[Rant] Tech Minor Rant Thread

Whoever decided that wifi network adapters should require drivers that must be downloaded from the internet should be shot.
The first step on any new build is always to go to another computer to download the drivers to put on a floppy USB stick and hand-carry over to the new build so I can download and install the everything else.

--Patrick
 
Well, my HDD seems to have died. My computer is old as Dave, so I have a small 128 GB boot SSD, and a 2 TB HDD for games, files, everything else. And suddenly that last one is gone. Boot can't find it, Windows cant find, it's like it's physically not there.
Minor rant so far because I haven't investigated yet, off to cable management etc we go I guess...
 
....OK, the first thing I tried - replace the power connector from the PSU to the HDD with another loose connecter that was left over - solved it. I thought. The drive was visible again in Windows Explorer, Steam could see it and even say how muc hof it was Steam and how much of it was other stuff....Try to install anything....Disk write error. And after another reboot, the drive is gone again. Hrmph.
 
Connected it to another connector on the same cable, and it's showing again - and now usable...For the time being. I don't have much faith in this drive right now.
 
Yeah, intend to do that. But it's about 3/4 full and I don't have THAT many external disk space lying around.
Though most of it is gog/steam stuff I could download again if necessary. Save games, some weird abandonware stuff, documents and photos will be moved shortly though.
 
Trying to copy stuff off, fails;..chkdsk > station type is RAW. Uh-oh. Booted again, no drives to be found. Booted again, drives are NTFS again, and chkdsk finds no errors at all. Right, sure.
Don't know what's going in with it, but obviously it's not going to last much longer.
Which again raises the question of if it's even worth getting a new HDD for this PC or I just just get a bigger SSD now, or just build a new PC - I'm overdue as it is but I'm sure Patrick will tell me it's just not the right time now :-P
 
Case for new computer build arrived. has a scratch all along the glass pane side. I was hoping to build it next week, but with return times being what they are, that's never going to happen now.
 

figmentPez

Staff member
I fucking hate Xfinity/Comcast. My internet is only about half working right now. I can get to some sites okay-ish, but some other sites (like xfinity dot com) won't load at all. When trying to get to stuff like Netflix, DisneyPlus, and YouTube I'll periodically get bumped to a page telling me that my device has been paused and that I need to go to Xfinity's website and unpause it. I'm the only one who should have access to my account. If I turn off the WiFi on my phone I can get the Xfinity app to work, and it'll tell me that my network is fine, and that none of my devices are paused.

Trying to use Xfnity's automated system just tells me that everything is working, and that if I want to do more I'll have to schedule a technician to stop by in person. The earliest appointment they have is three days from now, and I know that if I schedule that it'll come with the threat of making me pay money if they don't find any problems.

Fuck Xfinity and their "limited" monopoly.
 

figmentPez

Staff member
I fucking hate Xfinity/Comcast. My internet is only about half working right now. I can get to some sites okay-ish, but some other sites (like xfinity dot com) won't load at all. When trying to get to stuff like Netflix, DisneyPlus, and YouTube I'll periodically get bumped to a page telling me that my device has been paused and that I need to go to Xfinity's website and unpause it. I'm the only one who should have access to my account. If I turn off the WiFi on my phone I can get the Xfinity app to work, and it'll tell me that my network is fine, and that none of my devices are paused.

Trying to use Xfnity's automated system just tells me that everything is working, and that if I want to do more I'll have to schedule a technician to stop by in person. The earliest appointment they have is three days from now, and I know that if I schedule that it'll come with the threat of making me pay money if they don't find any problems.

Fuck Xfinity and their "limited" monopoly.
Disabling MoCA seems to have fixed my problem. While technically this may mean that the problem was closer to my end than theirs, I'm still baffled at how this issue isn't just automatically detected by their system. Surely if there are two cable modems on two different accounts that are causing conflicts by trying to connect with each other, their system should be able to recognize that?
 
Disabling MoCA seems to have fixed my problem. While technically this may mean that the problem was closer to my end than theirs, I'm still baffled at how this issue isn't just automatically detected by their system. Surely if there are two cable modems on two different accounts that are causing conflicts by trying to connect with each other, their system should be able to recognize that?
You're expecting competency from Xfinity? :rofl:
 
You always suspected it, and now there's even more evidence for it.
The agency claims that it is legal for phones and devices to listen to users. Cox says this is made possible by including consent to use Active Listening in the multi-page terms of use agreements – which few people ever read – that appear with new app downloads or updates.
--Patrick
 

figmentPez

Staff member
Computer died last night. Bought a replacement today. Will not be posting specs, because I cannot handle any criticism right now. It's a pre-built that's on the cheaper side, and it just needs to be enough to keep me from freaking out.

I was already stressed from moving physical locations, I did not want to have to move PCs, too.

UGH, I really hate setting up a new PC. So many settings to fix, programs to install, sites to login to. Hopefully installing the old drives into this new PC will work.

First Nvidia graphics card in over 20 years. I've been all ATI/AMD since I got a Radeon 7500. My last Nvidia graphics card was a RIVA TNT.

So stressful.
 
Will not be posting specs, because I cannot handle any criticism right now.
The best camera computer is the one you have on you.
It's not that prebuilts are always garbage, it's just that their inevitable compromises are ones not of your choosing. If the choice was between "I need a computer NOW" and "Wait three weeks to build a better system," then that's completely understandable. If you ever want to start looking for upgrades, you know we'll be there for you.

--Patrick
 
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GasBandit

Staff member
I concur. If all my PCs broke tomorrow, I'd be buying the firstest, localest, whateverest thing I could get just to get back online here, and worry about the rest later. Hell, I might do a $99 chromebook, if those are still a thing.
 
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