Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

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Fiona1986
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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Fiona1986 »

Mine would have probably lasted longer if I didn't have a habit of dropping them :lol:.

I'm not really that surprised that a 1980s computer still works, though! Things used to be made to last. The previous Xboxes were always failing for example, with the red ring of death and yet I've still got an early 90s Sega Megadrive that works perfectly. Sometimes the more complex and complicated a machine is the more fragile it becomes.
"It's the ash! It's falling!" yelled Julian, almost startling Dick out of his wits...
"Listen to its terrible groans and creaks!" yelled Julian, almost beside himself with impatience.


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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Jack400 »

Carlotta King wrote:
pete9012S wrote:I agree laptops can be fragile,short lived beasts.

I've replaced about three laptop keyboards for myself and friends Rob,usually quite cheaply by buying a broken version of the same laptop for parts.Or just the keyboard off ebay sellers who supply used parts cheaply.
I replaced a keyboard on my Acer netbook, it went all weird - the keys jumbled themselves and when I pressed a key, a different letter appeared on screen! Obviously some kind of short circuit I would think but the keyboard was unusable.
I bought a replacement keyboard from eBay and fitted it myself, its really easy, you just need to unclip the old keyboard, disconnect the wire, and connect the new keyboard.
It may be that you need to "tell" the computer (I have no idea how) that it is using a certain type of keyboard. It may default to American or something and it may be more than just £ and $ signs that are different. I'm basing this on an item I read, too long ago to fully recall.
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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Katharine »

I thought I'd put this here instead of under the 'annoyed' thread.

I've been playing Farmville 2 for a couple of years now, but find it increasingly difficult to complete tasks as a couple of people who used to play it with me are no longer on there, and so I have to rely on my children who are very hit and miss as to when they can remember/be bothered.

A new Facebook friend this week said they'd give it a go, so I sent the request, and they went into the relevant links, only to be directed time and again to Farmville Country Escape. They very kindly offered to try it from someone's lap top rather than their i-pad, and we've had some success, but unless they constantly go borrowing laptops, it's not going to be much help to me. I'm not sure if Country Escape is a new version of Farmville 2 (which was a new version of Farmville) or whether some games can only be played on certain devices.

At the end of the day, it's only an irritation, I could find DVDs to watch, books to read (housework to do) etc. rather than play a computer game, but I also wonder the reasoning behind it. Do people get bored after an average of 6 months, so they invent new games to keep them happy or is it a ploy to restrict the number of people who can access it, in the hope that I'll be so desperate to complete all the tasks on the game that I'll buy credits and complete them that way?
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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Fiona1986 »

I've never seen that issue before but I do know that these games lose popularity fairly quickly. I used to play the original Farmville and had loads of friends who also played. I eventually gave up when I could no longer complete things without 50,000 parts from my friends, most of whom no longer played. They seem to work on the basis of you needing lots of active friends which at fist draws in lots of people, but they very quickly lose interest and then everyone is stuck.
"It's the ash! It's falling!" yelled Julian, almost startling Dick out of his wits...
"Listen to its terrible groans and creaks!" yelled Julian, almost beside himself with impatience.


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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Rob Houghton »

I've just sat through almost an hour of 'do not turn off your computer - updates in progress' Grr! Still, that means the updates are all finished...until next week. ;-)
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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Fiona1986 »

I've started letting it do the updates when I go to bed. That way I don't care if it's unusable. (I've set the active hours for 12-midnight)
"It's the ash! It's falling!" yelled Julian, almost startling Dick out of his wits...
"Listen to its terrible groans and creaks!" yelled Julian, almost beside himself with impatience.


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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Rob Houghton »

Fiona1986 wrote:I've started letting it do the updates when I go to bed. That way I don't care if it's unusable. (I've set the active hours for 12-midnight)
No good for me, as I turn my laptop off, lol!
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Fiona1986 »

Well, couldn't you not turn it off on occasion for the updates? Then it would restart and go to sleep.
"It's the ash! It's falling!" yelled Julian, almost startling Dick out of his wits...
"Listen to its terrible groans and creaks!" yelled Julian, almost beside himself with impatience.


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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Rob Houghton »

I guess I could, although I'm never sure whether its okay to close a laptop while its updating? Maybe it still updates even when closed? :?
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
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Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Carlotta King »

It doesnt - my updates are always lurking there ready to greet me good morning when I switch it on at breakfast ;) :roll:

Edit: just realised you meant close the lid, I thought you meant close it down as in shut it down. It will update if the lid is shut and the laptop is still on. :)
Last edited by Carlotta King on 28 Oct 2016, 21:38, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Fiona1986 »

If you close it then it will go to sleep, so you'd have to leave it sitting open.
"It's the ash! It's falling!" yelled Julian, almost startling Dick out of his wits...
"Listen to its terrible groans and creaks!" yelled Julian, almost beside himself with impatience.


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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Carlotta King »

Not necessarily, you can change the options of what closing the lid does - you can set it so that it won't go to sleep or shut down even if you shut the lid. Its in the Power Options setting, in Control Panel or if you click on the battery symbol on the taskbar.

I always have it set to do nothing if I close the lid, because I sometimes put a film or audio book on when I go to sleep, and I just want to listen to it not watch it, so I close the lid to make the room dark but the film still plays.
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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Rob Houghton »

I prefer it to sleep when the lid is shut. :-D Oh well, it's no hardship to wait half an hour or so for updates...I'm just a bit annoyed that Windows 10 has so many of them! :roll:
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
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Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Fiona1986 »

I pretty much never turn my laptop off. I just close it to make it sleep, knowing that unless the battery is almost empty then I can just resume from wherever I left off. Plus I'm the impatient sort that hates waiting for it to start up.
"It's the ash! It's falling!" yelled Julian, almost startling Dick out of his wits...
"Listen to its terrible groans and creaks!" yelled Julian, almost beside himself with impatience.


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Re: Computer Upgrades, Issues and Conventions

Post by Wolfgang »

Fiona1986 wrote:I've started letting it do the updates when I go to bed. That way I don't care if it's unusable. (I've set the active hours for 12-midnight)
It is as MS has never heard of shifts. I wanted to set active hours 5:00-23:00, which would leave 6h for inactivity, but no, there has to be a span 12h. I just wonder what Monster update MS has in petto to require 12h of inactivity - even the upgrade didn't last that long.
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