WTF Bites
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@boomzilla said in WTF Bites:
@Mason_Wheeler said in WTF Bites:
@boomzilla Is this an earth-73 thing? Because in the real world, actually working at all is a necessary but not sufficient precondition for "working better."
Hahaha! Guess which OS refuses to acknowledge one of my monitors this morning! Did you guess Windows 10? Because that's the one.
Yeah, I had that happen once at work. Turned out to be a failing monitor cable. Unplugging and re-plugging it worked for a while. Eventually that stopped working entirely, but replacing the cable fixed it.
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@boomzilla My work computer is a laptop. At my desk at work there's a dock with two monitors connected. Most of the time, plugging the computer into the dock works fine and both monitors work the way they should. But sometimes, one of them doesn't chooch, or worse, the image appears on (laptop screen|monitor 1|monitor 2) but the computer doesn't respond to anything until I undock it, and sometimes I have to restart before anything works with the dock.
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@hungrier yeah. Required multiple restarts / replugs of the dock. Interestingly, replugging the monitor cable between the dock and the KVM caused some activity on the power indicator on the monitor but not enough for Windows to notice anything on the other end.
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Experience from the weekend shows that Windows on a laptop is still completely broken. Including:
- Randomly shutting down while the lid is closed
- Requiring a second reboot upon booting after such a shutdown, as the keyboard and mouse got all unresponsive
- Thinking that the charger was connected when it wasn't
- Not detecting a plugged in headphone correctly
Did not test plugging in a screen and closing the lid, but I assume it would still not work as expected, considering the Alienware laptops that Intel used for an esports tournament that were sitting open with an external screen connected, as Intel was all about laptop gaming with Intel
8th9th10th gen laptop CPUs with Intel Iris Pro graphics at Dreamhack.(Said laptops did a non-work and caused the match to be suspended for 30 minutes while they replaced the computers. After the break they were all gone at least.)
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Randomly shutting down while the lid is closed
Never had that. But mine will wake up (for updates obviously!) while the lid is closed and then never go back to sleep.
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@dcon Yeah, I had that too. Bonus points of it does it while in a bag and overheats and/or runs out of battery during the process.
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@Mason_Wheeler said in WTF Bites:
I opened up my computer, connected to the wi-fi,
pulled up a movie on Amazon Instant Video, connected the computer to the TV's HDMI, and it worked exactly as expected on the first trythen Windows Update started to install updates and we couldn't watch the movie.FTFY
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@Rhywden late reply, but that sounds like every professional development (ie teacher training) meeting I've ever been to. Although I did do a week-long course for new AP Physics teachers that was only mind numbing (and depressing seeing the other teachers struggling to do simple problems) rather than outright awful. There were at least a few good ideas. Just not 8 hours/day x 4 days worth.
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I installed the newest version of Blender on my work PC, to do a quick model design for a small work-related 3D printing project. Not only did they move everything around compared to whatever ancient version I have at home, they screwed up units. My printer works in millimeters, so I always make sure to set units to millimeters before I begin modeling. I did that on the new version, but when I sent my STL file to the slicer, my model was in micrometers instead.
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@mott555
You should have subscribed to the drawing CDN monthly service.
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I installed the newest version of Blender on my work PC, to do a quick model design for a small work-related 3D printing project. Not only did they move everything around compared to whatever ancient version I have at home, they screwed up units.
Wait 'til you see what they did to layers and scenes.
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plugging in a screen and closing the lid, but I assume it would still not work as expected
Given that the screen being open is a not-insignificant part of the thermal design of the laptop, I would expect it to do exactly what it normally does and enter sleep mode/shut down when the lid is closed, regardless of whether an external display is connected.
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@sloosecannon I'd expect it to be dependent on the "What closing the lid does" power option setting.
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@HardwareGeek said in WTF Bites:
@sloosecannon I'd expect it to be dependent on the "What closing the lid does" power option setting.
Fair enough.
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@sloosecannon said in WTF Bites:
Given that the screen being open is a not-insignificant part of the thermal design of the laptop, I would expect it to do exactly what it normally does and enter sleep mode/shut down when the lid is closed, regardless of whether an external display is connected.
Then can you explain to me why Windows will go into sleep mode when the lid is closed even with an external screen/keyboard/mouse connected, but will happily wake it up from sleep with the lid closed to install updates, something that tends to make the CPU run extra hard compared to normal use?
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@HardwareGeek said in WTF Bites:
@sloosecannon I'd expect it to be dependent on the "What closing the lid does" power option setting.
Last time I checked, that setting has no intelligence attached to it. So if I want to be able to close the lid with an external monitor connected and be able to keep using the computer I have to manually put it into sleep mode every time I close the lid without an external monitor connected. Whereas MacOS and Linux will automatically go into sleep mode if no external monitor is connected and switch to the external monitor exclusively if one is connected.
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if one is connected.
Sounds like we simply need another pair of dropdowns for when this is true, and all will be solved!
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Goddammit, Google! So I am logged into two accounts. Just the wrong one is set as the default account to use. Normally, opening a file on Drive will ask if I want to use the other account when it sees I don't have permission, but not every time. So I want to change the default account so it tries the most used one first. Is there an option to change the default? Nope! Can I log out from the current default to make the other the new default? Nope, can only log out from ALL accounts, not allowed to just log out from a single one of them. Grr.
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@sloosecannon said in WTF Bites:
Given that the screen being open is a not-insignificant part of the thermal design of the laptop, I would expect it to do exactly what it normally does and enter sleep mode/shut down when the lid is closed, regardless of whether an external display is connected.
Then can you explain to me why Windows will go into sleep mode when the lid is closed even with an external screen/keyboard/mouse connected, but will happily wake it up from sleep with the lid closed to install updates, something that tends to make the CPU run extra hard compared to normal use?
Because the people that wrote that particular (stupid) part of Windows Update aren't the same ones who decided the (not stupid) default should be "go to sleep when the lid is closed"? Don't try to make me defend Windows Update here, that's an entirely unrelated strawman.
The laptop is put into sleep mode by default, when you close the lid, because attaching an external monitor does nothing to change the cooling properties and help prevent overheating damage from using the computer improperly. If you really want to
and use it anyways, you can change the setting, but considering you're already in an edge case scenario that's likely to cause hardware damage there's no reason to make that more convenient.TL;DR: Windows doesn't encourage that kind of setup because it's a Bad Idea and adding a setting to enable it is just going to make it easy to do things wrong.
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So I am logged into two accounts.
I would never risk that. I have a separate browser profile for each (and these days, they are different browsers, since I've switched back to FF for the personal one, but didn't bother for the work one, so that's still Chromium).
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@sloosecannon said in WTF Bites:
Given that the screen being open is a not-insignificant part of the thermal design of the laptop, I would expect it to do exactly what it normally does and enter sleep mode/shut down when the lid is closed, regardless of whether an external display is connected.
Really? I've never heard anything about that. Still, sometimes keyboards do get a little warm, so it's not entirely surprising.
@sloosecannon said in WTF Bites:
If you really want to
and use it anyways, you can change the setting, but considering you're already in an edge case scenario that's likely to cause hardware damage there's no reason to make that more convenient.I feel like who is
here is the manufacturer of a laptop which can damage itself when turned on with a closed lid.But I'm not a hardware designer myself, so
Actually as a matter of fact, I think my laptop turns itself on when I plug it into the mains, even when the lid is closed (which is a little weird).
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@sloosecannon said in WTF Bites:
that particular (stupid) part of Windows Update
Are there any other parts?
Don't try to make me defend Windows Update
I'd like to see you try.
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@Benjamin-Hall said in WTF Bites:
@Rhywden late reply, but that sounds like every professional development (ie teacher training) meeting I've ever been to. Although I did do a week-long course for new AP Physics teachers that was only mind numbing (and depressing seeing the other teachers struggling to do simple problems) rather than outright awful. There were at least a few good ideas. Just not 8 hours/day x 4 days worth.
Yeah, I put the ixnay on any further trainings. Especially considering that I've already hit my quota for this school year (and it's not even halfway done)
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Actually as a matter of fact, I think my laptop turns itself on when I plug it into the mains, even when the lid is closed (which is a little weird).
Could you tell me ten years ago about the particular model? I had to hack in a one-shot multivibrator in order to achieve that effect for my car PC...
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@HardwareGeek said in WTF Bites:
I installed the newest version of Blender on my work PC, to do a quick model design for a small work-related 3D printing project. Not only did they move everything around compared to whatever ancient version I have at home, they screwed up units.
Wait 'til you see what they did to layers and scenes.
I don't know what layers and scenes are, so I assume they aren't something that gets used when you misuse Blender for 3D printing.
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@sloosecannon said in WTF Bites:
I would expect it to do exactly what it normally does and enter sleep mode/shut down when the lid is closed, regardless of whether an external display is connected.
I definitely wouldn't. All the laptops around here (at work) are running, docked, with external monitors attached and lids closed except a handful of the several hundred.
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@sloosecannon said in WTF Bites:
I would expect it to do exactly what it normally does and enter sleep mode/shut down when the lid is closed, regardless of whether an external display is connected.
I definitely wouldn't. All the laptops around here (at work) are running, docked, with external monitors attached and lids closed except a handful of the several hundred.
Oh, docked? That's different.
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I would call the overheating-with-lid-closed as
laptop design. I guess it's the ones who suck in cold air through the keyboard, rather than through vents on the side/underside. Because my work laptop does have both intake and exhaust vents. Also, when I am at my desk I consider the laptop "docked", even though I have no docking station. But when I have the power, screen and USB cables all connected that means I am going to be using the external screen, keyboard and mouse and not the laptop builtins.
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@boomzilla said in WTF Bites:
@sloosecannon said in WTF Bites:
I would expect it to do exactly what it normally does and enter sleep mode/shut down when the lid is closed, regardless of whether an external display is connected.
I definitely wouldn't. All the laptops around here (at work) are running, docked, with external monitors attached and lids closed except a handful of the several hundred.
Oh, docked? That's different.
Is it? It isn't for the power settings in either operating system and it obviously does not provide any extra cooling either.
Also, while I still have the classic dock, the new laptops only have the USB3-to-everything hub (which does not handle two monitors in fullhd, so they have to connect one through the dock and the other directly), not a real dock.
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@Bulb it obviously doesn't do extra cooling (unless it's a style where the back of the machine is slightly elevated, giving extra clearance underneath), but it seems to matter for power stuff, like closing the lid. Definitely for the new Thunderbolt plug docking systems.
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@boomzilla Unless they added a special section in the Windows configuration, it does not matter for power stuff. We have Linux on the ones in this office that use thunderbolt, but on the older ones it certainly does not.
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@Bulb I have no idea about configuration but I've seen people use them closed / docked. Now...this does require a firmware or driver upgrade IME, so that's probably the answer.
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@boomzilla said in WTF Bites:
Now...this does require a firmware or driver upgrade IME
Not for the ones we have. But of course those are units sold for professional use and with some guarantee, and with the docking station, not el cheapo stuff for home use.
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@boomzilla said in WTF Bites:
Now...this does require a firmware or driver upgrade IME
Not for the ones we have. But of course those are units sold for professional use and with some guarantee, and with the docking station, not el cheapo stuff for home use.
As are ours. To be fair, they probably come with whatever they needed, but our custom / generic corporate image doesn't include it.
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@Mason_Wheeler said in WTF Bites:
@boomzilla said in WTF Bites:
@Mason_Wheeler said in WTF Bites:
@boomzilla Is this an earth-73 thing? Because in the real world, actually working at all is a necessary but not sufficient precondition for "working better."
Hahaha! Guess which OS refuses to acknowledge one of my monitors this morning! Did you guess Windows 10? Because that's the one.
Yeah, I had that happen once at work. Turned out to be a failing monitor cable. Unplugging and re-plugging it worked for a while. Eventually that stopped working entirely, but replacing the cable fixed it.
KVM was weirding out and stopped seeing my keyboard. I turned it off and on. Guess who forgot about that same monitor? Did you guess Linux? No. Windows 10! I've had this before. What's interesting is that according to display properties it thinks it's displaying stuff there. At least, the settings say so. But nothing shows up.
Fortunately, I'm getting wily at working around Window's lack of ability to work, so I know that an easy way to fix it is to tell it to disable the monitor, save the changes, and click "Revert" when it asks me if I want to keep the changes. Then the settings aren't a lie.
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@boomzilla Have you tried doing P and de/reactivating the monitor that way?
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@boomzilla Have you tried doing P and de/reactivating the monitor that way?
No. What's P supposed to do?
EDIT: Looked it up and tried it. Not sure how I would have reactivated the monitor from that.
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@boomzilla It doesn't always work if I'm having detection or display problems, but switching between PC only/Second screen only/Extend sometimes helps it figure out what signal to send where
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@boomzilla It doesn't always work if I'm having detection or display problems, but switching between PC only/Second screen only/Extend sometimes helps it figure out what signal to send where
I worry that it would only make things worse. To clarify, it was screen 2 of 3 that was "Just Working" here. Screen 1 (on the laptop) and 3 (actually my primary monitor, because it sits in front of me) were actually working.
The settings page displayed all 3 of them and claimed they were working. The way the projection interface presents things I have no idea what would happen if I tried any of it. Maybe I'll play with it sometimes when I have a lack of frustration in my life.
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@boomzilla Worst case scenario you could fix it from the actual display settings. This is just a useful shortcut (not just for when it's
)
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@boomzilla said in WTF Bites:
Maybe I'll play with it sometimes when I have a lack of frustration in my life.
You could do some moderating, if that helps.
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How can a big company screw up 401K contributions so badly? They know about my previous employer contributions. They know how much I've contributed here. Guess what?There+Here > MaxAllowed
The helpdesk person isn't sure we can get the excess money back out of the 401. Which implies Uncle Sam is going to whack me with a big hammer.
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How can a big company screw up 401K contributions so badly? They know about my previous employer contributions. They know how much I've contributed here. Guess what?There+Here > MaxAllowed The helpdesk person isn't sure we can get the excess money back out of the 401. Which implies Uncle Sam is going to whack me with a big hammer.send the bill to the company since it's the employer contributions that went over, and therefore it's the employer's fee?
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send the bill to the company since it's the employer contributions that went over, and therefore it's the employer's fee?
I posted a PSA into our Slack channel. One person responded that they had just called the 401 company and had a check issued for the overage. That gets reported to the IRS and all is well. Hoping my open ticket gets resolved that way so I don't have to do anything else...
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That gets reported to the IRA and all is well.
Erm, are you working in Ireland or what?
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That gets reported to the IRA and all is well.
Erm, are you working in Ireland or what?
Oops. Fixed.
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That gets reported to the IRA and all is well.
Erm, are you working in Ireland or what?
Oops. Fixed.
I mean, the IRS also strikes terror into the heart of men so it's an honest mistake
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@dcon
doesn't seem to want to purge the old version of the post from its cache...
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@dcon
doesn't seem to want to purge the old version of the post from its cache...After I edited, I had to hit F5 to see it...
