Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Sept 14, 2014 21:48:32 GMT
So last night, lady Qetesh's laptop suddenly gave out. Damn thing didn't want to start up any longer. It suggested startup repair but that didn't do anything. Neither did any of the about 10 different boot options that were available. I spent a big part of the night trying and researching to no avail. Today I tried creating a bootable windows installation on a usb harddrive, but for some reason and despite following all the instructions it didn't seem to want to install. I tried several times, reformatting the drive in between. Then I figured ah what the hell, let's just make the usb drive a bootable windows installer and wipe the laptop's internal drive. Screw the files. Unfortunately that didn't seem to want to work either, which is strange because I've managed to do this with my own external harddrive for my own laptop without any problems. I don't have that one with me here though. So now what? I figured I might as well ask the hotel if they have a small screwdriver and open the bloody thing up. After going back and forth between the lobby and my room a couple of times I managed to find a screwdriver that fit. So I opened the thing up, took out the memory and the harddrive, inspected them visually and then put them back in. I turned the laptop on. Same problem remained. Then I decided to screw open both her laptop and my own laptop and switch out the drives. I turn both laptops on and they both promptly go into startup repair. I'm thinking oh fuck I hope my laptop will still work after all this. Funnily enough the startup repair didn't crash on her laptop like it kept doing before. After running for about an hour both startup repairs reported that all the tests had been executed successfully but that things probably didn't work due to changes in the configurations. And the laptops didn't want to start up windows. So I switched the drives back into their own laptops again. I boot up Qetesh's laptop and to my surprise it bloody works again. I boot up my own laptop. Startup repair. Again. Thankfully after one cycle my laptop boots up like it should again as well. Hooray! All this only took about 10-12 work hours. Qetesh doesn't know yet because she's sleeping right now. I hope by the time she wakes up her bloody laptop will still be functioning. :S |
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Sept 14, 2014 21:49:27 GMT
Never buy a refurbished laptop!
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Post by 13thGeneral on Sept 15, 2014 14:28:04 GMT
Never buy a refurbished laptop! All that, and it was probably just a loose/bad connection on the HD. I've had that happen on my desktop once or twice. |
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Post by morsealworth on Sept 15, 2014 14:32:39 GMT
If you still can use that laptop in safe mode:
1. Run a memory test.
2. Run a CPU test.
3. If it doesn't seem to work, check the HDD controller with a diagnostic program like PC doctor, for example. I trust trial version will be enough for this.
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Post by Qetesh on Sept 15, 2014 18:29:37 GMT
He fixed it, good as new. No Safe mode, no nothing before. It would not boot in any way shape or form, now it is like nothing ever happened. He just saved me a ton of work, and I do believe I shall be making a back up real soon for my data. Ba'al is God of Laptop repairs....woot woot.
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Sept 15, 2014 18:46:27 GMT
If you still can use that laptop in safe mode: 1. Run a memory test. 2. Run a CPU test. 3. If it doesn't seem to work, check the HDD controller with a diagnostic program like PC doctor, for example. I trust trial version will be enough for this. Memory test didn't work. Nor did anything else. Whatever you tried, the laptop kept rebooting itself every twenty seconds or so. Except when it was in the BIOS setup screen. |
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Post by morsealworth on Sept 16, 2014 9:03:12 GMT
Thin it really looked like HDD connection, then.
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Post by morsealworth on Sept 30, 2014 15:51:25 GMT
Is this science? No, this is kefir.
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Post by morsealworth on Oct 13, 2014 16:33:12 GMT
I was listening to Dune: Battle for Arrakis soundtrack today. I think you'll understand me if you ever played the game - it has gorgeous, unforgettable soundtrack. But today, I remembered of how nice was the system of changing between the music - the game switched to battle music (Trenching, for example) immediately after playing the phrase "Enemy Unit Approaching". Of course, on Sega it wasn't as elaborate as Amiga or PC one, where it told exactly from where, whose units it was, and even how many. So I wanted to try and recreate that effect by downloading PC Dune files, unpacking the VOC sounds and playing them between the tracks. And here where pleasant surprise awaited me: there were more to the system than I thought. Of course, I knew that Sega cartridge had space for only one limited mentat and that they took the Harkonnen voice as the most epic one, but that! The game was much more intelligent in aspect of informing the player than almost everything I've seen before. Game itself combined phrases consisting of individual words ("Warning", "Enemy")/small phrases ("Spice field", "From the west"). Right now you can see the same approach in map navigators and nowhere in games, which are limited to general, basic phrases and, if you're lucky, minimap showing you where something has happened. So I went ahead and made two phrases for Trenching and Spice Trip with the voices of Harkonnen and Ordos mentats, but the journey into game files was much more interesting than actual objective I reached. Dune: The building of a Dynasty itself was a very, very innovative game. It gave us the very definition of RTS. It gave us asymmetric factions. It gave us stream economy (Hello, TA! Say thanks to Westwood!). It gave us the ability to trample the infantry with the tanks and capture the buildings with engineers. And now we also know that the technology of phrasing sound messages from separate words was finished back in 1992 by the same guys. And it was efficient enough to be used on DOS PC of the time. The same PCs and the same game that had overall building limit so you had to break some of enemy base to finish construction of yours due to RAM limits. And I think that's awesome. |
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Matthew Allen
Former 22Cans staff
Full Time Rock Star
Posts: 295 
Pledge level: Elemental
Steam: MrMatthewAllen
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Post by Matthew Allen on Oct 28, 2014 17:42:47 GMT
I'm somehow coming across Gmr Leon every time I browse the internet in my off time. I swear, he's everywhere! I can't tell if I'm stalking him or he's stalking me... Click and click. |
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Post by Gmr Leon on Oct 28, 2014 18:11:50 GMT
I'm somehow coming across Gmr Leon every time I browse the internet in my off time. I swear, he's everywhere! I can't tell if I'm stalking him or he's stalking me... Click and click. Haha, I'm pretty scattershot when it comes to gaming. One minute you might come across me entrenched in some fantasy game discussion, next scifi, next modern day...And sometimes both! (As soon as the new Longest Journey games release I'm gonna be having loads of fun with that. I'm trying to make my way through the first and Dreamfall a little here and there recently.) This is really the best example of how "small" the gaming community can feel. You can't take two steps without running into familiar faces sometimes! =O |
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Oct 28, 2014 18:48:19 GMT
I'm somehow coming across Gmr Leon every time I browse the internet in my off time. I swear, he's everywhere! I can't tell if I'm stalking him or he's stalking me... Click and click. Have you considered you might both be stalkers destined to fall in love with eachother? Or to slice eachother's balls off and hang 'em round your necks. |
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Post by Qetesh on Oct 28, 2014 21:03:47 GMT
I'm somehow coming across Gmr Leon every time I browse the internet in my off time. I swear, he's everywhere! I can't tell if I'm stalking him or he's stalking me... Click and click. Have you considered you might both be stalkers destined to fall in love with eachother? Or to slice eachother's balls off and hang 'em round your necks.  |
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Post by morsealworth on Nov 4, 2014 19:46:00 GMT
Uncanny valley problem partially solved! Look at Asuna:
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Nov 4, 2014 20:48:09 GMT
She doesn't do much does she. What problem is she gonna solve?
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Post by morsealworth on Nov 4, 2014 21:50:07 GMT
Her design doesn't make her creepy. And that's exactly the problem it solves. |
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Nov 4, 2014 22:16:18 GMT
Her design doesn't make her creepy. And that's exactly the problem it solves. Put a large knife in her hand and see if she's creepy then.  |
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Post by morsealworth on Nov 4, 2014 22:19:05 GMT
Being unable to cook with a large knife given isn't creepy.
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Post by Gmr Leon on Nov 4, 2014 23:06:51 GMT
Uncanny valley problem partially solved! Look at Asuna: Impressive, but some of the more extended motions still appear a little jerky, like as she's turning her head. The shorter, slower movements of the head and facial expressions were definitely pretty well done. Getting there slowly but surely. |
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Post by Qetesh on Nov 19, 2014 21:49:39 GMT
Wow, oh wow is Orphan Black a good show. I must say that Canadian TV has some amazing shows and I find myself putting more and more of them on my list of favorite shows lately.
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