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Erkki

Damn it, but computers have become really complicated

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Why not? And what's the best way to block the fan from spinning?

Because it can wreck the bearings by spinning the fan too fast. Just hold it in place and blow the dust off the fins.

PS why MS security essentials over AVG?
Because you paid for it with your Windows license, it integrates better than most AV solutions, it has a minimal footprint/performance impact, and it gets completely out of the way. Usually scores very well on AV tests too.

In Windows 8, it's completely integrated into the operating system, rather than requiring you to install it.

This is on my DELL laptop, which has no LED. Perhaps some update I was unaware of took away the Caps Lock icon display, or I managed to disable it somehow. Obviously I can figure it out, but it's a pain when I'm entering passwords and having to open a Notepad doc just to check if CL is on (especially if it's a banking website with a three-attempt limit and I start to get OCD about whether I've hit Caps Lock in between checking on the doc and going back to the site).

Not really a solution, but you could use a web browser which tells you (IE10 tells you, and lets you view what you have typed before submitting) or look for software for your keyboard.

I remember a day when I wasted a few hours trying to get my new DELL's webcam drivers -- turned out the machine just physically didn't have a webcam. A fact I had ignored thinking that all laptops must come with webcams. (also the same model had a variant with webcam I think)

Maybe I'm just weird, but I really dislike that most computers, phones and tablets now have a front-facing camera. You never really know whether that app is taking photos of you using it or not. At least with the older MacBooks (not sure about current models) they had a green LED that lit up whenever the camera was being accessed. I just cut out a small circle of tape and stick it over them. The front-facing cameras on most devices are actually fairly useless anyway.

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Because you paid for it with your Windows license, it integrates better than most AV solutions, it has a minimal footprint/performance impact, and it gets completely out of the way. Usually scores very well on AV tests too.

No, Security Essentials is absolutely terrible antivirus. It was OK when it first released, but like most things Microsoft does, they got bored with it and haven't put anything into it lately. Even AVG Free is better than MSE.

Better advice: Don't be cheap when it comes to your computer security! Pay for The Good Stuff like Kaspersky or Bitdefender.

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No, Security Essentials is absolutely terrible antivirus. It was OK when it first released, but like most things Microsoft does, they got bored with it and haven't put anything into it lately. Even AVG Free is better than MSE.

Better advice: Don't be cheap when it comes to your computer security! Pay for The Good Stuff™ like Kaspersky or Bitdefender.

Thanks for posting that. It certainly used to be competitive with the better paid applications. I guess that has changed since I last checked up on reports. (which has been a while, admittedly)

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Just so I know exactly where to look, if I want to restore my registry to the Windows backup from the command prompt on the recovery disc:

cd /d c:\windows\system32\config

xcopy *.* c:\regback

cd regback

dir

copy /y software ..

copy /y system ..

copy /y sam ..

Ugh, I get bile in my throat just looking at that. The most protip of protips: do not absentmindedly run CCleaner or some other registry cleaner before restarting when you have Windows updates in the barrel.

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I wasted a day trying to get a bunch of C to compile! I hate computers!

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I finally uninstalled the Windows Live Essentials 2011 pack (using the Fixit forced uninstaller, of all things) because Windows Photo Gallery kept claiming file associations it couldn't run. Unfortunately, that means that my webcam doesn't have software to capture images anymore. I tried VLC's capture mode and found it too buggy. I tried the widely recommended CamStudio and found it overcomplicated. The rest out there sounds like malware waiting to happen. ArcSoft WebCam Companion? Your computer's never gonna boot again.

 

I see a lot of selfies around the forums. What do you all use?

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I use PhotoBooth because Mac.  But on my Win machine I use ArcSoft (and a pirated version no less, because ArrcSoft is pretty crap and not worth the price they are charging).

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I just use my standard webcam and software, which is maybe why I look like a dork all the time.  I wouldn't care if an app had somehow taken over my webcam and was surreptitiously sending photos of me to... Somewhere.  All Someone would get is my face looking focused or frustrated or relaxed, and probably singing.  It's actually a little exciting to think people are secretely using my picture for As-Yet Unidentified Tasks.

 

On laptops though, reading this thread I realized that maybe my laptop wouldn't be always loud and hot if I dusted it, but I don't really know how to do that without deconstructing it entirely?  There doesn't seem to be another vent I can blow compressed air into on the opposite side of the fan vent.

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After buying a floppy drive to circumnavigate the problems I was having here, I'm now trying again to get some old Klik N Play games running (such as this one), and MAN is it complicated. Turns out my first big hurdle is to get a copy of Windows 3.11!

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it has a + in the name, that much better it will get

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My previous computer, a machine i had been operating for a pretty ridiculous eight years, finally gave up the ghost about a week ago. So i did a ton of research and built a new system.

FX 6300, GTX 660 Ti, and 12GB of DDR3 1600 on a 990FX motherboard, all in a big fancy case with lots of fans.

I'm feeling pretty proud of myself, every issue i ran into i was able to troubleshoot and figure out on my own. I mean, I used to be way into this stuff, but have obviously been out of the loop for a long time.

My BIOS has graphics and mouse support, holy shit.

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You step right into it again, nowadays, with all the guides and benchmarks and stuff. Whenever picking new hardware after being out of the loop for a while, is just checking some part for an afternoon and checking peoples opinions.

 

Your BIOS has mouse support?!

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I thought it was totally crazy! I think it's so dumb and amazing.

So easy to navigate.

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It's not uncommon to be able to surf the web from your BIOS on modern motherboards. All the manufacturers are currently in a race to see who can make the worst, most cluttered BIOS interface possible. I've always wondered, so I did a bit of research, and there are actually laws prohibiting computer component manufacturers from hiring people with graphics design/user experience experience.

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It's not uncommon to be able to surf the web from your BIOS on modern motherboards.

Yeah, but for some reason I couldn't get Flash videos working even though I specifically made sure to get a motherboard with a Flash BIOS.

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Yeah, but for some reason I couldn't get Flash videos working even though I specifically made sure to get a motherboard with a Flash BIOS.

I hate you so much right now

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...So how foolhardy would it be to pair an HD 7770 with a small form factor 300w power supply?

 

Depends how small form factor the rest of your PC is. If you're running like a Core i3 or Celeron (Ivy Bridge or Haswell, preferably) along with 4GB of RAM and a single HDD (5400 RPM would be ideal), it wouldn't be incredibly foolhardy. If you're worried about it, a 7750 usually uses about 40w less under load than the 7770.

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Thanks, that puts me more at ease. Yes, it's a lightweight setup. i3-3225, 8GB stick, single "green" HDD running at 5900, on a mini-ITX board and wedged into an ITX case.

 

The Sapphire HD 7770 is supposed to require a 400w PSU but tests show it takes 190w to 230w depending on the edition so hopefully it'll be ok. I've even plugged the DVD drive back in, that's how bleeding edge we are now.

 

Hasn't blown up yet... hasn't had to deal with Monday night Grand Thumb Autoing yet either...

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