Posts by fadedbear92

Edward Stewart said:Based on this screenshot, it looks like you're using a Surface—so I assume you've got an external CD/DVD drive plugged in?
It’s entirely possible that the firmware warning is actually referring to that external drive. With burners, those updates usually just mean better media compatibility or adding support for newer brands that hit the market recently—so if you're trying to burn different types of discs than you used to, the burner might just be struggling with them. Beyond the actual disc itself (brand, type like CD/DVD R vs RW), the burning method matters a lot too. One of your shots shows a UDF file system being used, so maybe try the old-school way—prep the entire disk "image" first and then burn it all at once (I'm not even sure if Nero, ImgBurn, or the other classic tools even run properly on a Surface).

If you mean using external hard drives to move files around, then yeah, I use those—but for anything else, I haven't a clue.

So, I'm running Windows 10 and whenever I try to burn a CD, it keeps asking me to format it—then either it says the formatting failed at the end, or it actually starts burning but then pops up an error right before it finishes. I'm totally lost—why is it even asking to format in the first place? It’s also asking if I have the firmware... what on earth is that? Is that something I need to download? If so, which specific one should I be looking for?

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sur...urface-devices

https://s18.postimg.cc/v7slg3149/formatiranje2.png

https://s18.postimg.cc/9y4z4vxkp/formatiranje1.png

wanderinggull11 said:Hey everyone, thanks for getting back to me. Today at work, my thoughts were hitting so hard I actually felt physically weak. Had to take some Advil, but even that didn't help. Did I get anything done? Who knows. It’s just this constant loop. For the past few days, I've been stuck in this headspace where I genuinely feel like I want out. It’s moved past thinking; it’s become a feeling. I feel like I want this, and I don't know how to flip the switch. All those logical reasons I used to give myself to stay—they're all falling apart. I'm left with nothing. My mind keeps racing toward the future, but I have zero goals. I was at the gym today just feeling like a dead weight. No motivation. Nothing brings me joy anymore. Even grabbing coffee with coworkers feels exhausting; I just sit there in silence because I have no patience left. This started as a trivial thought I dismissed as nonsense, but it haunted me for days until it turned into this deep-seated certainty. I can't talk myself out of it anymore. I saw a therapist today and vented for an hour, but they just sat there nodding. It didn't make me feel any better. It gets to the point where I hate myself. I feel completely incapable. It’s like I truly want to die, and meanwhile, every reason I had to live is evaporating—especially since the things I used to care about don't matter to me anymore. Honestly, I doubt my girlfriend would even care what state I'm in. How am I supposed to prove to myself that I won't go through with it? I try to tell myself "it's just thoughts," but it goes deeper than that. It's a gut feeling now. It's crawled inside me.

Most psychologists aren't specifically trained for OCD; you really need to see a psychiatrist or a psychotherapist so you can combine medication with actual therapy—that's the only real, long-term fix. Anything else is basically just drinking chamomile tea.

Kate Martin3 said:With any paid service, you basically get as much space as you need. Take Amazon, for example—they offer virtually unlimited storage, and you just pay for what you actually use plus data transfer fees. For about 40 gigabytes, you’re looking at $6.75. If there's something specific you're curious about, let me know and I'll walk you through the details.

Does that depend on which provider I'm using? (like Xfinity)
Are those $6.75 monthly fees? Honestly, 40 GB feels pretty small to me.

Kate Martin3 said:I’m always a big advocate for using a paid cloud service for data storage. Honestly, you just never know what kind of chaos life can throw at you—house fires, floods, a break-in... anything can happen. If your files actually matter to you, get them off your local drives and onto the web.

Which online service though? Those cloud things? I don't really know much about them, unfortunately. I skimmed an article once, but it all seemed way too small for the massive amount of stuff I have (it's that struggle when you work in education😛 )

frozenviper13 said:You're in luck, 😁
it shows as "Good," which means everything is running smoothly just like a well-tuned engine.👍

Man, thank goodness! Thanks so much for checking on that for me.👍

I definitely need to run some tests on this other one too.

wiredcanyon94 said:"A lot" is a pretty subjective term.
Maybe something like this?
https://www.wdc.com/products/network...ex2-ultra.html

I don't mean you have to buy that exact model, but look for something similar. You basically get two drives running in a mirror setup, so if one dies, you just swap it out for the other. If both fail at the exact same time, though, then you're just having a really bad day.

Thanks!🤣

frozenviper13 said:Mirroring—this means both drives run simultaneously, recording identical data at the same time.

By the way, you can use tools like CrystalDiskInfo or HD Sentinel to monitor your drive's health and estimate its remaining lifespan.

Check out this thread for more info:

https://s9.postimg.cc/3p5r79um7/disc_info_1.png

https://s9.postimg.cc/asdmmwfhb/disc_info2.png

https://s9.postimg.cc/w218xqo27/disc_info_3.png

So, what exactly is all this data telling us?🤔

wiredcanyon94 said:"A lot" is a pretty subjective term.
Maybe something like this?
https://www.wdc.com/products/network...ex2-ultra.html

I don't mean you have to buy that exact model, but look for something similar. You basically get two drives running in a mirror setup, so if one dies, you just swap it out for the other. If both fail at the exact same time, though, then you're just having a really bad day.

Wait, what's that? Mirroring? I'm not really a tech guy—can you explain that in plain English?😉

Jesse Jones15 said:I’ve got one from SanDisk too—it's about 10 years old and a 250GB model. It’s taken a million tiny hits over the years, but honestly? Never missed a beat. Still works just like the day I bought it! If you can find a SanDisk with that rugged rubber casing, I highly recommend it.

G6-

One of mine completely died on me, and now the other one is being super finicky—it shows up on some of my computers but won't even register on others. I'm pretty frustrated with it. Does anyone know of a higher-quality brand worth investing in? I'd really appreciate any suggestions!🕺

I’ve got three 1 TB Transcend external hard drives, and things are starting to go south—the first one already bit the dust, and this second one is being super flaky about showing up on my computer. Honestly, I'm pretty sure it's on its last legs too. Does anyone have any advice on what kind of storage I should switch to for all my files? Thanks!

northerndriver said:I actually found this one to be such a pleasant surprise, honestly... there were some really funny moments, mostly involving the family dynamics or just poking fun at Pakistani culture and all those weird stereotypes.
If I'm getting this right, the whole comedy is based on a true story, where the screenwriter is basically the "real Emily" and Kumail Nanjiani plays Kumail? Pretty clever. I've always been a fan of Zoe Kazan, too. My sister actually asked me before we watched if it was a true story, and I was like, hello, it's a comedy, obviously... then karma totally hit her when they showed those actual photos of them on screen, lol

Yeah, it's based on a true story. I watched some interviews with the cast and then saw clips of the real Emily herself. Honestly, I think I'll give it another watch just to catch all the little details I missed the first time around.

Pakistani comedian Kumail Nanjiani and student Emily Gardner fall in love, but things get complicated fast when their cultural backgrounds start clashing. When Emily falls ill with a mysterious medical crisis, Kumail finds himself caught between her fierce parents, his own family's expectations, and his true feelings.

Genre:
Comedy, Romance

Director:
Michael Showalter

Screenwriters:
Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani

Cast:
Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano

The Big Sick is an American romantic comedy directed by Michael Showalter and written by Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani. The film stars Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Adeel Akhtar, and Anupam Kher—following an interracial couple navigating deep cultural divides in a story partially inspired by the real-life romance between Nanjiani and Gordon.

Honestly, this movie was one of my absolute favorite surprises of the year—it just hits different. It’s a beautifully crafted romantic comedy that draws from the actual lives of Emily and Kumail. What I loved most is how it breaks the mold; instead of the usual tropes about looks or cheating, it tackles much heavier, more significant issues. You have Kumail dealing with the pressure from his strict Pakistani family to marry a Pakistani woman, paired with the sudden, terrifying reality of Emily’s unexpected illness. Most young couples don't face stuff like that, and you almost never see it handled this way in a rom-com.

Even though there’s a lot of heavy drama baked in, the movie stays incredibly fun and is packed with sharp, clever humor.

The characters are so easy to root for, especially the leads—Kumail Nanjiani (Kumail) and Zoe Kazan (Emily). They are easily the heart of the film. They aren't your typical "perfectly polished" Hollywood types; they feel like real, grounded, incredibly likable young people. If I had one gripe, it would be Ray Romano’s character, Terry, who plays Emily's dad. Look, he's a legendary comic—one of the best out there—but he plays this weird, humorless role here that just felt off. I actually think someone else should have been cast for this part; seeing him in such a dry role felt a bit jarring to me.

http://svijetfilma.eu/recenzija-big-sick-2017/

Raymond Young6 said:I urgently need a recommendation for a private rheumatologist in the Washington, D.C. area!

Did you happen to get a recommendation? I'm looking for one too—if you did, would you mind sending me a PM? Thanks so much!

Can anyone recommend a private rheumatologist? It's getting pretty urgent—thanks!

shadowwalker11 said:I wouldn't recommend Tarle. On one scan, she told me my liver was normal size. Then, two weeks later, I had an MRI where the doctor practically grabbed his head in shock at how big my liver had gotten—it hadn't even grown *that* much in just fourteen days.

And honestly, after all the private and public ultrasounds I went through before that MRI, I really don't have anyone else I can vouch for.

Ugh, that sounds so strange coming from her—honestly, she actually saved me from years of gallbladder attacks because, after seeing her results, I went straight to Mayo Clinic to have mine removed.

Have you seen her recently?

Did you do the MRI privately? How much did that run you? Thanks!

Rebecca Myers38 said:Does anyone have an ophthalmologist recommendation in Washington, D.C.—ideally one who takes Medicare?🙂

Dr. Zrinšćak at the Mayo Clinic—really kind and incredibly thorough.👍

Tyler Palmer93 said:Hey everyone! My gastroenterologist sent me over for an abdominal ultrasound and some celiac testing. So far, the only thing the hospital system has offered me is an appointment in May 2018—yeah, you read that right. I really want to get this sorted out ASAP, so I’m thinking about going private to one of those clinics in Washington, D.C. Does anyone have any recommendations or good experiences? Thanks in advance! 🙂

Tarle, back in the day, it was actually Dr. Tarle who finally caught my gallstones after they'd been tormenting me for nearly a decade (including one scary hospital stay!), while the private doctors couldn't see a thing on their ultrasounds.

They have top-tier equipment—I actually just went there for an abdominal scan recently.

Antidepressants during pregnancy and the link to autism

Depression is a common struggle for women of childbearing age—in fact, about 3% to 8% of pregnant women across America have used antidepressants during their pregnancy.

The thing is, all antidepressants cross the placental barrier and reach the fetus. In animal models, prenatal exposure to serotonergic antidepressants resulted in offspring displaying behaviors similar to autism, which naturally raised questions about whether we might see similar effects in humans.

In this prospective observational study, researchers tracked over 250,000 children between the ages of 4 and 17. Their mothers were split into three distinct groups: those with no psychiatric disorders who didn't take antidepressants, those who did take antidepressants during pregnancy, and those who had a psychiatric disorder but chose not to take medication. The primary outcome measured was a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.

Out of the 3,342 children exposed to antidepressants in utero, 4.1% were later diagnosed with autism. Compare that to the 2.9% found among the 12,325 children whose mothers had a psychiatric disorder but stayed off medication.

We still don't fully understand the causes of autism. While there is a statistical link between antidepressant exposure and autism, only about 2% of all autism cases in the general population would actually be prevented if women with psychiatric disorders avoided these medications entirely. It’s also highly possible that genetic factors play a much larger role here—something that definitely needs more deep-dive research.

http://www.bmj.com/content/358/bmj.j2811