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TheDarkMantis Shadow Bug from Ocean of Storms Since: Nov, 2017 Relationship Status: One Is The Loneliest Number
RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#10427: Sep 9th 2024 at 1:07:17 PM

I don't see why that matters…? It's not like it's a super rare outcome or anything.

DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#10428: Sep 9th 2024 at 1:24:05 PM

"CRASHES, the bad: programs can still lock Windows, so if the program screws up, you may have to do a hard reset. Such is life with computers."

I believe you mean "That's life with Windows." I can't remember the last time my computer crashed.

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#10429: Sep 9th 2024 at 1:26:25 PM

I'm a lifetime Windows user and I haven't had a PC crash in a long time. In every case I can remember of a full-up bluescreen, graphics drivers were the issue, and that can happen to anyone.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Falrinn Since: Dec, 2014
#10430: Sep 9th 2024 at 2:15:59 PM

Yeah, I've had some crashes caused by bad drivers, but it's probably been years since I've had a proper bluescreen error out of nowhere.

From my understanding a big part of why is that Windows doesn't run nearly as much in the kernel as it used to, and OS crashes are usually caused by errors in the kernel. Less stuff being run at that level means there are fewer variables and therefore fewer potential causes of errors.

People who deal with lots of crashes on Windows are likely from either extreme end of the technical spectrum. Either they install a bunch of sketchy software/viruses because they don't know any better...or they are tech savvy enough to be intentionally tinkering around with the core of the OS and implementing advanced/experimental software.

RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#10431: Sep 9th 2024 at 2:22:58 PM

Or they're running the hardware at a level it's actively unstable. Overclocking is the easiest way to bluescreen (and ageing components screwing up is likely a big reason for gpu related crashes).

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#10432: Sep 9th 2024 at 3:41:46 PM

Yeah, Windows has been extremely stable for many years now. Some people are a bit stuck in the past with their hatred for Windows, to be honest.

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#10433: Sep 9th 2024 at 3:48:11 PM

Though, that doesn't mean you don't get "whoops, deleted all your personal data" when they're rolling out some update.

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#10434: Sep 9th 2024 at 6:03:38 PM

When has that ever happened?

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
Steven (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
#10435: Sep 9th 2024 at 6:55:31 PM

I think it was either this year or last?

Remember, these idiots drive, fuck, and vote. Not always in that order.
RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#10436: Sep 9th 2024 at 11:35:09 PM

The big one was 2018, which isn't super recent but also isn't that far back architecturally. There was also a 2020 update where it moved people's files into another folder and this year one where it broke dual-boot systems (even though they said it wouldn't, oops), and this one where a security patch is causing installation errors.

Windows Update has... problems.

Edited by RainehDaze on Sep 9th 2024 at 11:46:22 AM

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#10437: Sep 10th 2024 at 2:59:33 AM

Huh, I've never heard of those. Strange, I'd expect Ars Technica to write about such things.

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
Ookamikun This is going to be so much fun. (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
This is going to be so much fun.
#10438: Sep 10th 2024 at 5:10:10 AM

Thanks for this TairaMai!

I actually switched to 11 after my mobo/cpu update. Moved the start button to the left too. The startup seems faster too and deleted a lot of bloat.

TairaMai rollin' on dubs from El Paso Tx Since: Jul, 2011 Relationship Status: Mu
rollin' on dubs
#10439: Sep 10th 2024 at 10:38:52 AM

https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/1fbaly2/exactly_10_years_ago_today_iphone_owners_got_a/

Ah the memories of the "free" U2 album Songs of Innocence

I didn't mind it, but the album has only 1 or 2 tracks that are very good. The rest is So Okay, It's Average from the band that brought us 80's rebel college rock.

But for those not tech savy or those who didn't like U2, it was "digital herpes" as one commenter called it.

Itunes would keep reinstalling it and random functions would serve up the tunes every time they'd turn on their iPhone.

More at the Reddit thread for those curious to see what the fuss was about.

I tried to walk like an Egyptian and now I need to see a Cairo practor....
TairaMai rollin' on dubs from El Paso Tx Since: Jul, 2011 Relationship Status: Mu
rollin' on dubs
#10440: Sep 10th 2024 at 9:41:12 PM

Ookamikun - I posted awhile back about hubs and docks for my Windows 11 upgrade:

  • I did purchase this hub from Belkin the 11 port USB-C hub. Yes, eleven ports - HDMI, Displayport, Ethernet, SD mico and SD standard readers, USB/USB-C, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a VGA port in case a wild CRT appears. Connection Nirvana....
    • Of course, as soon as I met Cyber-Budda in the road, Windows 11 killed him. The dock I ordered comes with 2(!) SD slots (mini and standard). Windows 11 assigned drive letters D: and E: to those drives, breaking the links I had to D: drive I've imported from my old machine. Back then, D: was my media and archive drive. So I had to go into Windows 11 to force the external 3TB drive to be D: as opposed to H:. Windows 11 may default drive letters depending on what types of media you plug into it. This was confirmed when I added an old media card reader. It has 3 slots (2 for both sizes of SD and one for Sony Memory Stick). Windows gave it three drive letters.

I tried to walk like an Egyptian and now I need to see a Cairo practor....
VampireBuddha Calendar enthusiast from Ireland (Wise, aged troper) Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary
Calendar enthusiast
#10441: Sep 11th 2024 at 2:35:07 AM

What the heck are you and Windows playing at‽ D: is for your optical disk drive.

Ukrainian Red Cross
Kiefen MINE! from Germany Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: It's not my fault I'm not popular!
MINE!
#10442: Sep 11th 2024 at 3:13:56 AM

A + B are reserved for Floppy Disk drives, C for the OS partition, everything D and beyond should be assigned in order as they come.

You can manually re-assign a drive letter by right clicking your Start icon, select "disk management" and then right click the drive you want to change and select "change/assign drive letter".

If you have a hard path pointing to a drive that no longer exists you can create a "fake" drive by mounting a folder. You would have to open a powershell or cmd and enter the command:

ShinyCottonCandy Everyone's friend Malamar from Lumiose City (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Everyone's friend Malamar
#10443: Sep 11th 2024 at 6:04:04 AM

So, Macs can’t forget wi-fi connections without an administrator login. That is an impressive level of bad design.

My musician page
Kiefen MINE! from Germany Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: It's not my fault I'm not popular!
MINE!
#10444: Sep 11th 2024 at 6:06:26 AM

Mac's generally can't do much without admin rights, it is sort of a selling point of them that layman can't accidental break their stuff by clicking on a wrong thing.

Cibryll ~Serra~ from Lightning Crest (she/her) Since: Feb, 2022 Relationship Status: Squeeeeeeeeeeeee!
~Serra~
#10445: Sep 11th 2024 at 7:06:56 AM

A + B are reserved for Floppy Disk drives, C for the OS partition, everything D and beyond should be assigned in order as they come.
Does… anything even use floppy disk drives these days? 🤔

Honestly wondering if that sorta thing's gonna change in the future, now…

"Can you even read the blackboard written clear as can be?" / "Can you even read his mind? See that kid's lost fantasy?"
AngelusNox Warder of the damned from The guard of the gates of oblivion Since: Dec, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Warder of the damned
#10446: Sep 11th 2024 at 7:24:37 AM

I think some parts of the US defense sector uses really outdated hardware, but I am not sure about 3½ in floppy disks, specially with the constant reading errors those bastards were prone to.

Inter arma enim silent leges
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#10447: Sep 11th 2024 at 7:38:05 AM

The problem is that there's too much old code that depends on drive letters being in a specific order within the Windows OS. There's simply no point in trying to change it.

It's not like the typical user is going to run out of drive letters. Heck, I'd be hard-pressed to do it as a power user. Network shares don't even have to be mounted as drives in the modern Windows filesystem; you can refer to them as their canonical paths. Example: \\share \ myfiles. (without spaces, because TV Tropes markup doesn't like backslashes)

I'd imagine that the internal filesystem code doesn't use drive letters either; that's a translation for the convenience of users and applications that can't function without them.

Edited by Fighteer on Sep 11th 2024 at 10:43:15 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
AngelusNox Warder of the damned from The guard of the gates of oblivion Since: Dec, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Warder of the damned
#10448: Sep 11th 2024 at 8:04:30 AM

My college had to change its entire database and website because the original one was programed in COBOL and the only programmer that knew how to program and manage a COBOL based database.

Once she retired, they had to rush the new platform, it was clusterfuck but I found funny how many essential information and systems are being held together by one or two people who know a programing language that left the market for decades.

Inter arma enim silent leges
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#10449: Sep 11th 2024 at 8:44:27 AM

I am pretty sure I've been told that banks and other sensitive institutions often rely on such ancient systems because their obscurity makes it hard to hack them.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
AngelusNox Warder of the damned from The guard of the gates of oblivion Since: Dec, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Warder of the damned
#10450: Sep 11th 2024 at 9:31:50 AM

Honestly, I'd say it is the gargantuan costs and downtime associated with migrating from one standard to another.

The security is an added bonus, but given how we have seen major data leaks and critical information stored in simple .txt files, I really don't think it is due to opsec and more due to the sheer inertia related with operating the same database or OS for so long.

Inter arma enim silent leges

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