Computer issues, Viruses, trojans, crashes, install problems etc Options

[mirocu]

My secondary computer has Windows Millennium on it

Yikes!

And my third one has Windows 3.1 as you may recall

[Decrepit]

My secondary computer has Windows Millennium on it

Yikes!

And my third one has Windows 3.1 as you may recall

My fourth had Windows XP until yanked its hard drive and gave it to GoodWill. For now, my first and third run Win10, the secondary Win7, all three 64-bit, though some might argue that Win10 is a two-bit OS.)

[treydog]

Not sure what version of AppleSoft the IIe runs... I would need to fire it up to see...

[mirocu]

I'm really happy with my new graphics card. Works great and is in fact just as quiet (almost anyway) as when I used the onboard graphics on the computer while waiting for the new Geforce. It has two fans instead of one like the old card, I guess that allows it to run quieter with lower speed on two fans as opposed to high speed on one fan.


Quoting RinryGameGame: Happy gaming!

[Decrepit]

For those who, like me, have be plagued by Photobucket no longer showing embedded images in this and other forums, I stumbled on a solution that will work for many of us. It's a browser add-on available for Firefox, the browser I use. The add-on's home page mentions it being ported from Chrome, so in theory it's available for that browser too. Its name, unsurprisingly, is, at least the Firefox version, "Photobucket Embed Fix." (Who would've thought, eh?) Just tested it by visiting my Minecraft Forums "Hill Fort" thread, which houses a good many embedded Photobucket images. All are viewable again.

(Firefox users can find it easily via Tools/Add-ons, then search.)

[Decrepit]

Not a major issue but a pair of ironic minor snafus.

A couple of days before attending my uncle's funeral I had need to use the secondary computer for the first time in awhile. It booted up just fine. Its keyboard, however, didn't respond. I shut everything down and checked the case rear panel. Sure enough, the keyboard's PS/2 connector was loose, barely touching it's socket. It must have been like that since the technician converting my internet from DSL to U-verse reconfigured the computer room internet/phone wall socket last month, that socket being next to the PC case. Plugging the keyboard back into its receptacle fixed the problem. Not worth reporting, except that...

Fast forward to this past Saturday night. I'd returned from our trip to TN for the burial. It was close to normal bedtime. I had not planned to turn on my primary PC. But two bills arrived in the day's mail. I decided to write out payment checks and log the expense in my computerized finance ledger. The PC booted without issue...except its keyboard didn't respond. Unlike with my secondary computer, I had of course used the primary PC daily, including that very morning. A quick check showed its USB plug solidly in place. A restart didn't fix it. I shut everything down, removed and replugged the keyboard's connector, and fired up the PC. Solved. Again not worth mentioning, except for the coincidence of both PC keyboards suffering the same issue within so short a time period.

[ghastley]

If you're running Windows7 it may be a bug in the OS. I've been having issues with mouse or keyboard locking up. Sometimes unplugging and re-plugging fixes it, sometimes it doesn't. I thought it might be an issue with my Wacom tablet, but booting without it made no difference.

Colleagues at work have had similar issues (we all use Win 7 pro), which is making me think it's MS's problem, maybe in the USB drivers.

[Decrepit]

If you're running Windows7 it may be a bug in the OS. I've been having issues with mouse or keyboard locking up. Sometimes unplugging and re-plugging fixes it, sometimes it doesn't. I thought it might be an issue with my Wacom tablet, but booting without it made no difference.

Colleagues at work have had similar issues (we all use Win 7 pro), which is making me think it's MS's problem, maybe in the USB drivers.

My primary PC runs Win10 64-bit. This is the only time within the PC's nearly 3 month existence this has happened. I'm hoping that it's a one time fluke. Worse come to worst I hope the issue, if issue it is, is with the Keyboard rather than my motherboard.

[Decrepit]

Interesting YouTube video on "Why You Need to Stop Using Google". Me, I abandoned Google as a search engine for DuckDuckGo quite some time ago, and use Firefox rather than Chrome. Gotta admit I really liked Google Earth...until they restricted it's use to Chrome Browser not too long ago.

Speaking of browsers, as of now three Firefox add-ons I use are LEGACY and thus will not work with the upcoming release 57. There's an alternative for one of 'em, though it's not as full featured. I'm really gonna miss Classic Theme Restorer, for which there is no v57 alternative, my favorite add-on along with a good Ad Blocker.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Oct 6 2017, 06:41 PM

[Decrepit]

As a followup of sorts for my previous post I'm currently auditioning Brave Browser, which I knew nothing of until today. So far I'm rather impressed. It's got built in ad blocking (defeatable if preferred), transferred my Firefox settings and bookmarks like a chap (it even kept me logged in here!!!!!!), has a built in password remember function, lots of configuration options, tabs BELOW the address bar as I prefer, and in the little time I've used it has had no issues with the few sites I've visited (here and YouTube). There are things about it I like less than Firefox, but maybe I'll come around with time...or not.

It seems to have the ability to install add-ons, but I've not yet figured out how to find any. Maybe it's too new for extensions?????

Worth a look-see for sure, imo.

[mirocu]

I may look into that at some point, Decrepit. Sounds interesting



As for me I have now gotten the correct cable between the new graphics card and the screen and finally the image is once again crystal clear!

[Decrepit]

My audition of Brave Browser didn't last long. Nothing overtly wrong with it. In fact I like quite a lot about it. But when all is said and done, at this stage of the game I prefer Firefox with a number of add-ons. We'll see if that still holds true when release 57 hits next month, as two of my favorite add-ons become obsolete at that time, with no replacements yet in sight. (On the plus side, a third favorite add-on recently announced that it should soon be v57 compatible.) Too, Brave is still fairly new and will surely fine tune itself as time passes.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Oct 8 2017, 09:04 PM

[mirocu]

Played some Oblivion yesterday, trying to adjust the settings so it would look like before. Easier said than done, no matter what I did I couldn't get the lighting correct. I pushed light and contrast all the way up and I still had pitch black areas outside, in daylight. Granted, Lothran was in Blackwood, but it's not supposed to be pitch black.

I was at the point where the screen was way too bright while still having those totally black areas. Then I decided to not be a simpleton and adjusted the Brightness setting in the Video menu....

[mirocu]

Had an issue with wavey lines when playing my games after I changed graphics card. They were only visable in darker areas and I did not have those before changing the card.

Seems like my issue stemmed from wrong screen setting. I had 1280x1024 when it appeared I needed 1280x960 and now when I think about it, I do believe that's what I had before as well. I entered Fallout 3 briefly and went to a dark location on Rivet City and presto - no wavey lines!

[mirocu]

The wavey lines are gone but I still had an issue with the brightness in both Oblivion and Fallout 3. The issue was that while it was too bright in the menus and in daylight, it was too dark at night and in caves. The problem contradicted itself which was why I couldn't adjust the settings to get it right.

But just now I looked at Nvidia's settings and noticed something about limited and unlimited dynamic area output. Didn't make much sense to me but I read the descriptions and it turned out that having it set to unlimited, which I had, made dark things darker and bright things brighter. So I set it to limited, made a small adjustment to the contrast and entered Oblivion. And now I finally have it as I want it!

[Acadian]

Whew! Glad puter's graphics bits are happy again!

[mirocu]

Whew! Glad puter's graphics bits are happy again!

This is why I hate change I didn't ask for; it messes things up and forces me to think

[mALX]

For those who, like me, have be plagued by Photobucket no longer showing embedded images in this and other forums, I stumbled on a solution that will work for many of us. It's a browser add-on available for Firefox, the browser I use. The add-on's home page mentions it being ported from Chrome, so in theory it's available for that browser too. Its name, unsurprisingly, is, at least the Firefox version, "Photobucket Embed Fix." (Who would've thought, eh?) Just tested it by visiting my Minecraft Forums "Hill Fort" thread, which houses a good many embedded Photobucket images. All are viewable again.

(Firefox users can find it easily via Tools/Add-ons, then search.)

GAAAAAAH! Oh, I hope I can find it for Chrome! Thank you so much for this bit of info!

Not a major issue but a pair of ironic minor snafus.

A couple of days before attending my uncle's funeral I had need to use the secondary computer for the first time in awhile. It booted up just fine. Its keyboard, however, didn't respond. I shut everything down and checked the case rear panel. Sure enough, the keyboard's PS/2 connector was loose, barely touching it's socket. It must have been like that since the technician converting my internet from DSL to U-verse reconfigured the computer room internet/phone wall socket last month, that socket being next to the PC case. Plugging the keyboard back into its receptacle fixed the problem. Not worth reporting, except that...

Fast forward to this past Saturday night. I'd returned from our trip to TN for the burial. It was close to normal bedtime. I had not planned to turn on my primary PC. But two bills arrived in the day's mail. I decided to write out payment checks and log the expense in my computerized finance ledger. The PC booted without issue...except its keyboard didn't respond. Unlike with my secondary computer, I had of course used the primary PC daily, including that very morning. A quick check showed its USB plug solidly in place. A restart didn't fix it. I shut everything down, removed and replugged the keyboard's connector, and fired up the PC. Solved. Again not worth mentioning, except for the coincidence of both PC keyboards suffering the same issue within so short a time period.

Urk, it does sound connected somehow. (like if one is working, the other one won't, etc).

I may look into that at some point, Decrepit. Sounds interesting



As for me I have now gotten the correct cable between the new graphics card and the screen and finally the image is once again crystal clear!

Bold: HA! No, you won't! But I am leary of new stuff too, so will wait out the early stages while brave people like Decrepit test out all the new stuff and I stay with my old comfortable standby, (until it is proven to be a solid investment years later)

The wavey lines are gone but I still had an issue with the brightness in both Oblivion and Fallout 3. The issue was that while it was too bright in the menus and in daylight, it was too dark at night and in caves. The problem contradicted itself which was why I couldn't adjust the settings to get it right.

But just now I looked at Nvidia's settings and noticed something about limited and unlimited dynamic area output. Didn't make much sense to me but I read the descriptions and it turned out that having it set to unlimited, which I had, made dark things darker and bright things brighter. So I set it to limited, made a small adjustment to the contrast and entered Oblivion. And now I finally have it as I want it!

Thank goodness! Seems like those graphics cards would come pre-set to the normal type settings; and this is exactly why I don't dabble inside my PC but take it to the shop,

[mirocu]

Well, I might! If IE suddenly doesn't do it for me

[mALX]

Well, I might! If IE suddenly doesn't do it for me

But yeah, I don't like change either; and will only initiate change when it has been tried and proven to be a valid alternative. But hey, at least I moved from IE to Chrome a couple years ago, Been happy with the change until just recently; Chrome has started adding things (to MY computer!) that monitor my browsing in order to gear advertising to my interests = I don't like that at all. When I type what I want to see TODAY on YouTube, I don't expect today's request to be interspersed with what I requested last week. I had it removed twice; and twice it has bypassed Norton to reinstall itself. Grrrrr.

So actually, right now I am a bit iffy on how long I will remain with Chrome, but it will take another browser proving to me that they won't do the same thing.