Posts by Christian Torres3

bluemason3 said:So, I’m trying to hook up an old dot matrix printer (Epson LQ-570 +) to my PC.

I installed a Parallel port card. Everything seems fine there, as I can see the PCIe entry under multi-function controllers in Device Manager along with the new ports.

The problem is, once I actually plug the printer in, nothing happens. It's like the computer doesn't even know it exists.

Is it possible this thing is just too ancient to work? Their website doesn't offer any driver downloads for anything newer than Windows 98, and they claim support is built directly into Windows (after that, there's nothing). Since I don't have Windows XP, I can't even attempt to run it in compatibility mode.

I did find some mentions online suggesting it might be compatible with Windows 8, but I wouldn't bet the house on that being reliable.

Even if there's a compatibility issue, shouldn't the system at least recognize it as an unknown or non-functional device in the Device Manager?

No. You have to install it manually—use a USB to serial cable option.

Jack Cook7 said:Using the word "Junta" is pretty straightforward semantically—it’s got nothing to do with Nazis, communists, or anyone else.

Basically, it refers to a group of people who seized power illegally under that country's laws.

Or more generally, it means a group holding onto power in a nation by ignoring its own laws, or just common sense.

If you actually agree with my definition, then go ahead and judge for yourselves if calling a certain government a "Junta" is justified.

Can we get a link to a definition that actually backs that up?

Because the term "junta" actually comes from Spain during the Napoleonic Wars, where it meant a self-organized group of prominent community members in an area, not some usurped power. Later on, the term military junta was adopted to describe collective rule by military officers who took over via a coup.

Regarding Ukraine, maybe that term made some sense before the elections, but now it definitely doesn't because the elections happened and nobody questioned their legitimacy.

Up

Can we get some eyes on these topics? Look, I get it—moderation is volunteer work, no big deal. But the same exact arguments from the same handful of people have been dragging on for months.

Or is there some unwritten rule now where if anyone talks about scammers, everyone involved just gets banned? Let’s just be real about how this works.

frozenwolf51 said:I know the title is pretty vague, so let me try to explain what's going on here. The internal ribbon cable on my laptop died, so until I can get a replacement, I've been using an HDMI cable to hook it up to my TV. The problem is, I only get a picture once macOS boots up. I can't see anything early enough to actually get into the BIOS. I'm asking because I really need to wipe the drive and format it—the system has been running incredibly slow lately since it's been about two years old now. If anyone knows a way to access the BIOS through an HDMI connection, please help me out.

It’s the exact same deal as using a VGA or DVI cable. It doesn't matter that you can't see the screen yet. Just mash that key to enter the setup (depending on your specific model) immediately after you hit the power button. You can hammer it repeatedly; it won't hurt anything.

Michael Jackson10 said:Look, I don't want to start a whole new thread here, but I'm looking at this from the opposite angle and could use some expert advice. What’s the best way to pair a CPU with specific graphics cards? Basically, what would be the ideal Intel or AMD processor choice for:
- R7 260x / GTX 750
- R7 265 / GTX 750 Ti

I've been out of the loop for a bit, so I hope I matched these cards up with similar performance levels. If anyone knows, feel free to drop a link or just give me some general guidance on how to avoid overspending on one part while underpowering the other when building a mid-range rig in stages—since the GPU is my current priority. I know giving general advice is tricky, but I figure a 4-core processor is the bare minimum nowadays if I want this investment to actually last the next four years without becoming obsolete immediately.

Just tell us what components you currently have and what your budget looks like. Otherwise, a decent Intel Core i3 or any Intel i5 should do the trick (depending on which motherboard you're eyeing, say an LGA 1150 with an i3 4150 or better), and for AMD, anything above an AMD FX 6300 on the AM3+ socket works fine.

Oh, and with Intel, you really want to aim for those "K" series processors because they have unlocked multipliers for easier overclocking. For AMD IMO, a solid pick would be the 8350 BE (Black Edition); you'll definitely need a decent cooler for that—the stock ones might pass, but a better one is a must have—but with that overclocking potential, you're basically getting 8 physical cores.

Oh yeah, regarding the GPUs, check this test.

Paul Kern12 said:I find myself wondering if you actually read your own posts. You complain about insults directed at the Ukrainian President, yet in the very next breath, you refer to the Russian President as a "fuhrer" and a fascist...
Regarding those comparisons between the "war" in Ukraine and the American Civil War, that subject has already been extensively debated. In my view, those two events simply cannot be compared for far too many reasons, and anyone attempting to draw those parallels is likely just trolling.

There’s really only one reason why people ban those comparisons: 99.9% of the time, it just devolves into some nonsense about extremists and hate groups. Everything else is just pure stupidity.

The mods have totally given up on the Ukraine topic. It’s just a circus now—conspiracy theorists, psychics, and those EU idiots acting like thieves and clowns. One guy even dropped a link to some war video on YouTube and everyone’s cheering it on, and who actually cares? I reported a post a while back where people were just trashing anyone who didn't agree with Russian policy, but I checked later and nothing happened. No bans, nothing.

Way to go, guys. Honestly, I don't care; I just block everything I don't want to see. Using the ignore button costs me nothing, and I'm only here because there are still some smart people whose opinions I actually value. I try to chime in with something intelligent myself sometimes, but if this current way of running things continues, this whole forum is going to turn into a total troll swamp. If that's the goal, then good luck to you.

slybison8 said:granitefalcon26 - look, with all due respect to you as a fellow Redditor and online friend, I’m only going to address your complaints about how Ukraine is being moderated if the Administration explicitly tells me to, whether that's publicly or through Reddit's internal messaging system.

The reason I'm taking this stance is because you aren't even participating in the Ukraine thread. You're literally not there.

I honestly thought the validity of a complaint should be measured by whether it improves the quality of the debate, but clearly, I was wrong.

Ever since I started moderating more intensely...

...that thread turned into a total dumpster fire of pro-Russian trolling where any actual, logical discussion is impossible—and you're even contributing to the mess yourself.

Eric Newman75 said:It’s honestly pathetic how much History and Social Science have gone downhill. Given how clueless most people here are, those sections have basically devolved into niche subforums about stuff like centuries and hairstyles. What if we actually stepped away from all this populism for once and went back to using actual expertise as the standard?

It’s become the same old story in every popular thread on basically any subforum. Every now and then you stumble upon an oasis that isn't crawling with trolls, and you can actually enjoy reading for a second—but everything else? A total disaster.

Honestly, if I don't check in all the time, I’d say the best discussions happen over in Natural Science. From what I've seen, the mods there actually do their job and protect the quality of the conversation.

Charles Fox10 said:...

Honestly, if someone's posting pure nonsense, the embarrassment should be enough punishment. But we really need to start cracking down harder on people throwing around terms like junta, Nazi, or fascist.

wanderingpuma2 said:Does anyone know the best way to clone an OEM setup onto a USB drive? I’m looking to grab everything from my old rig—the full Windows 98 system along with all the drivers—and dump it onto a thumb drive just in case I ever need to perform a reinstall. The machine came pre-loaded with this OS, and it still has the original sticker with the serial number, so I’ve got the activation key ready if it asks.
Thanks in advance for the help.

Try Acronis, Ghost, EaseUS... or just Google "free disk clone software"

You can make an image of the entire drive or just a single partition.

jadeorca42 said:This feels like a pathetic attempt to grant amnesty to the Nationalists and try to assign them some level of importance or scale they never actually had.
As for America... America was actually a global heavyweight when you consider its sheer size—geography, population, economy, all that. It was something the Nationalists never could have achieved, even if the Reich had lasted 10,000 years instead of its planned millennium.

The rest of the world mostly saw the Nationalists as nothing more than pathetic losers, which is pretty much what they were. The British and Americans wouldn't even deign to discuss surrendering to them in Austria; they basically just told them to take it up with the partisans.

Not quite. Marshall was pushing for an occupation zone in Austria, which the Americans and British flat-out refused to grant. Instead of giving him a zone, they just offered a trade for the prisoners.

+1 for a reopening.

jadeorca42 said:This is pure racism, spreading national hatred and downplaying genocide against certain people.

Friendly advice: you're being way too extra. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is more complex than that.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict

It’s not like there isn't anything to say about how the Jewish people acted, but in this specific part, the guy is right. And look, I don't know much about mapping criteria, so I shouldn't be getting involved in that.

slyscout3 said:Does it feel like this whole Reddit thread has drifted way too far to the left for you guys too?

If it’s just me (and I have a feeling it isn't), why do you think that is? What's actually driving it?

For God's sake, don't bring this up on the NY Post.

😂

lonecyclist11 said:I'm 90% sure it's the motherboard.

Look, I don't know how much experience you have peeking inside a case, but I’d highly recommend doing a visual inspection of the motherboard. You might find leaking capacitors—you can tell if the tops are bulging or if there's crusty residue on them. If that's the issue, you can swap them out (I've worked on motherboards and GPUs before, though I'm no soldering pro). If it's something else, honestly, just build a totally new rig. For about $800, you could put together a really solid machine.

Eric Chase62 said:I've been struggling with this lately too, I just haven't upgraded anything yet.
My main headache is definitely the motherboard; only AM2+ sockets seem to be around anymore.
Is it even possible to boost this PC if I stick with:
CPU: AMD Phenom ii x4 940 (maybe a new fan?)
GPU: Radeon HD4870 1GB (XFX) (also needs a new fan)
The current power supply is 650W (need to find the model and specs), and I have two sticks of DDR2 if they're still useful. Not sure if you need more info. :noblet:
Or should I just give up now? Reading through all these old threads, I was actually scared to bump a topic from 2010.🙂

Listen, it really depends on what kind of power supply you're running. If it's some cheap generic 650W unit, after all these years, I'd be terrified to plug new components into it. You might be better off just grabbing a new graphics card. You can find DDR2 on Craigslist or eBay.

Jonathan Williams46 said:The topic could be sociological or psychological... but I don't give a damn about discussions in those fields. This is about LAW, which is why I put it on the legal subforum. I want this issue settled legally so they stop handing out fines, or better yet, start handing out even bigger ones.

Historians or politicians don't legalize things—lawyers do.

Actually, it's the politicians. You know, elected representatives, separation of powers, all that stuff? Find your representative in the US Congress, lay out your problem, and as their voter, demand that the greeting in question be legalized. They bring it to Congress, it gets voted on, and then the lawyers handle wiping out the legal ban.

Simple as that. ☕

Elizabeth Price2 said:@graniteridge6: major props! 🙏 🙂 You’re probably the only one "from overseas" who actually gets my point when I’m drawing those comparisons between homosexuality and incest.

@Christian Torres3: Man, I have no clue how many legal perks there are. For instance—just speaking from my own experience with legal stuff—I once wanted my brother to just sign over his car to me. We were told we'd have to shell out a 5% tax, you know? So, we totally bailed on that idea. Apparently, married couples don't have to deal with that 5% thing at all 🤷 (if I remember correctly).

@moderators: Okay, what's the deal with banning stuff in a debate like this? Why did you try to shut this down before, only to turn around and allow it now on the FBI forums? 😕

With all due respect, that’s not my problem.

Here's my own experience with those tax loopholes: I tried to have my brother transfer his car title over to me. They told us we’d be hit with a 5% tax bill, so we just walked away from the whole thing. Apparently, if you're married, you don't have to deal with that 5% tax. 🤷 (if I'm right).

So, you'd actually marry your own brother just for a 5% raise? Or did your brother "marry" you just to get a car? 😍

graniteridge6 said:I have to admit—this whole debate has actually given me plenty to chew on. 😁

First off, I don't see where the thread starter is equating incest with homosexuality; they were merely drawing a parallel.

Secondly—and this is a big one—I honestly cannot wrap my head around a single valid reason to prohibit a potential marriage between blood relatives who are incapable of having children. At least, as of today, I haven't been able to conjure one up. 😁

Besides, even non-relatives who are aware of a hereditary condition still have the option of using donor-assisted reproduction through IVF (and, mind you, their marriages aren't banned either), so by that very logic, blood relatives should technically have that same path available to them.

Now, obviously, this isn't exactly the kind of topic for the FBI, but I fail to see why it shouldn't be allowed here. 🤔

Catch-22: there aren't even any practical reasons why two siblings or whatever would want to marry—they already get all the legal perks that same-sex marriage doesn't have. Inheritance, hospital visits, stuff like that. Plus, I searched Google and couldn't find a single case like this in the USA.

Elizabeth Price2 said:

I can't believe I'm actually doing this—just dropping a line here! Honestly, life’s been a total whirlwind lately, kind of a beautiful mess, you know? Anyway, just wanted to pop in, say hi to everyone, and see what's shaking in the world. It feels like there's always something happening, whether it's some wild news story or just the usual daily grind, but hey—that's what keeps things interesting, right? Sending good vibes to everyone out there! kaže:
Wait, I think I've got a huge issue here! Seriously—what’s the deal with homosexual relationships and...So, I was just thinking about those weirdly complex situations—you know, like when people talk about incestuous relationships that can't actually lead to kids? It’s one of those super heavy, controversial topics that honestly makes your head spin a little! Even though it's such a taboo subject, there's always that weird philosophical or biological debate floating around about the actual consequences versus the social stigma. It's definitely one of those things that gets people talking in circles, haha!...and that's right alongside incest. 🤣

Yeah, so here we go—drawing those parallels again. It basically boils down to asking why one thing is okay while the other isn't. Look, if you actually have a take on this, try to walk me through it—like, give me a real, logical explanation for why you're against those kinds of incestuous relationships (unless, of course, you aren't, in which case, just totally ignore my question!).

Nah, why would I even bother comparing them? I only brought up that specific incest case on purpose—just so you guys wouldn't hit me with that whole "defective kids" argument and stuff like that!

🤷

Look, I hear what you're saying, and your point is totally fair—but just to clear the air, I never actually claimed that the sole reason for marriage has to be about passing on genes! That’s just one of those religious "spikes" people throw around, and honestly, I don't have anything to do with that line of reasoning at all.

Yeah, except you're forgetting there are absolutely zero practical reasons to ever legalize a relationship like that. Zero.