I’m completely stuck. It won't even attempt to load Windows. I see the Windows logo for a second, then the blue screen pops up with all that Greek-looking gibberish, tells me it’s going to automatically restart and repair Windows, and then—boom—it restarts straight into a black screen. Nothing. Just dead air.
It won't even boot from a Windows USB drive.
The only thing this machine will actually run is an Ubuntu live session.
How can I tell if my motherboard is officially toast?
I don't have a spare PC lying around, so I'm still stuck with this one. 😢 Did you actually check the screenshot from the first post? It shows 304 bad sectors, even though it claims the drive is fine. Honestly, my first instinct is to just run a full Ubuntu installation right now to see if it'll even let me install it, but I'm terrified of nuking whatever data might actually be salvageable here.
Hey everyone, can someone jump in here? I’m definitely not some hardware guru or software expert, and honestly, I’ve got nobody else to turn to.
I ran a disk test in the BIOS, but it won't even finish. It just hits a failure at 3% and quits on me. Now, how am I supposed to know for sure if the drive itself is dead? That whole USB situation is really starting to freak me out. Why won't it load from my bootable USB? Am I looking at a fried motherboard?
Where the hell did this 210 GB extended partition come from?? I definitely didn't create this. Just look at the number of NTFS partitions... give me a break. ugh
I was just using my computer normally when—BAM—Blue Screen of Death. It’s throwing an "UNMOUNTABLE BOOT VOLUME" error. I tried to run a fix, but the whole thing just freezes right on the screen. Total brick.
It’s running Windows 10. I plugged in a bootable USB thinking it would trigger an Auto Repair, but nope. It won't even recognize the Windows installation from the USB. Nothing.
So now I've booted into an Ubuntu live CD, which is how I'm even typing this. I'm not taking this CD out until someone actually replies, so please, if anyone knows what they're doing, help a person out ASAP.
What the hell happened? Did my hard drive just kick the bucket, or is it something else?
Hey everyone, if you don't mind, could you put together a build for me based on the budget mentioned above? I need it to include at least a 24" monitor. This machine won't be doing anything fancy—it’s strictly for work, specifically running AutoCAD, 3ds Max, SolidWorks, and the Adobe suite.
I'm totally lost here. 😢 I've tried hitting the local pool a few times, but this just isn't working. I even bought a brand new air mattress, and still nothing.
It feels like something is tightening up inside, almost like a constant burn. Since I've been a smoker for ten years now, could this actually be my lungs acting up?
First off, I’m stepping up to back our buddy from the Economics department, Jerry Robinson56. In my book, Jerry has dropped a ton of solid, well-reasoned posts regarding "Tesla," and he played a huge part in exposing that fraud for the plagiarist he is. He’s an intense guy who actually gives a damn about what he writes, and sometimes that passion gets a little too loud for some people—apparently including the mods—which leads to him getting flagged. But honestly? This whole partial bias thing is totally unfair and just wrong, for the reasons I already mentioned. The moderation team really dropped the ball here.
Personally, I think hollowmoose21 does a good, honest job as a mod, but banderas is a different story. To put it bluntly, the guy is nothing but a troll and a provocateur. I'll let this link speak for itself:
So, this whole mess started right after I installed Windows 10. Out of nowhere, my browser (Firefox) just loses its mind and starts typing in all caps even though Caps Lock is off. Then, the touchpad dies on me, the cursor moves like it’s stuck in molasses, and whenever I try to type a URL, it forces a ".info" domain on me (like, instead of google.com, it hits google.info). Click a link? Instead of a new tab, it forces a whole new window. Just a bunch of absolute nonsense. A quick reboot fixes everything, but it keeps happening—maybe once every two days.
Avast says everything is clean. Norton says the same thing.
But here’s the kicker: I’m running a dual-boot setup, so I use Unix too, and the exact same crap happens there (using Firefox again).
I’ve been going through the ringer lately with physical therapy—doing electrical stim, lasers, exercises for my hand, and ultrasound for my neck. Yesterday, this sharp pain flared up right below my shoulder blade, maybe 5 or 10 cm down. I can't really describe it better, but I'm pretty sure it's hitting that area near my C-spine. To make matters worse, my neck keeps locking up on me.
The problem is, my follow-up appointment isn't for another 20 days, so I can't exactly call the doctor right now, and my MRI isn't scheduled until October. What am I supposed to do? What could this be? Honestly, I'm starting to freak out a little. I've never dealt with pain quite like this before.
Is anyone actually considering a "Forum 2.0" relaunch? Just a total reset—dumping everything into the archives and starting from scratch with new threads, maybe keeping only the absolute best hits as PDFs on the new site? 🤷
Susan Price30 said:In the beginning, there were these cliques, and there wasn't really any democracy per se 😁 once those cliques started shifting and—let's say—diluting that VIP status for the "legends of the forum," that was the start of a more democratic version (mostly because the number of active users suddenly spiked)
I wasn't around from the very start, obviously, but I became active around 2009. About a year or two after registering, I started posting here more often, fell in with a certain group, and then that crew from the most popular and beloved sub-forum went off to start another forum, where we hung out—parallel to this one, etc., etc.
BACK THEN you could hop onto Reddit or somewhere else and spend a few hours in the evening dying of laughter. There were actual "cliques" on every single sub-forum; they essentially kept their sections exactly how they were. These were the people who acted as a magnet for users—the ones who would start threads, offer advice, and basically just entertain and wow everyone.
It was a sort of "in" crowd; you were either in or you weren't. You had to earn your spot (and prove yourself) to be part of it. 😁 (Sort of like the popular groups at Beverly Hills High School, I guess 🙏 the geeks and such... except you knew you were in the top tier because you'd always win the little competitions we used to have, lol, while others were effectively getting "fan mail" and things like that.)
That crew eventually moved on (two or three of them even passed away, unfortunately, one recently, as far as I know, along with many younger people or those in their prime, not retirees)—so now, even years after everything that happened... I suppose the only option left is for moderators to have fun by sparking discussions in the sub-forums they manage, rolling up their sleeves, and getting maniacally busy opening threads to attract new clientele.
Because the old guard (the sub-forum motivators) won't be coming back, or aren't as active as they used to be... and it's been that way for quite some time.
That’s wild! Haha, talk about a total train wreck. 😁 I mean, the internet really only started hitting the mainstream during that 2000 to 2005 window. Since then? It’s just been an endless explosion.
Passed away? Do we even have a "tombstone" section on this forum? Can anyone actually tell me which users we're talking about? It feels like we should have some kind of virtual monument—something "in memory" of them. After all, these were real people who helped build this whole viral community.
As for how played out these topics are... I’m suggesting that the admins just lock down most of these threads on the boards—especially those endless ones that go in circles day after day, talked about by every generation under the sun. We need to clear the slate and let some of these discussions start fresh from square one. Honestly, there's an obvious issue here that isn't going to fix itself easily. We just need to start recycling topics.
Is there anyone here who’s willing to step up? I’m looking for people who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty—the ones who could act as initiators or drivers. Basically, we need some "entertainers" for the various sub-forums to keep things moving. Lately, the mods have been pretty quiet on a lot of the boards, like philosophy, the natural sciences, the arts, current events, you name it. We need some fresh energy to keep those sections alive.
This survey is actually pretty interesting. I was wondering—once everything wraps up, are you planning on posting the results here on the forum? It would be awesome if you took all those answers from the "write about an invention you'd love to see, sci-fi style" section and just dropped them right back into this thread. 👍
I’m curious about something else entirely—it might be related to how mods are picked, or maybe it isn't. Why do some long-time users who aren't mods get to have colored text? Do they just color it themselves every time they post, or did the moderation team hand out colors because they noticed these guys being particularly sharp, smart, or helpful compared to everyone else? It feels like a way to signal that their posts actually deserve to be read, almost like an official moderator warning. Am I on the right track here?
+ Honestly, I don't think a mod can really rise through the ranks without spending at least a few hours a day on this site. They should be diving into discussions as much as possible; after all, we're talking about an authority figure recognized by other authorities under that authority (can that dynamic actually mess up a debate if things get heated?). Also, I want to know: how do you actually spot a high-quality user? What does a "good" forum member even look like? What traits are we looking for?
Back in the early days, how did sites like Reddit or similar big US forums pick those very first moderators?
