Posts by William Fowler13

After two decades of working on computers, I’ve developed one golden rule that I stick to—you just don't need those Windows updates!
Eventually, you might find yourself needing a specific DLL or some Visual C++ package for a certain program, but you can just hunt that down, download it, and move right along... it's really that simple. All this talk about "security" is mostly for people who haven't quite mastered how to actually operate a machine. If someone is truly determined to hack you, they’re going to get in regardless of whether you installed the latest patch or not, so your real priority should be backing up your data regularly... which is what professionals doing high-stakes work do every single day, whereas most home users aren't sitting on anything critical beyond some photos, videos, and the occasional Word doc
The recent patches for Windows 7 actually end up slowing your computer down! I've seen it happen more times than I can count while repairing and building PCs... It feels like these slowdowns are just a calculated way to nudge users toward upgrading to Windows 10, which ultimately forces them into buying brand-new hardware.

Kevin Gonzalez28 said:I suppose everything in life really just comes down to your genetics.

I mean, is that really how it works, or is everyone just overthinking things?...

Isn't there something kind of ironic about using Intel to build out a competitor like AMD... It gives Intel every reason to laugh at them, really. Just imagine the sheer absurdity of it all, especially when you consider they used to be part of the exact same company...

wiredotter14 said:since it’s actually pretty tough to find an OEM PC equipped with AMD processors.

So, while they're busy engineering those new Ryzen and Threadripper chips, the development teams are likely running on i9s or Xeons...
What exactly qualifies as an OEM PC?

I was poking around Google trying to figure out what kind of setups or processors the folks over at AMD or Intel actually use on their workstations scattered throughout the various campuses... I mean, if I were working at Intel, would I even be allowed to build a machine with a Ryzen for my workstation, whether I was out on the floor or just sitting in an office, simply because I'm an AMD fan? I guess I'm just wondering if that's even permitted...

It’s sorted... for now. Turns out I had it overclocked to 3.6 GHz because I’d just toggled a setting in the BIOS to bump it up from the standard 3.0 GHz, and I completely forgot about it :-) That was definitely causing the headache. Overclocking is a bit more nuanced when you're running an Intel chip, but honestly, it doesn't make much sense for me to mess with it given that we're only talking about a few milliseconds difference in encoding or FPS in games I don't even play anyway.
It’s running perfectly on Windows 7 now!

Timothy Kim60 said:Newer platforms, like Ryzen or Kaby Lake, don't officially support Windows 7

Another thing—is this actually a fresh installation of Windows 7, or are you carrying over an old one? Regardless of what people say, or how many people swear by it, you really shouldn't be keeping old installations from a previous system when moving to a new setup... If you want to be 100% sure everything is right, a new motherboard means a completely fresh Windows installation

Thirdly, how can you be certain the GPU is actually fine? If you're seeing artifacts or dealing with driver instability, there's a chance it might not be working perfectly after all...

Basically, you've got quite a few potential issues on your hands here. Honestly, if you just install Windows 10 or Linux, you'll have already ruled out those first two possibilities... Then all you'd have left is testing that GPU, which might work perfectly fine immediately, but if not, you could always try it in another PC

The installation is as clean as a whistle. The graphics card is perfectly fine. I know the issue lies with driver compatibility, so I was just wondering if any third-party solutions or unofficial, unsigned patches had popped up somewhere in the meantime... because that’s usually how it goes with any OS. My requirement for Windows 10 is a very extensive unattended setup, where I either heavily customize it myself or have someone else do it until it meets my standards. I won't even list the criteria because there are just so many... It'll happen, and if not, then Ubuntu Studio will be my fallback...

Nicole Bailey82 said:Adobe Audition

For me, nothing beats the old Cool Edit days... though Creative Cloud 2017 handles those MP4 audio recordings just fine...

gentlecyclist16 said:(By the way, I moved over to Windows 10 ages ago and there is no looking back—I just don't see any real reason to keep putting myself through the headache of dealing with Windows 7 anymore)

So, I guess I'll just toss in the GTX 650 and see what happens... honestly, I don't see much point in making the jump to Windows 10 because at the end of the day, I still want to be the one in control of my computer, rather than the machine running me ;-)

Almost every time I boot this thing up, I end up with one of three headaches: either a Blue Screen of Death, a total system freeze right after the desktop appears with a cursor stuck on the screen, or a complete lockup... After that, I just have to force a restart using the power button, and everything seems fine, except for that initial notification from Crimson ReLive telling me my GPU drivers have reset. I’ve already ruled out the graphics card itself since it passes every stress test I throw at it, so that shouldn't be the issue. This whole build is brand new:
1. Intel Ryzen 7 1700
2. ASUS Prime B350K
3. AMD HD 7750 (R250) 1GB DDR5
4. Kingston 120GB SSD
5. 2 x 8GB DDR4 2400
I'm running Windows 7 Ultimate x64 on this setup, and since everything is fresh, I was wondering if anyone else has run into these kinds of issues while using Windows 10...

Andrew Fowler2 said:I'm looking for a technician who can run a phone line from the second floor up to the third... sorry if this isn't quite the right spot for this kind of thing.

If anyone fits the bill—ideally someone already working for one of the major providers—I'm assuming you'll need a crimper and some tools, so I'd be happy to pay a little extra for you to whip it up on the side... Spam

If there's already a conduit in place, it won't take even thirty minutes, but if not, we're talking about patching, hammering, or just drilling through the ceiling or floor to make a vertical channel... you definitely can't do it without a drill. If you happen to be in New York City, I could probably handle this for you pretty easily for a small, reasonable fee since it's such an easy job for me...