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Erkki

Damn it, but computers have become really complicated

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A while ago, I tried to install Windows 8 on my Dell laptop. Let's say it was a horrible failure and I went back to Windows 7 because of more obvious driver compatibility. Now I'm curious to try again, if only because I don't feel like a true nerd unless I'm tinkering with something. I've stumbled upon a general guide to install new versions of Windows on various Dell products... and let's just say it's a goddamn nightmare hellride -

 

http://philipyip.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/windows-reinstallation-guide-10-08-2013.pdf

 

Thanks Dell, for making me need a FIVE HUNDRED PAGE MANUAL to properly install Windows 8 on your machine. Really classy move.

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That's like an instruction manual for contracting dysentery. The best I've heard about Windows 8 is you can basically make it boot into something resembling Windows 7.

Update; operation thermal paste was a success. After changing the paste and emptying the Hoover bag (there was a moth in one of the outlets) I'm getting an idle CPU temperature of about 50°C and haven't been able to get it above 65. The screen is also fixed (one of the cables had popped out as I wrestled with the case.)

The only problem is I failed to solve the problem. Despite my frigid internals I still got the same freezing after an hour or so, then again about an hour after rebooting. Running on battery power seems to solve the problem, which makes me suspect that my AC adapter may in fact have ticks or flees.

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I basically want my laptop to be a test-bed for the eventual installation of Windows 8 on my PC. In other words, I don't want to jump both feet forward when my desktop is my daily driver and my laptop is a bit of a distraction thing. Plus, there are noted advantages to Windows 8 including better boot times and some performance enhancements (some people even report better laptop battery life, though I'm a little dubious about that). With DirectX 11.2 coming exclusively to Windows 8.1 and Xbox One, I might also get some enhancements on One/PC-exclusive titles if I'm lucky. Plus, I'm increasingly becoming invested in SkyDrive as I use Office Web Apps more often than Google Drive since I use Microsoft Office at my work.

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Nothing you don't know, but my advice would be to skip 8 unless you care about the few areas in which it does offer a tangible benefit (as you say, boot times and Office stuff):

http://usabilitygeek.com/windows-8-vs-windows-7-speed-and-performance-testing/

 

For me, I already boot from non-sleep so rarely that I don't care about boot times, though I run windows 7 from an SSD anyway for shits & giggles. I loathe Office so that's hardly relevant, leaving gaming performance as my deciding criterion.

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Like I said, the benefits would be more tangible on my laptop than my PC, which is why I'm thinking about trying it out there first (use Office primarily on laptop, game primarily on PC). Either way I'm not super set on it, considering that hellish manual means it'd take me hours and hours to actually complete the upgrade. I suspect 8 will eventually reach par or better on all features of Windows 7 at some point (8.1 may be it, 8.2 or whatever they call it is more likely), so it seems worthwhile to at least become familiar with it before it comes passe to feel incompetent with it.

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I've been trying to submit my work to the editor of the zine I'm contributing to, but every time I upload a CMYK PSD to Dropbox the colours go all wonky. It's driving me nuts. Any suggestions?

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Dropbox doesn't really do anything with the files. Do you mean they look wonky when looking at them in Dropbox? If so, that's probably because lots of software explode when graphics aren't in RGB, including whatever Dropbox is using to render the PSD files.

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My fan has decided to completely stop working in my video card. I own a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150530'>XFX Radeon HD 6950. A few months ago, the fan was making some grinding noises. Did some cursory research, and it seems that was a common issue with the 6900 series? Just a loose bearing or something. Then it stopped, and I thought nothing of it. A week ago the grinding started again. My computer hard crashed once. It didn't happen again until two days ago, at which point all hell broke loose, and I can't even keep the computer on for more than a few minutes, no matter what I'm doing. The fan tries to spin, gives up. Tries to spin, gives up. I can hear it working and failing over and over.

 

So, yeah, I need a replacement. I have no idea how to do that. I don't want to buy a new video card, as I'm jobless. ANY IDEAS?

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I'm pretty sure you can just get an aftermarket fan. I know some people that have replaced their graphic card fan so they could overclock the card so I would assume it isn't too difficult to replace.

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Yeah but I don't know what that even means, really. What kind of fan. How do I replace the current fan. I've tried googling "how to replace fan" on my graphics card and get nothing useful. Maybe my search terms are failing me. U:

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I haven't done it before myself but I don't think it's all that different from replacing a cpu fan. However, I'm not sure if there all GPU fans work with all GPUs or if there are specific form factors to consider.

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I've never replaced a CPU fan, either! But that's a bit easier. The fan sits right on top of the heatsink sits right on top of the chip itself. I pulled out my video card and started unscrewing screws to try to get to the fan inside the casing, but then there were like a dozen screws and screws on every side and I don't know which ones I should remove and oh man.

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I finally managed to find a thread on a forum about my specific card and replacing the fan in that specific card... I think I need one of these. http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=FirstD+fd8015&_sacat=0&_from=R40

 

I then started looking up "how to replace fan in gpu" and man now I'm wondering if maybe I could just afford a new video card (I can't).

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Having gone through this pain myself, I can say that I had a really hard time finding the exact correct fan. I went a couple places locally that said they had fans that fit that particular card, and it didn't fit quite right. I took measurements myself, and it still didn't fit. What I ended up getting was a completely new heatsink/fan combo for my card so I didn't have to worry about the fan fitting in a particular space, and even that didn't seem to work that great.

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Yeah. i jsut went and bought a tiny precision screwdriver so that I can actually unscrew the ONE SINGLE SCREW THAT IS SMALLER THAN THE REST OF THE SCREWS and take the fan out and measure it, so we'll see what happens from there. U:

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Okay, I've removed the outer-casing, to which the fan is attached, and unplugged the fan from the GPU. Now I've got the fan model number and know exactly which one to order. HURRAY!

 

But I don't know how to remove the fan. It feels like it might just pop right off. But it also feels like it might break the plastic. It's pretty flimsy. DO I PULL IT OFF AND HOPE FOR THE BEST? There's no immediately obvious solution here. I'm scared.

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So I eventually just went for it and pulled the fan off. I guess it was built into the casing. Not a big deal, as any new fan I order would be screwed directly onto the heatsink, apparently. I think I'd need some thermal paste for that, though? I'll figure it out. At any rate, I pulled the FAN off, but the motor was still on the case. I... put it back on and tried starting up my computer again (mostly to ensure that in my experimentation, I hadn't fried the GPU or something, since I'm always afraid of that). Everything works! Including the fan? It's actually louder than it ever was, BUT it's actually noticably spinning now. I'm still ordering a new fan, but I think I've got this under control for the time being!

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I would probably just throw my GPU in a fiery trashcan before doing all that stuff. More power to you.

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You probably also have money to spare. U:

 

The fan has since gotten quiet, but it is still actually spinning. I'm baffled by this, but I accept it without complaint, because I have a working desktop now. My laptop is such an utter pile of poop.

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No, I just have a backup video card that I could probably tide myself over with until I do have "money to spare". But yeah, being employed helps.

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Hah. I sold my old card when I got this new one. (It's two years old at this point.) I wish I had a backup!

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I'm actually fascinated by your DIY saga, Twig. I used to open up my computer for service checks pretty much every day I got home from class for almost six months after I built it, but that got old fast. Still, I think it's cool to discover how much you know and what can be put towards solving problems,

 

Anyway, theories? Something, maybe just heat, could have warped the fan housing for the card until it interfered with fan operation. Since those fans are made to operate as close to zero resistance as possible, that might have been enough to jam it.

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Yeah doing this has made me want to open up my laptop now and clean it out. I'm sure  agood deal of its slowness is just a result of accumulated dust. The screen half is also only very loosely attached to the base of the laptop at this point (another "common issue", this one more than common enough to have multiple video walkthroughs dedicated to fixing it!).

 

COMPUTERS. WHO NEEDS 'EM.

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So I eventually just went for it and pulled the fan off. I guess it was built into the casing. Not a big deal, as any new fan I order would be screwed directly onto the heatsink, apparently. I think I'd need some thermal paste for that, though? I'll figure it out. At any rate, I pulled the FAN off, but the motor was still on the case. I... put it back on and tried starting up my computer again (mostly to ensure that in my experimentation, I hadn't fried the GPU or something, since I'm always afraid of that). Everything works! Including the fan? It's actually louder than it ever was, BUT it's actually noticably spinning now. I'm still ordering a new fan, but I think I've got this under control for the time being!

 

No thermal paste between the fan and the heatsink, just between the heatsink and the chip. The airflow through the fins of the heatsink is what cools, not contact with the fan itself.

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