Posts by Carl Nguyen2

Kimberly Gomez34 said:If you're looking at
AMD, then here’s what I’d suggest:
an i5 6402p
For the motherboard, it really depends on how much you want to spend, but I wouldn't go lower than an ASRock H110M-DGS.
Grab 8gb ddr4 and you should be fine.

Also, don't skip the SSD—you can always add one later if things are tight right now, but maybe aim for something like a 240gb $167 drive. Just a heads-up: Best Buy has a pretty weak selection and some pretty high prices when it comes to SSDs, though their other components are decent. If you're sticking to a budget, I'd probably start with this one.

It doesn't have to be AMD, but that's where I usually shop because their service is reliable.

Is there really no motherboard out there that could accommodate DDR3 alongside the rest of these parts? I'm just asking, since from what I gather, there isn't a massive performance gap between DDR3 and DDR4.

Why bother with an SSD if my current drives are working just fine?

You're making me consider waiting a few more months—either to bump up the budget instead of buying everything piecemeal, or perhaps to wait until a decent pre-built system comes along. 😁

I'm based out of Washington, D.C. The thing is—I don't really have a solid sense of price-to-performance ratios, so I'll probably just base my decision on whatever you guys suggest. I don't know... how does a $300–$450 budget sound? I might be able to stretch it a little further in a month or two, but I can't go overboard.

I’ve got a PC that’s—well, at least seven years old—and I’m thinking about maybe upgrading it. Since I don't know much about this stuff, I'm hoping you guys can throw some suggestions my way. Is there actually anything worth upgrading here, or am I better off just buying a new machine?

Here’s what I’m working with:
Intel Core 2 duo E6550 Gigabyte P35-DS3
Gigabyte P35-DS3, s775
ASUS EAH3850/HTDI/512
DDR2 PC6400 Kingmax x4
Samsung HD321KJ 7200 + WD Caviar Green, 5400
Chieftec 550W
DVDRW NEC AD 7173A
Midi Chieftec DG-01BD-UW w/o P

Mainly, it's used for browsing, working in Adobe Photoshop / Illustrator, the occasional game (Hearthstone, emulators), and trying my hand at digital drawing with a tablet. I say "trying" because there’s at least a second or two of lag after every stroke with my Bamboo tablet. Maybe a better graphics card wouldn't be a bad idea so things don't stutter so much in Photoshop or when using the tablet—if that's even the issue.

I plan on installing Windows 7 on this. I’d prefer to buy parts from Micro Center, but I suppose I could survive using another shop if needed.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

shadowlynx102 said:It looks like your laptop's wireless isn't actually turned on. Either that, or it's switched on but you're running the wrong drivers.

Based on image 2, it looks like it's enabled. As for the drivers—I don't think they're the issue, since I installed the exact same ones I used the first time around.

Quick update:

I tracked down the Atheros diagnostic software, and here is what it’s reporting:

Driver installation test
This test is to check the radio driver installation.
The radio's registry keys are OK.
The radio driver has been installed.

Card insertion test
This test is to check the radio insertion.
The radio has been inserted.

Card enable test
This test is to check if the radio/driver is enabled.
The card is not enabled
Enable The card.

Association test
This test is to check your client adapter's association to an access point.
link status . . . . . . . : Not Associated

Your client adapter is not associated to an access point.
Configure the radio card and set SSID and other properties.

Authentication test
This test is to check authentication.
Authentication test bypassed, because authentication is not in use.

Network test
This test is to check your network settings.
You have not configured your computer to use the client adapter.

I've marked the specific issues I haven't figured out yet in red. Any ideas?

Alright, so they can connect via cable without any issues. That means we’re looking at some kind of wireless driver problem. I guess it's time to google it and see what happens
!

Hi,

Like a lot of people, I’ve been dealing with this intermittent "limited access" issue on my laptop running Windows 7. I tried to google it for various fixes, but nothing actually worked. Eventually, I decided to try uninstalling the card itself, similar to what was suggested here. After a reboot, Windows 7 reinstalled the available drivers for the card, but now I can't connect to my home network at all.

Image 1.
image 2.

I have a router with the wireless network turned on—which I was connected to just an hour ago—but now it won't even detect it. The taskbar icon shows no signal, and the connection wizards keep claiming there's some kind of driver issue (image 2).

Does anyone have an idea what might be going on?
I already downloaded and installed the latest drivers, but the problem persists. One bit of advice I followed suggested trying to disable (speaking from memory here) a device used for some Microsoft wireless connection that was always active. Now, I don't see that device listed in the Device Manager, which might be the key, but I have no clue how to Enable The card. If I remember exactly what it was, I'll let you know.

I'm going to dig out some cables and try a wired connection to see if that does anything.

I would be really grateful if we could get this sorted today.

Not necessarily. I've been getting this Pop-up myself—the kind you can't even close; it just shrinks down to the left edge of the screen and hangs there, blocking part of the Forum. Last night it was some random video, and today it’s an ad for Anheuser-Busch. This hasn't happened before, but now it’s popping up on almost every second or third page I load, which honestly feels pretty obnoxious. I guess maybe the admins could take a look at what's going on—or at least post a notice if these are paid advertisements?

I honestly didn't even notice the tabs. I'll probably have to mess around with them a bit to get the hang of it—but otherwise, everything seems solid.

Thanks for the help.

Everything seems fine, except the subtitles keep drifting to the left until they basically slide right off the screen. Is there any way to fix that, or is it just not something this program handles?

One more thing—I've got this one movie that won't play properly; it stutters every five seconds or so. I'm wondering if that's a result of this processing, or is it more likely that the disc wasn't burned correctly in the first place?

Honestly, this software is pretty great. Everything seems to be working perfectly so far—though I haven't actually had a chance to test it out on my DVD player yet, which I assume will work just fine.

Gerald Kelly21 said:Look, maybe it’s just easier for you to go into the subtitle editor and swap out those palatal sounds for c, z, or s—then just save the file that way?

True, but I’d probably rather try something like this first.

Joshua Garcia3 said:So, I just realized why the file processed in Subtitle Edit ended up being 1.27 MB larger than the original—it makes sense now. OK.

I think you’ve missed my point entirely. Here's what's actually happening: I run the movie through Subtitle Edit, and at the end, it spits out this new "avisub.divx" file that's only 1.27 MB—meanwhile, the actual movie remains untouched at its original size (636 MB). According to the tutorial, the final file should be larger than that.

Joshua Garcia3 said:Have you ever actually tried using Windows Media Player? 🙂

I am. After I go to File > Open > film, it won't even launch the thing.

Joshua Garcia3 said:I’m guessing you were trying to hardcode the subtitles using Subtitle Edit—just to make it easier to watch a DivX movie on a standard home DVD player.

Hardcoding subtitles just to watch a movie on a PC seems pretty pointless, honestly, since players like VLC Media Player handle that perfectly fine on their own.

Well, yeah—because my subtitles aren't showing up. And for the record, I'm not hardcoding the ones I watch in VLC Media Player; I just keep them as separate files.

Joshua Garcia3 said:If you want to check if Subtitle Edit actually did its job on your computer, use Windows Media Player. Once the movie starts, just right-click the screen, go to Subtitle Tracks > Subtitle Tracks #1, select it, and the subs should pop up. 🙂

By the way, how big was the original DivX file before you ran it through Subtitle Edit?

The file is exactly 639 MB, and it stays that exact size after processing. I guess I wasn't clear enough before—the DVD player won't even "see" the movie on the disc at all.

I'll give Windows Media Player a shot and let you know.

I followed the livada tutorial on how to hardcode subtitles into a movie, but I ended up with an avi file via Subtitle Edit that’s only 1.27 MB—the original movie stays its original size, while this new little 1.27 MB file is all I have left.

The problem is, when I try to run the movie in VLC Media Player, nothing happens—and it won't play on my DVD player either.

I could use some advice here. Thanks.

David Green11 said:Personally, I’d argue that signing up for something right at the start—like paying a monthly membership fee for a fitness center or similar service—is actually a brilliant move, much like how committing to a subscription service keeps you accountable; if you skip it, that little pang of guilt acts as a nudge. Plus, being surrounded by people chasing the exact same goals can be incredibly infectious. The suggestion you made about waking up early for a quick fifteen-minute jog sounds great in theory, but for someone like me, it usually falls victim to the classic "I'll start tomorrow" trap. 🙄 Having skin in the game by paying for the full month is really what forces my hand to actually show up.
The absolute best kind of fuel for motivation is seeing those initial wins; once you drop a few pounds and realize how much more energetic you feel, you won't even want to let yourself demolish a massive deli sandwich loaded with mayo at 11:00 PM.🙂
Everyone has already pointed this out (and I couldn't agree more), but you shouldn't wait for New Year's Day, the first of the month, or even next Monday to make a change... you need to start RIGHT NOW!!! 😉
Good luck!

Not necessarily. If someone has, say, three sessions booked a week and they just can't find the drive, maybe the guilt over wasting money might nudge them to go just once—purely to ease their conscience. I suppose I agree that visible results are the ultimate motivator, but let's be real: many people lack the initial drive required to reach those results in the first place. It all comes down to the individual. If someone genuinely wants to change, they will—and if they don't, nothing being said here is going to help them.

Alex Nguyen3 said:I can never seem to find my own rhythm or actually feel satisfied with where I am. :/
Every time I try to get my act together—like actually getting out of bed to go for a run—I end up talking myself out of it. "I'll start tomorrow," I say, and then suddenly, the entire summer has slipped by.
Or I'll try to drop a few pounds, start strong in the morning, but then give in to cravings at night and fall back on that same old excuse: "Tomorrow."
It just leaves me feeling disappointed in myself, and honestly, pretty empty.
I know the issue starts with me, but I really need to just lace up my sneakers and hit the pavement. 😁Not next year, but today...
I think it would be good for you to start adapting to those changes too, whether it's hitting the gym or something else. It doesn't matter what it is, the point is you should start today... so that making it through next year feels a lot easier. 🙂)
Don't let yourself spend the whole summer like I did, failing to do even one thing you planned. You'll just end up beating yourself up about it until you eventually forget. xD

Maybe things would be easier if there were someone to run with. I know from my own experience—I used to run for a while—that motivation tends to tank pretty quickly when you don't have someone else who is equally driven to push you along.

It’s the same story with almost any other hobby, really; things are just more engaging when you have someone by your side who is also a beginner or just starting out.

It’s kind of a similar situation for me—though the difference is that I don't really worry about what to say next. It's more that my mind just goes blank, or my thoughts drift off to some completely unrelated topic, and before I know it, I’ve stopped listening to the person entirely. It isn't that I lack things to say or can't express my actual opinions—that's not the issue—it's just that I have zero interest in the mundane, everyday trivialities of someone else's life or their mindless little anecdotes. For instance, today some guy starts talking to me like, "Jesus, I barely slept last night, I've had five coffees and I'm still dead..." Okay, and? What am I supposed to say to that? I'm just not built for casual small talk. So, most of the time, I just stay quiet and let people ramble on around me.

It's the same thing when I actually *want* to start a conversation; I have no idea how to kick it off or what topic to pick, and even if I do find the nerve to try, the conversation dies almost immediately—and then we're right back where we started.

Honestly, I think Sababus is just trying to bait as many idiots as possible out of their holes—all in some desperate hope that they might finally stumble into something useful. 😬