Recent Posts

726

General Software Discussion / Re: Friendly Face of Death (Windows 10)!

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 27, 2015, 11:24 AM »

^

727

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: WildGem 1.1

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 27, 2015, 06:45 AM »

After a few months of not even thinking about this program, I ran into a need for it yesterday. So I was basically going into a production project with it cold. To that end I found it to be one of the most intuitive programs I've ever used, as it appears to have a virtually nonexistent learning curve.

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Living Room / Re: Interesting "stuff"

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 25, 2015, 02:43 PM »

This one struck me as quite interesting: Demonsaw Uses “Social Cryptography” To Share Files And Data Anonymously

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General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 Announced

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 25, 2015, 07:06 AM »

Torrent trackers freak out over perceived Windows 10 anti-piracy measures  PCWorld

-Arizona Hot (August 24, 2015, 10:12 PM)

Interesting, comments on that article lead to this one which I found to be quite a condescending attempt to justify the behavior while misdirecting the actual issue. The problem isn't that there are, or are not, reasons for the data being collected for sharing amongst ones devices. The problem is that the data collected is kept in a shareable state for usage by MS and their "partners". This to me is akin to why DropBox's reputation when to shit overnight when it was exposed that all of the information stored there was master keyed to allow the DB staff to access it at will...instead of being properly encrypted on a 1-to-1 basis, so you the individual were the only one with the key and therefore access to your data.

Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.

^That^ is the real problem. My information is no longer just my information because it is at all points being mined for behavioral traits that some entity may wish to exploit.

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Living Room / Re: How Much RAM? 4GB vs. 8GB vs. 16GB Performance - TechSpot

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 22, 2015, 06:31 PM »

In my new machine I've got 1 SSD, and 3 6Gbps HDDs in a RAID5 array ... Guess which one is faster..

-Stoic Joker (August 21, 2015, 10:52 PM)

...and guess which one is significantly more expensive for the storage obtained - and which will likely need to be replaced sooner?

-40hz (August 22, 2015, 07:27 AM)

I know, I know ... You're preaching to the choir there man. But the Single HDD Z420 I have at the office is constantly lagging when I run several VMs because the drive usage is pinned to the ceiling. So I figured since the best Z440 base package I could find came with the SSD...I'd split this one up a bit and hedge my bets with the fallback RAID5 array. VMs and important files go on the RAID5, and the OS can have the 256GB SSD all to itself.

So far it seems to be working as I've currently got 2 Windows 7 VMs running both of which are doing 140+ updates and have the array at 100% ... Yet everything is still zippy and responsive.

Backup scheme pending completion of move.. (eek!)

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Living Room / Re: How Much RAM? 4GB vs. 8GB vs. 16GB Performance - TechSpot

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 21, 2015, 10:52 PM »

I will get disappointed with both Windows and my computer (4GB RAM) because of the ever so slow process of updating picture, video, audio, -thumbnails, icons and data.

-Curt (August 21, 2015, 06:59 PM)

That has much to do with the speed of you drives...and almost nothing to do with the amount of RAM you have installed.

In my new machine I've got 1 SSD, and 3 6Gbps HDDs in a RAID5 array ... Guess which one is faster..

732

Living Room / Re: New Computer

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 21, 2015, 06:26 AM »

I'm an odd one....I build PCs not to save any money or for any performance benefit. I build them because it relaxes me. 

-Innuendo (August 20, 2015, 10:33 PM)

Fair enough, I like working on motorcycles for much the same reason.

733

Living Room / Re: New Computer

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 19, 2015, 09:04 PM »

But I do like your box!  But... why are they advertising the video as ATI?  And I have had problems before with workstation graphics for non-workstation use.  You get strange errors sometimes...

-wraith808 (August 19, 2015, 12:49 PM)

Thanks. I'm not sure what you're driving at on the ATi part, the base configuration came with no video card. So I picked the ATi W5100 out of their available line up, because that's what came in the Z420 workstation I have at the office ... And I've been running ATI video since XP x64.

-Stoic Joker (August 19, 2015, 06:44 PM)

Oh... I was just saying because ATI doesn't exist anymore.  In fact, if you go to the AMD website, it's advertised as AMD.  It was just idle curiosity.

-wraith808 (August 19, 2015, 08:06 PM)

Oh Yeah...that ... I've been calling them ATi for so many years, I just keep forgetting about the name change.

They're nice cards.  It's just my own bias against using WS cards for Non-WS work from my work in a former life as a QA analyst.  Consumer appplications sometimes get weird results on WS grade cards in my experience.  But that was mostly for multimedia... and just, again, idle musings.

-wraith808 (August 19, 2015, 08:06 PM)

I get where you're coming from, but I'm not really a "consumer applications" kind of guy... So it fits for my intended usage. I want to run 3 monitors so I can spread out the VM's, I never play video games, and I watch TV...(Gasp!)...on a TV.

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Living Room / Re: New Computer

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 19, 2015, 06:44 PM »

But I do like your box!  But... why are they advertising the video as ATI?  And I have had problems before with workstation graphics for non-workstation use.  You get strange errors sometimes...

-wraith808 (August 19, 2015, 12:49 PM)

Thanks. I'm not sure what you're driving at on the ATi part, the base configuration came with no video card. So I picked the ATi W5100 out of their available line up, because that's what came in the Z420 workstation I have at the office ... And I've been running ATI video since XP x64.

On a side note, I'm posting this using IE5 on a freshly installed Windows 2000 (SP4) VM running on the new machine.

735

Living Room / New Computer

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 19, 2015, 07:13 AM »

So it's time to put my now mildly arcane decade old flagship (Spunky-V) out to pasture. And to that end I got an HP Z440 Workstation (Base Package: L0P72UT#ABA) through the company. In years past I always built my own...but I just don't have time to do all the research necessary to effectively play the price point razor edge of leading/cutting edge hardware. So... since we're an HP ASP -(making a huge discount an option)- I decided to go - the lazy route - with a semi customized packaged box that had all the hardware matched for me.

Here be the Specs:
CPU: 6 core Xeon ES-1650 v3 (Turbos to 3.8GHz)
RAM: 16GB
Video: ATi W5100 (with 4 DisplayPort outputs)
OS Drive: 256GB SSD
Storage Drive: 1TB RAID5 array.

I'm a bit nervous about the SSD ... But time will tell - At least it comes with a 3 year warranty..

736

General Software Discussion / Re: Label making software

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 19, 2015, 06:42 AM »

An old Avery for free: http://download.cnet...6675_4-10179048.html , but I have never tested it.

-Curt (August 19, 2015, 02:29 AM)

Looks like Avery has a current version of their (I believe free) software. http://www.avery.com...ry-Design--Print.htm

And a print online option as well http://www.avery.com...gn--Print-Online.htm

I haven't needed to use it for anything in years, but it was a go-to back when I had call for it.

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Living Room / Re: I need help coming up with a plan to fix my NTFS security permissions problems

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 18, 2015, 06:49 AM »

I've got 30 virtual systems running on 2 physical Hyper-V servers here at the office. The two physical host machines run in a secondary (forest and) domain that is completely invisible to the production systems, and the whole shebang has been rock stable for the ~2 years we've had it in operation.

I replicated the configuration for a local school last year (which I also manage for them), and they too have been quite happy with it.

So list me under Hugh fan of Hyper-V!

738

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 Privacy Concerns

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 18, 2015, 06:21 AM »

So from the Invasion of Privacy department, this looks a bit damning (full article):

Section 7b of Microsoft's Services EULA (under “Updates to the Services or Software, and Changes to These Terms”) warns users that Windows 10 “may automatically check your version of the software and download software updates or configuration changes, including those that prevent you from accessing the services, playing counterfeit games, or using unauthorized hardware peripheral devices.”

Frankly I'm not sure WTF to think about this...(other than various unpleasantries)...so I'm open for suggestions.

739

General Software Discussion / Re: Is Windows 10 a trojan?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 17, 2015, 06:59 AM »

It helps the clients by letting them quickly share the segments amongst themselves on the faster LAN, instead of forcing everyone to DL a fresh copy through the small - and frequently heavily filtered - corporate pipe.

The proper way to redistribute software internally - and the way any responsible administrator does it - is to download a redistributable to one system, check it, and then redistribute it.  Microsoft provides this capability for nearly everything you can get from their site. Just look for the IT and tech support versions.

-xtabber (August 17, 2015, 06:35 AM)

That was then ... BYOD is now. Hay, I'm not a fan in the slightest, I'm just rolling with the trendy new nightmare that's been dropped in the laps of SysAdmins everywhere..

740

Living Room / Re: Interesting "stuff"

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 17, 2015, 06:50 AM »

Laser printers have their own caveats, namely that the toner cartridges can be quite spendy, and you have to worry about the photoreceptor drum as well.

-Edvard (August 16, 2015, 11:50 PM)

True however just because the manufacturers statistically calculated EoL date on the drum expires, doesn't mean it will actually magically drop dead at that point. You can frequently manually reset the warning (how varies by brand) and get much more life out of it. Basically if there are no print quality issues...let it be. The same holds true for the fuser/fixing unit/maintenance kit as well. Expensive consumables that aren't really dead...until they're really dead..

Another thing to consider, is HP, Lexmark, Xerox, et al build the imaging drum into the cartridge so the whole shebang gets replaced at once. I like that feature.

741

General Software Discussion / Re: Is Windows 10 a trojan?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 16, 2015, 08:00 AM »

That may be true, but Delivery Optimization probably should be opt-in (like torrents are). For a corporate network, some sort of group policy should allow it to be easily configured.

-mwb1100 (August 16, 2015, 12:30 AM)

BITS wasn't opt-in, and it was an earlier attempt at (trickling the transfer) the same objective. DO is simply a more advanced attempt at the target objective of getting updates to people without tying up the available bandwidth on the lower speed internet connection. With torrents you control what you download...however you have zero control of where it comes from.. ...As each piece of the sum total transfer is acquired in a least effort opportunistic fashion -(e.g. fastest option wins)- from all sources found to be available.

Are their real privacy concerns with Windows 10, Hell Yes. But DO isn't one of them, it's just getting guilted by association because it's new.

742

General Software Discussion / Re: Is Windows 10 a trojan?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 15, 2015, 10:23 PM »

Most of the people freaking out about Delivery Optimization have apparently never had to deal with hundreds of devices trying to download updates at the same time on a corporate network. Especially when you compound that by/with the increasing popularity of - zero control possible - BYOD.

Ironically, these same people also think torrents are the cats meow..

Personally I think it's a brilliant idea, because it allows updates to be downloaded from the fastest source possible...instead of forcing everyone to try ripping it fresh through the same tiny hole.

743

Living Room / Re: I need help coming up with a plan to fix my NTFS security permissions problems

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 13, 2015, 11:17 AM »

Note: if it's just you - and only you - who will ever be accessing the server, you can also simply grant Full Control permission for the Everyone group across the board and be done with it.

-40hz (August 13, 2015, 08:59 AM)

O_O ... Ggaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

744

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 Automatic Update Reboots

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 12, 2015, 05:29 PM »

I don't get it. What's so hard about changing the setting to "Notify to schedule restart"?

-Deozaan (August 12, 2015, 03:01 PM)

It's not that it's "hard" to change the setting...it's that both of the only two options made available assert that "Mom" has a clock on your ass, and you will be doing this reboot post haste regardless of any rationalized extenuating circumstances that you wish to concoct. Because it only gives you a maximum of 4 days in which to schedule said reboot...and that - of course - assumes that you actually saw the fleetingly displayed warning that IT was about to hit the fan..

...And that simply doesn't fit with the definition of "My Computer" in my world. While I grasp the implication and necessity of timely patch management. I still reserve the right to be involved in something that may require I be just a bit noncommittal about when it is convenient for me to let "Mom" get her knickers out of a twist. Because only about 3% of the constant flow of patches are actually applicably urgent for some real and plausible security threat. So I'll be damned if I'm going to be stampeded over a cliff **every 5 minutes because some anal electronic hall monitor wants to keep a nice tidy checklist.

I'll reboot when I damn well please, and not a millisecond sooner. In the mean time the system is welcome to patch its ass half crazy ... Just as long as it doesn't interrupt me or WTF ever I'm doing. It works for me...not the other way around.




**And by this I'm eluding to the already count of 2 WU initiated boot loops that Win10 has foisted on the public in as many weeks..

745

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 Announced

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 12, 2015, 04:49 PM »

Apparently I just needed to RTFM ... It was a legacy setting that had gotten reset when I flashed the BIOS a few weeks back.

-Stoic Joker (August 02, 2015, 04:59 PM)

"Remap memory" setting in the BIOS, eh?

Kinda sucks that flashing a new BIOS reset all settings...

-f0dder (August 12, 2015, 03:10 PM)

There was a time when that behavior was normal ... Which is why I should have known better. I just didn't think to check because I was in a hurry. My computer isn't supposed to break...Ya know? ...That shit only happens to other people. 

746

General Software Discussion / Windows 10 Automatic Update Reboots

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 12, 2015, 10:55 AM »

There seems to be much discussion about the new and delightfully Draconian Windows update automatic reboot policy. Most of the solutions I've seen are of the comically idiotic variety...(like just disable the WU service)...that MS really should have seen coming before they dropped this turn in our laps. Others come closer to showing a bit of common sense & restraint, like method 2 in the article I found here.

However for my own purposes I decided to modify it just a bit by setting: No auto-restart with logged on user for scheduled automatic updater installations to enabled. This option is in the same place as the one suggested in the article, I just think it affords a better balance between getting the updates in a timely fashion...and don't dump all my shit.

747

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 Clean Install Instructions

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 11, 2015, 05:39 PM »

I'm not sure a 32-bit key will work for a 64-bit version.

-Deozaan (August 11, 2015, 03:40 PM)

I am, and yes it will.

748

Living Room / Re: Show us a picture of your.. CAR!!!

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 11, 2015, 06:54 AM »

I saw a 3-wheel car on the road within the past couple of weeks. It looked similar to what Elio is trying to accomplish, but I think the two wheels were in the back, rather than in the front like Elio does it.

Personally, I'm a "fan" of the Elio concept. I want one. But I rarely drive anywhere anyway, so I'd like to gas up only once per year rather than once every 2-3 months. Or something.

-Deozaan (August 10, 2015, 08:20 PM)

There's actually quite a few (that I've seen frequently during Daytona Bikeweek) like the Campagna T-Rex, or the most (seemingly) popular Can-Am Spyder, but my personal favorite is the Morgan Threewheeler.

749

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 Clean Install Instructions

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 11, 2015, 06:40 AM »

@Wraith - Have you tested the accuracy of the Win 10 key retrieved by ProduKey? Because it also retrieves a key for Office 2013, and that key doesn't match the MS (last octet only) key viewer script information (or any of my records).

One of these will be in the Office 2013 folder:
For x64 use ocpp.vbs /dstatus
For x86 use ospp.vbs /dstatus

750

Living Room / Re: Show us a picture of your.. CAR!!!

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 10, 2015, 05:30 PM »

However, the design tells me that it will fail. The look of the car is totally without any hint of "Driver's Spirit" (or what this may be called), but is quite frankly pathetic.

-Curt (August 10, 2015, 04:49 PM)

(While historically not an Elio fan) I don't know if I'd jump there... The Prius is about as butt ugly as a car can get, with the "Smart" car running a close second. Yet they both appear to be selling like mad. The Elio is set to get better mileage by far, and has a sportier look (yeah, I know not saying much but still the advantage is there), with performance numbers that set it at least a full second in the quarter mile faster than the Prius.

Projected curb weight: 1,250
Horse Power: 55
^~= 18.528 @ 77.819mph in the quarter (with fair potential to drop into the 17's).

While the Prius' runs in the 19-20+ seconds range in the quarter.

Not to mention it's way cheaper, appears to be available as a convertible, and is American made...