From b.j.smith at ieee.org Wed Feb 1 10:14:55 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:36 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Now Firefox 1.5 thanx to PrefBar 3.3 Beta 3 ... Message-ID: <20060201151455.64032.qmail@web34111.mail.mud.yahoo.com> FYI, I've finally moved away from Firefox 1.0.7 since PrefBar 3.3 Beta 3 largely works with Firefox 1.5. It's largely just a few cosmetic issues with the new version's beta that are left. http://prefbar.mozdev.org/ -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From wam at HiWAAY.net Wed Feb 1 11:34:21 2006 From: wam at HiWAAY.net (William A. Mahaffey III) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:36 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Problems w/ KVM switch .... Message-ID: <43E0E30D.3010309@HiWAAY.net> .... I recently (this weekend) installed a Linkskey 4-port KVM switch so that I could monitor my 3 PCs from 1 monitor/kbd/mouse. The PCs are: 2.4 GHz P4, SuSE linux 9.2, all stock, running in run-level 3; 933 MHz PIII, SuSE 8.2, run-level 5; & a WIN2K Gateway. My problem is that whenever I switch *from* the Gateway *to* the 933, the mouse goes (& apparently stays) crazy. If I can eventually get to a console or shell window, I reboot. This is a hassle :-). Has anyone else had similar problems ? If so, how did you solve them ? TIA -- William A. Mahaffey III ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "The M1 Garand is without doubt the finest implement of war ever devised by man." -- Gen. George S. Patton From b.j.smith at ieee.org Wed Feb 1 14:55:55 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:36 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] [Job] LAN Administrator (at my employer) Message-ID: <20060201195555.74391.qmail@web34111.mail.mud.yahoo.com> This is _not_ a 3rd party deal. This would be direct with my employer. Please contact me off-list if you are interested. I have no idea what the pay rate is (I'm not doing IT at this company). We're also still looking for C developers too. JOB DESCRIPTION XXX in Lake Mary, FL has an immediate permanent opening available for a LAN ADMINISTRATOR. Candidates should meet the following criteria before submitting information: Support a number of corporate infrastructure components related to their specific functional area of responsibility (Windows Servers). Install, configure, maintain, and monitor system hardware and software. Document system configuration and installation and administration procedures. Troubleshoot complex problems and resolve trouble tickets as assigned. Evaluate and modify established best practices for infrastructure maintenance. Perform system administration activities across multiple platforms including daily system capacity, performance monitoring, patch and fix maintenance, and backup/restore activities. Qualifications: Three or more years of networking experience, 3 or more years experience configuring Cisco routers in LAN and WAN environments. Requires 2 or more years experience with the following: TCP/IP, CSU/DSU s, VPN and Firewall appliances. Working knowledge of Cisco Catalyst switches and VPN technology is a plus. *** Must be able to manage multiple projects, organize priorities, escalate critical events and communicate effectively. *** BS/BA degree or related technical degree. Cisco/Microsoft Certification with related work experience could be a substitute for a college degree. -- Bryan J. Smith b.j.smith@ieee.org (407) 489-7013 (Mobile) P.S. Linux is also a major plus since much of our product line and the IT support infrastructure that you may touch regularly involves Linux. But we're clearly an MS ADS/Office setup IT-wise (which is where most of the "work" comes from, and not us engineers ;-). -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From b.j.smith at ieee.org Thu Feb 2 09:00:12 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:36 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] ServerWorks IIILE SuperMicro 370DLE mdma2? In-Reply-To: <200601311916.01453.jasonb@edseek.com> Message-ID: <20060202140012.8396.qmail@web34107.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Jason Boxman wrote: > I thought it was supposed to do udma2? > I'm stuck in mdma2. Is that right? Probably not. The OSB4 southbridge is capable of "Ultra33" aka Ultra DMA mode 2 (8MHz DDR @ 16-bit = 33MBps). This not only which not only provides a significant speed boost over Multiword DMA mode 2 (8MHz SDR @ 16-bit = 16MBps), but more importantly, gives you CRC checking. There is _no_ error checking pre-Ultra DMA, which is the #1 reason why I didn't adopt ATA for hard drives (stuck with SCSI and its parity checking) until Ultra DMA became available. There is a newer revision of the OSB4 in the "-SL" editions that offers improved ATA compatibility. In all honesty, the ServerWorks ATA and select other peripherals are rather immature/low-featured. ServerWorks excels at bridging peripheral busses/channels (so much so that all current Intel designs are licensed from them -- especially the ServerWorks designed E7200/7500 series), but they leave much to be desired in peripherals before their Intel cross-licensing agreement. Hence why I use off-chipset controllers for fixed disk storage. Although the OSB4 seems to work fine as a Ultra33 controller for ATAPI optical devices. I use the Matsushita/Panasonic and LG GSA DVD-RAM/R drives on them without issues. Consider a low-cost 3Ware Escalade 7006-2, or try to find an Escalade 6200/6410 (for kernel 2.4 or earlier) or 7200/7000-2/7410/7500-4LP on eBay. > nebula:/tmp# hdparm -i /dev/hda > /dev/hda: > Model=Maxtor 6Y120L0, FwRev=YAR41VW0, SerialNo=Y41NK87E > Config={ Fixed } > RawCHS=16383/16/63, TrkSize=0, SectSize=0, ECCbytes=57 > BuffType=DualPortCache, BuffSize=2048kB, MaxMultSect=16, > MultSect=off > CurCHS=16383/16/63, CurSects=16514064, LBA=yes, LBAsects=240121728 > IORDY=on/off, tPIO={min:120,w/IORDY:120}, tDMA={min:120,rec:120} > PIO modes: pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4 > DMA modes: mdma0 mdma1 *mdma2 > UDMA modes: udma0 udma1 udma2 udma3 udma4 udma5 udma6 > AdvancedPM=yes: disabled (255) WriteCache=enabled > Drive conforms to: (null): > * signifies the current active mode > nebula:/tmp# hdparm /dev/hda > /dev/hda: > multcount = 0 (off) > IO_support = 0 (default 16-bit) > unmaskirq = 0 (off) > using_dma = 1 (on) > keepsettings = 0 (off) > readonly = 0 (off) > readahead = 256 (on) > geometry = 65535/16/63, sectors = 240121728, start = 0 Try running this command: hdparm -X66 /dev/hda The "-X" sets the mode. 64 Ultra DMA +2 mode = 66. Yes, that looks wrong, but -X68 is Ultra66 (Ultra DMA mode 4 = 16MHz DDR @ 16-bit = 66MHz). The OSB4's ATA bus arbitrator does have a _very_large_ "read-ahead" buffer (128KiB), which is very nice. Most other ATA logic have only a small 16 sector (8KiB) readahead. > Uniform Multi-Platform E-IDE driver Revision: 7.00alpha2 > ide: Assuming 33MHz system bus speed for PIO modes; override > with idebus=xx > SvrWks OSB4: IDE controller at PCI slot 0000:00:0f.1 > SvrWks OSB4: chipset revision 0 > SvrWks OSB4: not 100% native mode: will probe irqs later > ide0: BM-DMA at 0xffa0-0xffa7, BIOS settings: hda:DMA, hdb:pio > ide1: BM-DMA at 0xffa8-0xffaf, BIOS settings: hdc:DMA, hdd:pio > Probing IDE interface ide0... > hda: Maxtor 6Y120L0, ATA DISK drive > ide0 at 0x1f0-0x1f7,0x3f6 on irq 14 > Probing IDE interface ide1... > hdc: NEC CD-ROM DRIVE:282, ATAPI CD/DVD-ROM drive > ide1 at 0x170-0x177,0x376 on irq 15 > nebula:/tmp# lspci > 0000:00:00.0 Host bridge: ServerWorks CNB20LE Host Bridge (rev > 06) > 0000:00:00.1 Host bridge: ServerWorks CNB20LE Host Bridge (rev > 06) > 0000:00:01.0 SCSI storage controller: QLogic Corp. ISP1080 SCSI > Host Adapter (rev 01) > 0000:00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Matrox Graphics, Inc. > MGA 2064W > [Millennium] (rev01) > 0000:00:06.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corp. 82557/8/9 > [Ethernet Pro 100] > (rev 08) > 0000:00:0f.0 ISA bridge: ServerWorks OSB4 South Bridge (rev 51) > 0000:00:0f.1 IDE interface: ServerWorks OSB4 IDE Controller > 0000:00:0f.2 USB Controller: ServerWorks OSB4/CSB5 OHCI USB > Controller (rev 04) > 0000:01:01.0 RAID bus controller: 3ware Inc 3ware 7000-series > ATA-RAID (rev 01) Do you have a spare port on the 3Ware? If so, then use the disk in JBOD mode on it instead. -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From b.j.smith at ieee.org Thu Feb 2 09:20:15 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:36 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Cheap PCI GbE NIC that has fair specs for $15 ... Message-ID: <20060202142015.29112.qmail@web34101.mail.mud.yahoo.com> I know a lot of you are buying mainboards with GbE on-board. But just in case you need to add a GbE PCI card (when you don't have PCIe) to your system, but don't want to spend a lot of money, the RTL8169 MAC isn't a bad solution. Now it doesn't do jumbo frames last time I checked, but if you're not spending money, then you're probably not too worried about that. It does have 802.3x flow control (make sure your switch does too!) which is pretty much essential at GbE (especially with only 1500 byte frames). It also has a 64KiB SRAM receive buffer, which allows the card to queue up a good 47 1500 byte frames before becoming full. Lastly, the 32-bit card is 3.3V with 5V tolerances (universal), and can run at 66MHz (which is nice in case you want to put it in a PCI-X slot). Ignore the specs on TCP off-load support, that's just transmission only -- let alone the transmit buffer is only 8KiB (so forget jumbo frames). But for $15, I'm not complaining. An example card is this $15.99 at NewEgg.COM, the NW-500-GB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833332506 I know the Linux 2.6 kernel has RTL8169 support for sure, and I'd assume more recently 2.4 kernels have the driver as well. -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From glaiacona at aikencountysc.gov Thu Feb 2 10:10:27 2006 From: glaiacona at aikencountysc.gov (George Laiacona) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:36 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Mac OS and firewalls. Message-ID: Looking for some knowledge on Mac OS, specifically the Safari browser, the Transfer program, FTP, and PIX firewalls. Are there any known issues? I've got an FTP rule created in the PIX, it works for IE, but not Safari. I'm getting connection timed out errors trying to log in to an FTP server outside my network. I can log into any FTP server inside my firewall, however, so I know the Mac is configured correctly. Browsing also works as it should through my Novell BorderManager proxy. George. From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Thu Feb 2 10:20:29 2006 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:36 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Mac OS and firewalls. Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1C1D5C1@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> > Looking for some knowledge on Mac OS, specifically the Safari > browser, the Transfer program, FTP, and PIX firewalls. Do you have Transfer and Safari set to use passive-mode transfers? -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From b.j.smith at ieee.org Thu Feb 2 10:20:56 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:36 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Mac OS and firewalls. In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20060202152056.83666.qmail@web34106.mail.mud.yahoo.com> George Laiacona wrote: > Looking for some knowledge on Mac OS, specifically the Safari > browser, the Transfer program, FTP, and PIX firewalls. > Are there any known issues? I've got an FTP rule created in the > PIX, it works for IE, but not Safari. I'm getting connection > timed out errors trying to log in to an FTP server outside my > network. I can log into any FTP server inside my firewall, > however, so I know the Mac is configured correctly. Browsing > also works as it should through my Novell BorderManager proxy. It's most likely an active v. passive detail. Find out what the Safari brower defaults to and check the firewall for what is supports. I have a feeling it's active and several PIX products default to not allowing an active connection. -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From octo at logicprobe.org Thu Feb 2 10:46:56 2006 From: octo at logicprobe.org (Derek Konigsberg) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] ServerWorks IIILE SuperMicro 370DLE mdma2? In-Reply-To: 20060202140012.8396.qmail@web34107.mail.mud.yahoo.com Message-ID: <28272348c1dff39029ed4a1bc6487ca5@localhost> > In all honesty, the ServerWorks ATA and select other peripherals are > rather immature/low-featured. ServerWorks excels at bridging > peripheral busses/channels (so much so that all current Intel designs > are licensed from them -- especially the ServerWorks designed > E7200/7500 series), but they leave much to be desired in peripherals > before their Intel cross-licensing agreement. > > Hence why I use off-chipset controllers for fixed disk storage. > Although the OSB4 seems to work fine as a Ultra33 controller for > ATAPI optical devices. I use the Matsushita/Panasonic and LG GSA > DVD-RAM/R drives on them without issues. Aren't ServerWorks boards also really designed with the philosophy of "We'll throw some IDE ports on there, but you're really supposed to use the SCSI ports"? At least that is definitely how it seems in my file server (ServerWorks IIIHE). Of course this isn't a problem for me, since that machine is pure SCSI ;-) (unless you count the SATA drives hanging off a 3ware 9500-4LP) Then again, even pure-SCSI servers often still use IDE for their CD/DVD-ROM drives these days. -Derek From glaiacona at aikencountysc.gov Thu Feb 2 11:19:05 2006 From: glaiacona at aikencountysc.gov (George Laiacona) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Mac OS and firewalls. Message-ID: Yes, I thought of that. Sorry I didn't mention it in the original post. George. >>> dmckenna@thelimucompany.com 02/02/06 10:20 AM >>> > Looking for some knowledge on Mac OS, specifically the Safari > browser, the Transfer program, FTP, and PIX firewalls. Do you have Transfer and Safari set to use passive-mode transfers? -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include _______________________________________________ Pc_support mailing list Pc_support@matrixlist.com http://lists.matrixlist.com/mailman/listinfo/pc_support From jasonb at edseek.com Thu Feb 2 22:31:11 2006 From: jasonb at edseek.com (Jason Boxman) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] ServerWorks IIILE SuperMicro 370DLE mdma2? In-Reply-To: <20060202140012.8396.qmail@web34107.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <20060202140012.8396.qmail@web34107.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <200602022231.11574.jasonb@edseek.com> On Thursday 02 February 2006 09:00, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > Try running this command: > hdparm -X66 /dev/hda Command succeeds, but the output from `hdparm -i /dev/hda` is the same. It doesn't seem to get turned on. No errors, though. Mystery. > Do you have a spare port on the 3Ware? > If so, then use the disk in JBOD mode on it instead. It's full. :) -- Jason Boxman http://edseek.com/ - Linux and FOSS stuff From jasonb at edseek.com Thu Feb 2 22:35:58 2006 From: jasonb at edseek.com (Jason Boxman) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Cheap PCI GbE NIC that has fair specs for $15 ... In-Reply-To: <20060202142015.29112.qmail@web34101.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <20060202142015.29112.qmail@web34101.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <200602022235.58068.jasonb@edseek.com> On Thursday 02 February 2006 09:20, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > I know a lot of you are buying mainboards with GbE on-board. But > just in case you need to add a GbE PCI card (when you don't have > PCIe) to your system, but don't want to spend a lot of money, the > RTL8169 MAC isn't a bad solution. Interesting. Everytime I try to go GbE I find it doesn't work out. When I tried last January I found I didn't have the bandwidth on my PCI bus to really transfer any data faster than Fast Ethernet speeds. Actually, the real reason I was looking into GbE was backups from my fileserver to the backup server, but the backup server is an old Katmai? slot P3 and even using 'arcfour' as the encryption with ssh, I get less than 100 Mbps throughput. So, I guess my problem is the encryption overhead associated with running `rsync` over `ssh`. Oh well. > Now it doesn't do jumbo frames last time I checked, but if you're not > spending money, then you're probably not too worried about that. It > does have 802.3x flow control (make sure your switch does too!) which > is pretty much essential at GbE (especially with only 1500 byte > frames). It also has a 64KiB SRAM receive buffer, which allows the > card to queue up a good 47 1500 byte frames before becoming full. > Lastly, the 32-bit card is 3.3V with 5V tolerances (universal), and > can run at 66MHz (which is nice in case you want to put it in a PCI-X > slot). Neat. > Ignore the specs on TCP off-load support, that's just transmission > only -- let alone the transmit buffer is only 8KiB (so forget jumbo > frames). But for $15, I'm not complaining. > > An example card is this $15.99 at NewEgg.COM, the NW-500-GB: > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833332506 > > I know the Linux 2.6 kernel has RTL8169 support for sure, and I'd > assume more recently 2.4 kernels have the driver as well. Wow, that is insanely cheap. I have a GbE switch. Almost makes we want to buy a few, but I never seem to need to push enough data around to warrant it. Maybe I'll buy two and move stuff between my workstation and fileserver over NFS and see what happens. -- Jason Boxman http://edseek.com/ - Linux and FOSS stuff From glaiacona at aikencountysc.gov Fri Feb 3 08:45:53 2006 From: glaiacona at aikencountysc.gov (George Laiacona) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Mac OS and firewalls. Message-ID: I have verified that the Mac is using PASV for FTP transfers. I've even opened up the rule a bit to allow for any IP connection outbound from that machine. George. >>> "Bryan J. Smith" 02/02/06 10:20 AM >>> George Laiacona wrote: > Looking for some knowledge on Mac OS, specifically the Safari > browser, the Transfer program, FTP, and PIX firewalls. > Are there any known issues? I've got an FTP rule created in the > PIX, it works for IE, but not Safari. I'm getting connection > timed out errors trying to log in to an FTP server outside my > network. I can log into any FTP server inside my firewall, > however, so I know the Mac is configured correctly. Browsing > also works as it should through my Novell BorderManager proxy. It's most likely an active v. passive detail. Find out what the Safari brower defaults to and check the firewall for what is supports. I have a feeling it's active and several PIX products default to not allowing an active connection. -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** _______________________________________________ Pc_support mailing list Pc_support@matrixlist.com http://lists.matrixlist.com/mailman/listinfo/pc_support From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Fri Feb 3 10:15:34 2006 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Cheap PCI GbE NIC that has fair specs for $15 ... Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1C1D627@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> FYI there are a load of <$50 gig-e switches available on NewEgg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Submit=ENE&N=2050400030+70 001468&Subcategory=30&description=&srchInDesc=&minPrice=&maxPrice=&ATTR1 =&ATTR2=&ATTR3=&ATTR4=2050400030+70001468&ATTR5= -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From b.j.smith at ieee.org Fri Feb 3 11:51:11 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Cheap PCI GbE NIC that has fair specs for $15 ... In-Reply-To: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1C1D627@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> Message-ID: <20060203165111.99904.qmail@web34101.mail.mud.yahoo.com> From: Damien McKenna > FYI there are a load of <$50 gig-e switches available on NewEgg: > http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Submit=ENE&N=2050400030+70 > 001468&Subcategory=30&description=&srchInDesc=&minPrice=&maxPrice=&ATTR1 > =&ATTR2=&ATTR3=&ATTR4=2050400030+70001468&ATTR5= Note that several of those lower-costing devices do not have 802.3x. Without 802.3x, especially on a SOHO network with cheaper components, it's very easy to get very poor performance From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Fri Feb 3 12:00:03 2006 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Cheap PCI GbE NIC that has fair specs for $15 ... Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1C1D630@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> > Note that several of those lower-costing devices do not have > 802.3x. Without 802.3x, especially on a SOHO network with > cheaper components, it's very easy to get very poor performance That's annoying, I did the original search based off that keyword. Incidentally, the first one listed ($12 AR thing from ABS) has it, as does the D-Link for $26 AR, but the NetGear for $27 AR does not. OK, here's a link with the appropriate keyword: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Submit=ENE&N=2050400030+70 001468&Subcategory=30&description=&srchInDesc=IEEE802.3x&minPrice=&maxPr ice=&ATTR1=&ATTR2=&ATTR3=&ATTR4= -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From b.j.smith at ieee.org Fri Feb 3 15:56:09 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Bryan=20J=2E=20Smith?=) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] I love Walmart ... Message-ID: Been busy so like a few times in the past, I took my truck to a Walmart Express Lube at lunch. First time I tried out the Seminole Town Center location. After I make a left on to Rinehart I start to smell something funny. I look at my gages and oil pressure as well as engine temp are fine. But by the time I travel another 90 seconds down Rinehart, I still smell it - unlike anything before. I pull over at the 7-11 at Rinehart and Lake Mary and open the hood. The cap is on and everything seems okay for the first second. Then I notice an orange glow and look around the left side of my engine. Nice BASKETBALL SIZE FIREBALL at the base of my engine slowly making its way all over whatever it can BURN!!! After jumping back a few feet, I ran into 7-11 to not-so-casually to exclaim "my engine is on fire! Where are the gallon bottles of water?!" As if the same people from Walmart seem to work at 7-11, they say nothing. I repeat myself, and finally 2 customers are far more helpful than the 7-11 crew. Sigh, what an interesting society of Americans make up our retail and everyday service trades today, eh? Waiting on AAA to call me back with news of a truck and some much needed legal advise. -- Sent from my Treo From b.j.smith at ieee.org Fri Feb 3 15:04:03 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Bryan=20J=2E=20Smith?=) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] I love Walmart ... Message-ID: Been busy so like a few times in the past, I took my truck to a Walmart Express Lube at lunch. First time I tried out the Seminole Town Center location. After I make a left on to Rinehart I start to smell something funny. I look at my gages and oil pressure as well as engine temp are fine. But by the time I travel another 90 seconds down Rinehart, I still smell it - unlike anything before. I pull over at the 7-11 at Rinehart and Lake Mary and open the hood. The cap is on and everything seems okay for the first second. Then I notice an orange glow and look around the left side of my engine. Nice BASKETBALL SIZE FIREBALL at the base of my engine slowly making its way all over whatever it can BURN!!! After jumping back a few feet, I ran into 7-11 to not-so-casually to exclaim "my engine is on fire! Where are the gallon bottles of water?!" As if the same people from Walmart seem to work at 7-11, they say nothing. I repeat myself, and finally 2 customers are far more helpful than the 7-11 crew. Sigh, what an interesting society of Americans make up our retail and everyday service trades today, eh? Waiting on AAA to call me back with news of a truck and some much needed legal advise. -- Sent from my Treo From b.j.smith at ieee.org Fri Feb 3 16:54:42 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] I love Walmart ... In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20060203215442.58540.qmail@web34111.mail.mud.yahoo.com> It's now at the dealer. When the fire was smoldering, I found some rags that had fell off from just below where the fire was. So I bagged them for inspection by the dealer. There was clearly some sort of grease all over portions of the engine. The dealer also noted the power steering cap wasn't on all the way and power steering fluid was caked, but that was away from the fire. I just had this truck at the dealer in October for my last oil change. They have almost a full record of anything done on that truck, short of when I go to someone else for a oil change. I typically avoid the "lube" places and try to mix in my oil changes and lube with any tire rotations, typically at my local tire place if not the dealer. Oh well, now I know better! I love Walmart. ;-> Bryan J. Smith wrote: > Been busy so like a few times in the past, I took my truck to a > Walmart Express Lube at lunch. First time I tried out the Seminole > Town Center location. > After I make a left on to Rinehart I start to smell something > funny. I look at my gages and oil pressure as well as engine temp > are fine. > But by the time I travel another 90 seconds down Rinehart, I still > smell it - unlike anything before. I pull over at the 7-11 at > Rinehart and Lake Mary and open the hood. > The cap is on and everything seems okay for the first second. Then > I notice an orange glow and look around the left side of my > engine. > Nice BASKETBALL SIZE FIREBALL at the base of my engine slowly > making its way all over whatever it can BURN!!! > After jumping back a few feet, I ran into 7-11 to not-so-casually > to exclaim "my engine is on fire! Where are the gallon bottles of > water?!" As if the same people from Walmart seem to work at 7-11, > they say nothing. I repeat myself, and finally 2 customers are far > more helpful than the 7-11 crew. > Sigh, what an interesting society of Americans make up our retail > and everyday service trades today, eh? > Waiting on AAA to call me back with news of a truck and some much > needed legal advise. > -- > Sent from my Treo -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From wam at HiWAAY.net Fri Feb 3 18:23:50 2006 From: wam at HiWAAY.net (William A. Mahaffey III) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] I love Walmart ... In-Reply-To: <20060203215442.58540.qmail@web34111.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <20060203215442.58540.qmail@web34111.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <43E3E606.5040205@HiWAAY.net> Bryan J. Smith wrote: >It's now at the dealer. > >When the fire was smoldering, I found some rags that had fell off >from just below where the fire was. So I bagged them for inspection >by the dealer. > >There was clearly some sort of grease all over portions of the >engine. The dealer also noted the power steering cap wasn't on all >the way and power steering fluid was caked, but that was away from >the fire. > >I just had this truck at the dealer in October for my last oil >change. They have almost a full record of anything done on that >truck, short of when I go to someone else for a oil change. > >I typically avoid the "lube" places and try to mix in my oil changes >and lube with any tire rotations, typically at my local tire place if >not the dealer. Oh well, now I know better! > >I love Walmart. ;-> > > >Bryan J. Smith wrote: > > >>Been busy so like a few times in the past, I took my truck to a >>Walmart Express Lube at lunch. First time I tried out the Seminole >>Town Center location. >>After I make a left on to Rinehart I start to smell something >>funny. I look at my gages and oil pressure as well as engine temp >>are fine. >>But by the time I travel another 90 seconds down Rinehart, I still >>smell it - unlike anything before. I pull over at the 7-11 at >>Rinehart and Lake Mary and open the hood. >>The cap is on and everything seems okay for the first second. Then >>I notice an orange glow and look around the left side of my >>engine. >>Nice BASKETBALL SIZE FIREBALL at the base of my engine slowly >>making its way all over whatever it can BURN!!! >>After jumping back a few feet, I ran into 7-11 to not-so-casually >>to exclaim "my engine is on fire! Where are the gallon bottles of >>water?!" As if the same people from Walmart seem to work at 7-11, >>they say nothing. I repeat myself, and finally 2 customers are far >>more helpful than the 7-11 crew. >>Sigh, what an interesting society of Americans make up our retail >>and everyday service trades today, eh? >>Waiting on AAA to call me back with news of a truck and some much >>needed legal advise. >>-- >>Sent from my Treo >> >> Well, as a degreed ME (Mech.Eng. MSME Ga.Tech, Fall 1984, specializing in prime-movers (Carnot- (gasoline) & Diesel-cycle piston cylinder engines, gas- and steam- turbines), and more recently, solid-fueled rocket motors), I'll provide any informed speculation I can if needed :-). Could you be a bit more specific on where the fire was & what was burning (oily rags, oil/gas/other-fluids spilled on or leaking from/on engine, etc.) ? -- William A. Mahaffey III ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "The M1 Garand is without doubt the finest implement of war ever devised by man." -- Gen. George S. Patton From b.j.smith at ieee.org Sat Feb 4 07:14:58 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] I love Walmart ... In-Reply-To: <43E3E606.5040205@HiWAAY.net> References: <20060203215442.58540.qmail@web34111.mail.mud.yahoo.com> <43E3E606.5040205@HiWAAY.net> Message-ID: <1139055298.4784.12.camel@bert64.oviedo.smithconcepts.com> On Fri, 2006-02-03 at 17:23 -0600, William A. Mahaffey III wrote: > Well, as a degreed ME (Mech.Eng. MSME Ga.Tech, Fall 1984, specializing > in prime-movers (Carnot- (gasoline) & Diesel-cycle piston cylinder > engines, gas- and steam- turbines), and more recently, solid-fueled > rocket motors), I'll provide any informed speculation I can if needed > :-). Could you be a bit more specific on where the fire was & what was > burning (oily rags, oil/gas/other-fluids spilled on or leaking from/on > engine, etc.) ? According to the Mazda dealer, there's no permanent damage to the engine compartment. They couldn't tell much from the rags, but when the rags fell, they fell into a puddle of water at the 7-11 (it's been overcast/raining for the last 36 hours or so). The best guess now is that the rags I picked up off the ground after throwing water on the fire and knocking them off of what looks like the exhaust manifold was the cause and sole "fuel" for the fire. So, in a nutshell, we thing it was rags left on the exhaust manifold. It looked like the starter was engulfed in a fireball, which is right next to the exhaust manifold. After I came out from getting a couple of jugs of water from 7-11, the fire was down a bit, and what I initially thought was some hanging/burn insulation, wire or some other material was the clearly charred rags I picked up. Again, when I threw one gallon underneath, one of those rags fell down. Another fell down after I threw the other gallon at the back of my engine near the start/exhaust manifold. I drove ~15-20 miles home without incident. I'll keep my eye on it. -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ------------------------------------------ Some things (or athletes) money can't buy. For everything else there's "ManningCard." From ae4ko at amsat.org Mon Feb 6 10:13:32 2006 From: ae4ko at amsat.org (Aaron Morrison) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Help Request: HDD parts to revive dead drive Message-ID: <43E7214C.12847.603C7A@ae4ko.amsat.org> I need parts to try to recover some data on dead harddrives... I have a friend who had a catastrophic power supply failure in his PC. So much so that it killed every PC Board in the machine. He had two harddrives in the box at the time and both will not power up. Naturally, there is data on the drive that he wants recovered. My only option at this point is to find some drives with the same circuit board and try to swap electronics. So what I have is this: WD1200 (Western Digital 120GB) MDL: WD1200JB-75CRA0 DATE: 06OCT2003 DCM: HSEHNA2CH Rev A00 (Rev A is also listed on the PC Board) Quantum Fireball Plus LM (3.5 Series) GTLA LM15A011-01-A 15.0AT (Assy: 20-12130 is listed on the PC Board) If anyone has a drive that I could swap (even temporarily) PC boards with, please let me know. Thanks. --am From b.j.smith at ieee.org Mon Feb 6 11:52:12 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] LCDs drop to $130: 14" Proview PL482s for $179 - $50 = $129 AR Message-ID: <20060206165212.85719.qmail@web34103.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Only 1024x768 with 38ms refresh, no DVI, but if you want an LCD for cheap just for the desk, this 14" LCD (equivalent to a 15", 14" viewable, CRT) is affordable from Amazon.COM: http://dealnews.com/deals/Proview-PL482-s-14-LCD-Monitor-for-130-after-rebate/109286.html -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From jasonb at edseek.com Mon Feb 6 13:21:17 2006 From: jasonb at edseek.com (Jason Boxman) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] LCDs drop to $130: 14" Proview PL482s for $179 - $50 = $129 AR In-Reply-To: <20060206165212.85719.qmail@web34103.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <20060206165212.85719.qmail@web34103.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <33055.216.134.200.78.1139250077.squirrel@nebula.internal.foo> Bryan J. Smith said: > Only 1024x768 with 38ms refresh, no DVI, but if you want an LCD for > cheap just for the desk, this 14" LCD (equivalent to a 15", 14" > viewable, CRT) is affordable from Amazon.COM: > http://dealnews.com/deals/Proview-PL482-s-14-LCD-Monitor-for-130-after-rebate/109286.html I want one of those that you can see clealy from strange 45 degree angles and such. What spec do you want for that? Actually my BenQ FP731 at work isn't bad. I wouldn't mind buying two of those, but I'd rather get 19" LCDs if I'm going to spend the money anyway... I keep waiting for that Dell Ultrasharp 19" non-widescreen one to get cheaper. They had it last week for like $300ish again. Maybe it was the 17" though. From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Mon Feb 6 15:37:56 2006 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Dead laptop drive, recovery companies? Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1C1D6A0@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> Could anyone recommend somewhere that would do a physical examination of a laptop drive to ascertain the recoverability of its data after said drive decided to go the way of the dodo? The drive has something loose on the inside that is audible when shaken, so at this point we'd like someone who knows what they're doing to simply tell us whether we should proceed with a full recovery or if it's a lost case. Thanks. -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From whittake at sbaflorida.com Mon Feb 6 15:50:13 2006 From: whittake at sbaflorida.com (Homer Whittaker) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Help Request: HDD parts to revive dead drive In-Reply-To: <43E7214C.12847.603C7A@ae4ko.amsat.org> References: <43E7214C.12847.603C7A@ae4ko.amsat.org> Message-ID: <1139259013.807.22.camel@localhost.localdomain> On Mon, 2006-02-06 at 10:13 -0500, Aaron Morrison wrote: > I need parts to try to recover some data on dead harddrives... > > I have a friend who had a catastrophic power supply failure in his > PC. So much so that it killed every PC Board in the machine. He had > two harddrives in the box at the time and both will not power up. > Naturally, there is data on the drive that he wants recovered. My > only option at this point is to find some drives with the same > circuit board and try to swap electronics. > > So what I have is this: > > WD1200 (Western Digital 120GB) > MDL: WD1200JB-75CRA0 > DATE: 06OCT2003 > DCM: HSEHNA2CH > Rev A00 > (Rev A is also listed on the PC Board) Aaron: I have a 120 GB WD1200 as the second hd on one of my boxes. But I am lost as to how this would help his situation? Also, I would need assurance that if he/you blows my 120 GB drive you will get me a new one :) Homer > > Quantum Fireball Plus LM (3.5 Series) > GTLA LM15A011-01-A 15.0AT > (Assy: 20-12130 is listed on the PC Board) > > If anyone has a drive that I could swap (even temporarily) PC boards > with, please let me know. > > Thanks. > > --am > > _______________________________________________ > Pc_support mailing list > Pc_support@matrixlist.com > http://lists.matrixlist.com/mailman/listinfo/pc_support From tim at mcdonough.net Mon Feb 6 23:06:31 2006 From: tim at mcdonough.net (Tim McDonough) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Dead laptop drive, recovery companies? In-Reply-To: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1C1D6A0@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> References: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1C1D6A0@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> Message-ID: <43E81CC7.8040801@mcdonough.net> Damien McKenna wrote: > Could anyone recommend somewhere that would do a physical examination of > a laptop drive to ascertain the recoverability of its data after said > drive decided to go the way of the dodo? The drive has something loose > on the inside that is audible when shaken, so at this point we'd like > someone who knows what they're doing to simply tell us whether we should > proceed with a full recovery or if it's a lost case. Thanks. > They aren't cheap but over the years Ontrack has been 3 for 3 in my personal experiences. -- Tim From work at sprynet.com Mon Feb 6 23:21:04 2006 From: work at sprynet.com (John Hayden) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Help Request: HDD parts to revive dead drive In-Reply-To: <1139259013.807.22.camel@localhost.localdomain> Message-ID: The 120 drive I can not help with, but the quantum I have several that you can look at and see if they will help, I will be at the HAMcation fair grounds wed - Sunday 7am till dark.30 You can call me to set up a meet if you want to get them before Friday opening J.T. Hayden KG4BFJ 1419 Oregon Ave. St. Cloud, FL. 34769 Home/Office - 407.891.1835 office/mobile - 407.922.3091 -----Original Message----- From: pc_support-bounces@matrixlist.com [mailto:pc_support-bounces@matrixlist.com] On Behalf Of Homer Whittaker Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 15:50 To: This is the PC Support list. Subject: Re: [Pc_Support] Help Request: HDD parts to revive dead drive On Mon, 2006-02-06 at 10:13 -0500, Aaron Morrison wrote: > I need parts to try to recover some data on dead harddrives... > > I have a friend who had a catastrophic power supply failure in his PC. > So much so that it killed every PC Board in the machine. He had two > harddrives in the box at the time and both will not power up. > Naturally, there is data on the drive that he wants recovered. My > only option at this point is to find some drives with the same circuit > board and try to swap electronics. > > So what I have is this: > > WD1200 (Western Digital 120GB) > MDL: WD1200JB-75CRA0 > DATE: 06OCT2003 > DCM: HSEHNA2CH > Rev A00 > (Rev A is also listed on the PC Board) Aaron: I have a 120 GB WD1200 as the second hd on one of my boxes. But I am lost as to how this would help his situation? Also, I would need assurance that if he/you blows my 120 GB drive you will get me a new one :) Homer > > Quantum Fireball Plus LM (3.5 Series) > GTLA LM15A011-01-A 15.0AT > (Assy: 20-12130 is listed on the PC Board) > > If anyone has a drive that I could swap (even temporarily) PC boards > with, please let me know. > > Thanks. > > --am > > _______________________________________________ > Pc_support mailing list > Pc_support@matrixlist.com > http://lists.matrixlist.com/mailman/listinfo/pc_support _______________________________________________ Pc_support mailing list Pc_support@matrixlist.com http://lists.matrixlist.com/mailman/listinfo/pc_support begin 666 smime.p7s M,( &"2J&2(;W#0$'`J" ,( "`0$Q"S )!@4K#@,"&@4`,( &"2J&2(;W#0$' M`0``H((.03""!' 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(P`# @ M!@-5'24$&3 7!@@K!@$%!0<#! 8+*P8!! &R,0$#!0(P$08)8(9(`8;X0@$! M! 0#`@4@,$8&`U4=( 0_,#TP.P8,*P8!! &R,0$"`0$!,"LP*08(*P8!!04' M`@$6'6AT='!S.B\OC!X,#L&""L&`04% M!S "AB]H='1P.B\O8W)T+F-O;6]D;V-A+F-O;2]!9&14RN'/0#P>'>T) M1>_UW!' 6!#>;A:'%BF9+OY(JJT3GK,K>ENA^*V)Y_+&+A?=M\;G?T:S@(I) M6;DYA]7352#N6VL+-H.P@F,,%DQQ\8&]7E<.^(0`6LIDA=/.AQL\$E+.9=TQ ME5F,KT\K>8<:``>FE7UINBD?J*Z8L0Z>+@IDQ)MAMZ&4A(+F) +KCFIJ1V? M2!C84*)%MB-3/CP?S-5L/8D"S:'<5$M4&[_88#758>:2::NO@39+`16+3XQ\ M\E71PG9:1^H1A P& 8)*H9(AO<-`0D#,0L&"2J& M2(;W#0$'`3 1A;RA(;=0/]E8"KL'G2EB`N\!\-Z>)_8LF],_PHF7_S4#");] References: Message-ID: <2532.71.252.176.10.1139289815.squirrel@qtmail.dgnal.net> Bryan (and those on the list with a Treo 650), > Sent from my Treo The Lord (and my new company) has so blessed me with such a beast - any suggestions on 'Must Have' software / Hacks / Sites / etc? Thanks in advance, dave From b.j.smith at ieee.org Tue Feb 7 06:45:38 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Palm Treo 650 - Must Do, Great Software, Hacks In-Reply-To: <2532.71.252.176.10.1139289815.squirrel@qtmail.dgnal.net> References: <2532.71.252.176.10.1139289815.squirrel@qtmail.dgnal.net> Message-ID: <1139312738.4720.26.camel@bert64.oviedo.smithconcepts.com> On Mon, 2006-02-06 at 23:23 -0600, David Simmons wrote: > Bryan (and those on the list with a Treo 650), > The Lord (and my new company) has so blessed me with such a beast - any > suggestions on 'Must Have' software / Hacks / Sites / etc? Actually, I have a Treo 600, although I'm planning to get a 650 soon (and give my wife my 600). -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, technical annoyance mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Overworked IT Professional #52: Your wife can only reach you via e-mail, but it is filtered out because it says ... "I Love You." From ozz at ozz.is-a-geek.net Tue Feb 7 07:32:50 2006 From: ozz at ozz.is-a-geek.net (ozz@ozz.is-a-geek.net) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Palm Treo 650 - Must Do, Great Software, Hacks In-Reply-To: <1139312738.4720.26.camel@bert64.oviedo.smithconcepts.com> References: <2532.71.252.176.10.1139289815.squirrel@qtmail.dgnal.net> <1139312738.4720.26.camel@bert64.oviedo.smithconcepts.com> Message-ID: <46862.69.176.47.130.1139315570.squirrel@www.ozz.is-a-geek.net> > On Mon, 2006-02-06 at 23:23 -0600, David Simmons wrote: >> Bryan (and those on the list with a Treo 650), >> The Lord (and my new company) has so blessed me with such a beast - any >> suggestions on 'Must Have' software / Hacks / Sites / etc? > > Actually, I have a Treo 600, although I'm planning to get a 650 soon > (and give my wife my 600). I toyed with the idea of getting a 650, but heard some real horror stories about reception, etc. from people I knew who had them. In fact, my local cell provider is refusing to even carry the new 700 because the 650 bombed so badly. I opted for the Audiovox 6600 (the 6700 is not available to any providers in my area yet, and won't be for at least another 6 months, and I didn't want to wait that long). Regards, Ozz. From ae4ko at amsat.org Tue Feb 7 08:35:37 2006 From: ae4ko at amsat.org (Aaron Morrison) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Help Request: HDD parts to revive dead drive In-Reply-To: <1139259013.807.22.camel@localhost.localdomain> References: <43E7214C.12847.603C7A@ae4ko.amsat.org> Message-ID: <43E85BD9.30513.52CF337@ae4ko.amsat.org> On 6 Feb 2006 at 15:50, Homer Whittaker wrote: > > Aaron: I have a 120 GB WD1200 as the second hd on one of my boxes. > But I am lost as to how this would help his situation? Also, I would > need assurance that if he/you blows my 120 GB drive you will get me a > new one :) Homer I plan on swapping the electronic circuit board on the bottom long enough to copy the data off of the platters. And yes, if your board or drive dies, it will be replaced. Just be sure you have backups of everything! Are you still willing to help? --am From ae4ko at amsat.org Tue Feb 7 08:35:36 2006 From: ae4ko at amsat.org (Aaron Morrison) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Help Request: HDD parts to revive dead drive In-Reply-To: References: <1139259013.807.22.camel@localhost.localdomain> Message-ID: <43E85BD8.18887.52CF161@ae4ko.amsat.org> I'll be there probably Friday and Saturday (when I'm not testing). I'll try to hook up with you Friday. Thanks! --am On 6 Feb 2006 at 23:21, John Hayden wrote: > The 120 drive I can not help with, but the quantum I have several that > you can look at and see if they will help, I will be at the HAMcation > fair grounds wed - Sunday 7am till dark.30 You can call me to set up > a meet if you want to get them before Friday opening > > > J.T. Hayden > KG4BFJ > 1419 Oregon Ave. > St. Cloud, FL. 34769 > > Home/Office - 407.891.1835 > office/mobile - 407.922.3091 > > -----Original Message----- > From: pc_support-bounces@matrixlist.com > [mailto:pc_support-bounces@matrixlist.com] On Behalf Of Homer > Whittaker Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 15:50 To: This is the PC > Support list. Subject: Re: [Pc_Support] Help Request: HDD parts to > revive dead drive > > On Mon, 2006-02-06 at 10:13 -0500, Aaron Morrison wrote: > > I need parts to try to recover some data on dead harddrives... > > > > I have a friend who had a catastrophic power supply failure in his > > PC. So much so that it killed every PC Board in the machine. He > > had two harddrives in the box at the time and both will not power > > up. Naturally, there is data on the drive that he wants recovered. > > My only option at this point is to find some drives with the same > > circuit board and try to swap electronics. > > > > So what I have is this: > > > > WD1200 (Western Digital 120GB) > > MDL: WD1200JB-75CRA0 > > DATE: 06OCT2003 > > DCM: HSEHNA2CH > > Rev A00 > > (Rev A is also listed on the PC Board) > > Aaron: I have a 120 GB WD1200 as the second hd on one of my boxes. > But I am lost as to how this would help his situation? Also, I would > need assurance that if he/you blows my 120 GB drive you will get me a > new one :) Homer > > > > > Quantum Fireball Plus LM (3.5 Series) > > GTLA LM15A011-01-A 15.0AT > > (Assy: 20-12130 is listed on the PC Board) > > > > If anyone has a drive that I could swap (even temporarily) PC boards > > with, please let me know. > > > > Thanks. > > > > --am > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Pc_support mailing list > > Pc_support@matrixlist.com > > http://lists.matrixlist.com/mailman/listinfo/pc_support > > _______________________________________________ > Pc_support mailing list > Pc_support@matrixlist.com > http://lists.matrixlist.com/mailman/listinfo/pc_support > > > begin 666 smime.p7s > M,( &"2J&2(;W#0$'`J" ,( "`0$Q"S )!@4K#@,"&@4`,( & From ae4ko at amsat.org Tue Feb 7 08:45:41 2006 From: ae4ko at amsat.org (Aaron Morrison) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Palm Treo 650 - Must Do, Great Software, Hacks In-Reply-To: <46862.69.176.47.130.1139315570.squirrel@www.ozz.is-a-geek.net> References: <1139312738.4720.26.camel@bert64.oviedo.smithconcepts.com> Message-ID: <43E85E35.24209.53629EB@ae4ko.amsat.org> On 7 Feb 2006 at 7:32, ozz@ozz.is-a-geek.net wrote: > > On Mon, 2006-02-06 at 23:23 -0600, David Simmons wrote: > >> Bryan (and those on the list with a Treo 650), > >> The Lord (and my new company) has so blessed me with such a beast - > >> any suggestions on 'Must Have' software / Hacks / Sites / etc? > > > > Actually, I have a Treo 600, although I'm planning to get a 650 soon > > (and give my wife my 600). > > I toyed with the idea of getting a 650, but heard some real horror > stories about reception, etc. from people I knew who had them. In > fact, my local cell provider is refusing to even carry the new 700 > because the 650 bombed so badly. > Well, I'm on Sprint with my 650 (and had a 600 for 2 years) and have had no problems with reception. I've had problems with their network. I've known when someone called me, but the phone never rang -- went straight to voicemail. That's not the phone's fault, but I could easily see a wonk at a store leading someone to believe it was. Having said that, there are some issues out there. Mine randomly resets, my friends does not. The bluetooth implementation is flakey - I have the popular Motorola HS850 headset and I had to learn to work around the quirks. The 700w has WindowsCE based software which I don't personall care for (very clunky for a phone/PDA). I can see why some people like them and I can see why some stores won't carry them. --am > I opted for the Audiovox 6600 (the 6700 is not available to any > providers in my area yet, and won't be for at least another 6 months, > and I didn't want to wait that long). > > Regards, > Ozz. From ae4ko at amsat.org Tue Feb 7 08:52:19 2006 From: ae4ko at amsat.org (Aaron Morrison) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Palm Treo 650 - Must Do, Great Software, Hacks In-Reply-To: <2532.71.252.176.10.1139289815.squirrel@qtmail.dgnal.net> References: Message-ID: <43E85FC3.30297.53C3E7E@ae4ko.amsat.org> On 6 Feb 2006 at 23:23, David Simmons wrote: > The Lord (and my new company) has so blessed me with such a beast - > any suggestions on 'Must Have' software / Hacks / Sites / etc? > > Thanks in advance, > > dave KeyCaps600 (650) - lets you type caps and numbers without the shift or option key. pTunes 3 (shareware) - nice player that supports Internet streaming, Ogg Vorbis, WMA, mp3, WAV. FileZ -- good for any Palm, lets you look at the data files and resources. ---- Not necessarily "must have" but handy for me -- they eat network bandwidth, so make sure your plan can cover the data use. TuSSH -- ssh client PalmVNC -- VNC client Chatter Email -- email client that supports POP and IMAP (and "push" IMAP if the server supports it) - shareware pdaNet -- software that makes your palm a modem for Internet access. (shareware) From dave at dgnal.net Tue Feb 7 09:23:34 2006 From: dave at dgnal.net (David Simmons) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Palm Treo 650 - Must Do, Great Software, Hacks In-Reply-To: <43E85FC3.30297.53C3E7E@ae4ko.amsat.org> References: <43E85FC3.30297.53C3E7E@ae4ko.amsat.org> Message-ID: <1424.71.252.176.10.1139322214.squirrel@qtmail.dgnal.net> > Not necessarily "must have" but handy for me -- they eat network > bandwidth, so make sure your plan can cover the data use. These are all great - Thanks! I've been reading alot where people are finding/activating drivers for a WiFi card to add to the 650 the title VoIP phone...anyone using/doing this? dave From b.j.smith at ieee.org Tue Feb 7 09:21:10 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Palm Treo 650 - Must Do, Great Software, Hacks In-Reply-To: <46862.69.176.47.130.1139315570.squirrel@www.ozz.is-a-geek.net> Message-ID: <20060207142110.3109.qmail@web34114.mail.mud.yahoo.com> ozz@ozz.is-a-geek.net wrote: > I toyed with the idea of getting a 650, but heard some real horror > stories about reception, etc. from people I knew who had them. In > fact, my local cell provider is refusing to even carry the new 700 > because the 650 bombed so badly. Remember, the 700w is _Pocket_PC_, _not_ PalmOS like the 600/650. I've only had the GSM versions (AT&T/Cingular, T-Mobile) of the Treo 600, not the CDMA versions (Sprint, Verizon). The GSM versions were just fine for me, although once Cingular F'up AT&T Wireless' network as of about February 2005, it went to crap (long story). My Treo 600 I've had since April 2005 on T-Mobile's network has been excellent. Even though T-Mobile has a smaller GSM network than Cingular, there is _no_ roaming charges, and I got _better_ reception than post-February 2005 on Cingular's network. > I opted for the Audiovox 6600 (the 6700 is not available to any > providers in my area yet, and won't be for at least another 6 > months, and I didn't want to wait that long). Is that PalmOS? -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From b.j.smith at ieee.org Tue Feb 7 09:24:18 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Help Request: HDD parts to revive dead drive In-Reply-To: <43E85BD9.30513.52CF337@ae4ko.amsat.org> Message-ID: <20060207142418.88613.qmail@web34112.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Aaron Morrison wrote: > I plan on swapping the electronic circuit board on the bottom long > enough to copy the data off of the platters. And yes, if your > board or drive dies, it will be replaced. Just be sure you have > backups of everything! Ironically, I only have 80GB and 160GB Western Digital drives. Western Digital is not very good in labelling models in the same series as either Hitachi/IBM, Maxtor or Seagate, so I don't know if they are the same series as your 120GB. BTW, I _never_ buy just *1* drive of the same model anymore, but at least 2. Typically I'm doing at least RAID-1, but I also like to buy 4 and use them in different systems so I avoid the single system issue like you had. My rationale is always that I'll recycle them as server drives on my Escalade 7000/8000 series cards in arrays of 4+ in 2 or so years when they are no longer current for my desktops. -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From mflang at bellsouth.net Tue Feb 7 09:32:19 2006 From: mflang at bellsouth.net (mflang@bellsouth.net) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Help Request: HDD parts to revive dead drive Message-ID: <20060207143219.MDRB13866.ibm65aec.bellsouth.net@mail.bellsouth.net> > > Aaron: I have a 120 GB WD1200 as the second hd on one of my boxes. > I plan on swapping the electronic circuit board on the bottom long > enough to copy the data off of the platters. And yes, if your board A good question before you proceed is, do you have the proper bit to remove the screws on the board? Most Western Digital drives use a six-point star bit with a pretty flat tip to remove a screw with a very flat head. And it's hard to find this bit (I don't have one and I've searched), so it's hard to get these screws off. I use a small lock wrench from Sears, and carefully (lots of time and patience!) and slowly nudge them off. Mind the wrench's jaw doesn't scratch the tracings on the board! And if you have one of those bits, where the heck did you get it? Max. From wam at HiWAAY.net Tue Feb 7 11:43:59 2006 From: wam at HiWAAY.net (William A. Mahaffey III) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Help Request: HDD parts to revive dead drive In-Reply-To: <20060207143219.MDRB13866.ibm65aec.bellsouth.net@mail.bellsouth.net> References: <20060207143219.MDRB13866.ibm65aec.bellsouth.net@mail.bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <43E8CE4F.3080609@HiWAAY.net> mflang@bellsouth.net wrote: >>>Aaron: I have a 120 GB WD1200 as the second hd on one of my boxes. >>> >>> >>I plan on swapping the electronic circuit board on the bottom long >>enough to copy the data off of the platters. And yes, if your board >> >> > >A good question before you proceed is, do you have the proper bit to remove the screws on the board? Most Western Digital drives use a six-point star bit with a pretty flat tip to remove a screw with a very flat head. And it's hard to find this bit (I don't have one and I've searched), so it's hard to get these screws off. I use a small lock wrench from Sears, and carefully (lots of time and patience!) and slowly nudge them off. Mind the wrench's jaw doesn't scratch the tracings on the board! > >And if you have one of those bits, where the heck did you get it? > >Max. > > Sounds like a Torx bit .... Sears & others have them, used in automotive & apparently computers :-). -- William A. Mahaffey III ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "The M1 Garand is without doubt the finest implement of war ever devised by man." -- Gen. George S. Patton -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.matrixlist.com/pipermail/pc_support/attachments/20060207/de890d31/attachment.html From ozz at ozz.is-a-geek.net Tue Feb 7 12:24:57 2006 From: ozz at ozz.is-a-geek.net (ozz@ozz.is-a-geek.net) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Palm Treo 650 - Must Do, Great Software, Hacks In-Reply-To: <1424.71.252.176.10.1139322214.squirrel@qtmail.dgnal.net> References: <43E85FC3.30297.53C3E7E@ae4ko.amsat.org> <1424.71.252.176.10.1139322214.squirrel@qtmail.dgnal.net> Message-ID: <56244.69.176.47.130.1139333097.squirrel@www.ozz.is-a-geek.net> On Tue, 7 Feb 2006 06:21:10 -0800 (PST) "Bryan J. Smith" wrote: > > ozz@ozz.is-a-geek.net wrote: > > I toyed with the idea of getting a 650, but heard some real horror > > stories about reception, etc. from people I knew who had them. In > > fact, my local cell provider is refusing to even carry the new 700 > > because the 650 bombed so badly. > > Remember, the 700w is _Pocket_PC_, _not_ PalmOS like the 600/650. > > I've only had the GSM versions (AT&T/Cingular, T-Mobile) of the Treo > 600, not the CDMA versions (Sprint, Verizon). The GSM versions were > just fine for me, although once Cingular F'up AT&T Wireless' network > as of about February 2005, it went to crap (long story). GSM coverage here is very patchy to say the least. The 650s I mentioned and my 6600 are all CDMA. > My Treo 600 I've had since April 2005 on T-Mobile's network has been > excellent. Even though T-Mobile has a smaller GSM network than > Cingular, there is _no_ roaming charges, and I got _better_ reception > than post-February 2005 on Cingular's network. > > > I opted for the Audiovox 6600 (the 6700 is not available to any > > providers in my area yet, and won't be for at least another 6 > > months, and I didn't want to wait that long). > > Is that PalmOS? It's PocketPC unfortunately, however, it can be coaxed to run Linux. See http://www.handhelds.org/moin/moin.cgi/BlueAngel Regards, Ozz. From b.j.smith at ieee.org Tue Feb 7 12:30:47 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Help Request: HDD parts to revive dead drive In-Reply-To: <43E8CE4F.3080609@HiWAAY.net> Message-ID: <20060207173047.20931.qmail@web34109.mail.mud.yahoo.com> "William A. Mahaffey III" wrote: > Sounds like a Torx bit .... Sears & others have them, used in > automotive & apparently computers :-). Yep, many are T-10. A few vendors play games like putting a "key" in the center, so you can't use a standard Torx bit. -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From b.j.smith at ieee.org Tue Feb 7 12:40:08 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Palm Treo 650 - Must Do, Great Software, Hacks In-Reply-To: <56244.69.176.47.130.1139333097.squirrel@www.ozz.is-a-geek.net> Message-ID: <20060207174009.81260.qmail@web34114.mail.mud.yahoo.com> ozz@ozz.is-a-geek.net wrote: > GSM coverage here is very patchy to say the least. I was shocked that I got better GSM reception on Cingular and T-Mobile than CDMA, even old analog, from Verizon, when in the West Virginia mountains. > It's PocketPC unfortunately, however, it can be coaxed to run > Linux. > See http://www.handhelds.org/moin/moin.cgi/BlueAngel I'm interested in a supported OS out-of-the-box that is build for PDA functionality, works with stock connectors, etc... That's pretty much PalmOS only for me. -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From b.j.smith at ieee.org Tue Feb 7 12:44:55 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] ABS 8-Port GbE Switch for $51.99 - $20 Rebate ... Message-ID: <20060207174455.38170.qmail@web34115.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Just FYI, this ABS 8-port GbE Switch is a decent entry-level switch. Although it only has a measly 144KiB buffer, it does have the all-important 802.3x hardware flow control support. Although Jumbo Frame support is listed, there is _no_ VLAN support, so all ports must be using the same frame rate. There is no indication whether or not it is auto-MDX (straight/crossover). It has a standard 3-prong A/C out, no external AC/DC adapter, which is a very nice touch for the price. http://dealnews.com/deals/ABS-8-Port-Gigabit-Ethernet-Switch-for-32-after-rebate/109438.html -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Tue Feb 7 12:52:38 2006 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:37 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] ABS 8-Port GbE Switch for $51.99 - $20 Rebate ... Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1C1D6DD@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> > Although it only has a measly 144KiB buffer, it does have the > all-important 802.3x hardware flow control support. Although Jumbo > Frame support is listed, there is _no_ VLAN support, so all ports > must be using the same frame rate. OK, newbie qn here, but what difference does the frame size make? -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From b.j.smith at ieee.org Tue Feb 7 12:55:45 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] ABS 5-Port GbE Switch for $31.99 - $20 Rebate (5-port version) In-Reply-To: <20060207174455.38170.qmail@web34115.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <20060207175545.55624.qmail@web34101.mail.mud.yahoo.com> "Bryan J. Smith" wrote: > Just FYI, this ABS 8-port GbE Switch is a decent entry-level > switch. Although it only has a measly 144KiB buffer, it does > have the all-important 802.3x hardware flow control support. > Although Jumbo Frame support is listed, there is _no_ VLAN support, > so all ports must be using the same frame rate. There is no > indication whether or not it is auto-MDX (straight/crossover). > It has a standard 3-prong A/C out, no external AC/DC adapter, which > is a very nice touch for the price. There is also a 5-port version, same specs: http://dealnews.com/deals/ABS-5-Port-Gigabit-Ethernet-Switch-for-12-after-rebate/109024.html BTW, someone noted on the 5-port review that Jumbo Frames did _not_ work for 2 cards they have previously tested as working with another switch. Doesn't surprise me, sometimes the specification "Jumbo Frame" has been used to only support 4,500 byte frames, but not the common 9,000 byte. It's interesting to note the rebates are _separate_, only 1 product listed on each rebate. This becons the question, can you get both? In any case, a cheap GbE switch with 802.3x support and an internal AC 3-prong is very, very nice for the price. http://images10.newegg.com/uploadfilesfornewegg/rebate/SH/ABS33-332-003Jan10Feb2806sl10.pdf http://images10.newegg.com/uploadfilesfornewegg/rebate/SH/ABS33-332-004Jan10Feb2806sl10.pdf Although I'm still planning on buying a refurbished NetGear GSM73xx series for my home network for a few hundred bucks, I can always use more switches for testing, InstallFests or as a spot/improptu repeater. -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From b.j.smith at ieee.org Tue Feb 7 13:12:05 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] ABS 8-Port GbE Switch for $51.99 - $20 Rebate ... In-Reply-To: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1C1D6DD@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> Message-ID: <20060207181205.17732.qmail@web34110.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Damien McKenna wrote: > OK, newbie qn here, but what difference does the frame size make? At 1,500 byte standard frames, an 10Base node must process at least 1,000 full-sized frames in a second using the full data transfer rate (up to 14,880 smaller frames per second if payloads are smaller). That increases to at least 10,000 frames in a second for FE. At GbE, that's almost 100,000 frames in a second! By using 9,000 byte Jumbo Frames, that reduces the number to under 15,000 frames in a second -- more on-par with FE. Overhead of incoming UDP/IP datagrams and, especially, TCP/IP segments can seriously overload the system, resulting in dropped frames for a node with today's commodity GbE hardware and their small buffers. Without 802.3x flow control, this can utterly _destroy_ performance. The overwhelming majority of commodity TCP/IP off-load engines are for _transmission_only_. They are _not_ used for receiption, where it's really needed. To get such, you need a $600+ GbE HBA and some well cached/buffered equipment. Until then, the best recommendations, in order of cost ... - 802.3x - NICs/switches with larger caches/buffers (NICs difficult to find) - Jumbo Frames, all nodes - Jumbo Frames, VLANs with localized traffic (separate routing) - Jumbo Frames, VLANs with layer-3 switching (wire-speed routing) GbE can be and is quite often implemented like crap. You do _not_ want to use SOHO networking equipment even in a small business. More than a few nodes and you can _toast_ any reason for GbE, reducing it to even worse than FE performance if you don't even have all nodes/switches with 802.3x. Lack of flow control with cheap GbE hardware is the new "collision-like nightmare." -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Tue Feb 7 13:26:54 2006 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] ABS 8-Port GbE Switch for $51.99 - $20 Rebate ... Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1C1D6E2@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> Thanks for that, Bryan. So would there be any point in spending $100 for a few PCI cards and a small switch to boost the interoperability of a small number of servers? -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From b.j.smith at ieee.org Tue Feb 7 14:46:40 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] GbE Design -- WAS: ABS 8-Port GbE Switch In-Reply-To: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1C1D6E2@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> Message-ID: <20060207194640.57715.qmail@web34102.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Damien McKenna wrote: > Thanks for that, Bryan. > So would there be any point in spending $100 for a few PCI cards > and a small switch to boost the interoperability of a small number > of servers? Depends. If you are trying to do a separate, segmented "out-of-band" connection for servers, that's one good idea. Make sure the NICs _and_ switches can handle 9,000 byte jumbo frames. I don't know of too many $20 GbE cards that do Jumbo Frames though. You typically have to spend $50+ on a GbE NIC that has 16+KiB receive and transmit SRAM caches. Then add in $100 for a decent GbE switch that truly does Jumbo Frames and has 1+MiB of buffer. It doesn't have to do 802.1q VLAN, but it _must_ allow 9,000 byte Jumbo Frames (they will typically support up to 16KiB). If you want to start doing in-band (same NIC for everything), I really recommend you look at a good layer-3 switch. But that's more $$$, although under $1,000 these days even for GbE. -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From jasonb at edseek.com Tue Feb 7 14:57:12 2006 From: jasonb at edseek.com (Jason Boxman) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Reducing Electricity Costs Message-ID: <55932.216.134.200.78.1139342232.squirrel@nebula.internal.foo> Anyone know just how much waste is created from these 'always-on' appliances? I just realized my TV is 'always' on. The DVD player is more obvious, since it has a standby light. What about CRT monitors in 'energy saver' mode? Is there any sizable savings in screwing with this stuff, or is it not worth the effort to calculate up how much power things draw? Also, where I live now has all halogen lights. How do those compare to CFBs? Thanks. From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Tue Feb 7 15:01:55 2006 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Reducing Electricity Costs Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1C1D6E6@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> > Anyone know just how much waste is created from these 'always-on' > appliances? Check the manuals of the items you're concerned with, I think they're required to state it. -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From b.j.smith at ieee.org Tue Feb 7 15:11:31 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Reducing Electricity Costs -- bulbs first and foremost ... In-Reply-To: <55932.216.134.200.78.1139342232.squirrel@nebula.internal.foo> Message-ID: <20060207201131.47884.qmail@web34113.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Jason Boxman wrote: > Anyone know just how much waste is created from these 'always-on' > appliances? I just realized my TV is 'always' on. The DVD player > is more obvious, since it has a standby light. What about CRT > monitors in 'energy saver' mode? The problem with televisions, unlike computer monitors, is that they are not very interactive. There's really no way to gage feedback on use, especially when you are using disseparate components that have separate remote controls. DVD players are at least partially interactive, or the movie eventually ends withing a few hours. Computers are completely interactive and power down can occur within minutes and be fairly accurate on usage. > Is there any sizable savings in screwing with this stuff, or > is it not worth the effort to calculate up how much power things > draw? I went _completely_ fluorescent a couple years ago (over a matter ofa few weeks) and noticed not only a considerable savings on my electric bill, but I stopped replacing blubs. E.g., I like to leave the 40W light above my stove on 24x7 on as it provides just enough lumination throughout my house so I don't trip if I get up in the middle of the night. I was replacing incandescent blubs every 6 months or so. I replaced it with a 60W equivalent, 13W actual, fluourescent light about 2 years ago. I haven't replaced it since, and it provides even more light to reach the entire other end of the house, while still being low enough. > Also, where I live now has all halogen lights. How do those > compare to CFBs? Halogen lights are probably the "purest" light, fluorescent lights are the worst. _Both_ are _better_ than incandescent lights in energy efficiency. Use halogen when you want the best lighting. Use fluorescent when you want general lighting. Halogen has greater heat generation and must be cleaned more. Fluorescent makes a number of trade-offs for its increased efficiency. -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From wam at HiWAAY.net Tue Feb 7 15:20:20 2006 From: wam at HiWAAY.net (William A. Mahaffey III) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Help Request: HDD parts to revive dead drive In-Reply-To: <20060207173047.20931.qmail@web34109.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <20060207173047.20931.qmail@web34109.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <43E90104.4020403@HiWAAY.net> Bryan J. Smith wrote: >"William A. Mahaffey III" wrote: > > >>Sounds like a Torx bit .... Sears & others have them, used in >>automotive & apparently computers :-). >> >> > >Yep, many are T-10. > >A few vendors play games like putting a "key" in the center, so you >can't use a standard Torx bit. > > > > Roger that. His description said flat in middle, so it sounds like he is in the clear .... -- William A. Mahaffey III ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "The M1 Garand is without doubt the finest implement of war ever devised by man." -- Gen. George S. Patton -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.matrixlist.com/pipermail/pc_support/attachments/20060207/d67eb402/attachment.html From glaiacona at aikencountysc.gov Tue Feb 7 15:22:12 2006 From: glaiacona at aikencountysc.gov (George Laiacona) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Reducing Electricity Costs -- bulbs first and foremost ... Message-ID: Actually, halogen lamps produce light that is more yellow than natural sunlight. Not a problem for humans, but might be so for anyone with aquariums. Algae love light that is more yellow. Some flourescent bulb manufacturers are producing standard bulbs that are more white, or "hotter" than the standard 40 watt bulb. 6500K to 7300K instead of the typical 4500K. Natual sunlight is about 9300K. (Layman's terms, and pretty simple description). I've read a lot about lighting for my aquarium hobby. I am by no means an expert. George. >>> "Bryan J. Smith" 02/07/06 3:11 PM >>> Jason Boxman wrote: > Anyone know just how much waste is created from these 'always-on' > appliances? I just realized my TV is 'always' on. The DVD player > is more obvious, since it has a standby light. What about CRT > monitors in 'energy saver' mode? The problem with televisions, unlike computer monitors, is that they are not very interactive. There's really no way to gage feedback on use, especially when you are using disseparate components that have separate remote controls. DVD players are at least partially interactive, or the movie eventually ends withing a few hours. Computers are completely interactive and power down can occur within minutes and be fairly accurate on usage. > Is there any sizable savings in screwing with this stuff, or > is it not worth the effort to calculate up how much power things > draw? I went _completely_ fluorescent a couple years ago (over a matter ofa few weeks) and noticed not only a considerable savings on my electric bill, but I stopped replacing blubs. E.g., I like to leave the 40W light above my stove on 24x7 on as it provides just enough lumination throughout my house so I don't trip if I get up in the middle of the night. I was replacing incandescent blubs every 6 months or so. I replaced it with a 60W equivalent, 13W actual, fluourescent light about 2 years ago. I haven't replaced it since, and it provides even more light to reach the entire other end of the house, while still being low enough. > Also, where I live now has all halogen lights. How do those > compare to CFBs? Halogen lights are probably the "purest" light, fluorescent lights are the worst. _Both_ are _better_ than incandescent lights in energy efficiency. Use halogen when you want the best lighting. Use fluorescent when you want general lighting. Halogen has greater heat generation and must be cleaned more. Fluorescent makes a number of trade-offs for its increased efficiency. -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** _______________________________________________ Pc_support mailing list Pc_support@matrixlist.com http://lists.matrixlist.com/mailman/listinfo/pc_support From wam at HiWAAY.net Tue Feb 7 15:38:37 2006 From: wam at HiWAAY.net (William A. Mahaffey III) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Reducing Electricity Costs In-Reply-To: <55932.216.134.200.78.1139342232.squirrel@nebula.internal.foo> References: <55932.216.134.200.78.1139342232.squirrel@nebula.internal.foo> Message-ID: <43E9054D.30101@HiWAAY.net> Jason Boxman wrote: >Anyone know just how much waste is created from these 'always-on' >appliances? I just realized my TV is 'always' on. The DVD player is more >obvious, since it has a standby light. What about CRT monitors in 'energy >saver' mode? > >Is there any sizable savings in screwing with this stuff, or is it not worth >the effort to calculate up how much power things draw? > >Also, where I live now has all halogen lights. How do those compare to CFBs? > >Thanks. > > I seem to recall back to the '70's when we were told that the single biggest power user in the house was/is the fridge, followed closely by central A/C, then other large appliances (washer/dryer, depending on use cycles, chest freezer, beer fridge in the family room, etc.), *then* lighting, even back then w/ virtually *all* incandescent lights. I am (almost) all flourescent (sp?), have been for about 5 years. They are definitely long lasting, but didn't really make much of a dent in my power bill. I recently unplugged 2 of my 3 SGI Octanes (power burps got 'em), thus quieting 2 750 watt (!!!!) PSU's, we'll see how much difference that makes :-). I'm holding out w/ the beer-fridge & chest freezer though .... -- William A. Mahaffey III ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "The M1 Garand is without doubt the finest implement of war ever devised by man." -- Gen. George S. Patton From octo at logicprobe.org Tue Feb 7 15:37:35 2006 From: octo at logicprobe.org (Derek Konigsberg) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Reducing Electricity Costs In-Reply-To: <55932.216.134.200.78.1139342232.squirrel@nebula.internal.foo> References: <55932.216.134.200.78.1139342232.squirrel@nebula.internal.foo> Message-ID: > Is there any sizable savings in screwing with this stuff, or is it not worth > the effort to calculate up how much power things draw? While I havn't messed with appliance stand-by power, I have taken increasing interests in computer and HVAC power usage. Also, I'm someone who has a very high electric bill which I've come to accept as a side-effect of my chosen ubergeek lifestyle. Trying to reduce your electric bill often feels like a game of trade-offs, with the ever-present question of how much you care about recurring monthly costs versus immediate one-time costs. The bottom line doesn't change as easily as you'd think. Assuming you have no desire to reduce the level of service/functionality provided by equipment/computers/etc, I've found the following factors: 1) Variation in per-kWh charges (fuel surcharges do change) 2) Variation in climate that affects HVAC usage 3) Power draw of equipment 4) Cost of replacing equipment with lower-power equivalent(s) You can't do anything about #1, and #2 oscilates over the course of the year. You can affect #3, though you'll often find that due to #4 you are lowering monthly recurring costs by a small enough amount that the bottom line won't even out or drop for a very long time. Then again, #4 can also be offset by lower-power equipment causing a reduction in HVAC usage. In the end, its a game that is a lot harder to win than you'd think. These days, I try to reduce my computer-power to what I see as the minimal that won't lose functionality (so no huge power-hungry boxes, if I can do the same job on something a bit smaller). Even still, my rack presently consumes about 1kW continuously, and my monthly bills range from $200-350 depending on time of year. (I've also noticed that managed network devices can use more power than you'd think.) -Derek From octo at logicprobe.org Tue Feb 7 15:39:57 2006 From: octo at logicprobe.org (Derek Konigsberg) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Reducing Electricity Costs In-Reply-To: <43E9054D.30101@HiWAAY.net> References: <55932.216.134.200.78.1139342232.squirrel@nebula.internal.foo> <43E9054D.30101@HiWAAY.net> Message-ID: > didn't really make much of a dent in my power bill. I recently unplugged 2 of > my 3 SGI Octanes (power burps got 'em), thus quieting 2 750 watt (!!!!) > PSU's, we'll see how much difference that makes :-). I'm holding out w/ the > beer-fridge & chest freezer though .... Having a 750W PSU does *not* mean you're actually using anywhere near that much power. I've got a machine with a 670W PSU that only draws 300W, and plenty of similar examples. The only way to know how much power something uses is to measure it. -Derek From pberry2 at cfl.rr.com Tue Feb 7 16:05:06 2006 From: pberry2 at cfl.rr.com (Patrick) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Help Request: HDD parts to revive dead drive In-Reply-To: <20060207143219.MDRB13866.ibm65aec.bellsouth.net@mail.bellsouth.net> References: <20060207143219.MDRB13866.ibm65aec.bellsouth.net@mail.bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <200602071605.06710.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> On Tuesday 07 February 2006 09:32, mflang@bellsouth.net wrote: > > > Aaron: I have a 120 GB WD1200 as the second hd on one of my boxes. > > > > I plan on swapping the electronic circuit board on the bottom long > > enough to copy the data off of the platters. And yes, if your board > > A good question before you proceed is, do you have the proper bit to remove > the screws on the board? Most Western Digital drives use a six-point star > bit with a pretty flat tip to remove a screw with a very flat head. And > it's hard to find this bit (I don't have one and I've searched), so it's > hard to get these screws off. I use a small lock wrench from Sears, and > carefully (lots of time and patience!) and slowly nudge them off. Mind the > wrench's jaw doesn't scratch the tracings on the board! > > And if you have one of those bits, where the heck did you get it? > > Max. > I bought two TORX T8 x 60 tools, that are a total 5 inches long, permanent screwdriver type, with a red handle, by email from one of the tool vendors. Made in Germany by van-moly boan Part #362 Imported by Wiha tools, slod by Tecratools, it cost me $4.30 each plus postage. Got it to assemble Intel passive heatsinks on PII processors. http://www.tecratools.com/pages/service/torx_drivers.html Others, different, more expensive: one is here, a bit more expensive, though at $8.99: http://aps-mobile.com/cellular-phone-accessories/cellular-accessory/TORX8.html Here is the 1/4" socket from SK tools, $2.22 http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/skt81798.html -- http://livecdlist.com http://distrowatch.com http://www.pclinuxonline.com/pclos http://yolinux.com http://safeharbordome.com http://minidome.net http://monolithicdome.com From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Tue Feb 7 16:07:58 2006 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Reducing Electricity Costs Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1C1D6E7@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> > (I've also noticed that managed network devices can use more > power than you'd think.) I'd wager that anything that uses a generic 3-prong power cord is probably going to use a good chunk of power, e.g. the ABS GigE switches Bryan mentioned today. -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From b.j.smith at ieee.org Tue Feb 7 16:15:39 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Reducing Electricity Costs In-Reply-To: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1C1D6E7@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> Message-ID: <20060207211539.71923.qmail@web34113.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Damien McKenna wrote: > I'd wager that anything that uses a generic 3-prong power cord is > probably going to use a good chunk of power, e.g. the ABS GigE > switches Bryan mentioned today. Huh? Just because they put the A/C to D/C conversion inside instead of outside doesn't mean anything. It all depends on how it's done. -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From b.j.smith at ieee.org Tue Feb 7 16:17:52 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Reducing Electricity Costs Message-ID: <20060207211752.17179.qmail@web34105.mail.mud.yahoo.com> "Bryan J. Smith" wrote: > Huh? Just because they put the A/C to D/C conversion inside > instead of outside doesn't mean anything. It all depends on how > it's done. In fact, most FE/GbE switches are Broadcom and RealTek reference designs. They typically use less than 10W overall. -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From jasonb at edseek.com Tue Feb 7 16:26:19 2006 From: jasonb at edseek.com (Jason Boxman) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Reducing Electricity Costs -- bulbs first and foremost ... In-Reply-To: <20060207201131.47884.qmail@web34113.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <55932.216.134.200.78.1139342232.squirrel@nebula.internal.foo> <20060207201131.47884.qmail@web34113.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <46092.216.134.200.78.1139347579.squirrel@nebula.internal.foo> Bryan J. Smith said: > Jason Boxman wrote: >> Anyone know just how much waste is created from these 'always-on' >> appliances? I just realized my TV is 'always' on. The DVD player >> is more obvious, since it has a standby light. What about CRT >> monitors in 'energy saver' mode? > > The problem with televisions, unlike computer monitors, is that they > are not very interactive. There's really no way to gage feedback on > use, especially when you are using disseparate components that have > separate remote controls. Well, I do turn it off when I'm not watching it and there is anyone else around so there's no risk of it being on unattended. I rarely use it more than an hour a night anyway. >> Is there any sizable savings in screwing with this stuff, or >> is it not worth the effort to calculate up how much power things >> draw? > > I went _completely_ fluorescent a couple years ago (over a matter ofa > few weeks) and noticed not only a considerable savings on my > electric bill, but I stopped replacing blubs. > > E.g., I like to leave the 40W light above my stove on 24x7 on as it > provides just enough lumination throughout my house so I don't trip > if I get up in the middle of the night. I was replacing incandescent > blubs every 6 months or so. I replaced it with a 60W equivalent, 13W > actual, fluourescent light about 2 years ago. I haven't replaced it > since, and it provides even more light to reach the entire other end > of the house, while still being low enough. Yeah, I tried that at my last place, but I rarely have _any_ lights on, so the savings wasn't immediately detectable. I'm one of those light police that turn off every single light that isn't being used. The nice thing about CFB that I've heard is there isn't much start up cost, so it's pretty 'free' to turn them on and off liberally. Not having to replace bulbs all the time was nice, too, but also not my primary goal. (Although how much are those incandescent bulbs per unit anyway. I haven't replaced one in so long, I forgot about that cost.) >> Also, where I live now has all halogen lights. How do those >> compare to CFBs? > > Halogen lights are probably the "purest" light, fluorescent lights > are the worst. _Both_ are _better_ than incandescent lights in > energy efficiency. > > Use halogen when you want the best lighting. > Use fluorescent when you want general lighting. > > Halogen has greater heat generation and must be cleaned more. > Fluorescent makes a number of trade-offs for its increased > efficiency. Where I live now, everything is pretty wired for cute mini-halogen lights. All the fixtures I have seen that are part of the structure of the building, if you will, take little halogen bulbs. Not sure how I'd even get a CFB in one of those little sockets. The kitchen has one of those overhead 5V or 12V setups with six little halogen lights installed. As you can see, few, if any places can accept traditional bulbs or CFBs. I'm also a cold whore, so I nearly never use the heater in the winter in Florida. It routinely hovers around 60-70F and it doesn't bother me. I sleep with my fan on maximum speed at night, even in the dead of winter. Now, during the summer my CHA gets a real workout. I usually set the 'stat at around 75-77, at least at the old place. I don't know how well air circulates at my new place. It has a pretty modern CHA unit that I'm told is pretty efficient, so I might get off easy. One thing's for sure. My five boxes sure put off a ton of BTUs. You can seriously feel the difference in temperature, which the A/C has to eventually cool down to a reasonable level for me. I guess I could replace everything with lower power stuff, but as Derek mentioned, that's a game of numbers and a potential loser. When I do buy new stuff, I'll certainly keep an eye on power efficiency, but I won't upgrade just to chase potential savings. On that note, how bad does it hurt to have PSUs that have lower efficiency ratings. What's that mean, anyway? For example the ones I have now have something like 70% or 75% efficiency. From pberry2 at cfl.rr.com Tue Feb 7 16:45:12 2006 From: pberry2 at cfl.rr.com (Patrick) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Reducing Electricity Costs In-Reply-To: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1C1D6E6@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> References: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1C1D6E6@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> Message-ID: <200602071645.12330.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> On Tuesday 07 February 2006 15:01, Damien McKenna wrote: > > Anyone know just how much waste is created from these 'always-on' > > appliances? > > Check the manuals of the items you're concerned with, I think they're > required to state it. My 17" LCD monitor uses 40 watts when on, 20 watts on standby, 0 watts when we turn it off. We notice very little warm up time... have two My 17"CRT monitor uses 400 watts when on, and 40 watts in standby mode, 0 watts when off. Have 5. $89.95 each, vs. $300 for the LCDs. Upgrading will take a while on my budget. Fortunately, I have two KVM switches, so, many monitors are spares. My computers that have "350" to "400" watt psu's actually burn that, but, I have to run a dozen UPS's, which also use about 400 watts, each. So, my 4 KW of stuff that is on is a necessary cost of my computer endeavor/hobby. Now then, let's talk parasitic devices. Those wall-warts that charge cell phones, run toys, charge batteries, power switch-hubs, all suck 5 to 60 watts, all the time, just by being plugged in! Add them up. Then, put them all on switched outlets, and turn off when not in actual use. Fans? Fans cool people, not rooms. A ceiling fan can run 300-400 watts per hour. If you leave the room turn it off! Check out your Water Heater. Is the temp on both heating elements set to 120 degrees? In the past ten years or so, most water heaters are set to about 120 degrees, from the factory. I installed a $40 timer clock, (in homes that I own!) and set my heater for two heating cycles each day, as the water stays hot for up to about 8 hours, and the heating cycles should be on for about 2 to 3 hours. REMEMBER! Only Crazy Patrick plays with Electircity! If you don't know what you are doing, then you need to hire a licensed electrician to install the clock, as it switches 250 Volts AC!! That is LETHAL voltage, if you get 'bit'! And, be safe and disable circuits, before working! The Dishwasher has a HOT water heater internally. It really uses some KW. We don't run any special loads that do it. Normal cycle, and, we have a water softener that uses Osmosis (salt process). Everytime I buy a home, I install some energy saving items, and the clock is one. Another is to change all the light bulbs on porches to the flourescent tube type that burn 10 watts, instead of 60 watts, or more. There are some energy management programs that your computer can use, to run the X10 light and appliance outlets/switches in your home. At $5 to $10 per remote, with a cost of about $40 for the base unit, you can have remote control of many devices in your home. http://www.x10ideas.com/ http://www.x10.com/techtoysab2.htm http://www.x10.com/activehomepro/activehome-pro.html?44cddac65a757a6e43e91398 There are also some Open Source versions, free for download. http://www.kevinboone.com/home-automation.html -- http://livecdlist.com http://distrowatch.com http://www.pclinuxonline.com/pclos http://yolinux.com http://safeharbordome.com http://minidome.net http://monolithicdome.com From pberry2 at cfl.rr.com Tue Feb 7 16:57:10 2006 From: pberry2 at cfl.rr.com (Patrick) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Help Request: HDD parts to revive dead drive In-Reply-To: <20060207173047.20931.qmail@web34109.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <20060207173047.20931.qmail@web34109.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <200602071657.10971.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> On Tuesday 07 February 2006 12:30, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > "William A. Mahaffey III" wrote: > > Sounds like a Torx bit .... Sears & others have them, used in > > automotive & apparently computers :-). > > Yep, many are T-10. > > A few vendors play games like putting a "key" in the center, so you > can't use a standard Torx bit. Called a "security" or "Tamper-proof" torx. Most the drives and cpu heatsinks I see are T8. start at $6.63 here: http://www.wihatools.com/362trSF.htm and regular Torx are starting at $4.30 here: http://www.wihatools.com/indexes/indxtorx.htm -- http://livecdlist.com http://distrowatch.com http://www.pclinuxonline.com/pclos http://yolinux.com http://safeharbordome.com http://minidome.net http://monolithicdome.com From b.j.smith at ieee.org Tue Feb 7 17:06:49 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Reducing Electricity Costs -- bulbs first and foremost ... In-Reply-To: <46092.216.134.200.78.1139347579.squirrel@nebula.internal.foo> Message-ID: <20060207220649.36559.qmail@web34105.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Jason Boxman wrote: > Well, I do turn it off when I'm not watching it and there is > anyone else around so there's no risk of it being on unattended. > I rarely use it more than an hour a night anyway. I'm the same way, although between my wife and I, it's on maybe 3-4 hours/evening total. > Yeah, I tried that at my last place, but I rarely have _any_ > lights on, so the savings wasn't immediately detectable. I'm > one of those light police that turn off every single light that > isn't being used. My wife and I do a bit of work off-computer, so we need 100-200W illumination on a regular basis. Whether it's the 100W in our bedrooms, the 3x60W cluster in our living room or bedroom, etc... Going down to 23W (100W) or 3x13W (3x60W) made a good $10-20/month difference. > The nice thing about CFB that I've heard is there isn't much start > up cost, so it's pretty 'free' to turn them on and off liberally. Most lights today shouldn't have much of a startup cost. > Not having to replace bulbs all the time was nice, too, but > also not my primary goal. (Although how much are those > incandescent bulbs per unit anyway. I haven't replaced > one in so long, I forgot about that cost.) The cost is about equal overall. I just got tired of replacing them regularly. I haven't had to replace an CFB yet, except one I broke. > As you can see, few, if any places can accept traditional bulbs > or CFBs. Well, my house was built in 1987, so there's plenty of traditional sockets. Plus any fixtures I've put in take the traditional sockets as well. > I'm also a cold whore, so I nearly never use the heater in the > winter in Florida. It routinely hovers around 60-70F and it > doesn't bother me. I'm the same, although I try to keep it above 65F so I don't go losing my foundation (typically below 55F). > Now, during the summer my CHA gets a real workout. I usually set > the 'stat at around 75-77, at least at the old place. I don't know > how well air circulates at my new place. I used to set it at 75-77F, but with the hurricanes in 2004 taking off part of my roof, that was a mold magnet. I immediately killed 2 birds with 1 stone by getting a dehumidfier. I keep it at 30% humidity (it was easily 65-75% before), which means I can leave my house at 80F and it feels like 76F (all while still not being a static electicity issue). Even though my roof has been replaced, I find that I don't have nearly as much mold that grows in the bathrooms or kitchen between cleanings as a result. My house has the original A/C and I'm probably going replace it within the next year or two. I'm definitely getting one with a dehumidifier built-in -- it's well worth the cost. > It has a pretty modern CHAunit that I'm told is pretty efficient, > so I might get off easy. The original A/C unit I have is fairly efficient for a 1987 model when I bought the house in 1997. But it's eventually going to give. > One thing's for sure. My five boxes sure put off a ton of BTUs. My wife and I have our MicroATX cubes with sub-50W LCDs. My system is a 31-55W Athlon 64 3200+, although hers is an older Athlon XP2600+. Probably the kickers in our systems are the nVidia GeForce 7800GTX and 6800GT, respectively. But they seem to work fine on 300-400W PSes, and we take the down regularly. Firewall is an old Pentium MMX 166MHz in a NLX form-factor that probably doesn't use 100W. Have really no need to change that, other than to maybe put in redundant disks. My main server is a dual P3 750MHz ServerWorks IIILE with six (6) 80GB Maxtor/WD drives on a 3Ware Escalade 7800 currently. That might be temporarily replaced, still working on my plans. I just haven't had time. I still have that dual-Athlon MP2400+ system, it just sits unused. I also have seven (7) Seagate Baracuda ATA 7200.7 200GB drives just sitting around. Plus I also have that NetCell SR5000 card (64-bit, 66MHz, 5-port PATA w/128MB SDRAM). Probably my biggest power guzzler is a newly acquired Dell PowerEdge 6300 (old 4x Xeon 550MHz, i450NX chipset, 6xLVD-SCSI, 3x redundant PS) that I'm thinking of using temporarily when I reconfigure my server. Just haven't had time, but I wanted to grab it when it was out there on Craigslist -- especially since I have several Seagate 50GB LVD SCSI SCA disks that can be used in it. > You can seriously feel the difference in temperature, which the > A/C has to eventually cool down to a reasonable level for me. I have no such issues with my MicroATX boxen, and not even the P3 server. The dual-Athlon MP is a different story and that old PowerEdge 6300 is definitely a heat incubator. > I guess I could replace everything with lower power stuff, > but as Derek mentioned, that's a game of numbers and a potential > loser. Other than video card, I'm glad I did. My MicroATX cubes are so quiet and fairly low-heat, plus I can place them anywhere without worry about space. > When I do buy new stuff, I'll certainly keep an eye on power > efficiency, but I won't upgrade just to chase potential savings. > On that note, how bad does it hurt to have PSUs that have lower > efficiency ratings. What's that mean, anyway? For example the > ones I have now have something like 70% or 75% efficiency. It can make a little difference. The Seasonic S12 I'm using in my system is over 80% efficient, and I'm sure I'm only using half of its 500W rating. It doesn't get very warm at all. -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From wam at HiWAAY.net Tue Feb 7 18:19:51 2006 From: wam at HiWAAY.net (William A. Mahaffey III) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Reducing Electricity Costs In-Reply-To: References: <55932.216.134.200.78.1139342232.squirrel@nebula.internal.foo> <43E9054D.30101@HiWAAY.net> Message-ID: <43E92B17.2000600@HiWAAY.net> Derek Konigsberg wrote: >> didn't really make much of a dent in my power bill. I recently >> unplugged 2 of my 3 SGI Octanes (power burps got 'em), thus quieting >> 2 750 watt (!!!!) PSU's, we'll see how much difference that makes >> :-). I'm holding out w/ the beer-fridge & chest freezer though .... > > > Having a 750W PSU does *not* mean you're actually using anywhere near > that much power. I've got a machine with a 670W PSU that only draws > 300W, and plenty of similar examples. The only way to know how much > power something uses is to measure it. > > -Derek > Absolutely true :-). I *did* have 2 GB of RAM & 3 largish (when purchased) SCSI HDD's on both of these, however .... -- William A. Mahaffey III ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "The M1 Garand is without doubt the finest implement of war ever devised by man." -- Gen. George S. Patton From wam at HiWAAY.net Tue Feb 7 18:29:08 2006 From: wam at HiWAAY.net (William A. Mahaffey III) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Reducing Electricity Costs In-Reply-To: <200602071645.12330.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> References: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1C1D6E6@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> <200602071645.12330.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> Message-ID: <43E92D44.4020307@HiWAAY.net> Patrick wrote: > >Fans? Fans cool people, not rooms. A ceiling fan can run 300-400 watts per >hour. If you leave the room turn it off! > > Hmmmmm .... where did you get that number (300-400 W/h for ceiling fans), sounds quite a bit high to me, more like 1/3 - 1/2 that ? >Check out your Water Heater. Is the temp on both heating elements set to 120 >degrees? In the past ten years or so, most water heaters are set to about >120 degrees, from the factory. > > Most hot water heaters are pretty well insulated; mine is virtually ambient to the touch, & I run it at 180 degrees. Use less hot water per shower that way, and as you observe, they do stay warm quite a while once charged up .... >I installed a $40 timer clock, (in homes that I own!) and set my heater for >two heating cycles each day, as the water stays hot for up to about 8 hours, >and the heating cycles should be on for about 2 to 3 hours. REMEMBER! Only >Crazy Patrick plays with Electircity! If you don't know what you are doing, >then you need to hire a licensed electrician to install the clock, as it >switches 250 Volts AC!! That is LETHAL voltage, if you get 'bit'! And, be >safe and disable circuits, before working! > >The Dishwasher has a HOT water heater internally. It really uses some KW. >We don't run any special loads that do it. Normal cycle, and, we have a water >softener that uses Osmosis (salt process). > > Agree w/ everything else :-). -- William A. Mahaffey III ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "The M1 Garand is without doubt the finest implement of war ever devised by man." -- Gen. George S. Patton From octo at logicprobe.org Tue Feb 7 18:43:31 2006 From: octo at logicprobe.org (Derek Konigsberg) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Reducing Electricity Costs -- bulbs first and foremost ... In-Reply-To: <20060207220649.36559.qmail@web34105.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <20060207220649.36559.qmail@web34105.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <200602071843.32114.octo@logicprobe.org> For the run-down on my actual power usage of machines in the computer room, look here: http://www.logicprobe.org/~octo/stuff/power.txt For more detail about each of the listed machines/devices: http://www.logicprobe.org/systems/ Frankly, I find these numbers quite interesting. It goes to show that an Athon64 whizbanger uses a lot less power than you'd expect, and the same goes for my 6-drive file server. Also shows just how much power my network devices use. -- --------------------------- Derek Konigsberg octo@.logicprobe.org http://hecgeek.blogspot.com --------------------------- From philb at philb.us Tue Feb 7 18:52:39 2006 From: philb at philb.us (Phil Barnett) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Help Request: HDD parts to revive dead drive In-Reply-To: <200602071657.10971.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> References: <20060207173047.20931.qmail@web34109.mail.mud.yahoo.com> <200602071657.10971.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> Message-ID: <200602071852.39751.philb@philb.us> On Tuesday 07 February 2006 16:57, Patrick wrote: > On Tuesday 07 February 2006 12:30, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > > "William A. Mahaffey III" wrote: > > > Sounds like a Torx bit .... Sears & others have them, used in > > > automotive & apparently computers :-). > > > > Yep, many are T-10. > > > > A few vendors play games like putting a "key" in the center, so you > > can't use a standard Torx bit. > > Called a "security" or "Tamper-proof" torx. Most the drives and cpu > heatsinks I see are T8. start at $6.63 here: > http://www.wihatools.com/362trSF.htm > > and regular Torx are starting at $4.30 here: > http://www.wihatools.com/indexes/indxtorx.htm Every year at hamcation, there are at least 3 vendors that sell the security bit sets for $10 or less. (my last one was $8) I'd suggest getting one there. -- "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next. From philb at philb.us Tue Feb 7 18:55:00 2006 From: philb at philb.us (Phil Barnett) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Reducing Electricity Costs In-Reply-To: <55932.216.134.200.78.1139342232.squirrel@nebula.internal.foo> References: <55932.216.134.200.78.1139342232.squirrel@nebula.internal.foo> Message-ID: <200602071855.00217.philb@philb.us> On Tuesday 07 February 2006 14:57, Jason Boxman wrote: > Anyone know just how much waste is created from these 'always-on' > appliances? I just realized my TV is 'always' on. The DVD player is more > obvious, since it has a standby light. What about CRT monitors in 'energy > saver' mode? > > Is there any sizable savings in screwing with this stuff, or is it not > worth the effort to calculate up how much power things draw? The guys who build solar electric houses call these loads 'Phantom Loads'. Google it. -- "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next. From b.j.smith at ieee.org Tue Feb 7 18:55:01 2006 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Reducing Electricity Costs -- bulbs first and foremost ... In-Reply-To: <200602071843.32114.octo@logicprobe.org> Message-ID: <20060207235501.66353.qmail@web34107.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Derek Konigsberg wrote: > Frankly, I find these numbers quite interesting. It goes to show > that an Athon64 whizbanger uses a lot less power than you'd expect, Why would you assume otherwise? Even though AMD lags Intel 12+ months in multi-billion dollar fabrication technology out of lack of fund reserves, their 1999 design is much more efficient than the NetBurst hack. Simple rule of series and scalability: - Intel i686 (PPro-PIII-PM) scales from 200-1.0GHz, 1.5GHz with first async refit, 2.1GHz with redesign (Pentium M). 7+1 pipelines (2 ALU, 2 FPU + 1 SSE in P3) with stages are typically 12 or less. - AMD K7-8 scales from 500MHz to 2.0GHz, 2.8+GHz with refits. 9 pipelines (3 ALU, 3 FPU) with stages typically 20 or less. - Intel NetBurst (P4) scales from 1.5GHz to 3.5GHz, 4.0+GHz with refits. 7+2 pipelines (2 ALU, 1+1 FPU + 2 SSE) with stages typically 40 or so. Intel i686 is more power efficient MHz for MHz than AMD K7-8, but the latter scales higher. The Intel NetBurst has a much higher MHz scalability, but absolutely sucks up both power and wastes stages. The concept that AMD uses more power than Intel _died_ once the NetBurst hack was introduced. Intel is _dropping_ NetBurst and going back to i686 for new products. They are clearly giving up the MHz crown (they've already lost the performance crown) for power efficiency. The current 2.1GHz Pentium-M products use as little as 21W, no more than around 45W at full load. The AMD Athlon 64 1.8-2.4GHz (3000-3700+) use as little as 31W, no more than 55W at full load. Intel NetBurst can't break less than 70W. Then again, NetBurst was designed rather quickly, and did not have a full development cycle -- unlike i686 or K7-8. -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------- *** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does *** From octo at logicprobe.org Tue Feb 7 18:59:43 2006 From: octo at logicprobe.org (Derek Konigsberg) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Reducing Electricity Costs -- bulbs first and foremost ... In-Reply-To: <20060207235501.66353.qmail@web34107.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <20060207235501.66353.qmail@web34107.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <200602071859.44123.octo@logicprobe.org> On Tuesday 07 February 2006 6:55 pm, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > Derek Konigsberg wrote: > > Frankly, I find these numbers quite interesting. It goes to show > > that an Athon64 whizbanger uses a lot less power than you'd > > expect, > > Why would you assume otherwise? > > Even though AMD lags Intel 12+ months in multi-billion dollar > fabrication technology out of lack of fund reserves, their 1999 > design is much more efficient than the NetBurst hack. > You totally missed my point :-) I wasn't implying that AMD made more power hungry chips than Intel, or vice versa. What I was trying to say, is that a nicely loaded PC desktop doesn't use anywhere near as many watts off the cord as you'd think. (especially given how the average PC tweakers seem to talk about their suped-up machines and high-end power supplies) -- --------------------------- Derek Konigsberg octo@.logicprobe.org http://hecgeek.blogspot.com --------------------------- From philb at philb.us Tue Feb 7 19:01:06 2006 From: philb at philb.us (Phil Barnett) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Reducing Electricity Costs -- bulbs first and foremost ... In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <200602071901.06874.philb@philb.us> On Tuesday 07 February 2006 15:22, George Laiacona wrote: > E.g., I like to leave the 40W light above my stove on 24x7 on as it > provides just enough lumination throughout my house so I don't trip > if I get up in the middle of the night. ?I was replacing incandescent > blubs every 6 months or so. ?I replaced it with a 60W equivalent, 13W > actual, fluourescent light about 2 years ago. ?I haven't replaced it > since, and it provides even more light to reach the entire other end > of the house, while still being low enough. My first cf bulb was installed when I first bought the house here in Apopka, 17 years ago. It's in the hallway. It's one of those 4.5" diameter GE builbs. This one is old enough that it doesn't have an electric ballast and I hear the stater pinging it to live each time it starts. It's still burning after 17 years and it still gets plenty bright to keep us from tripping over things in the hobby room, kitchen, bedrooms and more. Quite amazing, actually. Since then, I've pretty much replaced all the filament bulbs with cf. You get a second benefit from them in that they don't product heat that the AC then has to remove. -- "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next. From wam at HiWAAY.net Tue Feb 7 19:11:35 2006 From: wam at HiWAAY.net (William A. Mahaffey III) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Reducing Electricity Costs -- bulbs first and foremost ... In-Reply-To: <200602071901.06874.philb@philb.us> References: <200602071901.06874.philb@philb.us> Message-ID: <43E93737.1010901@HiWAAY.net> Phil Barnett wrote: >On Tuesday 07 February 2006 15:22, George Laiacona wrote: > > >>E.g., I like to leave the 40W light above my stove on 24x7 on as it >>provides just enough lumination throughout my house so I don't trip >>if I get up in the middle of the night. I was replacing incandescent >>blubs every 6 months or so. I replaced it with a 60W equivalent, 13W >>actual, fluourescent light about 2 years ago. I haven't replaced it >>since, and it provides even more light to reach the entire other end >>of the house, while still being low enough. >> >> > >My first cf bulb was installed when I first bought the house here in Apopka, >17 years ago. It's in the hallway. It's one of those 4.5" diameter GE builbs. >This one is old enough that it doesn't have an electric ballast and I hear >the stater pinging it to live each time it starts. > >It's still burning after 17 years and it still gets plenty bright to keep us >from tripping over things in the hobby room, kitchen, bedrooms and more. > >Quite amazing, actually. > >Since then, I've pretty much replaced all the filament bulbs with cf. You get >a second benefit from them in that they don't product heat that the AC then >has to remove. > > > Roger that last point !!!! That was my problem w/ the now-moribund SGI's, you walk into that room & it was a good 8-10 degrees warmer than the hall, so I was getting it twice, power the PSU's, then remove the heat. -- William A. Mahaffey III ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "The M1 Garand is without doubt the finest implement of war ever devised by man." -- Gen. George S. Patton -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.matrixlist.com/pipermail/pc_support/attachments/20060207/99656609/attachment.html From pberry2 at cfl.rr.com Wed Feb 8 06:56:02 2006 From: pberry2 at cfl.rr.com (Patrick) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Help Request: HDD parts to revive dead drive In-Reply-To: <200602071852.39751.philb@philb.us> References: <20060207173047.20931.qmail@web34109.mail.mud.yahoo.com> <200602071657.10971.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> <200602071852.39751.philb@philb.us> Message-ID: <200602080656.02208.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> On Tuesday 07 February 2006 18:52, Phil Barnett wrote: > On Tuesday 07 February 2006 16:57, Patrick wrote: > > On Tuesday 07 February 2006 12:30, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > > > "William A. Mahaffey III" wrote: > > > > Sounds like a Torx bit .... Sears & others have them, used in > > > > automotive & apparently computers :-). > > > > > > Yep, many are T-10. > > > > > > A few vendors play games like putting a "key" in the center, so you > > > can't use a standard Torx bit. > > > > Called a "security" or "Tamper-proof" torx. Most the drives and cpu > > heatsinks I see are T8. start at $6.63 here: > > http://www.wihatools.com/362trSF.htm > > > > and regular Torx are starting at $4.30 here: > > http://www.wihatools.com/indexes/indxtorx.htm > > Every year at hamcation, there are at least 3 vendors that sell the > security bit sets for $10 or less. (my last one was $8) > > I'd suggest getting one there. But, one caveat on the bit set, is that they insert into a driver and that is sometimes too large in diameter to reach through the heatsinks, to use on computer processors. In those instances, the Wiha Torx driver is great. -- http://livecdlist.com http://distrowatch.com http://www.pclinuxonline.com/pclos http://yolinux.com http://safeharbordome.com http://minidome.net http://monolithicdome.com From octo at logicprobe.org Wed Feb 8 07:06:27 2006 From: octo at logicprobe.org (Derek Konigsberg) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Help Request: HDD parts to revive dead drive In-Reply-To: <200602080656.02208.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> References: <20060207173047.20931.qmail@web34109.mail.mud.yahoo.com> <200602071852.39751.philb@philb.us> <200602080656.02208.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> Message-ID: <200602080706.28219.octo@logicprobe.org> > But, one caveat on the bit set, is that they insert into a driver and that > is sometimes too large in diameter to reach through the heatsinks, to use > on computer processors. In those instances, the Wiha Torx driver is great. I'm still amazed at how we got into this whole long discussion of torx screwdrivers, and no one actually bothered to mention that circuit-board-swapping may actually not work. The two drives may not be 100% identical. Even if they are, the electronics are bound to have some unique information on bad sectors, sector-remapping, and the like. In other words, the logical-to-physical mappings of the two drives may not be identical in any case. Oh, and I know there are places that specialize in recovering data from dead hard drives. These places are even qualified to open and fix the hard drives in a clean environment. I just don't know of any such places around here. (One of these places was located near where I used to live, back in high school.) -- --------------------------- Derek Konigsberg octo@.logicprobe.org http://hecgeek.blogspot.com --------------------------- From ae4ko at amsat.org Wed Feb 8 09:08:50 2006 From: ae4ko at amsat.org (Aaron Morrison) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:38 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Help Request: HDD parts to revive dead drive In-Reply-To: <200602080706.28219.octo@logicprobe.org> References: <200602080656.02208.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> Message-ID: <43E9B522.15354.1D6C64@ae4ko.amsat.org> On 8 Feb 2006 at 7:06, Derek Konigsberg wrote: > I'm still amazed at how we got into this whole long discussion of torx > screwdrivers, and no one actually bothered to mention that > circuit-board-swapping may actually not work. The two drives may not > be 100% identical. Even if they are, the electronics are bound to > have some unique information on bad sectors, sector-remapping, and the > like. In other words, the logical-to-physical mappings of the two > drives may not be identical in any case. > And I'm aware of that. However, when a drive recovery place wants between $500 and $3000 to recover data, it's worth t