seperis | this is not a tragedy, more a moment of silence

Just a warning, sort of--I'm sad to say that Adam the laptop has either a.) a fan issue or b.) a motherboard issue (secret answer c.) IDEK but I've taken it apart enough to narrow down the options).

For about two months, I've had a combined overheating issue with severe system slowdown and keyboard lag. Serious keyboard lag; I type fast but even when typing slow it's occasionally noticeable. Since this is a clean hard drive I just bought, partitioned, and installed everything on myself, I know it's not extra processes and I ran Hijack-This and malwarebytes and McAfee all three, so it's not a virus or malware. CPU started peaking at 92 C and autoshut down commenced a few times, which freaked me out. At first, a cool-down and a laptop cooler seemed to help, but now even those aren't working and the vent is very, very hot. I can clean and reinstall again, but I'm pretty sure that's not the problem. I'm down to restarting every day to clear the cache and get some speed back and even that's not helping once Firefox is open.

So it's the fan or the board, and the fan sensors show it's running correctly, so it's most probably the board. Which may not be a disaster itself, if I could like, solder well enough to do simple fixes, but I can't, and that's assuming I can track down the problem accurately enough to do that. The other possibility is the heatsink or replacing the thermal paste, but okay, now we enter territory I've only observed and never actually had to do. I've been playing with my old Inspiron 6000's motherboard and while I can see what to do there, I'm not sure I can do it without wrecking the board.

There's also this; I use my laptops as a desktop replacement, it goes everywhere with me, and I use the hell out of it. So it's not exactly beyond the realm of possibility that yeah, it's basically worn out. I can do replacement and repair on everything but the board, and a replacement board is about half the price of a new laptop, and if I got the new board, I'd have to remove the CPU and basically practice my skills at putting a chipset on a board and starting from scratch. Which I seriously would love to do, but not with my only working computer; the netbook can't handle most of my programs and Child's computer wasn't configured for hard wear.

It's not like I didn't see this coming; I put off buying a new one to get Mom's desktop, Child's laptop, and netbooks for my sisters. So. Yeah.

So Adam will be retired.

Luckily, I still have extra money from my debt payoff I was saving for January and official computer buying month, so I ordered a new laptop, tentatively named Sherlock, but I need to meet him first before I'm sure. So if I don't answer email or post for a few days, I am not a.) dead, b.) in the hospital with pneumonia, or c.) just really hate you, Adam is just being antsy or possibly burned out. I'm putting my netbook back together for emergencies, but I'm in a key soldering moment and it kind of hurts. I think it should be okay, though; when Sherlock gets here, I'll transfer everything, back it up, and break Adam down to see if I can track down the exact problem and how to fix it.

OTOH, the new processor is an i7 and I won't say I cried when I configured it, but it was a very close thing. The RAM is twice the speed of my current RAM and the laptop holds 8G. God. I was torn between this and the Alienware 15x, but okay, call me shallow, but I loathe the design even if it had a faster processor. So I went with the Dell Studio XPS 16 (yes, I actually do need to buy stock in Dell at this point).

This is Sherlock.

I'm aware this is only interesting to me, but seriously, I had so much fun putting it together. I spent days doing the configurations before I found one I liked.

SYSTEM COLOR Obsidian Black High Gloss Finish
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7-840QM Quad Core Processor 1.86GHz (3.2GHz Turbo Mode, 8MB Cache)
OS Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
MEMORY 8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
HARD DRIVE 500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
OPTICAL 8X DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive
WIRELESS CARDS Intel 6250 Wireless-N w/WiMAX (2x2) Mini Card
HD DISPLAY Edge-to-Edge FHD Widescreen 15.6 inch WLED LCD (1920x1080) W/2.0
Network Card Integrated 10/100 Network Card
VIDEO CARD ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5730 - 1GB
BATTERY OPTIONS 85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
SOUND OPTIONS Soundblaster X-Fi Hi Def Audio - Software Enabled
CONNECTIONS 2 USB 2.0, 1 USB 2.0/e-SATA, HDMI, VGA, 54mm Express slot, 8-1 Media Card Reader

Compare to Adam:

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo, T7500, 2.2GHz , 4MB Core
OS Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
MEMORY 4GB DDR2 667 MHz
HARD DRIVE 320GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
OPTICAL 8X DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive
WIRELESS CARDS 1390 Dell WLAN MiniCard (g)
HD DISPLAY 15.4 WSXV LCD (1680X1050) no webcam
Network Card Integrated 10/100 Network Card
VIDEO CARD NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS
SOUND OPTIONS on board
CONNECTIONS 4 USB 2.0, 1 DVI, VGA, , Firewire, S cable, ethernet, 54mm Express slot, 8-1 Media Card Reader

The processor alone makes me ridiculously happy.

I ended up opting out of blu-ray because a.) there are TVs here with blu-ray and b.) I almost never watch movies on my computer since I have a convenient TV unless they are downloads. If it turns out I really need one, I'd want an external anyway.

The only thing I really wish (other than convincing them to give me the i7-940XM processor (2.13GHz (3.33GHz Turbo Mode, 8M Cache)) God, want) is that I could have opted out of the DVD and gotten a second bay for another hard drive. I need to check the connections, but I think I can remove it if what I think is a second sata connection is on the board. This is mostly because if I'm counting correctly, the next generation of solid state hard drives should come out around Black Fridayish, and that means the current 256G's will go down to something human and I can shift the 500G to the second bay and install a 256 solid state and basically have a really creepy tech orgasm.

Okay, and I kind of wish this had waited until 2011 for USB 3.0 to become an option. I get I can upgrade it myself, but that requires soldering and I'm not really very good at that yet with something that is going to keep me from new shoes until like, February. OTOH, the e-Sata makes up for a lot, since I can transfer all my files from Adam to Sherlock (yeah, I like that name) faster than USB.

...I'm totally boring everyone, aren't I?

In memorial:

Darcy, HP Desktop (1997-1999)
Schindler, Dimension Desktop (1999-2003)
Brian, Dimension 2400 Desktop (2003-2005)
John I, Inspiron 6000(2005-2007)
John II/Adam, Inspiron 1520 (2007-2010)
Sherlock (2010-)

Notes: I had just purchased the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice for Darcy. Schindler was named because it was bought when Schindler's List premiered on network television without interruption. Starting with Brian, there's a surprising correspondence on the names and what fandom I'd just started in. SGA was very special in that I started watching while I had Brian and lasted through the beginning of John II. If I'd waited six more months, John II would have been named Fraser.

Anyway, it's supposed to be here by the 24th, so I'll post a review of my experience with it. It will probably be something like "WHEE SPEED FAST PRETTY SHINY SPEEEEEDDDDD". As one does.

*hugs*

I am slogging away at the Bacchus thing? Which somehow now has Theseus and Bacchus fighting. Well, only verbally so far.

You are exceedingly silly.

And, y'see, this is one of those times when I wished we lived nearby each other, because I could prolly fix the overheating issue... at least temporarily. You're right, after a while it becomes an overuse thing, and it goes spare. I have a five year old Toshiba Satellite A10 that is still wonderful but it overheats, and I can fix it by replacing the CPU fan, but you try finding a five year old part like that, even on ebay.

But they are fun to take apart and repair.

There's a place near here that specializes in Dell repairs and parts and old parts at that, so after Sherlock comes, I'm probably going to go ahead and do a breakdown and see if I can track down the problem. Though I suspect that it's just wear. I can put it to casual use later.

Plus, new computer yay! I'm seriously trying not to drool staring at that processor.

Question--if I want to remove the dvd/cd writer and put in a hard drive there, do I need a caddy or can I just strip out the dvd player from inside it's caddy and use that? I have an old writer that I stripped the chassis off on my Inspiron 6000 and was experimenting with, but people keep saying I need to buy the caddy and I can't figure out why I'd need it.

You need a caddy, yes, but I don't see why you can't use the old one. Does it have the proper interface, i.e. a PATA (I'm assuming) connector? You might have to flash the BIOS to get it to recognize it, but it should be plug'n'play, esp since they're both Dell.

The reason for the caddy is just for the interface, because you don't have the ribbon cable in a laptop like you do in a desktop. So, yeah, you need a caddy for the interface, but Dell connectors are pretty standard and as long as the caddy has the proper connector (watch the jumpers! You want the second drive to be recognized as the slave drive and they're generally set up to be master by default) you should be good to go.

This is Sherlock.

Hahaha, fitting for something shiny, new and quick. My little netbook's name is Watson. Because he goes with me everywhere and sometimes has trouble keeping up with me, but I adore him anyway. <3

My little netbook's name is Watson. Because he goes with me everywhere and sometimes has trouble keeping up with me, but I adore him anyway. <3

That is the most gleefully adorable thing I've read all day. *hearts*

Seconding; that was beyond adorable.

Is it ridiculous that talk of Adam breaking down and being replaced makes me all sad and anxious?

*rueful shame*

Aww. He'll still be around! Just not primary anymore. I thought about naming this one Adam, but since I'm keeping him probably, it felt weird.

He's sleek, streamlined and stylish, if he turns out to be brillaint, that laptop's definitely Sherlock.

*bounces* He is! I wnat him now! I keep looking at the picture and sighing.

*adores* I'm in the process of reading ALL the fic, rereading ACD canon, and reading all the pro Holmes fanfic (sorry, calling the genre "Sherlockian" makes me want to cry). Why haven't I started writing already? *headdesk*

Also, those are some damn sexy stats. *resists the temptation to go build dream systems* Do you use a laptop cooler? I went through two with my XPS before I broke down and paid the extra money for a Zalman cooler instead. Made such a difference -- like, laptop went from burning my skin to never being warmer than my hands. I don't know if the new series still runs this hot (haven't looked at any reviews in ages), but I hope they've come up with a better heat sink by now.

I've gone through three coolers. *writes down Zalman* I'll look innto that one. I just ordered an eSata enclosure so the moving of things will go faster. *bounces*

For a moment I thought you quitting the fandom.

....

.............

.............................it was a very scary moment.

Oh God no. I have four finished AIRPS and two Im' editing, not including teh beta I'm doing for somene else. I haven't changed icons yet!

What do you mean yet?

Btw, major green-eyed feelings on the laptop acquisition: my trusty coot finally gave up the ghost months ago and while I love the tiny netbook of joy--there's a lot missing. Like Photoshop, ye gods, how I miss Photoshop.

I have four finished AIRPS and two Im' editing

Please. I need your fics like I need air. Give them to me PLEASE.

Dude, I like that thing, and I'm in love with my mac, so.
I mean, the processor alone. *blinks*
No, really.
....I think I just had an inappropriate moment re: your new computer.
I'm happy for you \o?

*nods* I totally understand. I have inappopriate moments reading teh specs. I hope I can talkk coherently when I actually am holding it.

For some reason when I saw this post on my reading page the first thing that caught my eyes was So Adam will be retired.

And I was like WTAF!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????

So it's Adam the laptop, not Adam the sex god. Phew.

But seriously, how could Adam be a Windows laptop. He's gotta be, like, a MacBook Pro or something. j/s.

I'm down to restarting every day to clear the cache and get some speed back and even that's not helping once Firefox is open.

Let me start by saying that I know nothing about PC's BUT my ibook G4 Mac was running slow and seriously dragging - the CPU being pushed to its limits once I upgraded to Camino 2.04 (universal binary not PPC btw.) Last night I trashed 2.04 and downgraded to 2.02 and the entire laptop is running better - waking up from sleep better etc.

The browser was too much of a CPU hog for the age of this laptop and it might be the same with Firefox given that someone is building power PC only builds of that browser too for anyone running older Macs.

Not that I have any idea if this would positively affect your over-heating CPU issue. Nice to know that 92 degrees is where a CPU/laptop borks. I get worried when the CPU goes up to 67 (if I'm streaming) and cling to the laptop cooler. *g*

I am severely glad I am not the only one who names her electronics. My current phone is named Maggie, and the Macbook Pro is Jim.

How else can you yell at them properly? They have personality!

Adam is dead. *moment of silence* Long live Sherlock!

Sidenote: More snippets soon. :)

PLEASE SEND YES. I promise bribes.

... 8 GB RAM and 500G HDD??? FML, my work laptop has Pentium 4.

My work computer sucks too. Like, beyond words.

Yay, new laptops! It looks so, so shiny (and fast). I love that you named your new laptop Sherlock! All of my externals mark a personal fannish place in history.

My laptop is currently named Illya; my 250gb external is Atlantis!; 750gb external is Pegasus; 500gb passport is Gilliam; 8gb flashdrive is Gladstone; 8gb 3rd gen Nano is Jeeves, Mark I; and 160gb iPod classic started out as Jeeves, Mark II but after crashing 2x was renamed Bernard Ludwig Black, after crashing a 3rd time it was named Yugo but since it has behaved for the last few months, it's name is Watson...

...I'm going to go rename my laptop John now. Simply so it says "John Watson" vertically on my desktop when Watson is plugged in.

edited at: Date: 2010-09-09 06:01 pm (UTC)

you WILL christened sherlock with sherlock fic, right?????????????!!

....possibly. What do you want?

as my new default icon indicates, I have turned to worship mycroft :D

but since I am doubting that you will be writing any mycroft/sherlock pieces in the near or far future, how about my second OTP in this fandom XD

first meeting of sherlock/lestrade???

...yup. He looks like Sherlock all right!

YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE, those processors are a thing of beauty *_____* of course i can't speak for using it with windows, but i tried out a 15" mbp the other day with a 2.66ghz i7, 8gb of ram and i practically cried right there in the store

I'm afraid I'll start weeping when I turn it on. On Wednesday. Oh my God. And the eSata connection means very fast transfers.

I'm not drooling, but man, it's a very close thing.

Lemme think -- the only phone I've named was Pippin (can't even remember what kind it was), and the Axim was the AkZim (both of them were, actually, since I dropped the first one on concrete and cracked the screen and got sent a refurbished replacement), but my last desktop was Edward and the current one is Dexter, and my old laptop is Drusilla. There were a couple of prior laptops that were never named, and a good name didn't spring to mind when I got the netbook a year ago so it's still just "the netbook."

I'm sort of envious of Sherlock, since the netbook is starting to show the strain of being my only properly-working at-home computer, what with Dexter being a bit past his prime and Vista-crippled. I now only use Dexter to store data (all the important bits of which are backed up to external hard drive) and watch DVDs and vids on, since he stopped connecting to the house wifi field ages ago and has no internet access at all. (Which is where the netbook came into its own, filling in for that function seriously well.)

Profile

seperis

Page Summary

Quotes

If you don't send me feedback, I will sob uncontrollably for hours on end, until finally, in a fit of depression, I slash my wrists and bleed out on the bathroom floor. My death will be on your heads. Murderers
. -- Unknown, on feedback
BTS List
That's why he goes bad, you know -- all the good people hit him on the head or try to shoot him and constantly mistrust him, while there's this vast cohort of minions saying, We wouldn't hurt you, Lex, and we'll give you power and greatness and oh so much sex...
Wow. That was scary. Lex is like Jesus in the desert.
-- pricklyelf, on why Lex goes bad
LJ
Obi-Wan has a sort of desperate, pathetic patience in this movie. You can just see it in his eyes: "My padawan is a psychopath, and no one will believe me; I'm barely keeping him under control and expect to wake up any night now to find him standing over my bed with a knife!"
-- Teague, reviewing "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones"
LJ
Beth: god, why do i have so many beads?
Jenn: Because you are an addict.
Jenn: There are twelve step programs for this.
Beth: i dunno they'd work, might have to go straight for the electroshock.
Jenn: I'm not sure that helps with bead addiction.
Beth: i was thinking more to demagnitize my credit card.
-- hwmitzy and seperis, on bead addiction
AIM, 12/24/2003
I could rape a goat and it will DIE PRETTIER than they write.
-- anonymous, on terrible writing
AIM, 2/17/2004
In medical billing there is a diagnosis code for someone who commits suicide by sea anenemoe.
-- silverkyst, on wtf
AIM, 3/25/2004
Anonymous: sorry. i just wanted to tell you how much i liked you. i'd like to take this to a higher level if you're willing
Eleveninches: By higher level I hope you mean email.
-- eleveninches and anonymous, on things that are disturbing
LJ, 4/2/2004
silverkyst: I need to not be taking molecular genetics.
silverkyst: though, as a sidenote, I did learn how to eviscerate a fruit fly larvae by pulling it's mouth out by it's mouthparts today.
silverkyst: I'm just nowhere near competent in the subject material to be taking it.
Jenn: I'd like to thank you for that image.
-- silverkyst and seperis, on more wtf
AIM, 1/25/2005
You know, if obi-wan had just disciplined the boy *properly* we wouldn't be having these problems. Can't you just see yoda? "Take him in hand, you must. The true Force, you must show him."
-- Issaro, on spanking Anakin in his formative years
LJ, 3/15/2005
Aside from the fact that one person should never go near another with a penis, a bottle of body wash, and a hopeful expression...
-- Summerfling, on shower sex
LJ, 7/22/2005
It's weird, after you get used to the affection you get from a rabbit, it's like any other BDSM relationship. Only without the sex and hot chicks in leather corsets wielding floggers. You'll grow to like it.
-- revelininsanity, on my relationship with my rabbit
LJ, 2/7/2006
Smudged upon the near horizon, lapine shadows in the mist. Like a doomsday vision from Watership Down, the bunny intervention approaches.
-- cpt_untouchable, on my addition of The Fourth Bunny
LJ, 4/13/2006
Rule 3. Chemistry is kind of like bondage. Some people like it, some people like reading about or watching other people doing it, and a large number of people's reaction to actually doing the serious stuff is to recoil in horror.
-- deadlychameleon, on class
LJ, 9/1/2007
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Fan Fiction is John Cusack standing outside your house with a boombox.
-- JRDSkinner, on fanfiction
Twitter
I will unashamedly and unapologetically celebrate the joy and the warmth and the creativity of a community of people sharing something positive and beautiful and connective and if you don’t like it you are most welcome to very fuck off.
-- Michael Sheen, on Good Omens fanfic
Twitter, 6/19/2019
Adding for Mastodon.
-- Jenn, traceback
Fosstodon, 11/6/2022

Credit

Base style: Open Spaces by seperis
Theme: New Green by seperis

November 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 2022

Page generated May. 25th, 2025 12:45 am

Profile

Links

Page Summary

Quotes

Credit