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Old 11-25-2014, 12:18 PM   #1
Mercutio
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Porygon-Z The Tech Thread

So after a cursory look and a quick check with Talon (thanks for looking as well!) I don't think we have a general technology thread.

Discuss computers, phones, cameras and consoles here. Hardware and software, anything goes, though maybe avoid talking about games or TV shows etc - there are better places to talk about that!
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Old 11-25-2014, 12:27 PM   #2
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And given that I'm doing this out of self interest I'll get the ball rolling:

Christmas is coming and my phone contract is about to run out while my computer is getting a bit past it. My brother works for Currys, a large technology chain in the UK, so I'm gonna burn my Christmas money in the subsequent sales and refresh my tech.

I need:
  • A reliable, durable and long battery life device that texts and calls
  • A device that fits in a pocket and/or bag that can access the internet using mobile data and/or wifi
  • A durable device that will run office programs, artworking programs, the internet etc
  • The latter two things must be able to talk to one another, share files etc

I separated those out because they don't all necessarily need to be the same device. I'm considering purchasing a cheap and durable old school brick phone like a Nokia 3310 and then getting both a new laptop and a tablet of some kind. Alternatively I'll get a smartphone and no tablet.

Preferably stuff on Android because I use google drive a lot at work but I really really don't want to get a Chromebook.

I don't game and I don't need a spectacular camera on the mobile devices.

I'm with EE and would quite like to stick with them but am open to switching contract if I can keep my phone number (depends on whether they'll let me).

I'll probably also get accessories like spare batteries and mobile chargers as my job often requires me to be out and about and be contactable.


Techies, can you suggest a device or combination of devices?
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Old 11-25-2014, 02:03 PM   #3
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Technology is evil and I have a Nokia 3310.
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Old 11-25-2014, 02:46 PM   #4
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My computer refused to turn on today. Like, at all. I shut it down remotely last night around 11pm or so. I assumed that it was the power supply that had died and contacted a tech-savvy friend to ask him if he happened to have any spare PSUs so that we could test things out after he got off work.

After a period of about three minutes since I last attempted to turn it on, and after a period of about seven minutes since the first attempt, I was standing twenty feet away from my computer in a different room of the apartment when all of a sudden I heard the familiar Windows start-up jingle. I rushed to my computer and sure enough it was on, my desktop greeting me with a simple smile.

I asked my tech friend if he could explain what had happened. He had no idea.

I tried Googling for it. Plenty of people have the reverse problem (computer turns on fine but then spontaneously turns off), so much so that you can't really find results of the opposite nature.

From what I was able to find, it sounds like it might have something to do with any of several factors. But rather than bias you with my findings, I wanted to ask first what the PC experts on UPN made of this situation. What do you think would cause a computer to not turn on but to register that an attempt to be turned on was made and to then power on several minutes later?
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Old 11-25-2014, 02:53 PM   #5
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My best guess would be that you need to find a priest.

My second best guess would be some form of hardware problem that causes it to not send the signal at full strength. I had this happen with my comp a while back and had to scrap it as a result.
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Old 11-26-2014, 06:47 AM   #6
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Oh damn! I kinda wish this thread existed about a month ago! More on that on another post, but first, on Merc's question then to Talon's possessed computer!

Well looking at what you need Mercutio, but it sounds like one of those Galaxy Notes could help you out. It has obviously all the normal phone goodies, but it has also a large-ish screen which would make the use of office programs easier. I dunno how performant they are and how good their battery life is though, but I'm pretty sure it beats my Galaxy S2 XP And for home, I would go for a good generic PC. I dunno how much artworking needs you... need, but anything with a good graphics card, good CPU and a good amount of RAM should do the trick. (Dunno how much of a budget you got though, because the first two can get pretty expensive...)

As for Talon's PC...It isn't quite the same thing, but it reminds me a bit of what happened to my laptop. Basically it had the problem you found through googling (instant random shut downs, which I didnt think too much about it since I thought it was only overheating because of my room temperture, like some laptops do) along the fact that afterwards, 3/5 times, it would boot but the screen displayed nothing and then it would shut down by itself after a minute or two of waiting. It would sometimes decide to boot fine though (even though it had to go through a system checkup beforehand, not finding problems.) And then one morning, I wasn't able to turn it on again, ever since I brought it to some computer repair guys and diagnosis: motherboard failure along with error-filled disc drive... which both are not repairable or even partially savable. I have NO idea if what you got is the starting symptoms of something bad, but please don't do the same mistake as me: Backup your stuff while your computer still works. I didn't have one (because I didn't have any other alternatives to put my data) and now I basically lost ~10 years worth of data. Not fun.
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Old 11-26-2014, 02:48 PM   #7
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Thanks Mew. You might be right about a note, currently have an S3 and it's pretty good. Basically if you use the internet or games the battery last about six hours but otherwise it'll go a day maybe two.

Talon you've actually found an IT problem where a stock IT Crowd joke wouldn't work. Kudos.
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Old 11-26-2014, 05:04 PM   #8
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You're welcome Merc!
Well with my S2 I was fine with what I would use it for (phone/texting, couple of reference apps and a bit of web browsing on the side when not at home) but I really noticed its limits when I didn't have a computer for months and had to rely only on my phone for almost anything related to Internet. It's pretty bad at multitasking (active app would crash with only three or even two apps opened at the same time) and the battery usage is horrible (would last about half a day during the week-end/non-stop usage, barely a full day when just using for phoning all day and web browsing/tumblr/Skype at night) sooo let's just say I couldn't wait getting a new computer to replace my dead one! But you gotta keep in mind that it is an "old" phone, so it's kinda normal that it sucks compared to you S3 and Notes!


Speaking of new computer, even before my laptop died on me, I wanted to get myself as a new one a custom, wanting it to be more powerful than any ol' run-of-the-mill all-made computers for less than an Alienware, and become my backup computer for my laptop... but well you know ^^; At first I wanted to pick the parts then hire someone to make it for me, but seeing how expensive it is to do that at the only known computer shop around where I live (20$ just to install the RAM? Eeep.) I took the daunting challenge of making the computer myself, despite having no experience whatsoever in that, other than knowing approximatively which part does what.

So for whoever would like to do the same, here's some links that would prove useful... although not completely:
  • Lifehacker: How to Build a Computer: The Complete Guide
  • That's basically the guide I based myself with a lot through the whole process. It is not perfect of course on some points (like the order to decide which pieces you need/want) but it's written in such a way even a dummy like me can understand.
  • Newegg: Although that place is not always the best website to order things in terms of prices, it has such a large array of products and a lot of techie users rating and commenting on them that it's worth looking there first when choosing the parts. For buying them and make sure everything works out, however...
  • pcpartspicker.com: This site is awesome. It permits you to not only check if your parts are compatible with each other, but it'll also tell you which website is the cheapest to order for each part. And if you make an account, you can save the parts you selected and ask their forums for help.
Even with all that though, I strongly suggest to get help at picking up the parts before making an expensive mistake. Check out forums specialized in that, speak to tech-savvy friends... a helping hand while actually building it helps too. And don't just ask one place/one person: the more opinions the better, even if it can get confusing.
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Old 11-26-2014, 06:18 PM   #9
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How difficuly was it overall, Okiku? My laptop is somewhat on its last legs, I'm tempted to try.
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Old 11-26-2014, 11:50 PM   #10
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Building a computer can be daunting and requires a fair amount of knowledge of computer hardware before-hand. Having done it before I can say that forums and internet resources are handy, and friends who know hardware can help a lot with choosing and building a computer
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Old 11-27-2014, 07:26 AM   #11
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How difficuly was it overall, Okiku? My laptop is somewhat on its last legs, I'm tempted to try.
For my first try, I would say it was difficult-ish, but asking for help both in knowledge of the pieces and to install stuff helps a lot and make things very doable for anyone with an average brain and hand dexterity.

Even though choosing the parts was in a way the easiest thing to do, it's still something that took me a lot a time to go through as I wanted to make sure before I order the parts that everything is compatible, fits my needs and budget, and won't die under my nose after installing (in other words DOA - dead on arrival). First, the how-to of Lifehacker helps a lot to start, telling you what you should look for in terms of stats and compatibility. Pcpartpicker helps with check incompatibilities in an automated way and keeping an eye on your budget, but does not detect incompatibilities via physical size of the parts (typical mistake is having a graphic card too big to fit the motherboard), the view of a part's stats in the best in my opinion, and doesn't really tell you if they're actually good parts. Newegg can help knowing the quality with the reviews and tells you more details about the parts in an easier way to read (including the size), but for everything else that's where actually asking for help to "techie" friends and forums comes in. They'll point out things you never thought of before, would give their own opinion based on experience, and have a better feel of what you need. The trick is not only to keep asking how your current choice of parts looks like (as much as it sounds annoying ^^;) but also ask ask many people/forums as possible. Personally I asked for the help of Loki, Morg, Synchronous (Thanks again guys! ^^) and the pcpartspicker forums, and if it wasn't for them I would probably have a computer way too expensive for nothing and actually not great enough to survive my needs and particularities.

As for installing the parts, well obviously it's the most difficult part, but it isn't so bad after reading instuctions over and over. I was mostly paranoid at physically breaking the parts with my own hands (especially about dropping them/something on it, giving it a static shock (yes, that can break them) and installing things wrong in a way that breaks the connectors). Again, instuctions/manuals is your best friend at all times, and take your time. For static, either to touch metal time to time, wear this special anti-static bracelet, or wear latex gloves (bonus: gives you a better grip, but just be careful not give said gloves static like a balloon, and note that it lowers your dexterity.) The hardest part was to transfer and screw the motherboard into the case, but that's partly because my case's instructions sucked horribly (no mention how to instal the motherboard (like removing a fan so it can go through), and not telling which screws to use for it out of the tons of different ones... thankfully my handyman dad took care of that last thing) and partly how annoying to screw it in with the installed stuff around and trying not to drop a screw on the motherboard (again, handy dad was handy). The I/O plate (or whatever the plate where the ports sticks out of the back) was also annoying to put, but that's because the plate was really cheap-looking and needed a lot of force (which I don't have) to push it in. (Also, Lifehacker instructions say to install that first... when it was physically impossible to install the motherboard afterwards, therefore the plate goes after the mobo.)

So yeah, it is a challenge that can't really be done completely alone, but it is possible to do after learning what to do ^^
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Old 11-27-2014, 10:31 PM   #12
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So, as of like a week or so ago, my computer's been doing this thing where sometimes the USB ports randomly just stop working for a minute or so. Considering this includes my keyboard and mouse, it's rather annoying. Any ideas what this is or how I can fix it?
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Old 11-27-2014, 11:45 PM   #13
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Have you tried turning it off and on again Check first to make sure its the USB ports problem and not the keyboard/mouse/whatever other things you put into the USB ports. If that doesn't work then you might want to take out the USB ports and see if there's any problems with the ports and/or motherboard
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Old 11-29-2014, 03:21 AM   #14
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Do tablet batteries last like smart phones?
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Old 11-30-2014, 02:56 PM   #15
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A week ago my laptop died so badly I had to reinstall Windows to get it to boot, and it just blue screened (this is from my phone). Looks like the money I saved towards a ps4 is becoming my new computer fund.
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Old 11-30-2014, 03:00 PM   #16
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Just posting to say that when I returned to my apartment, my computer turned on perfectly fine (following three days of no use). I turned it off for several hours, and when I turned it back on last night, it again turned on without a hitch. So ... the one time I have had with the computer not turning on for five or so minutes remains, for now, my only time.

As for what I suspect the problem is, it's likely a capacitor of some kind that has worn out, whether on the motherboard or in the power supply unit.
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Old 12-02-2014, 08:30 AM   #17
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@Kyro: What Roto said. Perfect way to test if it's the actual accessories screwing up, plug them in another computer and see if that works. I would also suggest to plug them in, and while keeping them plugged in reset your computer. I find that it helps sometimes the computer to detect "new" stuff.

@Mercutio: Good question. I think that they both last about the same amount of time, but not sure. Likely depends on which tablets and phones you compare to.

@Concept: Ouch, sorry to hear that :/ That's basically what happened to my first desktop (blue screens on boot), but thankfully I had previously bought my laptop as backup, which I did not regret. (For how I didn't have a backup for said laptop, however...)

@Talon: That's weird, but glad to hear it's ok again! I can't stress enough to back all your stuff though in case it happens again.



Oh and on a side note, for the curious, here's a link to the parts list of the computer I built.
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Old 12-02-2014, 08:41 AM   #18
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My laptop is working again (again) for now, but given how frequently I'm having to step in to save it I'm going to replace it. Working on designing a budget gaming PC (with the intention of building it after Christmas, when I can hopefully get some parts cheaper in post-Christmas sales). As it stands the rough plan is this.

It's a little budget-tighter than Okiku's :p.
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Old 12-09-2014, 06:09 PM   #19
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Always back up your hard drive.

I gave my laptop in to PC World for a free repair of the hinges and back cover. They gave it back with a new hard drive, everything wiped.

This is the second time in a row they have done this.

For some reason, despite having reinstalled Norton, my Chrome is now full of ads and running incredibly slowly. With this and no files to use I'm just going to leave it as is, use the bare minimum of stuff and then restart from scratch on a new comp. Or get a new tablet and just rebuild this one to the bare minimum required.

I fucking hate PC World sometimes. They took a week to let me know it was back lol.
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Old 12-09-2014, 06:35 PM   #20
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How to solve Chrome issues:
Get Adblock
Get ScriptSafe
Periodically check your extensions, if anything besides these two are present (Or if you've installed any other extension, check for "not from Chrome Web Store"), get rid of them as you do not want them.
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Old 12-09-2014, 06:54 PM   #21
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Are those Chrome r
extensions?
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Old 12-09-2014, 07:09 PM   #22
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Adblock and scriptsafe are extensions, yes. They're super easy to find (Although I believe searching adblock has a knockoff that actaully screws up some images come up first nowadays so be careful, though scriptsafe has no such imitator), and they make your browsing experience all of the better.
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Old 12-09-2014, 07:09 PM   #23
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r extensions? Is that a typo? Well these two are definitely Chrome extensions. I personally have AdBlock Plus (same thing as Adblock, really) but never heard of ScriptSafe. I might give it a try myself. (Edit: lol ninja'd.)

I personally also use Disconnect (block invisible websites that track browsing history), HTTPS Everywhere (encrypts communications) and Hola (hides your IP and simulates/changes your country so you can access to censored/restricted stuff).
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Old 12-10-2014, 06:26 AM   #24
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Idk.it doesn't matter that much as there's no longer anything on the hard drive. Will download them tonight. Ta.
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Old 12-15-2014, 05:25 PM   #25
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Welp, I'm now commited. Bought my first component (ram). Saw one of the ram I was considering go on sale on Amazon for about 60% of the usual price so thought "what the hell".
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