New PC queries

[tom95521]

Hi Eric,

Makes me want to buy a new PC. Do you have a battery backup UPS for your desktop PC? Not needed for laptops but a good idea for desktops. I have a Cyberpower 1350.

http://lifehacker.com/most-popular-battery-backup-ups-unit-cyberpower-1350-1467352240

Recently I purchased a new keyboard for my PC. It is a replica of the original IBM M keyboard. It makes a loud clicking sound but I never want to use a cheap keyboard again.

http://pckeyboard.com/page/category/UKBD

Tom

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi Tom

Our power system in the UK is pretty stable, I think in the 2.5 years we've lived here we have had one power failure. I use a Belkin surge protected power block to take care of fluctuations. I bought a Ms600 cheepo USB keyboard when I had to start using the LT, under £10 does the job but the printing on the keys is not good in natural light, OK in artificial light so I think it must have some sort of light reactive print. For the new PC I ordered a new cheepo Logitec KB120 & B110 mouse. Better printing on the keys & a slightly shaped appearance. Using both at present as mentioned earlier. Of the two I prefer the Logitec. Hopefully the new wireless router will arrive tomorrow & I can resolve the internet connection.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Up Date

The new wireless router arrived yesterday & I was able to install it on the new PC & can now access the internet from the PC. However, while transferring my files from the old PC I have come across another possible problem with the new PC, it intermittently fails to start when pressing the on button on the PC case.

The fault seems to be connected to the kettle lead as usually moving the plug allows it to start. Also I sometimes get a shut down repeat when closing down. I have flagged this with PCS & am awaiting their response.

Back to the start of this thread, I have disconnected the temporary lap top & re-connected the old PC so I can access both the old & new via the HDMI hub to the single monitor. I have transferred everything I want to keep from the C & D drives to either the new PC or my outside HD, so, what next :unsure:/>/> I have read a few articles on formatting my HD & it looks fairly straight forward. However, my old PC has a partitioned HD, which from what I can gather allows me to just format the C drive, leaving the D drive untouched, so the question is do I just format the C Drive then re-install windows from the original disc. I won't want the new owner (if it's fit to be sold) of the old PC to have access to any of my D drive files. I will read up a little more before deciding. If anyone has any similar experiences doing this or tips, any constructive advise is always welcome.

Yachtsman1

[Lin Evans]

LOL - Back to the future. Everyone wanted the old IBM keyboards "because" of the click/tactile nature. One company, Northgate, made their fortune with really great copies of the IBM concept. I would still be using the two Northgate's I have left which were parts of custom systems I built and sold years ago, but the function keys in those days only went to 10 so.......

LIn

Recently I purchased a new keyboard for my PC. It is a replica of the original IBM M keyboard. It makes a loud clicking sound but I never want to use a cheap keyboard again.

http://pckeyboard.co...e/category/UKBD

Tom

[tom95521]

Eric/Lin,

You will want to do a custom (advanced) install and delete the partition. Make sure you do a full format and not just a quick format.

http://www.sevenforu...-7-a.html?ltr=C

If you have financial or medical records you want to make sure are not readable by somebody else then you can use DBAN.

http://www.dban.org/

And if you are really paranoid you do what google does.

http://youtu.be/TQoKFovvigI?t=1m45s

Comparing the IBM type M buckling spring keyboard to other keyboards is like comparing Stradivarius to other violins. Great for programmers and sysadmins.

Tom

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Eric/Lin,

You will want to do a custom (advanced) install and delete the partition. Make sure you do a full format and not just a quick format.

Hi Tom

I thought I would do the C drive first & see if the original fault had gone away, also if by any chance I had left something on the D drive it wouldn't have disappeared. The if it is sold, then clear the D drive.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1.

[Ken Cox]

Eric

why don't you donate it to a school -- explain the condition thoroughly

ken

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Eric

why don't you donate it to a school -- explain the condition thoroughly

ken

Hi Ken

Not that easy over here, too many rules & regs about that sort of thing.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Up Date

it intermittently fails to start when pressing the on button on the PC case.

:huh:/>/> :huh:/>/> :huh:/>/>

Discovered why I thought there was a problem with the on button, dare I say what it was? :ph34r:/>/> :ph34r:/>/> :ph34r:/>/> The case is all black, I could have chosen from about 6 colours but thought black fitted our environment. Also the light I use to illumininate the keyboard is at the opposite end of the monitor to the PC, which leaves the button side of the case in constant shadow. Those are my excuses, the reason I thought there was a button fault :ph34r:/>/> I was pressing the wrong button :blink:/>/> I had been used to a large round chrome jobby on my old PC with the re-set button in a different location. Since I found the "fault" the new PC has started faultlessly. :o/>/>

yachtsman1

[Guest Yachtsman1]

:huh:/>/>/>/>/> :huh:/>/>/>/>/>

Discovered why I thought there was a problem with the on button, dare I say what it was? :ph34r:/>/>/>/>/> :ph34r:/>/>/>/>/> :ph34r:/>/>/>/>/> The case is all black, I could have chosen from about 6 colours but thought black fitted our environment. Also the light I use to illumininate the keyboard is at the opposite end of the monitor to the PC, which leaves the button side of the case in constant shadow. Those are my excuses, the reason I thought there was a button fault :ph34r:/>/>/>/>/> I was pressing the wrong button :blink:/>/>/>/>/> I had been used to a large round chrome jobby on my old PC with the re-set button in a different location. Since I found the "fault" the new PC has started faultlessly. :o/>/>/>/>/>

yachtsman1

By the way, one other "excuse" I could have made, there are 2 bright blue lights between the buttons & the USB 3 ports, as these are very distracting & I had stuck a piece of masking tape over them to tone them down until I came up with a better solution, these would have illuminated the two buttons above. :ph34r:/>

On another matter, when posting the above, I got the attached error message to say I had used too many emoticons, didn't know they were rationed :o/>/>

Yachtsman1

[Guest Yachtsman1]

To wrap this up now, I've disconnected the LT, the old PC, formatted the HD on the old PC, tested it with a few things & it seems ok. Will give it a few more tests then it will be on Ebay. :unsure:/>

Yachtsman1.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Last week I put the old PC on "Preloved" the free version of Ebay. 2 days in & I got an enquiry, & the PC sold. It was collected Monday by DPD (worth the extra cost BTW) & delivered yesterday. Last night I got this message "Hi Eric

Just to let you know the PC has arrived safely and is working absolutely fine. To say I'm over the moon is an understatement,compared to my old dinosaur this is extremely fast and Gopro studio is working fine without crashing. I also cant thank you enough for all the tech info and software you've sent with it.

Hope you have a fantastic christmas

All the best

Andy "

Gives one a rosy glow :)/>/> Wondering now if I should have kept it. :unsure:/>/> :unsure:/>/> :unsure:/>/>

Yachtsman1.

[JudyKay]

By the way, one other "excuse" I could have made, there are 2 bright blue lights between the buttons & the USB 3 ports, as these are very distracting & I had stuck a piece of masking tape over them to tone them down until I came up with a better solution, these would have illuminated the two buttons above. :ph34r:/>/>

My dad uses bandaids over the lights.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

My dad uses bandaids over the lights.

Hi Judy

I suppose the techie way would be to fit some form of resister in the cables, maybe one of the Christmas presents will have something I can use? unfortunately the matt black finish on the case doesn't like having stuff stuck on it. However, while typing this just thought of a possible solution. The wireless aerial sits on top of the case with a magnet holding it in place, a suitable fridge magnet would do the trick, maybe one with a humming bird. There you are Igor a new sideline, PTE fridge magnets? :P/> :P/> :P/>

Eric

Yachtsman1.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Since getting the new PC, the quality of the sound from the existing speakers has seemed to fluctuate in quality. I am using the Logitech cheepo speakers I had on the old PC, & an identical set I use for public shows. In particular with music downloaded from Amazon. In fact I complained about one download & was given my payment back & pointed to another version by the same artist, (Vincent). I have two further downloads from w/end, one sounds OK & one distinctly ropey. So this morning I went through the new PC's sound system which is the basic 5.1 system offered by PCS. While checking the settings in the sound section of control panel I found the supported section only had the 48.1Khz box ticked. I know in Audacity preferences I have 44.1Khz as my setting, so I ticked the other two boxes see screen shot. I've just tried the dodgy downloads, the "Boys Aloud" still sounds dodgy, but others I had put into a below standard section sounded better. I know my ears are deteriorationg rapidly but I am still able to distinguish between good & bad quality. Unfortunately, the properties tab on the downloads doesn't give the Hz, they are MP3 format. Comments on my findings welcome.

Yachtsman1.

[PGA]

What bit rates were the downloads encoded at? Quite often an MP3 for download will be encoded only at 128kbps. To get sound quality that is close to that of CDs you need at least 192kbps and preferably 256kbps or better.

Also, if the MP3 file was created from an existing MP3 file, the result will have been double-encoded - and that is a recipe for audible disaster with MP3 files.

regards,

Peter

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi Peter

The downloads were MP3's, so as you know when using Audacity, using an MP3 to create an MP3 degrades the quality. However in this instance the download quality of the Boys Aloud download is far inferior to the We 3 Kings, despite the bit rate being similar?

Regards Eric]

Yachtsman1