Tales from a tech

I think it’s $649 and $849 for students.

Even more reason to ditch Windows

Agreed. Windows is shit. I don’t miss it at all. Here’s my slackware64-current OpenBSD 7.8 dual boot set-up.

Using fdisk on my Slackware DVD I set-up the following partitions during the install process. I set-up my openbsd partition(set OpenBSD partition as type A6), then edited lilo.conf. Next I installed openbsd to /dev/sda4. Re-booted into slackware and then ran /sbin/lilo.

sda1 swap
sda2 root
sda3 home
sda4 OpenBSD

This addition is added onto my lilo.conf at the bottom

other = /dev/sda4
label = OpenBSD
table = /dev/sda

P.S. I’ve noticed that newer versions of lilo generate errors when trying to add my addition to the bottom of lilo.conf, that is, when running lilo the addition is not recognized. I fixed this issue by running lilo like this:

# lilo -P fix

My old Brother PTouch labeller stopped working a week ago, just as I discovered 5 or 6 label cartridges on Amazon cost less than ONE at Staples. Was gonna use it at the Mens Shed!
Over the next few days I plugged in several USB stcks into the front ports of my desltop and noting… I assumed they were old Linux installers for my Pi 4 but they didn’t ding, didn’t shoe up in File Manager, Disk Manager or Diskpart…

Decided to bring some files tp put on the Shed computer and grabbed the stick I usually carry repair tools on that I’d just used the week before and nothing!

So I have a powered USB port that I use to share my wireless kybd & mouse with the Mac Mini and dedided to plug it in there. AS I reached to turn on the Mac, DING it showed up fine in Windows!

I remembered there was a Windows update a week or so ago. Now all the front ports on my desktop no longer work, Four USB 2a and a USB-SD-CF in the other USB 2 mobo header NO. The 2 USBs in the 3.0 mobo header NO. All the back mono ports and an addon PCI USB card work still, but I only used those for stuff p;ugged in forever as they’re too hard to reach.

BTW I just plugged my Brother PTouch into the powered hub and BA DING it works fine there, so I better get more lablel cartridges. (It took 12 years to use up the ones from the shop I closed!)

Talk about annoying, The desktop’s worked fine since I built it over 5 ears ago. The mobo USB header are different types in different places, attached to the same controllers as the rear ones so no way they blew.

Good Gos! Another Windows update toady.

And all my front USB ports work again…..

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Tried my first dual boot dual drive setup. Another long time customer is moving out of town into a senior’s building in PG after her hubby passed and she gave me a 10th gen HP i5 for all the years of help and advice. One of those at leasr a call a week for 15 years should I click OK ro upgrade? Is tha left click or right click? people,

So I’d worked on it before, it had a 128 SSD and a 1 TB data spinner, I’d replaced the dead OEM SSD with a 256 SSD.
Nasty me thought if I resold it, they only want Win11 but I wanted to add Linux, ao let’s try Windows on the spinner and Kubuntu on the smaller SSD. I was aware a DB/DD setup would slow Windows down bur holy shit! Eternity to boot, forever to finish.
It’s an HP and the BIOS sees the Linux but refuses to let me set that as first boot. Then the damn kubuntu won’t connect to home wireless, won’t even see mu iPhone hotspot is available.

So I’m thinking steal the 256, replace it with a 128 and just do straight Win11. Someone will want that, it does have 16HB plus a DVD. Should fetch $250 on today’s market.

I’ll add one to this convo that I’ve been using for a couple of months - mainly for downloading security cam footage locally using a windows laptop I have back in Canada over wireguard.

RustDesk. Same as MiG mentioned with Anydesk, you do need someone on the other end to initially accept the session and hand over permission. After that, as long as the PC is turned on you can access it anytime you want if you have a VPN connection to that network.

Network Chuck has a good RustDesk walkthrough on RustDesk, but also talks about Anydesk, teamviewer and RDC in the same video.

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I just donated 4 refurbed laptops and one dektop to the Men’s Shed for their Grand opening this Friday. I priced them at below eBay values and they’re having a half price sale that day.
All have Linux Mint OS. The dekstop and a 16” HP could run Win 11 well IF you added SSDs and a licence….
PLUS about two dozen grab bags of parts I’ll never use, including 2 Firesticks. They only work on Amazon and Amazon purchased apps and the ones that haven’t chnaged their streaming yet.

How do you do it? Use your PC for 4 years, bring it in because it’s slow. Every icon taked 10 minutes to react, file explorer is deleted, not a damn thing in documents or pictures, everything opens full screen and you don’t know your email address or a single password to anything.
Winver says 22H2…..

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People have such a high tolerance for stuff … Drives me crazy!

The guy had a Ryzen5 2500 with a 1 TB spinner. With a fresh install I found it unuseable.
My work computer is a Ryzen5 3600 with a 512 SATA SSD. Greased lightning in comparison.

Would smoke with Mint Mate…. but but that’s Linux! (eyes bulge, fingers in mouth)

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Talk about a PITA…. trying to install Mint Mate on an old Dell micro with Sis 671 video!

Only ford 640x480 on install seuup needed to ALT drag windows around to get to things, noe opens in 1280x1024 w no other options.. should be 1024 x 768, 1366x768 widescreen….