The Computer Thread

I kind of assumed You Tube as that kind of problem is relatively common on You Tube. Have you tried other media players or updating your codecs?

I can update them. Thing is that it reacted like being on the power cord was kicking it into power saver mode, but being on battery wasn't. But I kicked it over to high performance and was still getting the problem, so I don't know.

Just for kicks, does Windows Media Player (or, if you don't like that, pick some other poison) give the same error?

edited 22nd Aug '12 6:33:12 PM by Balmung

Try VLC. I don't have a specific other answer to that one, Deboss, as I never have had a working laptop in my life.

I have two laptops and a netbook all in various stages of age and decay. Also have a drive-less laptop that is this close to becoming a Frisbee, but I'm willing to toss in a drive and tinker with Linux or something. Just need a laptop drive....

It might be looked down on my some of the snobbier members of the Linux community (perhaps for being too easy), but I'd recommend Linux Mint with the Cinnamon GUI if you want to mess around with Linux and haven't before.

Upon further experimentation, I suspect the file itself was the problem somehow.

Yeah, some video files will cause conniptions.

Meanwhile, as of Issue 1223, we are now notable enough for the main weekly computer magazine in the UK, "Micro Mart", to feature this site as part of a article on "Ten Sites to Waste Time On", by Sarah Dobbs. As well as us, Cracked, imdb.com, and Lifehacker get a mention.

Meanwhile, in South Korea, a judge in a court in Seoul has said that Apple and Samsung have violated each others patents.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57499561-37/korean-court-apple-samsung-infringed-each-others-patents/

edited 23rd Aug '12 9:41:53 PM by TamH70

Issue 1223 of what...?

Wait, nevermind, I suck at reading comprehension. HURR DURR WAT R THESE LETTURZ FOUR

edited 24th Aug '12 2:13:52 PM by pvtnum11

/pat pat. Never mind. At least you haven't had to uninstall every and I do mean EVERY mod you installed in New Vegas so that you can actually see your character.

And Apple have won their case against Samsung. Can't face posting links. Too depressed.

edited 24th Aug '12 7:28:17 PM by TamH70

Nokia releases Windows Phone 8 fondlephone.

http://www.knowyourmobile.com/features/1574330/nokia_lumia_920_everything_you_need_to_know.html

Nokia share price falls off a cliff. (no link for that so far, but the BBC Ten O'Clock News' tame coder Rory Cellan Jones just did a piece to camera and the point was made that the share price went floof.)

I notice it says absolutely nothing about how the device is to use. I hope Windows 8 does well on phones; Google and Apple both need a strong third party to compete with.

I am in favor of that, too. More competition means more innovation and better products - or that's what the textbooks say, anyway.

I agree.

I'm wanting to get a smartphone, but I haven't had the money for one.

Also, trying Linux Mint, again. Only this time it's on an older XP computer that I can risk wiping multiple times.

I'd recommend Cinnamon if you're wondering which GUI to use. Thus far, I'm enjoying Linux pretty well, I must say.

edited 5th Sep '12 3:52:32 PM by Balmung

I'm going to use MATE.

Except I have no network cable, so no Mint for me.

Well, if you can make a LiveUSB with another computer, you can get around that. Also, oddly enough, the Cinnamon installer is actually smaller than the MATE installer. There are a small handful of things that MATE does better (such as being able to manually hide the taskbar, which so far as I can tell, Cinnamon doesn't let you do), but Cinnamon looks nicer and does nice things like replicating Win 7's system of dragging a window to one of the top corners to make it fill just that half of the screen.

Overall, MATE is more XP-like and Cinnamon is more Win7-like.

edited 5th Sep '12 11:10:16 PM by Balmung

Should I install Lubuntu or Mint on this piece of crap?◊

Definitely Lubuntu. I've got it installed on my living-room computer (similar specs), and it runs like a dream.

The .iso image refuses to burn onto a CD. I gave up.

If Lubuntu won't run, just use Mint. Get a spare 1 GB flash drive and make a LiveUSB. That way if it doesn't work, you can try again. Hell, that would probably also work with Lubuntu.

In other news, I still think my old stereo (2.1) speakers from 1995 sound better than most new stereo set ups.

edited 7th Sep '12 7:11:25 AM by Balmung

I have an old Yamaha setup like that. Hard to find better.

Mine are Altec Lansings. Ugly old off-white boxes, but they sound good, so I'm not complaining. Also, they double as bookends for my desk shelf..

I had some old no-name speakers from the mid-90's that I swear sounded better than anything I've used since. Only reason I'm not still using them is because both the power and connector cords dry-rotted the fuck off.

Here's my predicament.

I want to install Mint on my machine. Problem is, I need a really long network cord to run from my computer to my wireless router to install Mint.

Also, I have no idea how the partitioning works in Mint.

I'm really bad at this.