Root Access

Tanner

21:01

@allquixotic It was funny to watch game companies slowly realize this over the years =D

terdon

@slhck, if you could put your mod hat on for a second, do you think the title of the question I linked to should be modified to remove references to swap? It has nothing atall to do with swap after all.

ToddersLegrande

@terdon I think without the swap nonsense and the question becomes "Won't boot after running command" it just looks like trolling.

terdon

Yeah, that's why I had not done so. Just thought I'd run it by you since you're here.

Ben Brocka

21:14

Any thinkpad users about? I know some of you in here had/have one. Wondering about getting a new battery; non OEM ones are 1/3rd the price but I'm suspicious

allquixotic

@BenBrocka X60, X61T and T530

slhck

@terdon Like @ToddersLegrande said

allquixotic

using any non-OEM stuff voids your warranty... if you don't have a warranty or it's expired, you may as well, but don't be surprised if it explodes or catches fire

you get what you pay for

Ben Brocka

@allquixotic Hadn't thought of that, but my warranty only has about 120 days to go

allquixotic

OEM bats are 1/3 the price because the labor and components used to assemble them only cost 1/3 as much -- something that is less valuable is generally worse quality

Ben Brocka

21:22

I'm not sure I want to replace the battery at all. I should eventually get a new, larger laptop, though I'll probably have to pass on the inductive/multitouch display

slhck

I would rather invest in an original. No experience with ThinkPad batteries, but from what I've read about the cheap MacBook replacement batteries they're not worth the problems you could run into.

allquixotic

^

slhck

@BenBrocka Just for clarification: Why do you want to get a new one in the first place? Bad performance?

allquixotic

the only time it makes sense to use non-OEM components is if it won't void your warranty (such as using different tires on your car) and if the non-OEM component is higher quality than OEM, such as putting an Intel SSD into a laptop that came with an HDD

Ben Brocka

@slhck Low end for games, doesn't seem fast enough to record proper HDMI passthrough, and mostly the size is bugging me, too small to comfortably split the screen between two webpages/etc

For basic stuff it's really not too bad since I did a clean windows install (it suddenly got reaaally bad and I don't know what it's deal was)

@slhck Never used a non-OEM battery. Guess I'm spoiled by other computer hardware where non-OEM is generally just fine

Non-OEM power cables suck though, as I've found. They seem to deliberately design them to fail in 3-4 weeks judging from reviews and my own experience

allquixotic

21:28

@BenBrocka batteries are fairly unique, in that, designing them incorrectly can be physically hazardous to your health

it's hard to do that for other components no matter how bad they are -- they just won't work

slhck

@BenBrocka Oh, I meant the new battery. Not a new laptop :)

Ben Brocka

Oh, the battery itself is over 3 years old and down to "36%" of original capacity, though it seems like less than that to me

Used to be 4-5 hours I think? Lasted me a full day's worth of classes in college (barely), now I think it's under an hour, and if I don't leave it plugged in it's always dead when I open it

slhck

Ah, I see. Yeah… been there.

Ben Brocka

But I almost exclusively use it at home now so I'm also considering just not replacing it or waiting until it literally dies the second I unplug

slhck

I bit the bullet back then and bought a new battery for 180€.

allquixotic

21:31

OMG

that's a lot for a battery

slhck

Well, it's an Apple battery. Go figure.

Ben Brocka

I don't like laptop batteries. In college with my first laptop I had 3 batteries just to get through the day, 2 main batteries and an extended battery (which was useful so I could hot-swap the main one). This laptop was a huge battery life/everything upgrade, but the battery's definitely wearing out

slhck

In the end I managed to get a good price though when I sold it.

Ben Brocka

I feared the whole thing was wearing out, but it was just Windows

allquixotic

that's one thing that really hasn't advanced in, say, 10 - 15 years

battery technology is at a standstill. nobody can figure it out!

slhck

21:34

Yeah. They'd all rather make the components less hungry for energy.

Which, of course, also has its advantages.

allquixotic

we need to develop physical theories that allow us to apply principles analogous to Moore's Law to other branches, like, the duration of battery life doubles every 18 months

can you imagine upgrading from a laptop that gets 2 weeks to a charge, to one that gets a whole month?

Ben Brocka

@slhck about $100 more than what mine would cost. Reminds me, we got this weird two battery charging station for my first Toshiba. It's basically just 2 plugs to charge your batteries on. Stock price was 200 USD!

We got it on ebay for $20...shame we didn't sell it while it was still worth something

slhck

@BenBrocka Battery charging station? So they assume you have more than one battery? Crazy.

Ben Brocka

@allquixotic I'd settle for one that lasts a few days per charge like my iPad

@slhck had, for the crappy toshiba. 2 main batteries and an extender, just to get 5 hours of power in my carrying case

allquixotic

@slhck the problem with that is, although Moore's Law allows us to shrink the size of transistors, the ASIC manufacturers are consistently making their die size bigger at the same time to provide larger steps up in upgrades, and the increased die size increases power requirements, thermal profile and cooling needs

Ben Brocka

21:38

Now I just have a single battery for the thinkpad

slhck

@BenBrocka Wow… and I bet those were pretty heavy.

allquixotic

so power needs remain sort of constant or slowly increases even

Ben Brocka

@slhck couple pounds apiece or so

Not as bad as lugging around my books in high school come to think of it, especially after they banned backpacks

slhck

I just remember this Toshiba machine a colleague of mine has. When it's sitting on the desk it looks and sounds like a… power plant.

@BenBrocka Why would they ban backpacks?

Ben Brocka

Guns. Or drugs. Or something

It was a high school

Everything was a gun or drugs

slhck

21:40

lol

afk

Ariane

21:55

Excuse me, I have a question that's probably silly. I'm trying to remove my motherboard, but it's held in place inside my case by a golden screw that doesn't have a head to put a screwdriver in. Both sides are tips. How do I deal with this?

Tanner

@Ariane amazon.com/TEKTON-3169-32-oz-Rubber-Mallet/dp/B000NPZ3HC/…

JK. I don't know. That's an odd one.

Ben Brocka

Got a picture of it?

Ariane

^^'. I want to ask because the last time I just assumed something I wasn't sure of, I broke a plastic thingie on a PCIe port.

slhck

The Golden Screw™

Ariane

Picture? I can take one. Gonna take a little while to send it from my phone. BRB.

Uhm, there's no upload button on the mobile version, and neither in the URL nor the page can I find a way to change to the desktop version. Any idea?

slhck

22:06

Good question. Not even in the menu?

There should be a menu button which gives you more options

Ariane

Okay. Problem. Managed to get the menu button to appear after a couple of refreshes, and managed to get to the actual menu after a few presses. But the full site page is so broken in both Opera Mini and the default browser that neither send nor upload buttons are accessible.

Do you know a Web image hosting site where it absolutely does work on a phone?

slhck

@Ariane Probably imgur?

Ariane

I'll try

slhck

@Ariane There, fixed it for you :)

^-- cc @BenBrocka @Tanner

Tanner

22:21

Is that a rivet?

Ariane

Tanner

Yeah that's freaking riveted in there isn't it? O_o

Ariane

First picture is the secondary side panel opened. Second is the motherboard itself.

What is a rivet? (and excuse the poor picture quality).

Tanner

Rivet

A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite the head is called the buck-tail. On installation the rivet is placed in a punched or drilled hole, and the tail is upset, or bucked (i.e., deformed), so that it expands to about 1.5 times the original shaft diameter, holding the rivet in place. To distinguish between the two ends of the rivet, the original head is called the factory head and the deformed end is called the shop head or buck-tail. Because there is effectively a head o...

Ariane

Btw the screw is just below the RAM if you can't see it.

Tanner

22:24

Is it threaded?

Ariane

Oh, I doubt this is a rivet. The case and motherboard did not come together, and my ex-stepfather did not use a drill when mounting the PC.

Tanner

Haha okay

Ariane

Threaded? Do you mean, does it have that spiral thingie that is on screws? Yes.

Only has the spiral thingies on one side though

I must have a way here to remove thiis, since I don't think he'd brought tools. He used mine, probably. But in manual construction stuff like this I'm not even zero, I'm minus one.

So I need help. :p

Tanner

TBH me too. I have ten thumbs. I haven't the slightest clue how you would get that thing out without destroying the motherboard.

Ariane

Wtf. If I squeeze close and look through an opening at the space between the case and the motherboard, it gets LARGER between them.

Maybe I need to turn it on the side it has the spinning stuff with uhm... that thing like scissors but without blades for holding stuff? (sorry, English vocabulary failure tonight.)

2

Tanner

22:33

lmao you've lost me

Ariane

Is it safe to try that on the side of the secondary panel?

Uhm. Ya know. Tweezers are a kind of X. I'm talking about X but bigger, the kind that comes in a toolbox. It pinches. D:

Ben Brocka

@Ariane Can you get your fingers around there and see if it just turns?

Tanner

@Ariane Pliers?

amazon.com/Inch-Reach-Needle-Pliers-Jeweler/dp/B005D667N0/…

Ben Brocka

@Ariane pliers?

Ariane

@Ben Fingers no, too small and tight. But with <vocabulry missing> THAT tool, perhaps I can. That's what I'm asking about.

Ben Brocka

22:36

If you have needle nose pliers you might be able to grip and turn it depending on how tight it's in

Ariane

Pliers... Well, sort of like this yes but bulkier.

Ben Brocka

Not sure you could get a grip on it with much blukier, could try and see if whatever you have fits though

Ariane

I'll try it and try to be careful.

I am able to grab it, but it doesn't turn

Ben Brocka

And the "screw" is just smooth on the top? No octagonal/weird groove some tool would fit in?

@Ariane wait is that a solid bulb at the back side?

Does that end turn?

Ariane

In front, it's smooth and circular. In the back, it's circular as well but ends flat like a screw, with the spiral thingie that screws have.

(Lol, the neighbour is doing violent Facebook messaging. I hear the new message sounds from here, and the soundproofing is not SO awful. xD

Oh crap. The mobile site of this chat is awful I press send and it erases my message in the typing field but does not send it, on top of having me refresh all the time to see new messages.

SO. Gonna repeat. Could someone do me a favour and look up the electronic manuals of my MB and maybe case to see if there's a mention of this?

MB: ASRock 970 Extreme3
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS-I Snow Edition

Ariane

23:10

sigh. The technician from Future Shop has no idea either.

Tanner

Why are you trying to remove it anyway?

Ariane

To change the cooler.

New: Bending the motherboard a little, I have noticed that it's NOT the mystery golden screw that's holding it in place.

Journeyman Geek

lol

Tanner

hahaha what is it then?

Journeyman Geek

if its the middle screw, its VERY often just a 'pin'

~~DIY box or prebuild?~~

you probably missed a screw ;p

Ariane

23:16

Not prebuilt, though I'm not the one who built it, and I realisse I shouldn't have delegated the task. I'd have known what it is.

Just a pin? What is "just a pin" like?

Btw, fiddling tells me the place it's still attached is close to the center. But there, all I see is a mini-heatsink-like thing nwith XFast LAN written on it. >.<

I'm not so sure anymore. Maybe it IS the mystery screw after all.

@Jour don't abandon me, could you elaborate?

Journeyman Geek

better motherboards have the center screw as a 'pin' so you can align the board properly

Ariane

And how do I deal with a "pin"?

Journeyman Geek

I see one screw below the thing you're talking about

maybe about 2 inches down?

Ariane

The one right below? Removed.

Well uhm. Actually there's no fitting hole on my MB, so I'd say rather "never installed"

But anyway, tell me. How do I deal with this "pin"?

Journeyman Geek

its not supposed to be attached to the motherboard ;p

I'd guess a flathead may work

Ariane

23:30

There is no "screwdriver hole" on the mystery screw. One flat, one round end.

Journeyman Geek

is out of ideas

also, why do you have to remove your motherboard to change the cooler?

You have one of those CPU access holes

Ariane

Guh I hate this. If I could just show it to you, I'm sure you would find the issue within seconds.

Tanner

Quick! Fly to Singapore with your PC :P

Journeyman Geek

lol

or vice versa!

Tanner

Anybody handy with Google Spreadsheets? I'm trying to build a table of our servers and would like to be able to easily find services such as DHCP, but obviously the servers have multiple services... Can I sort it or filter it somehow so that order/number of services doesn't matter?

Ariane

23:34

Why? Because I needd to install an intricate thing behind the MB and screw it there. + I think it's impossible to remove the PSU if the MB is still in place.

Ya know what? Big annoyance, big solution. I should film it.

Is that a good idea?

Tanner

Film it?

Journeyman Geek

you can actually

pop the back (right?) cover

Ariane

Film my MB and case, so you can see it in detail.

Journeyman Geek

you'll find that there's a hole where the CPU is

Ariane

@Journey It's presently open.

Journeyman Geek

23:37

ya

you can install the cooler using that ;p

Ariane

Oh, right. Hadn't seen that. I stiill believe I need to remove the MB to be able to remove the CPU.

PSU*

unless this too is something obvious that I missed.

Hennes

This reminds me why I am a fan of BIG towers. Lots of room inside

Ariane

but uhm. I might be mistaken. can I indeed remove the PSU without removing the MB?

Oh but wait. Issue not solved yet, but I don't need to remove the MB, probably. I'm blind. It's a metal sheet from the case itself that's in the way, in purpose.

So the question just became, how do I remove this PSU?

Oh, geez, I think I found. Note to self, always put together what you plan to eventually take apart.

Tanner

Google Drive and whatnot is OT for SU, right?

Ariane

Yup, that was it. I'm quite dumb. Still curious as to why the MB won't come off, but I'll gladly use this workaround.

Tanner

23:49

Webapps territory?

Ariane

BTW, the packaging of the Corsair AX760i is extravagant. xD

Tanner

0

Q: Is there a filter delimiter in Google Spreadsheets?

I'm trying to build a list of servers in a Google Spreadsheet. Each server has multiple services, and I would like to be able to select a single service and see all the servers providing that service. The problem I'm facing is the multiple services part. There's too many to provide a column for ...

Would appreciate some love on this question ;)

Ariane

To clean the thermal paste off the CPU with rubbing alcohol, what is a suitable working surface?

Hennes

When I cleaned the CPU I put it in the 'rubber-sih' stuff of the original packaging.

Ariane

Assuming I don't have that?

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