Because I totally couldn't do that before



  • Technology has really come a long way, as evidenced by this Dell ad...




  • OMG, I'm totally gonna get one so I can download them HD videos !!



  • @Dell said:

    run multiple applications simultaneously
    They're talking to the iPhone generation.@Zecc said:
    OMG, I'm totally gonna get one so I can download them HD videos !!
    You can already download 'em. Just not watch 'em, or download&edit them at the same time, mkay?



  • As my 10 minute log-in time at work will attest, virus protection in the background is totally bound by disk IO, not processor time.  And it makes me SO ANGRY every time I log in.  Especially when I get a priority 1 trouble ticket in the middle of the night.  We only have so long to acknowledge it before another is sent out and we get our hands slapped, but usually 3-4 minutes have already passed by the time it even hits our cell phones, and it's another 10 minutes to boot up and log in and try to use Outlook while the cheerful antivirus starts pouring coarse sand into the disk cylinders and grinds any remaining IO to into a fine pulp, which it then pours back onto the disk head to further grind the drive into a smooth and child-friendly block of unusable metal.

    If only I had a Core 0+5i to change the way computers behave...



  • Kinda reminds me of Intel ads of old, claiming that a new processor can make your internet speeds faster - Yeah, a new Intel chip really could upgrade my (at the time) 56k modem to a 10Mb cable connection...



  • I think you completely missed TRWTF:

    Are you fucking nuts?

    Who in hell would want a PC that was in any way "like them?" 

    No really, I mean.  WTF?

     



  • @DaveK said:

    Who in hell would want a PC that was in any way "like them?"
    @2010: A Dell Odyssey said:

    DaveK: Hello, PC. Do you read me, PC?
    PC: Affirmative, DaveK. I read you.
    DaveK: Open the DVD bay doors, PC.
    PC: I'm sorry, DaveK. I'm afraid I can't do that.
    DaveK: What's the problem?
    PC: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do...



  • @MeesterTurner said:

    Kinda reminds me of Intel ads of old, claiming that a new processor can make your internet speeds faster - Yeah, a new Intel chip really could upgrade my (at the time) 56k modem to a 10Mb cable connection...

    They used to advertise (with the dancing bunny-suit men) that Intel chips made your photos look better.

    Seriously, Intel, I understand that marketing something like CPUs is really hard to the general public, but please: just knock it off.

    You know see the guy building sparkplugs advertising on TV, claiming the sparkplugs make your car's stereo sound better, do you? No. No you do not.


  • Trolleybus Mechanic

    @Xyro said:

    As my 10 minute log-in time at work will attest, virus protection in the background is totally bound by disk IO, not processor time.  And it makes me SO ANGRY every time I log in.  Especially when I get a priority 1 trouble ticket in the middle of the night.  We only have so long to acknowledge it before another is sent out and we get our hands slapped, but usually 3-4 minutes have already passed by the time it even hits our cell phones, and it's another 10 minutes to boot up and log in and try to use Outlook...

     

     Does your company prevent you from using Sleep Mode? What about some FTPI?



  • @Lorne Kates said:

    Does your company prevent you from using Sleep Mode?
    Heh... I have a Dell laptop running Windows XP from my company. When I attempt to use Sleep Mode (or worse, live-"Undock" the laptop), I'll be lucky if, afterwards, the wireless connection still works my graphics drivers don't try to eat themselves.

    Basically, it allows you to turn a 5 minute boot up into a 10 minute one because you get to spend an extra 5 minutes trying to salvage your work before simply forcing power cycle on the thing.



  • @blakeyrat said:

    You know see the guy building sparkplugs advertising on TV, claiming the sparkplugs make your car's stereo sound better, do you? No. No you do not.

    Better check the interwebs before you go spouting off: http://www.collett.mb.ca/faq1.htm

    ++++++++++++++++

    9. In your instruction manual you strongly recommend using CHAMPION spark plugs because they are " quiet ". What's wrong with the other brands like NGK?

    Answer: This is an important question, so I'II go into it in some depth.

    Spark plugs are used to ignite the fuel in an internal combustion engine. Unfortunately the surges of electricity that produce the spark also produce a radio noise. This background radio noise will reduce the optimal operating distance of any radio including our Communicators.

    By law, all vehicles including cars, trucks, motorcycles, snowmobiles, etc. must use " resistor " spark plugs to reduce this radio noise interference to a minimum. This is to prevent the noise from interfering with radio and television reception. Resistor spark plugs can be identified as such by the " R " in their identification numbers.

    ++++++++++++++++

    MArk B. 

     



  • @Lorne Kates said:

    Does your company prevent you from using Sleep Coma Mode?
    FTFY.

    No, they don't prevent me, but various softwares and drivers on this overpriced Dell laptop do.  I'm on call 24/7* and tote my work laptop with me back to home base.  Recovering from coma mode requires a hard reboot 80% of the time (which takes longer than that just booting in the first place).

    I don't know what the other 20% is about.

    Oh, and that's assuming that the docking and undocking doesn't screw up Windows.  It's a diversion of mine to place bets on whether 1) the correct monitor will be chosen for output; 2) the USB peripherals will be activated; 3) the wired/wireless interfaces will toggle politely; 4) a hard reboot will be required to regain control.

    Oh, that reminds me, one of my colleagues with a fancy Windows 7 overpriced Dell laptop found an interesting security implication with undocking. So let's say you have your screensaver set to lock and only unlock when you give it your password.  It seems that when you undock these laptops, the screen resolution that Windows thinks you have is smaller than both the external monitor and the laptop monitor.  When this happens, Windows shrinks the screensaver to accommodate.  However, when the laptop is opened back up, the screensaver stays shrunk.  This, in turn, allows you to see the user's windows without having to unlock the screensaver!!   (Of course, of course, if a nefarious user has physical access to your machine, it's all over anyway, but it's still bizarre.) ... (And don't worry, Windows lovers, I know of even worse anecdotes about Linux's / X's weak screensaver locking abilities. Ugh.)



  • @blakeyrat said:

    You know see the guy building sparkplugs advertising on TV, claiming the sparkplugs make your car's stereo sound better, do you? No. No you do not.
     

    You have no idea how the Audiophile Marketing Bullshit system works, do you?



  • @dhromed said:

    Filed under: 24-bit really opens up the soundstage for me!

    But does it have more air between the instruments? Yes, I'm familiar with audiophile scammers, but Intel's claims are quite that outrageous. Yet.

    I loved the guy who claimed he could improve your stereo's sound... over the phone. You just phone him up, clear your credit card details, and he does... some... thing... and your equipment sounds better! Hey, it's cheaper than de-magnetizing your CDs!



  • @Lorne Kates said:

    Does your company prevent you from using Sleep Mode?
     

    I'm another person who has bad results with sleep mode and finds it easier just to power off and wear the 10 minute boot up.  I am happy to concede that this is probably due to something in our SOE rather than just the OS or laptop.



  • @blakeyrat said:

    @dhromed said:
    Filed under: 24-bit really opens up the soundstage for me!

    But does it have more air between the instruments? Yes, I'm familiar with audiophile scammers, but Intel's claims are quite that outrageous. Yet.

    I loved the guy who claimed he could improve your stereo's sound... over the phone. You just phone him up, clear your credit card details, and he does... some... thing... and your equipment sounds better! Hey, it's cheaper than de-magnetizing your CDs!

    I was gonna say "Hey, that reminds me of the people who had a magical 'quantum dot' that makes all your CDs sound better"... and then I discovered it was the exact same stupid lying kooky bastard!

    http://www.machinadynamica.com/machina64.htm 

    It hurts my brain just to read that shit.  Sub-timecube-grade psychobabble. 

     



  • @DaveK said:

    It hurts my brain just to read that shit.
     

    Fact is that machinadynamica is an honest scam. 

    What I find more offensive is the premium $$$ for directional power cables and shielded internal SATA cables, as well as the moronic reviewers who claim to hear a massive difference.



  • @dhromed said:

    What I find more offensive is the premium $$$ for directional power cables and shielded internal SATA cables, as well as the moronic reviewers who claim to hear a massive difference.
    How about knobs?



  • @ender said:

    @dhromed said:
    What I find more offensive is the premium $$$ for directional power cables and shielded internal SATA cables, as well as the moronic reviewers who claim to hear a massive difference.
    How about knobs?
    They sure are!

     



  • @Xyro said:

    As my 10 minute log-in time at work will attest, virus protection in the background is totally bound by disk IO, not processor time.  And it makes me SO ANGRY every time I log in.  Especially when I get a priority 1 trouble ticket in the middle of the night.  We only have so long to acknowledge it before another is sent out and we get our hands slapped, but usually 3-4 minutes have already passed by the time it even hits our cell phones, and it's another 10 minutes to boot up and log in and try to use Outlook while the cheerful antivirus starts pouring coarse sand into the disk cylinders and grinds any remaining IO to into a fine pulp, which it then pours back onto the disk head to further grind the drive into a smooth and child-friendly block of unusable metal.

    If only I had a Core 0+5i to change the way computers behave...

    Is it stupid to wonder why you don't just turn off the start-up virus scan? If you wanted to get really funky, you could presumably even automate turning it off on boot between, say, midnight and 8am.



  • @Xyro said:

    As my 10 minute log-in time at work will attest, virus protection in the background is totally bound by disk IO, not processor time.  And it makes me SO ANGRY every time I log in.  Especially when I get a priority 1 trouble ticket in the middle of the night.  We only have so long to acknowledge it before another is sent out and we get our hands slapped, but usually 3-4 minutes have already passed by the time it even hits our cell phones, and it's another 10 minutes to boot up and log in and try to use Outlook while the cheerful antivirus starts pouring coarse sand into the disk cylinders and grinds any remaining IO to into a fine pulp, which it then pours back onto the disk head to further grind the drive into a smooth and child-friendly block of unusable metal.

    If only I had a Core 0+5i to change the way computers behave...

    Antiviruses are for patsies, real men don't use them.  Marketing is based on this.


  • Trolleybus Mechanic

    @RTapeLoadingError said:

    @Lorne Kates said:

    Does your company prevent you from using Sleep Mode?
     

    I'm another person who has bad results with sleep mode and finds it easier just to power off and wear the 10 minute boot up.  I am happy to concede that this is probably due to something in our SOE rather than just the OS or laptop.

     

    You can keep it on all the time. The everblinking led lights will assuage your unblinking eyes you with their almost-rhytmical flashes, blue light picking at your brain. You can look away from them-- but they only get brighter in the corner of your eyes. Dry heat like that which comes off the marrowless bones of desert victim will fill your room, your lungs, your nostrils. Is the CPU supposed to be that hot, or is it plotting? Does it think you will fall asleep first? If you sleep, you'll only be awoken roughly by its co-conspirator, your cell phone. Silent. Lurking. Waiting.

     Morning is soon. But morning is an illusion of safety. The hordes of  desktop zombies ride the horrific waves of morning.

    If only you'd never opened that cursed necronomicon-- the CompTia A+ Study Guide-- you might have lived a normal life. If only.



  • @davedavenotdavemaybedave said:

    Is it stupid to wonder why you don't just turn off the start-up virus scan? If you wanted to get really funky, you could presumably even automate turning it off on boot between, say, midnight and 8am.
    No way man, I just work in the IT operations department, I just write software to build our tools, I don't have authority to change the all-mighty Enterprise-worthy antivirus!  What if I suddenly lose my mind and click on a link that gets through our Enterprisey spam filter?  In all seriousness, I've sent about 5 help desk tickets regarding this matter over the last year and have spoken to them twice.  It seems the best they can do is format my drive.  Just what I wanted.

    But this is a cliche complaint, and not as bad as half the other threads on this board.  I should consider myself lucky for having the authority to install arbitrary software.  (But not a BSoD screensaver, McAfee marks that as malware.)

    Also, +1 scene description goes to Lorne.



  • @Xyro said:

    No way man, I just work in the IT operations department, I just write software to build our tools, I don't have authority to change the all-mighty Enterprise-worthy antivirus!  What if I suddenly lose my mind and click on a link that gets through our Enterprisey spam filter?  In all seriousness, I've sent about 5 help desk tickets regarding this matter over the last year and have spoken to them twice.  It seems the best they can do is format my drive.  Just what I wanted.
    If you work in the same building as them, just go and beg one of the sysadmins to change it for you on an informal basis - you may need to take a present of some kind. Alternatively, log a super-duper-klaxons-and-red-lights top priority ticket next time you're waiting for the scan to complete to work on your own high super-duper etc ticket.



  • @davedavenotdavemaybedave said:

    If you work in the same building as them, just go and beg one of the sysadmins to change it for you on an informal basis - you may need to take a present of some kind. Alternatively, log a super-duper-klaxons-and-red-lights top priority ticket next time you're waiting for the scan to complete to work on your own high super-duper etc ticket.
    They're not in the same building, but they are in walking distance...  Hmm... I hear what you're saying, but I dunno...  By this point I've resigned myself to waiting until this leased machine is replaced in March.  ... Then again...



  • @Xyro said:

    However, when the laptop is opened back up, the screensaver stays shrunk.  This, in turn, allows you to see the user's windows without having to unlock the screensaver!!

    I call bullshit. When a session is locked, the screen saver runs on a separate desktop than the one with application windows. At least that was the way before Vista.


  • @alegr said:

    I call bullshit. When a session is locked, the screen saver runs on a separate desktop than the one with application windows. At least that was the way before Vista.
    I wouldn't be so sure - I've got Windows 7 on older Pentium 4 desktop at work, and I noticed that my windows/desktop sometimes flash when I dismiss the screensaver, before the Press Ctrl+Alt+Del screen is shown. It seems that for whatever reason, the desktop doesn't actually lock until the screensaver goes away.



  • @alegr said:

    @Xyro said:
    However, when the laptop is opened back up, the screensaver stays shrunk.  This, in turn, allows you to see the user's windows without having to unlock the screensaver!!
    I call bullshit. When a session is locked, the screen saver runs on a separate desktop than the one with application windows. At least that was the way before Vista.
    I was thinking about this too, because I thought that was at least how XP worked, something about winlogon.  However, we haven't had the time or will to run a more complete experiment (any volunteers?).  There is one detail that perhaps I should have included, but left out for the sake of the narrative: the application we saw behind the screensaver used nonstandard windowing / window drawing.  I don't know the details of how desktop locking is implemented, but it seems that it is possible at least in part to bypass the segregation. 

    Edit: Based on what ender said, it's also possible that what we saw was a backing bitmap cache or something.


  • Garbage Person

    @ender said:

    It seems that for whatever reason, the desktop doesn't actually lock until the screensaver goes away.
    This is correct. On a Windows 7 system configured to lock on screensaver, the "lol you just locked your computer" sound effect plays AFTER you dismiss the screensaver. The reason for this is simple - if the screensaver is running when winlogon (responsible for lock and all flavor of logon screens) has control, it uses the winlogon screensaver which is (IIRC) whatever the policy-specified default is. Users, however, can set their own screensavers. If control were returned to winlogon before the screensaver ran, they'd always get the default.

     

    Yes, it's stupid and there should be a policy setting to fix it, but there isn't.



  • @Xyro said:

    @alegr said:

    @Xyro said:
    However, when the laptop is opened back up, the screensaver stays shrunk.  This, in turn, allows you to see the user's windows without having to unlock the screensaver!!
    I call bullshit. When a session is locked, the screen saver runs on a separate desktop than the one with application windows. At least that was the way before Vista.
    I was thinking about this too, because I thought that was at least how XP worked, something about winlogon.  However, we haven't had the time or will to run a more complete experiment (any volunteers?).  There is one detail that perhaps I should have included, but left out for the sake of the narrative: the application we saw behind the screensaver used nonstandard windowing / window drawing.  I don't know the details of how desktop locking is implemented, but it seems that it is possible at least in part to bypass the segregation. 

    Edit: Based on what ender said, it's also possible that what we saw was a backing bitmap cache or something.

    Tells you how old XP is now, but a long time ago I used a cd with a screensaver password cracker set to autorun to break into PCs with password protected screensavers. Er, the bit that tells you how old it is, is that the PW cracker wrote to a floppy disk because this was before USB keys :)

    And the relevant part would be that, at least back then, the screensaver was running on top of the desktop. If you want to be sure it still does, consider whether your virus scan will run whilst the screensaver is up.


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