next.
I've just been winging it lately. The msconfig advice helped a lot and I've settled into a certain pattern. I've come to expect the system to freeze up on me half a dozen times at my first try in the morning before it gives me the desk top. There's no point in leaving the system running overnight; it will freeze up for sure, so I turn it off. So I just go through the series of bootups, with it freezing a little farther into the process each time, until I'm at the desktop. It's become pretty predictable.
Then if I go online, it will freeze up at all the various stages of getting online, first loading the program, then arriving at the home screen, clicking on something. After I've gone through all those steps, rebooting each time, for some reason it will let me stay online for long periods as long as I stay in one place and don't try any new links.
Same if instead of going online from the desktop I just start in on my work. I've learned that just saving as I go is no protection, I have to save and close a new document, and then reopen it to work on it, if I want to count on retrieving it after a freeze-up. So I do that consistently now. It still freezes up another half dozen times, but since I can get back to where I was I don't worry about it. And then again, same as with going online, after I've gone through a number of bootups, it will just settle down and let me work without bugging me for long periods.
I don't really understand any of this but I'm happy as long as I can keep doing it. Very occasionally I get that really scary blue screen that interrupts what I'm doing, but mostly the above is the predictable scenario, and I just go through the usual procedure even when I get that blue screen too.
ve
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
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bob_gray
Member (Idle past 5014 days)
Posts: 243
From: Virginia
Joined: 05-03-2004


Message 179 of 297 (352520)
09-27-2006 12:11 AM
Reply to: Message 92 by iano
09-22-2006 8:35 PM


Re: Manna from heaven? (Great deals from Dell)
If you are going to get a Dell machine, which I would if you are looking for a system ready to go out of the box, you should check here before you buy it.
http://www.gotapex.com/
Dell always has some deals that are hard to find on the webiste and they always show up at gotapex.com. Todays deal includes the 3 year waranty and an upgrade to a 19" monitor and the whole system is still under $500. (Just the monitor and the waranty cost almost that much normally) The deals change so if you don't see something you like you can always check back in a day or two.

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 Message 180 by Faith, posted 09-27-2006 12:25 AM bob_gray has replied

Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1445 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 180 of 297 (352522)
09-27-2006 12:25 AM
Reply to: Message 179 by bob_gray
09-27-2006 12:11 AM


Re: Manna from heaven? (Great deals from Dell)
Thanks but my current system doesn't tolerate most links. I started to open that one but it took so long I interrupted it. Maybe I'll try it when I don't mind going through another bootup.
Or maybe you could copy out the particulars as Iano did in Message 91 and Message 92?
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
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Replies to this message:
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