Recent Posts

7276

Living Room / Re: [HELP!!] Win XP reboots sometimes *after* startup [Any Ideas?]

« Last post by 40hz on July 15, 2011, 11:09 AM »

^IMO doing your own build is actually quite easy if you rule out overclocking, bleeding edge hardware or video, and water or other exotic cooling systems. A couple of screwdrivers, the willingness to read documentation, and some patience - plus a well lit and clean workspace - are all that's really needed. Take a few sensible and modest anti-static precautions and you're off to the races. A few hours later and you're enjoying your new toy.

The only problem is it will usually cost more (simetimes a lot more) than a comparably configured "standard" machine from one of the big manufacturers.

So if you're not  going to go with an "enthusiast" or "hard-core gamer" build, why bother? At least with current pricing.

I think you're smart just wanting to buy one if you're not into the whole DIY thing.
 

7277

Living Room / Re: [HELP!!] Win XP reboots sometimes *after* startup [Any Ideas?]

« Last post by 40hz on July 15, 2011, 09:58 AM »

^Sounds like a golden opportunity to further your education playing with it if you're getting something else to work with. 

Look at it this way - it's already broken, so you don't need to worry about wrecking it. 

I learned a lot about PC diagnostics playing with already broken machines. It's one thing to read about error screens and codes. But when see them happening in front of you, it makes for a more direct personal learning experience.

Just my 2¢ anyway. 

7278

Living Room / Re: [HELP!!] Win XP reboots sometimes *after* startup [Any Ideas?]

« Last post by 40hz on July 14, 2011, 06:06 PM »

A machine check exception can be caused by a board, CPU, RAM, temperature, power voltage, or driver problem.

To get to the bottom of the error code you'd need to go to the CPU manufacturer's website and see if there was more info on that message under the specific processor. Since decoding machine check errors is a real nightmare, your best bet is to post a message on the manufacturer's troubleshooting forum with details and ask for help if you suspect the CPU.

FYI: Intel does publish a diagnostic utility for their CPUs. It will do a stress test so if there's a flakey in t he chip, it can help spot it. Unfortunately, it's Windows software so it's not going to help you out too much under Linux.  

Addendum: did a little research. Under Linux, this error is most commonly caused by bad cache on the CPU according to one source. See here.

7279

General Software Discussion / Re: InfoQube & TreeSheets: Information managers of the future

« Last post by 40hz on July 14, 2011, 05:45 PM »

Pigeonhole is nice.  But unlike the other two I mentioned, I don't really see it as having a lot of future potential.  It's a good, simple application for holding some notes.  With IQ and TS, they have this ability to really grow with the application, and they are flexible enough to transform according to your personal mindset.  I really hope the developers continue to fine tune and work on these applications.

-superboyac (July 14, 2011, 04:46 PM)

I was thinking Pigeonhole would be ideal for a quick reference manual. I'm imagining setting it up for all the major commands in a given piece of software. Might be fun to do it for bash for example.
 

7280

General Software Discussion / Re: InfoQube & TreeSheets: Information managers of the future

« Last post by 40hz on July 14, 2011, 03:47 PM »

@rgdot - thanks for the mention of Pigeonhole. Wasn't familiar with that one. 

7281

Living Room / Re: Matrix-style tech becoming a reality?

« Last post by 40hz on July 14, 2011, 11:44 AM »

I'll take a chip for:

Genetics
Particle Physics
Cosmology
Mathmatics (as much as can be crammed in starting with Integral Calculus)
EMACS

 

7282

Living Room / Re: I am so sick of google's search result urls with tracking info

« Last post by 40hz on July 14, 2011, 06:55 AM »

+1 for DuckDuckGo.  

My second preference is ixquick.

These days I only use Google if I have to.

7283

Living Room / Re: Dumb backup method - lost several years of notes

« Last post by 40hz on July 14, 2011, 06:45 AM »

Wiw! You just can't catch a break from it these last few days, can you? That truly rots!

I'm not partial to swearing...

But right now I think you're well within your rights to fire off a good Saxon cuss word or two. (Maybe you'd better make it a baker's dozen while you're at it.)
 

7284

Living Room / Re: A M A Z I N G ! - I got a total refund without any questions asked.

« Last post by 40hz on July 14, 2011, 06:35 AM »

As Mark Twain observed: Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.

I glad to see Overclockers both gratified and astonished you.  

(With a tip of the hat to Overclockers for providing such good service on a customer "satisfaction" issue. That's something that's becoming increasingly rare these days.  )

7285

General Software Discussion / Re: Will facebook ever be the same?

« Last post by 40hz on July 14, 2011, 02:04 AM »

Thanks for the Proust nod. Everyone has their literary loves, but Proust is mine simply because I would have loved to lived from 1870-1914 with one big qualification: If I were rich!

-zridling (July 14, 2011, 12:05 AM)

@Z- That's a good qualification for living in any era.  

Also +1 on the 1870-1914. I'm a big Sherlock Holmes fan for precisely that reason. Like the character. Love the stories. But I adore the period. Probably why I like Steampunk, Verne, and Wells so much too.
 

7286

General Software Discussion / Re: Will facebook ever be the same?

« Last post by 40hz on July 13, 2011, 07:40 PM »

Might as well jump in ... I need at least one friend so I don't look totally pathetic.  

-Stoic Joker (July 13, 2011, 07:01 PM)

Awww...

@Zaine - could you please 'friend' (or circle or whatever) Stoic so he doesn't look pathetic?

Pretty please?  

 

7287

General Software Discussion / Re: Will facebook ever be the same?

« Last post by 40hz on July 13, 2011, 06:49 PM »

Just out of curiosity...

I clicked on Zaine and Stoic's links above.

I'm not a part of G+.

I can see the profile info including the About page plus all the posts made; I can also click on the people in their Circles - and do the same with their pages...and the people in their Circles...

Is all that info out in public by design or can you elect to restrict who can see it?

I was under the impression that stuff was only available to G+ members and was restricted to those who were in your Circles.
 

7288

General Software Discussion / Re: Will facebook ever be the same?

« Last post by 40hz on July 13, 2011, 01:24 PM »

Signed up today. Can be found at:
https://plus.google....08871877301789098084

-zridling (July 13, 2011, 10:27 AM)

Proust huh? (Exquisite taste in lit. )

But  how come I can see your profile info at that link if I'm not a G+ member?

 

7289

General Software Discussion / Re: Google+

« Last post by 40hz on July 12, 2011, 03:16 PM »

I'm starting to look into ways to use the internet as a connection only, but have private networks setup for myself and friends.

-superboyac (July 12, 2011, 10:54 AM)

I've actually toyed with the idea of resurrecting a FidoNet. It would be a private affair. Strictly by invite. But any registered member could extend an invitation.


                   __
                  /  \
                 /|oo \
                (_|  /_)
                 _`@/_ \    _
                |     | \   \\
                | (*) |  \   ))
   ______       |__U__| /  \//
  / FIDO \       _//|| _\   /
 (________)     (_/(_|(____/



Problem is, my old guard" friends are 100% for it. (As long as I set it up.  ) Its really big advantage (in the unlikely event of a catastrophic backbone crash) is it could be run (like POTS phones) without the Internet. You could even implement it to run using shortwave radio if you had to.

But the young 'uns all insist on something less retro like Elgg or Boonex's Dolphin.

Not that it really matters. It's the community rather than the software that makes the difference.

Maybe that's why I prefer dropping by this forum whenever I'm feeling social rather than pine for FB and its ilk?

7290

General Software Discussion / Re: Google+

« Last post by 40hz on July 12, 2011, 02:57 PM »

I'd like to see some smarter, less in-your-face Americans, get a shot at things.

-nosh (July 12, 2011, 10:49 AM)

@nosh - Very well said. Very well said indeed...

(Hope you don't mind if I quote you someday.)

7291

General Software Discussion / Re: USB Drive shows Write Delay error

« Last post by 40hz on July 12, 2011, 02:09 PM »

Oooo ...are you using either Catalyst or nForce drivers on your machine?

7292

Living Room / Re: Windows Live Skydrive: Tried Anyone?

« Last post by 40hz on July 12, 2011, 01:55 PM »

addendum: another thing worth looking at in the log is the job run times. If backup time is steadily or abruptly increasing without a corresponding increase in the number of items being backed up, that's a red flag. It could indicate hardware issues, excessive file fragmentation, or corruption of the backup system's database or indexes. All are things worth investigating before disaster strikes.
 

-40hz (July 12, 2011, 09:36 AM)

Slowly increasing backup time (other options): Dirty tape heads, failing/EOL tape, or (abrupt increase) somebody left QuickBooks (or some other crapware) running again (fun with file locking).

In a perfect world we get these types of detail. However, in SOHO/SMB ... Not so much.

-Stoic Joker (July 12, 2011, 11:56 AM)

Very true. That's the world I live in too BTW.  

P.S.

somebody left QuickBooks (or some other crapware) running again

 

Agree 100% with that characterization.

7293

General Software Discussion / Re: Google+

« Last post by 40hz on July 12, 2011, 10:36 AM »

It just feels wrong that they can keep fucking up and coming back because they have obscene amounts of money to throw around.

-nosh (July 12, 2011, 10:25 AM)

But isn't that just what's been called The American Way?

7294

General Software Discussion / Re: Google+

« Last post by 40hz on July 12, 2011, 10:04 AM »

The more I read about G+ heavy-handedness, the more I think I'm gonna build my own if I ever feel the desperate need to be part of a "social" network.  

7295

Living Room / Re: Windows Live Skydrive: Tried Anyone?

« Last post by 40hz on July 12, 2011, 09:36 AM »

Look at them for what? If it says verified/successful, and it's about that big... *Shrug* The missing data (files) weren't large enough to raise any flags (maybe 100MB total out of an 85GB backup) ... So it's pretty much a Perfect (oh shit) Storm of events.

-Stoic Joker (July 12, 2011, 07:03 AM)

If a year's worth of data suddenly drops off your backup you don't notice something is wrong? Or you don't think it's unusual when yesterday's backup had over a million items and today it's around 80% of that?


You will often need to change how your backup reports are configured since the default is usually either to log nothing - or everything.  Unfortunately, most people have them log every detail - which is useless since it can easily run to hundreds of text pages.

But that still doesn't make them totally useless. As you pointed out, most have a file count summary and success/fail report at the end of the job. And I do eyeball for certain especially critical directories. I don't care if the office temp's 'furry porn' collection went missing. But I do worry when accounting or other important directories flag backup errors on half the files.

 I had a client who was religiously backing up nightly and never checking logs. If she did, she might have noticed that starting six months earlier every log was telling her nothing had gotten backed up because of "excessive defective media sectors" on the external drives.

Another had backups - but they were all legitimately failing verification. Which the log dutifully reported.

Care to guess what happened when they needed to use one of them?
--///

addendum: another thing worth looking at in the log is the job run times. If backup time is steadily or abruptly increasing without a corresponding increase in the number of items being backed up, that's a red flag. It could indicate hardware issues, excessive file fragmentation, or corruption of the backup system's database or indexes. All are things worth investigating before disaster strikes.
 

7296

Living Room / Re: Windows Live Skydrive: Tried Anyone?

« Last post by 40hz on July 11, 2011, 05:06 PM »

Very few offering free services ... call me a cynic but in the world of data storage I suspect you are likely to get what you pay for - and if you are paying you at least have some comeback if/when things go wrong.

-Carol Haynes (July 11, 2011, 01:52 PM)

Excellent point...especially the "when" part.

I'm thinking of using a remote backup service more than I have previously. But I'll still hedge my bet with local backups.

And I'll probably use two separate service providers - and alternate back and forth between them on a daily basis just in case.

7297

Living Room / Re: Windows Live Skydrive: Tried Anyone?

« Last post by 40hz on July 11, 2011, 04:56 PM »

OK...I'm going to have to pick your brain on your preferred backup procedure one day...

-superboyac (July 11, 2011, 03:49 PM)

Not much pickin's there I'm afraid.

It varies depending on who and what - and how much time you have to make a backup. The big problem with "overnight backup" is that our data footprint has gotten so large we're now running out of "night" before we're running out of disk space.

Methodology in order of preference:

0. Real-time duplication of critical files following any change
1. File-by-file simple copy
2. Directory synchronization
3. Image/snapshot backup
4. Traditional "full" backup

For most clients we:

• Go RAID-1 for all user data.
• Sync current user data to an external drive at midday and close of business M-F
• Copy (w/verf) all user data to rotating secondary external drives after EOD sync is complete.
• Image user data drive(s) weekly - retention varies by client
• Image system drives weekly - or following any update

System file backups depend upon the OS. We follow the publishers recommendations as to what to back up and how often.

For home, I image my system drive immediately after initial installation - and following any major update after that. My data gets synced to an external drive daily. Full copy of all files gets made to a second external drive once per week. Critical "keeper" stuff gets backed up to a variety of media on an ad hoc but regular basis. When in doubt, I make copies. I'm neurotic about that.  

That's about it.

7298

Living Room / Re: Win XP reboots sometimes *after* startup [Any Ideas?]

« Last post by 40hz on July 11, 2011, 03:56 PM »

Had same error code myself.

Long shot: Are you running an AMD or an Intel CPU?

 If AMD and your mobo is using nForce drivers, try temporarily disabling the onboard nForce NIC(s) and see if the problem goes away. I had that happen on an AMD box I had after I installed a 1Gb NIC card and stopped using the built-in. I took me forever to figure out since the problem surfaced about three months afterwards following an WSUS update so I didn't equate hardware with the problem.

------------

Anyway...

Here's the "official" description of an 8E error:

STOP 0x0000008E errors are usually caused by memory hardware failures and more rarely by device driver issues, viruses, or hardware failures other than your RAM.

Here's the rest of it:

It's pretty long!

Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
BCCode: 8e
Cause of STOP 0x0000008E Errors

STOP 0x0000008E errors are usually caused by memory hardware failures and more rarely by device driver issues, viruses, or hardware failures other than your RAM.

If STOP 0x0000008E isn't the exact STOP code you're seeing or KERNEL_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED isn't the exact message, please check my Complete List of STOP Error Codes and reference the troubleshooting information for the STOP message that you are seeing.
Resolution

    Restart your computer if you haven't already done so. The STOP 0x0000008E blue screen error might be a fluke.

    Did you just install new hardware or make a change to some hardware or a hardware driver? If so, there's a very good chance that the change you made caused the STOP 0x0000008E error.

    Undo the change you made and test for the 0x8E blue screen error.

    Depending on what change you made, some solutions might include:
        Remove or reconfigure the newly installed hardware.
        Startup with Last Known Good Configuration to undo related registry and driver changes.
        Use System Restore to undo recent changes.
        Roll back any device drivers you've installed to versions prior to your update.
    Test your RAM. The most common cause of the STOP 0x0000008E error is memory that is damaged or has stopped working properly for some reason.

    Replace any nonworking memory modules if your tests show a problem.

    Verify that the system memory is properly installed. Memory that's installed in some way other than that suggested by your motherboard manufacturer could cause STOP 0x0000008E errors and other related problems.

    Note: If you have any doubt about the proper memory configuration in your computer, please consult your computer or motherboard manual. All motherboards have fairly stringent requirements on the types and configurations of RAM modules.

    Return BIOS settings to their default levels. Overclocked or misconfigured memory settings in BIOS have been known to cause STOP 0x0000008E errors.

    Note: If you've made several customizations to your BIOS settings and don't want to load the default ones then at least try returning all BIOS memory timing, caching, and shadowing options to their default levels and see if that fixes the STOP 0x0000008E error.

    Apply all available Windows updates. Several service packs and other patches have specifically addressed STOP 0x0000008E issues.

    Note: This particular solution is likely to solve your problem if your STOP 0x0000008E error is accompanied by a mention of win32k.sys or wdmaud.sys, or if it occurred while making changes to the hardware acceleration on your graphics card.

    If STOP error 0x0000008E is followed by 0xc0000005, as in STOP: 0x0000008E (0xc0000005, x, x, x), applying the latest Windows service pack will likely fix your issue.

    Perform basic STOP error troubleshooting. If none of the specific steps above help fix the STOP 0x0000008E error you're seeing, take a look at this general STOP error troubleshooting guide. Since most STOP errors are similarly caused, some of the suggestions might help.

Please let me know if you've fixed a blue screen of death with the STOP 0x0000008E STOP code using a method that I don't have above. I'd like to keep this page updated with the most accurate STOP 0x0000008E error troubleshooting information as possible.
Applies To

Any of Microsoft's Windows NT based operating systems could experience the STOP 0x0000008E error. This includes Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows NT.
Still Having STOP 0x0000008E Issues?

Let a community of computer support enthusiasts help out! Post the details of your STOP error in the PC Support Forums. Be sure to let us know the that you're seeing the 0x0000008E STOP code and also what steps, if any, you've already taken to resolve it.

Also, please make sure you've looked at my general STOP Error Troubleshooting Guide before posting.

Buried in there was one thing in it I didn't know. This note:

If STOP error 0x0000008E is followed by 0xc0000005, as in STOP: 0x0000008E (0xc0000005, x, x, x), applying the latest Windows service pack will likely fix your issue.

Might be worth a try.

Note: if you let Windows update any hardware drivers thru WSUS - roll them back. The generic ones Microsoft issues don't work very well with a lot of hardware. I always use the drivers supplied by the PC manufacturer if at all possible. Especially if they're non-Intel chipset video drivers.

Luck!

7299

General Software Discussion / Re: USB Drive shows Write Delay error

« Last post by 40hz on July 11, 2011, 03:42 PM »

@40hz:[/b] not too sure about the malware side, I'd expect the internal HDD to get hit quite often if that was the case.

-4wd (July 11, 2011, 03:25 PM)

@4wd - My initial thought too. But if he has something that didn't quite install properly (and many a piece of malware doesn't) you'll get these weird disk and other IO problems. Used to drive me nuts with some of my clients until I started looking for it.

Plus, he was seriously infected previously. And there was mention of 6-7 Gb file transfers - which leads me to think of movie/game DVD files - and where a lot of them get downloaded from. So...

But you're right. The other things you mentioned are equally valid and just as (if not more) likely than malware.

Call it a hunch on my part.

7300

Living Room / Re: Windows Live Skydrive: Tried Anyone?

« Last post by 40hz on July 11, 2011, 03:35 PM »

Nightly backups churned on for months until somebody needed one of the year X records that weren't there anymore.

-Stoic Joker (July 11, 2011, 02:38 PM)

One of the reasons why I try never to do incremental backups any more. I'll do full backups, image snapshots - or sync directories. But no incrementals. All they ever seem to do is increase the potential points of failure along with the likelihood of not being able to restore a backup.

re: your client

Eek! indeed...

One more reason why it's so important to actually look very carefully at those backup logs each day. (Not that I or anybody else I know ever seems to do it religiously. )