Samsung S24R350FZE computer monitor

We bought this Samsung S24R350FZE 24″ computer monitor a couple of days back to replace my old Samsung LCD monitor that was “scarred”. So far, my wife and I love this monitor. I brought it back home, set it up (it was pretty easy) and looked for a HDMI cable to connect it to my computer. I found an extra 1.8 metre Kramer HDMI cable and hooked it up. It looked absolutely fabulous and my wife and I were able to enjoy the Wolves vs Manchester United game. Paid about $200 for it and I could not be happier. So if you are looking for a good, no-frills monitor to get, I highly recommend this.

Noisy CPU fan

Sometimes, not everything is what it seems. I have been having to put up with a very noisy CPU fan in my desktop computer, I thought at first that the bearings need some oiling so I proceeded to open my CPU casing to check on the CPU fan. Imagine my surprise when I found out that it was just the cable that was rubbing against the fan blades while it was spinning. So that was causing all the noise! As you can see, the electrical cable looks a little frayed. It is not causing an issue with it being frayed like that so I did not need to patch it up. So next time, if you come across any noise from your desktop CPU fan, check the cables. They may be in the way like mine was.

Goodbye Windows 7

Today is the day when Microsoft Windows 7 reaches the end of its life. Yes, my favourite operating system that had me covered from 2009 till today will reach its end. According to Microsoft:

When Windows 7 reaches end of support on 14 January 2020, your computer will still function but Microsoft will no longer provide the following:

• Technical support for any issues
• Software updates
• Security updates or fixes

While you could continue to use your PC running Windows 7, without continued software and security updates, it will be at greater risk for viruses and malware. Going forward, the best way for you to stay secure is on Windows 10. And the best way to experience Windows 10 is on a new PC. While it is possible to install Windows 10 on your older device, it is not recommended.

The problem is that not many can afford a new PC or a new laptop. I have a couple of older laptops running fine on Windows 7. Looks like I will have to decommission them or at the very least, if I want to use them, not connect them to the Internet. Thank you Windows 7…for everything. You ran on my home laptop very well with no issues. You ran on my main DJ laptop for three years with nary an issue with rock-solid dependability. It will be sad to see you go.

The Quantum Bigfoot hard drive

I remember in the mid 90s. Big (in those days anyway) 1Gb to 2Gb hard drives were coming out. I remember paying $340 for a 1.2Gb Quantum Fireball hard drive then. That was pretty pricey  back in those days. So what happened was, Quantum decided to make a 5.25″ hard drive that was affordable. The sheer size of these hard drives meant that they could not fit the 3.5″ drive bays of computer casings. But at the same time, the sheer size of the platters in these huge hard drives (both size and capacity) could store lots of data. Because of their huge size, Quantum named these series of hard drives the Quantum Bigfoot. These drives spun more slowly than the equivalent 3.5″ hard drives and they were not the most reliable of hard drives. Many who bought them complained of the drives developing bad sectors pretty fast. They were also pretty noisy, with the clackety-clack of the servo mechanism and read-write heads searching like crazy. I was not too excited about these drives when they came out but I made quite a bit of money servicing the OEM PCs these drives came in!

Computer upgrade

I upgraded my 12-year-old PC over the weekend. Yep…12 years old. Hard to believe but it is true. There used to be a time when I would upgrade my computer every couple of years. That last time was in 2007. This is what I bought for the upgrade:

1. Gigabyte B360M-D3H motherboard
2. Intel BX80684I38100 i3-8100 Coffee Lake processor
3. Coolermaster 750 watt power supply
4. Crucial DDR4 2400 8Gb x 2 RAM modules
5. Windows 10 Home

I reused my old tower casing and my old NVidea 7300GT graphics card and put it all together. I also reused an old SanDisk SSD Plus 240Gb SSD drive as the boot drive. My previous two processors were AMD processors but now I am using an Intel processor. After the upgrade, the newly upgraded computer is simply flying. Thanks in no small part to the 16 Gb of RAM that it now has. It really used to crawl with the 2 Gb of RAM in my old computer, that originally had Windows XP.

The cost came up to slightly over $700. Heck, it is better and cheaper than a Dell desktop that I can order online and much cheaper too. I was able to re-use my old monitor and graphics card. I am quite happy with this and I am thinking of upgrading the CD-ROM because I had a hard time reading the new OS CD or DVD because it is slowly dying. Yep…I am enjoying my “new” computer.

Changing a hard drive on a computer

One of my clients had a specialized computer that was required for teleconferencing. The main vendor was located in Europe. So the vendor sends over a hard drive to replace the apparent faulty one that was in the computer. That is when the fun started…NIT! Do you know how hard it was to get the old hard drive out and installing a new one? Check out this picture I took. You had to remove all of these bloody things, these wires, and only then, after taking countless pictures to ensure that the wires go back the same way that you took them out, were you able to do so. I can honestly say that I had a devil of a time trying to do that deed but finished it in the end. Now the computer works. A great challenge actually because if any of those wires are installed wrongly, you are royally screwed…and I do mean screwed. All I can say is, I learnt something new!

Battery for BIOS of desktop computers

These CR2032 3V batteries are the batteries that are used for BIOS (Basic Input Output System) of most computers. The BIOS  is a type of firmware used to perform hardware initialization during the booting process (power-on startup) on IBM PC compatible computers, and to provide runtime services for operating systems and programs. The BIOS firmware is built into personal computers (PCs), and it is the first software they run when powered on. When the BIOS batteries run out, that is when your computer loses its system time, or even loses the settings like the hard drive type, model and etcetera. Try to change the BIOS battery in your computers every year at least. I know I speak like I do but I do not…but I am going to do so from now on.

Dell Optiplex 745

These past few weeks I have been maintaining these computers inside many an establishment. Unfortunately, these computers only support Windows XP and I am not too sure if it supports Windows 7, let alone Windows 8. But I like these desktops because they are built solid and from what I can see they can take a lot of punishment and look very reliable. I just wish that Dell was still making these computers. They have what I am looking at as far as Dell desktops go.

ESS 1868 soundcard

One of the best sound-cards I ever had in my computer. I do not know why I upgraded it to a Creative Sound Blaster when the sound-card was working perfectly then. Itchy hands syndrome I suppose. I liked it because I converted many of my vinyl singles to CD back in the day and I remember that this sound-card always did it very well. The Creative sound-card does not work that well with Windows XP when I connect my DJ mixer to it unfortunately. It sounds pretty distorted but then again, I suppose that it could be my fault for making it distorted, always wanting to send a good signal down the RCA cables to do so. Strangely enough, I still have this soundcard. I do not know what prompted me to keep it but it seems that there was a little voice at the back of my head telling me that I should not get rid of a sound-card that served me so faithfully. Another little voice was telling me to keep the sound-card should the Creative one croak. But honestly? I like this sound-card. Bought it for a good price and it served me well.

AOC computer monitor

You have to hand it to the Taiwanese…they have some really great-looking products and this AOC monitor is one of them. I saw this mounted in a pub, on the wall. It looks very stylish and the huge screen estate just makes it a joy to use. It is an 18.5″ LED monitor and it really looks sharp. Plus, as I said, its wall mountable. Specs-wise, this is what I have of it

• Screen Size: 18.5″ W
• Viewable Image Size: 47.0cm
• Pixel Pitch: 0.3(H)×0.3 (V)mm
• Display Area: 409.8 (H)×230.4 (V)mm
• Brightness: 250 cd/m²
• Contrast Ratio (typical): 50000000:1 (DCR)
• Response Time (typical): 5ms
• Viewing Angle: 170/160 (CR≥10)
• Scan Frequency: H: 30K~80KHz V: 56~75Hz
• Pixel Frequency: 85.5MHz
• Recommended Resolution: 1366×768@60Hz
• Display Colours: 16.7M
• HDCP Compatible: Yes
• Input Signal: Analog RGB and DVI-D
• Input Connector: 15-pin D-Sub and 24-pin DVI
• Power Supply: 12VDC,3A
• Power Consumption: Power On: <18W(Typical), Standby: <0.5W
• Plug & Play: DDC 2B/CI or VESA DDC2B™
• User Control: Auto, left, right, Menu, Power
• OSD Languages: 14 Languages
• Wall-Mount: Yes
• Cabinet Colour: Black & White
• Mechanical Function: Tilt: -3°~12°
• W×H×D (w/base)mm: 447.2×350.9×182.4
• W×H×D (package)mm: 506×124×474
• Weight (Net /Gross): 2.12/4.49

I wonder…how much does all this trickery cost? Looks like it is a trip down to Sim Lim Square for me!