Anyone know how to clone a drive (that still works) if it has "too many" (will redefine this later, but almost definitely 100+) for some programs (including dd, acronis, symantec ghost and others (though I am not sure what those "others" are))?
@studiohack wow, that looks extremely flimsy and IdeaPad-ish.
I had an X61T and there's no way I'd buy most of the consumer-grade plastic crap that Lenovo is peddling these days. I bought a T530, which looked pretty sturdy from the images, and one of the keys on the keyboard broke off during normal use in the first week.
Next thing we know, they're going to be making the things out of tissue paper.
@studiohack As if anything that has gorilla glass has never broken ;) It's not the glass that worries me. It's the casing around the top panel. Looks extremely cheap.
They need to continue the tradition of the sturdy magnesium alloy roll cage. Otherwise, I won't buy it.
@studiohack Ditto on that, unless I purchase one. They don't sell them in stores here at all. I'd be lucky to see one that a friend has, or in a repair shop somewhere...
I'm kind of surprised, but I really don't think, that anywhere between two major metropolitan cities (Washington and Baltimore) that they sell Lenovo laptops retail anywhere in that huge area.
@studiohack As someone who's always been an IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad guy (for laptops; I build my own desktops) I can tell you that the rave reviews are justified as far as (1) build quality; (2) durability; (3) quality of the ASICs used; (4) lack of low-level hardware/firmware bugs; (5) general open-source friendliness of hardware.
ThinkPads also have above average specs (on the high end) for RAM capacity, CPUs, HDDs, and WiFi controller types. But most ThinkPads use AMD or Nvidia "business-class" GPUs, which are clocked slightly lower for greater stability.
"High quality ASICs" means something like, if you have a choice of using some cheap off-brand ASIC for SATA or Bluetooth or USB, or using a more expensive chipset with better drivers, you choose the latter.
The distinction is that higher quality manufacturers of commodity ASICs often have drivers that can handle "edge cases" better, and have fewer bugs at release.
Examples of areas where it can matter a lot include motherboard sound cards and WiFi, SATA controllers and sometimes even Bluetooth and USB.
They seem like no-brainer things that should always work, but there are cheapo manufacturers that make lower quality components that, on the surface, appear to "work", but have unimplemented features or niggling problems under the hood.
And then there are folks who don't cut corners.
As for Intel GPUs, all ThinkPad "X" series laptops come exclusively with Intel based graphics, no Nvidia or AMD.
Only the larger "T" and "W" series come with (optional) discrete graphics... usually business graphics, which as I said, comes with better reliability, better battery life, less heat output, but slightly reduced performance compared to consumer graphics.
@allquixotic My current machine is pretty high end, graphics wise. whatever I switch to, I will miss. with 1440x900 resolution, and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 gra[phics... i think I'll miss that
A Mobility Radeon HD3650 is (1) extremely old (since then there's been four generations of ATI ASICs); (2) middle-grade even for its generation of Radeons, as there are no less than five models of Mobility Radeon in the 3000 Series that are faster/higher-end than it; (3) it doesn't support DirectX 10 or 11 or OpenGL 3.0 or 4.0, which have been out for 4+ years
Also, the Ivy Bridge graphics on even a middle-range CPU would run absolute circles around a HD3650. Even a HD3870.
I agree that when you compare a HD3650 to 2008-generation Intel IGP graphics, it's very fast. But compared to 2012 on-CPU graphics (Ivy Bridge or AMD Bulldozer), it's completely outclassed.
If you don't play games or do anything that takes a lot of compute (video encoding, heavy multitasking, BOINC, scientific computing, compiling software, etc) there's probably no reason to upgrade...
but if you were to upgrade, you'd notice that even an Intel-based ThinkPad without any discrete graphics card would run circles around your current laptop, both in terms of CPU, GPU, memory bandwidth, and disk performance.
Intel IGPs of the Ivy Bridge generation also support, I think, three monitors (not including the one built into the unit) and up to 16384x16384 screen res.
the Nvidia NVS discrete chipset in a T-series or W-series supports even more, but I guess you don't care about that if you're looking at the Twist, because I don't think it comes with discrete graphics.
If you've held and touched an old ThinkPad, you'll be disappointed with the build quality of the Twist, I guarantee it... however, the internals are still high quality, even if the outer casing is a bit more fragile
I used to be hardcore Lenovo/ThinkPad supporter... now I'm kind of on the fence. Some things are still better than the competition but they are kind of cheapening things a little every new product release
There also seems to be a huge push from "the market" (or just a false perception from engineers designing the things) to reduce the weight of laptops, more and more and more, so that makes heavy/durable materials impossible to use
I can understand making a tablet lightweight, or a smartphone, but a laptop? It's meant to sit on a desk or your lap. Why does it have to be light?
The X61T? Since, oh, late 2008? It was a brand new model then. Core 2 generation, no discrete graphics. Pretty damn slow. Slower than your HD3650 on the graphics front :P
The screen resolution of the built-in flat panel is terrible at 1024x768. Hate it. But back in the day it was awesome. My standards are raised now. I can't live with small res. If I'm going single screen with a laptop it has to be at least 1650x1080 or so
@studiohack uh... any computer that can run Windows 7 can run Windows 8, and you can get the upgrade for $15 if your Win7 laptop doesn't come with Win8 preinstalled.
eventually (after Win8 is released) you'll be able to get Win8 shipped straight from Lenovo on the T-series.
@studiohack It isn't touch at all. There might be an option to add touch, but it isn't present on my model. I think the "W" series might have an optional touchscreen. Anyway, there's absolutely no reason to think that Win8 can't be used perfectly well without a touchscreen.
The touchscreen is just a marketing gimmick. You're gonna need to click stuff anyway because most programs are designed with feature sizes too small to be useful to a touch interface, and the keyboard is there for typing; if you try to type on a soft keyboard on a laptop with a full-sized keyboard, you're (frankly) an idiot. :)
Touchscreens are for tablets. Point and click is for desktops and laptops. I don't think there's any room for the two to combine. The problem is that UIs that work well for keyboards/mice don't work well for tablets, and vice versa.
People have spent thousands upon thousands of hours trying to figure out how to design one UI that works well for both, and the result is usually something that works well for neither, or heavily favors one over the other.
@allquixotic I agree... so you're saying that it's not really worth it to get the Twist, for example, because I won't be able to do much with the touch?
Basically, yes. You'll be able to "do" plenty, but whether it's more productive than using a keyboard and mouse or touchpad? Unlikely. It's still Windows.
The only things that'll be big enough to be touch-friendly will be the Metro apps. If you run a classic app, which is, oh, 99.999999999999% of all existing Win32/Win64 apps, the feature sizes will be too small to be able to accurately use touch.
If you're thinking about WinRT on a tablet, I'd just stop thinking right now and get an Android device. Or, hell, even an iPad. A locked-down, Microsoft, dead mobile platform with a dead app inventory is not going to get things done for you.
Microsoft's problem with Windows Phone / WinRT, and their ARM/tablet/phone platform overall, is the same problem that Solaris and BSD have on the desktop: the apps that people want don't run on those OSes.
The apps that you want run on Android or iOS. Period.
If you have access to a desk with A/C power often enough for a plain old (traditional) laptop to be worth it, then you should get a traditional laptop -- and a lightweight tablet for when you want to lounge around in bed or on the sofa without lugging around a heavy unit.
Tablets are for consuming information, mostly. You can't really produce content on them in large quantities, just short forum posts and text messages, due to the interface. It's not comfortable or efficient to type on a soft keyboard.
The problem with the Twist and other such touchscreen-based laptops is that, being laptop hardware, they're still way too heavy to hold in the air. Your arms will get tired and you'll be hurting.
my biggest problem? I have never experienced this stuff. My current machine's battery is so bad, that I don't know what it's like having a device that can go for several hours on battery, I DREAM of what that must be like, not dragging an AC adapter around
@studiohack True, but then you have to be sitting upright rather than laying down, and you have to bend your neck down, which can lead you to develop neck soreness.
I think the intended use cases of the Twist with the touchscreen is to sit it on a desk or a table and touch the screen there. At least you can do that ergonomically, but still, stretching out your arms like that to touch the screen for longer periods will give you gorilla arm.
I have a Zune HD that I use if I want to do something mobile, that is basic, like check my email. I'm thinking of getting a WinPhone and using it like an upgraded Zune HD - so I see that as my mobile
@studiohack Are you sure? I could never use a computer in bed either, but a small 7" tablet is so light that it's effortless to hold. I can go hours holding my Nexus 7.
Nexus 7 is a great reading device, or listening to music, or typing short posts on forums... I usually lie on my back or side when I use it, sometimes on my stomach but not usually
It's so light that holding it a few inches in front of my face, on my back, doesn't require any effort, and it only falls on my face if I fall asleep with it :D
well if you're already sold on the MSFT platform hook line and sinker, I have nothing more to say to you. I'm a pretty strong anti-Microsoft guy. I use it out of necessity at work; that's it. I openly lambasted my boss for having a Windows Phone smartphone. I told him what a mistake he was making and that all his apps would be gone when the platform is shut down in 5 years.
For me, I don't have much money, because a) in college, b) working and saving, and c) I have two hobbies that are both expensive (my vehicle and technology)
@studiohack Yeah, but if all you want is a WinRT/Win8 device, there's nothing I can add that will make your product selection any more interesting. The devices I have seen on that platform are pretty much all the same, and you will just get whichever one interests you. I don't own any, so I can't vouch for them personally. And I have many, many reasons to think that that platform will fail.
@studiohack Irony, then, that you're willing to buy into a platform with Secure Boot, which will (unless there's a vulnerability that allows you to illegally gain full access) lock you out of "hacking" on the device at all. Sure, some Android manufacturers do that too; but then, I don't buy into the ones that do, usually.
@studiohack I'd like to say Windows in general (in the long term), but Windows Phone and the ARM builds of Windows 8 completely lost the advantage that Windows/x86 has, that of de facto traction (apps already existing on the platform so people want to continue using it). Without that, Microsoft has literally nothing on its competition.
@studiohack I'm saying that the only reason that Microsoft is still in business today is that they were first in the PC market, and so much traction/cruft/existing apps accrued around their platform of Windows/x86 that it was impossible for anyone else to take over.
Windows/ARM is a completely different beast, and it has nothing except for a few Microsoft-sponsored "partners" who developed apps to get the ball rolling.
Win8 on x86 will continue to work with apps that run on Windows 7 or earlier
I'm not against upgrading a desktop or laptop (x86) to using Win8; it's really not all that different except for supporting (in some trivial way) touch with the Metro/Modern UI.
But other than that, it's the same old Windows under the hood.
So the big question ends up being in today's touch world, should I get tablet and laptop separate? or quit laptops and get some monitors for my desktop? or do a hybrid of laptop/tablet?
If you aren't willing to consider Apple or Android, you'd just have to look at the available "tablet-only" Win8/WinRT devices and see if they suit your needs. Are they too heavy? Does their battery last long enough? Do they have enough apps and are they cheap enough for you to afford? Is the UI intuitive to you? Etc.
(my guess is you'll get a lot of "no" answers to those questions, but I'm bias.)
Help! I'm going to get fired if I can't figure out how to do this by tomorrow.
Microsoft Windows stores its registry databases (known as "registry hives" - there's actually a backstory to the origin of this name, but I digress) in a proprietary binary format.
Answer this correctly or you...
Hi guys, does anyone know if there are UK regulars on here? I am looking for a Steam gifting to get around Australia price hikes. My normal VPN approaches are no longer working.
It can change depending on region completely, use www.steamprices.com to check where it is cheapest... If it is best in UK, I am more than happy to help you out, but, it is usually cheapest in USA... no one rule!
I am curious what measures Valve are taking these days. I am coming from an IP in London, with a UK credit card, issued to a London address. Still it gives me that "There has been an error" meaningless error
@Paul At work now - feel free to make the transfer to [email protected] and I will buy ASAP - please remember to include Paypal fees! / do the send money > personal / gift.
@Paul Gift gives you the option of paying the fees, purchase/buying something doesn't give you the option and I think it also charges a higher fee to me (can't remember)... When you do gift, you have the option of paying the fees (when I do it to Sathya, it is around 20-50c) and it just means I get the full amount cleared in my account
fees are just for currency conversion! With Sathya/others, I always round up to the nearest £, but, certainly no need to add extra/make money from it! only thing I would ask is in return, if you can get things cheaper, please buy for me! :)
@WilliamHilsum Well the worst case is you score a half pint at the local
@WilliamHilsum Of course, goes without saying. We are penalised here though. Perhaps if you needed some rare earths I could get you a good price. They seem prety adept at digging them out of the ground here.
@Paul I have no clue what has happened, but, you have been here for ages, so, I will trust you! Just need to install Steam here... Please add me as a friend and I'll buy
Ahh... I see what has happened... you did echeque... I've only ever done card, never seen that before
@WilliamHilsum thanks - my concern is paypal rather than my own trustworthiness. The funds were drawn from a credit card, so perhaps they hold it for a while. If you'd rather not I totally understand, but otherwise if it doesn't work out there are other ways to settle it.
@WilliamHilsum Ahh crap, I thought it was from my credit card, that explains it
If you were a new user or something, I wouldn't... but, you have 10k+ rep and been here for over a year... you would have to be a crap person to risk all that for £30!
Please add me, or give email address to send gift to!
@WilliamHilsum I see - I went through the steps again and it doesn't let you do credit card for this transaction type. Umm, I can't add you, the link you gave me to steam didn't work
The more barriers Valve put in place for working around their bizaare regional pricing the more incentivised to work around them. More than I am to try and get the product for free through nefarious means. I wonder how many other people in Australia would give up and go "I am not paying twice as much as anyone else, I am going bt it."
@WilliamHilsum You can email me at the paypal or steam email addresses in the off chance anything goes awry with the funds. And of course I am here every day.
@Paul keep looking at steamprices.com and I am always happy to help whenever I can (same goes to anyone else!)
Cool... Paid on my card as it is linked to Steam... I'll probably forget to check anyway and if it does clear, I'll order something in the not to distant future and be very confused as to why I have £30 on my account!
@Paul For a lot of games, the price of a CD key (from a reputable source...) is close enough to/lower than non-Aus prices to be worth the extra hassle of downloading the game separately :P
I'm considering to buy mechanical keyboard based on red or brown cherry mx key switches. The red cherry mx are not tactile so I wonder if that really makes typing better or not. I'm going to use the keyboard for programming (no gaming), so maybe some programming will give me a hint.
Thanks for a...
summary reads the child drank the whole thing before they noticed, article reads the mother and a member of staff tried it also... Indicating it was unfinished.... Or did they get another 'round of drinks' and get the whiskey a second time? lol
either way, nothing would suprise me around Swansea lol
Does anyone have any tips on reducing the space used by Windows 7? So far I've got:
Empty Recycle Bin
Run Disk Cleanup Wizard
Use 'Programs & Features' control panel to uninstall unneeded components
However even after all that, my Windows directory is taking up 12GB. I found this other qu...
Sadly nobody ever written a tool for cleaning out that folder afaik, from a technical perspective you can figure out the dependencies (crowd sourced) and make up something allowing you to tick off things from your system (like for instance, the speech recognition related data already uses quite some MB; doubt you'd ever need it). But in practice, it's a lot of work...
And once you delete something, only way to get it back is from the CD but then you don't have an updated version of it.
Not surprisingly I'm having some troubles with Internet Explorer on my new smartphone that runs Windows Mobile 6.5 and I was looking into installing the new beta version of Opera Mini, but I also saw Opera Mobile and now I'm really confused.
What are the key differences between the two? Which on...
Help! I'm going to get fired if I can't figure out how to do this by tomorrow.
Microsoft Windows stores its registry databases (known as "registry hives" - there's actually a backstory to the origin of this name, but I digress) in a proprietary binary format.
Answer this correctly or you...
Does anyone have any tips on reducing the space used by Windows 7? So far I've got:
Empty Recycle Bin
Run Disk Cleanup Wizard
Use 'Programs & Features' control panel to uninstall unneeded components
However even after all that, my Windows directory is taking up 12GB. I found this other qu...
