Computer operating systems

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Re: Computer operating systems

Post by xantia_v6 »

From time to time I need to do some remote debugging on the forum server, for which I use xdebug on the server and slickedit as the local front-end. Sometimes I run a Linux PC here but at the moment Widows 10 is more convenient. Because I have a 300ms round-trip time to the server, debugging sessions are a little bit slow (it makes you think about debugging strategy).

I used the debugger a few days ago, and it was limping along at its usual speed with a second or two delay to each command, but this morning, I started the debugger, and the front-end immediately locked up and became non-responsive, and did this each time I retried, I used all the usual tricks of restarting the VPN and tunnel, even rebooted the PC.
I happened to leave the application in the locked up state while I wnet outside for 15 minutes, and the application was responsive again, but locked up at the first debug command.

After a bit of head scratching I opened the windows task manager, and noted that the MS antimalware app was using about 25% of the CPU, and after 10 minutes, when the debugger responded, the antimalware stopped using CPU. I disabled the realtime scan, and the debugger now works as it always did, slowly but surely. I note that the antimalware app had an update overnight.
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Re: Computer operating systems

Post by myglaren »

My youngest son has destroyed four laptops in six years.
His last one folded a couple of weeks ago, just as he was about to move into his own house.
Loaned him a Linux laptop that had never had a problem since it was bought - about five years ago.
Three days later it is cabbaged, won't boot.
Won't reinstall either, hard drive corrupt by the looks of it.
Ran it from a dongle (Ubuntu, first one I came to)
Worked for a couple of days then that was kaput, dongle corrupt :(
Booted it from a Linux Mint dongle and it has been working OK up to now - round at his place now.
I bought him a new HP laptop, delivered this morning - painlessly by Hermes no less :)

He wanted me to set it up for him as he struggles with such stuff - he works nights so was in the land of Morpheus by the time it arrived.
Went to set it up for him, first niggle was Cortana, don't like it one bit, far more irritating than Alexa.
Got a few minutes into it and it wants his email address and password.
The first is easy, the second not so much, I doubt that even he knows what it is since it was set up years ago.
So the damned thing is just sitting there doing bugger all until he reappears at about half past eight this evening, he starts work at nine.
Bloody Windows, I absolutely despise it now. Big Brother incarnate.
Linux would have been downloaded and installed in less time that it took to get to the brick wall of the stupid email address requirement.

A pox on Microsoft and all who sail in her :evil:
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Re: Computer operating systems

Post by Gibbo2286 »

Get on with ya, nowt wrong with Windows 10 and Edge. :-D I've never moved from Microsoft since 95, been through them all and never got frustrated with any although I've read all the whinging from many.

On another subject someone up the thread said he fixed mobile phones I wonder if he could tell me how to make my LG306G 'feature' phone into something better than the brick it currently is.
It's locked to US company (TracFone) and they won't release it because it wasn't used on their system for a full year, there have been lots of suggestions about how to get around that none work and the 'ten attempts and it's buggered' set up has all been used up.
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Re: Computer operating systems

Post by myglaren »

Nothing will seduce me back to Windows.
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Re: Computer operating systems

Post by white exec »

I have a small Windows quandary, too.

Have two Dell Inspiron towers, both working fine, and with lots of disk space.
One (64bit) runs Win7, the other (32bit) Vista (!).
Dell PC spec.JPG
Need to move to Win10.
Both capable of running it, but would need to buy two Win10 packages to upgrade, at about £100 each for non-risky ones.
Or should I but two new Dells (about £300 apiece), which come ready-loaded with Win10 ?

Understand the free Win7→10 upgrade, although officially finished, can still be done.
I do have the product ID's (OEM) for both the current packages.
Just don't want to screw up!
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Re: Computer operating systems

Post by Gibbo2286 »

I did mine when it was on offer but I understand from the 'geeks' that you can simply download W10 for free and it will still install and activate with a Win 7 or 8 key.
It seems Microsoft are just letting it happen...……….for now.
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Re: Computer operating systems

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Chris - be wary over those OEM product ID's - unless you have the actual Microsoft product key. The MS keys are never shown in the 'About' section. They are generally attached to the PC on a physical label - but be wary.

Use this link with a download to the Ultimate PID checker that does all Windows versions prior to 10. That should indicate if your Licence is valid before proceeding.

https://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Sy ... cker.shtml
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Re: Computer operating systems

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

Might I make two suggestions? First, get an 8GB USB stick (maybe two of them). Second, when (or if) you decide to download Windows 10, select the option that allows you to install it on a different machine. This then allows you to use a storage medium, such as that 8GB stick. You then can, if you need to, re-install Windows at a later date without needing a separate system to download it with.
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Re: Computer operating systems

Post by myglaren »

Stupidarse windaz!
Put his password in and it wouldn't have it, appears to want a microsoft account.
Of course he'd taken the car and gone to work so stuck again until 07:20 now!

Did I mention how much I despise Windows :evil:
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Re: Computer operating systems

Post by white exec »

myglaren wrote: 18 Apr 2019, 21:30 Did I mention how much I despise Windows :evil:
I think you did . . . :wink:

Thanks for the help everyone.
Was already feeling wary of using an OEM key, or some of the disk versions of Win10, some of which (on Amazon) turn out to have already been activated by previous buyers :-s .

May well just replace the kit, with Win10 already on board.
The 64-bit was purchased through Amazon in 2012, and the 32bit direct from Dell a couple of years before that. Both have run faultlessly, so I can't complain.
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Re: Computer operating systems

Post by Gibbo2286 »

Have a look on Ebay for a cheapo computer with Win 10 already installed, sometimes cheaper than buying the Win 10 discs.
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Re: Computer operating systems

Post by myglaren »

Installed the new Ubuntu (19.04)
20 minutes to install including reformatting the partition on a dual-boot drive.
Five minutes to synch Firefox and open up all my usual tabs.

:mrgreen:
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Re: Computer operating systems

Post by dragen »

I finally ditched windows and went linux mint on the laptop, piece of cake, been real happy. Had long migrated to all open-souce software, and wasn't needing proprietary software in my work environ's anymore. Got over the changing windoze environment, changing or deleting of shortcuts, etc. Glitch and bump free on the mint... :-)
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Re: Computer operating systems

Post by GiveMeABreak »

I dabbled with mint as a dual boot OS last year, but it was a battle getting any of my specific software to work, so gave up on it as it really didn't do anything I wanted. I have just reinstalled a new copy of Windows 10 Pro as last time I did an in place upgrade and was never happy with it. I've removed all the bloat and crapware and disabled all the services I don't use and it runs fine and dandy now.

Mint isn't really any good as an alternative if you need to use mainstream software regularly as I do. I think from the comments I read at the time, they said Mint was not the flavour to win over W10 users as there were too many glitches and it was not a good model to convince people to move. I have to agree. I may revisit at a later date to see if there have been significant improvements.
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Re: Computer operating systems

Post by myglaren »

No problems with Mint here - I run it as dual-boot on the desktop and stand alone on two laptops.
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