Subj : Re: Slimmed down Debian To : Barry Martin From : Ky Moffet Date : Wed Jul 15 2020 14:51:00 BARRY MARTIN wrote: > Hi Ky! Woah! Barry!! Hey, I actually needed that RAM the other day.. haven't quite given up on the D20 board that died of a bent CPU pin (worked fine with one CPU; put in the second and PFFZT! bent pin was very subtle, can't blame the seller for missing it. RMA'd and refunded and returned, and then he refused the shipment so I got the board back, a clever way for him to avoid paying return postage on a "free return".) Anyway with your RAM it at least powers on, tho so far haven't got any further. Need higher-powered magnifier and better light so I can see if there's something else making contact in there that shouldn't be. At least the power on indicates it's not shorted to the point of totally dead!! > > > > KM> These durn two-legged stools.... > > > > I wonder if that's why it was so cheap?! > > > KM> 30% off!! > > > If a three-legged stool closer to one-third! > > KM> I left a stump, in case it falls over. :) > > That should supply some stability! ...Just might not be too convenient > > to lug around. > KM> No worries, I'll just cut the other legs to match.... > KM> ...why am I sitting on the ground?? > I think it's "measure twice, cut once", not the other way around! I cut it three times, and it's STILL too short!! > KM> How fast is fiber, really? > KM> Test here: > KM> https://testmy.net/ > > Looks pretty good to me: have the 200 Mbps service. D/l reported as 204 > Mbps, u/l 146.6 Mbps. So the u/l is a bit sluggish but could be due to > factors other than them. Your idea of sluggish is a lot faster than mine... on a good day, downhill with a whip and a tailwind and someone out behind helping push, I get 5.2Mbps down, 0.8Mbps up. > KM> Mine is embarrassing... > > You're also "out in the boonies" IIRC. Only a mile from town and 15,000 feet from the junction box... tho yeah, I used to be where to see civilization, you needed a good telescope! > Did receive a fix yesterday morning and so now on to other issues! I > have been using some fixed addresses just to make certain devices easier > to find. The MythTV Backend sort of needs to be at one address so the > Frontend devices can find it. The NAS also pretty much has to be at one > place. Can't you assign it one address on your router? I can do that on mine and it only has half a brain cell. (I don't bother, tho, cuz nothing here needs it. Also it tends to keep the same one per device anyway.) > this computer will play-buffer-play-buffer.... Haven't done a mega-d/l > yet. Could see where might still have a buffering problem if the d/l > doesn't share nicely. He went from donkey to jet plane and complains about the speed of freight. :D :D :D [Speaking of freight: we're on day 12 for a priority parcel from the Bay area, tho it's finally made it to Billings... 9 days for the previous two from CA... methinks CA's mail system is totally busted.] > KM> Oh, for general errors I had "No no no yer doin' it all wrong!" > KM> But Argo would never dream of doing a BSOD. Argo was 100% > KM> well-behaved Win95. :) > And then they broke it. :( Yeah... did I mention Win10 deciding to nuke the partition table on a USB-attached HD? I *think* what happened is that it saw the older version of NTFS, said gee, that needs updating, and ... no more partition table. Win10 is now closing fast on the #1 spot on my $#!T List, and will never again be trusted near data it doesn't own. Weirdly, out of six identical Win10 installs on 6 laptops (which recently fell on my head, Win10 and all -- two matched i5 and four matched i7, so by my standards quite modern!) ... three behave as if they're activated (they're not), and let me do whatever I want, and three whine that they're not activated and refuse to play nice. Guess which three were quickly replaced. I do need to find some SODIMM 4GB or 8GB DDR3 sticks, as they're all sadly under-RAM'd. [I've seen this before. I think it's a bug in the hash that Windows uses to create a unique machine identifier, so about half the time it thinks it's activated even when it's not -- it still says it's not on the Properties screen, but acts like it is everywhere else. I think because it uses essentially random stuff like the hardware serials/model numbers, about half the time it hits a hash that says to it, "Activated" where it counts. Such installs are portable and will not complain about new hardware. Also tells me they're probably using a flawed RNG that has gaps in its randomness, hence the bug.] Didn't like some quirks of the latest PCLinuxOS/KDE release, so finally got around to making a live ISO from my good setup (it's nice to have all my tweaks and software already in place). So one laptop now has that. Runs very well and doesn't annoy me every five minutes. I think another will have PCLOS/Trinity. A little experimenting on old and older hardware informed me that PCLOS runs really well on about 2.2GHz 2-core and above; below that it loses its snappiness, but isn't yet laggy. So now in the interests of Science I'm looking for the slowest x64 CPU in existence, so I can test my theory that it's still at least usable on barrel-scrapings. (Conversely, Mageia and Ubuntu are both laggy on the i7-3.7GHz with 32GB RAM.) Actually, Westworld's original CPU might qualify... it would run Mint17, but not well. PCLOS has a bit better performance than Mint. > > KM> rivet into the spots. Really good case otherwise, but lordy, > > KM> gamers and their desire to show off their guts... > > Look! The fans are spinning really-really fast! I've got > KM> And the colored LEDs are blinking a lot!! > Oh good! I thought I was having one of those spells! Silly Blinky Tricks: don't have a 2-pin speaker for the Thinkstation board. Do have a 2-pin LED, and remember someone using an LED instead of a speaker, for a deaf user. It works! [What idiot uses oo pins for the speaker, instead of oxxo like the whole rest of the world??] > KM> nothing is really *badly* made. Strong enough to use for a > KM> ladder, too. (And they come new with enough screws for 3 PCs.) > I don't think I'd attempt to use any of my cases as a step stool/ladder! Oh, you can quite safely use these old metal RaidMax cases as a ladder! [Razor Case] > KM> exposed edges. (In fact I still have one in the basement, sitting > KM> empty.) > > Empty except with your blood! ..You really should have refrigerated it > for a potential transfusion! Haha... yeah, if I ever use that case, I'm gonna name it Vampire. > I haven't had the Case of a Thousand Knives but have had some which > should have come wth a couple of Band Aids. Yeah, and that's worse. When you KNOW everything is sharp, you're forewarned. It's the surprise random sharp spot that will get you when you didn't expect it. Seen that too, makes unhappy Ky and blood on the components. > > KM> Likely so... more fins uses more metal and costs more! > > "We want profit!" "We want something that works at a reasonable price!" > KM> Gee, I wonder who said what... > The shoplifters?! THAT must be what the looting is about!! > KM> Well, I used to build and maintain custom systems, and was the > KM> hardware dude for the SoCal user grope, but haven't done any of > KM> that in about ten years now. So now it's all just for me. Mine! > KM> MINE!! > Probably because a lot of people use their cell phones and tablets as if > they were computers cut into that market. Something like 60% of the market is now cells and tablets. And PCs became more and more disposable. So yeah, not much market anymore. >Plus your dogs aren't nearly > as demanding! Haha, yeah, customers complain when you lock them in the kennel. Tho I've been known to use the Rex Carr method on dumb owners (do it like I told you, or I will hit YOU with the whip. Works amazingly well!) > KM> And Fireball is a Xeon, so having already named a Xeon Xorro, > KM> next thing to come into my head was Fireball XL-5, and there ya > KM> go. :D > > Much more fanciful names than what I'm been coming up with. This one's > "NZXT" because of the name on the case. A main computer downstairs is Yeah, that's how Dink and Wedgie got their names -- DNK on the case, and WedgTek on the case. > "ThermalTake". And I have a case for a project that's been on hold > from Raijintek - oh poop! It's better if you can pronounce 'em... > Frontend computer in the Sitting Room (Den -- > no idea why we're using an old term) called 'BrokenTab' because one of > the tabs holding on the heatsink broke off. What will you call it if you ever replace the mount? :D > KM> design problem.) This does tend to cause momentary alarm... is > KM> also why wood stove not used. > So when you go to the doctor's office they ask how many cartons a day > you smoke?! Haha... if I were using it, I'd probably get that! > As for the smoke coming in to the house, hmm: I like the name of this > site! https://www.gratewalloffire.com/Fireplace-smoke_ep_54-1.html Good one :) > Anyway, a few web hits are indicated blocked flues - usually creosote, > though could be a closed damer (who installed the knob the wrong way?!). > When we had the free-standing fireplace removed when building the > addition the guys found a bird's nest in the flue! Ain't blocked. Is tall enough. Still misbehaves even with hot fire and a window hanging open. Tends to go down to nothing and make way too much creosote. Something designed wrong somewhere.... actually I wonder if it might be that the rain cap needs much bigger openings to cope with the 8" pipe. > KM> something. Seriously, would you like the speedometer to only > KM> display a light when you're over 60mph?? And what's with all the > KM> touch screens that you have to TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE ROAD to > KM> use?? > Yeah! Would also seem even if the dash display is projected > on to the windshield one is also focusing and effectively looking at the > inside of the windshield and not the road beyond. Oh lordy, there's one to keep everyone from looking on down the road any further than your own hood. > KM> That's another reason looking for older for the winter 4WD, > KM> probably 1996 or before... I like knobs, ON THE DASH. And the > KM> dimmer switch on the floor, as the gods intended. (Okay, so > KM> that's 1991 or before...) > > Well I'll admit the dimmer switch on the left steering wheel sticky- > out-thing isn't bad. Over the years I've more or less trained myself to It might not be bad but it's in the wrong place!! And all the blonds get their foot caught in the steering wheel. :P > ignore certain things and keep my eyes on the road, then glance to > adjust/turn on/turn off whatever when the traffic conditions allow. I like having controls I can grope, so I can find and manipulate them not only without looking away from the road, but also in the dark when the dash backlight is set fairly dim. (Old truck, radio backlight went off before the dash backlight did, probably by design in case someone found it distracting.) > More important to know when the volume control of the radio is than the > tuner buttons ==> quick left spin of the volume to cut the sound, worry > about the station selection later. Nothing wrong with a dial and buttons for station selection!! Perfectly gropable!! > KM> -- Jan. after a recent update, May out of the box. Finally > KM> installed MyLiveGTK and made an ISO of my good install on the > That's where it would be beneficial for me to know how to create stuff, > but.... MyLiveGTK is pretty simple. Exclude unwanted locations (such as your backup and ISO storage directories... can you can infinitely recursive? I knew you could!), and it includes everything else and cleans up after itself. It's slow but works pretty well. Voila, an hour or two later a custom install disk, with everything (including /Home) intact. > KM> Well, at least PCLOS only takes five minutes to install, and two > KM> clicks. > > I don't recall how long the basic Ubuntu (so 18.04) takes -- maybe five > or ten minutes but I almosrt always have the installation do the update > while it's at it, and obviously that adds to the installation time. Fedora install time and behavior wasn't bad, but Debian took a good hour and needed lots of babysitting. I never again want to hear how Windows installer rudely stops and demands input every two minutes... > Also makes a lot of difference if from a DVD or thumbdrive -- thumbdrive > sooo much faster, just I sort of miss seeing the blinkenlicht telling me > something is happening during those periods of "I'm thinking" and > nothing happening on the screen. This!! especially when the USB3 port is hidden in the back... > KM> own Win10-by-itself runs much better. I don't understand this. Oh > KM> well, set default boot to 2008R2, and ignore Win10. Damn thing > KM> now apparently rewrites the boot sector whenever you switch OSs, > KM> which does not strike me as a Good Idea. In the olden daze it > KM> just pointed at whichever one you picked.) > > Yes, overwriting the boot sector sounds a little dangerous as if > something were to go wrong nothing to switch back to. I'm thinking of > should a power failure occur and the UPS not kick in, or not for a > sufficient time. Did I gripe about that again today? It still annoys me. > KM> So now Fireball has working Windows 7/2008R2/10, and one working > KM> Linux, so at least it's functional across a reasonable spectrum, > KM> if not ideal. But still not XP64, which would be better for its intended use. BUT! The Lenovo guy found the XP install guide, and looks like the problem might be it needs the Storport driver (same one as for NVMe support), which has to be slipstreamed into the ISO. Would probably also fix it for the HP laptops that refused to play nice (XP errored out the same way). > That should provide some fun experimental stuff for you! Oh, the fun never ends... official Lenovo guy in the forum says, how is OS Optimized Defaults set? Disabled. Let's try Enabled. INSTANT BRICK. CMOS reset did not improve matters. Well, turns out that setting disables absolutely everything legacy (which he said means it shipped with Win8 -- uh, why does it *HATE* Win8??), AND IS STICKY across CMOS resets, so it played dead til I found it a newer vidcard that does UEFI, and could change it back. *whew* (And if that's how you feel, you can keep that card. Geesh. What do you mean you don't have a driver for it? It's the same card that was in Lightfoot when that Win7 was installed that you're cloned from; it already HAS the durn driver, you ninny! Look over there. See? It's right there. Geesh!!) > KM> Normally anymore I don't do multiboot but rather use hotswap bays > KM> and laptop HDs, one per OS... but the Dells have no bays at all, > KM> so the experimental installs had to share one well-buried HD. > > LIS in an earlier message I wasn't too impressed with purchasing Dell as a > refurbished machine for my use: found it difficult to pin down the > specifics on a particular machine being considered. Not saying they > aren't a good machine, just for my needs not a good fit. I pretty much > need those empty bays and motherboard slots. Yeah, me too. The no-space systems are fine for using like a tethered laptop, but are not suitable for my everyday -- solely because of the lack of expansion space. Well, I could use two laptop drives in the single 3.5" internal bay, and an NVMe on an adapter in the 4x PCI3 slot, but... since I have other options, why?? still inflexible once you put the lid back on. > Now that it's -- oh let's just say 'initiated' -- I can fill those > empty 2 TB?! It's easy! Just find an FTP and download the whole thing. ibiblio.org would make a nice starter kit, and then you could move on to archive.org. :D :D :D > KM> Patches included for Win7/8/10. > KM> XP64 and Server2003 are basically the same OS. > Any advantage in running the Server version over the XP version, > especially on a virtual nachine? Probably not. Server runs more admin type things and needs more resources. I've not run 2003 but I use XP64 on Bullet and love it. Rather pronounced with Win7 vs SVR2008R2 -- server uses 4x the RAM. (But on a high-RAM system, no worries, and interface is less annoying.) > KM> Yeah, I have no patience anymore. Either it works easily or out > KM> it goes. > Time is money! LIS I've done the same over the years with my various If time flies when you throw a clock, I want to come back as DB Cooper. > Windows and Ubuntus. Not a stopper if the utility needs to have a few > other utilities added to run, but I also need for the utility to be > fairly easy to use. Yeah. I just don't want to do the hoop jumping anymore. If I have to print out the instructions, I'm probably on my way elsewhere. Snipping rest or I'll never get this sent... "Did you write the Great American Novel?" "No, just an average reply on the BBS." þ RNET 2.10U: ILink: Techware BBS þ Hollywood, Ca þ www.techware2k.com --- QScan/PCB v1.20a / 01-0462 * Origin: ILink: CFBBS | cfbbs.no-ip.com | 856-933-7096 (454:1/1) .