Computer Bad Luck Today

[JKnightandKARR]

I warned ya...I mean, the PC is back up and running. I was just discussing everything I went through to get there, which shouldn't have happened. I back my data up monthly. Restoring everything should have been the easy part.

Interesting. I learned from you so now find myself questioning things. I have not tested my own recovery discs. I made them and that was that. I have two Dell computers and they have the recovery tools included. I do still image the main drive every month.

I had a Dell desktop like 2005-2006, biggest hunk of junk I EVER owned. I installed a 3 1/4 FDD and it litterally threw a total fit about it.... I blame the design after that. First and LAST Dell product I will own.

[Chris Savage]

I had a Dell desktop like 2005-2006, biggest hunk of junk I EVER owned. I installed a 3 1/4 FDD and it litterally threw a total fit about it.... I blame the design after that. First and LAST Dell product I will own.

I stopped building custom computers in 2005 to go work at Parallax. After that I bought an Alienware, which, at the time was an independent computer company which made high-performance machines. The next Alienware I bought was after Dell had acquired the company. I enjoyed it so much I bought another (the PC shown in the previous photo). My development PC is a Dell. My laptop is an HP ZBook.

I ran my computer shop from ~1991 through March of 2005. In that time, the worst PCs I worked on were Compaq and HP, followed by Gateway, Toshiba (laptops) and Sony (laptops). While I did get a few Dell bad apples, most of the were pretty solid, even back when they were mostly proprietary. Dell has improved their quality so much that most places I have worked have used Dell computers. Most hospitals I have seen run Dell micro / mini PCs and two of the companies I worked for used Dell Compact Desktop computers. Companies that use a lot of laptops tend to use the HP business class units like mine or Lenovo (used to be IBM ThinkPad).

Not many choices these days. Like every company, Dell has sold it's share of lemons, but for now I technically have two, since the Alienware is a Dell subsidiary now. I helped my wife get an ASUS laptop with Windows 11. It's a newer PC and a great brand. It's SLOOOOOWWWW!!! My Windows 10 Dell refurb is much faster, even though it is much older. It also cost me 1/3 of her laptop.

As a note, when I build new computers I used MSI motherboards for the standard PCs and ASUS for the high-end PCs. I always use ASUS monitors. Usually Crucial, Corsair or Kingston memory, Intel CPUs, NVIDIA video cards and I sometimes switch between WD and Seagate for drives, although my newer machines have Samsung NVMe SSDs in them.

[JKnightandKARR]

I build my own computers, minus laptops.  I have my Asus Nitro 5, fixed now, too much thermal paste.....  probly shouldn't be electricly conductive...., and some thermal pads deteriorated on it....quality! and the Nitro 5's ones are known for lid closing sensor malfunction.... random sleep mode issue... windows setting should fix that with a quick disable, and an little bit older Win 7/8/10 era Dell gaming, problem with HDD in that one and battery issue...  my old ones are my favorite ones. Lol

[Chris Savage]

I build my own computers, minus laptops.  I have my Asus Nitro 5, fixed now, too much thermal paste.....  probly shouldn't be electricly conductive....

Solder paste is not supposed to be electrically conductive. 

as for building my own computers; Knight Designs Computers, my former computer business, ran from 1991 through 2005 when I moved to CA. The first years were spent repairing Commodore and Apple / Mac PCs. I also used to mod Commodore computers. But when Commodore went under, I scrambled to keep my business going by moving to PC repair. I had never even USED a PC at that time. I ended up buying a couple of pallets of "scrap" PCs from General Electric in Schenectady, NY. Mostly XT and 286 machines, which were before there was really a standard for things. But it allowed me to pay my rent and I kept going from there. I just got burned out after all those years.

Moving forward, I will build my own again. But this time, my focus will be on very small footprint PCs (probably microATX). Gone are the days of massive tower cases loaded with hard drives, etc. Now I just need a PC for more basic use. Chances are that I will eventually decommission my Alienware. That case is massive and weighs 62 pounds!

[JKnightandKARR]

I'd reuse the case lol

[Chris Savage]

I'd reuse the case lol

My problem is that I have a back injury which severely limits how much weight I can lift. A computer that weighs 62 pounds is hard to work on when you need to. Because it's so big, I usually try to hide it behind everything, as shown in the photo earlier in this thread. So just to work on it I have to disconnect a dozen or more cables and then pull it out of there.

Perhaps when I move I will be able to arrange things to make it easier to do maintenance. We'll see.

[JKnightandKARR]

Oh no doubt. My back hurts too

[Chris Savage]

So, I'm happy to report that 3 months later the PC is functioning well. I've started downsizing some of the crap I have installed on it to focus on my projects and start making videos again. I stopped playing World of Warcraft, so I uninstalled that. Probably got back 40+GB on my SSD. 

Time to backup again...

[JKnightandKARR]

Good! Is that just from 1 game?? Lol. Bad part is, in todays age, that would NOT surprise me a bit!  I need to get back on the Elder Scrolls Online.  I been wanting todo videos myself again, and thought of an electronics channel as well as my gaming.

[Chris Savage]

Good! Is that just from 1 game?? Lol. Bad part is, in todays age, that would NOT surprise me a bit!

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's around the size it took up. I have many games that are 10+GB. Most are FPS games, like the Call of Duty Modern Warfare / Black Ops games, or the Far Cry games. I have a few smaller ones like Portal, etc.

Just playing less games and trying to get more productivity done.

[JKnightandKARR]

I know that feeling.  I got ALOT of games, i been trying to get my desk done so i can continue my electronics stuff

[Chris Savage]

i been trying to get my desk done so i can continue my electronics stuff

We'll be moving any week now, and then I have to take everything apart, move it, and put it all back together again. So yeah, I feel your pain.