Honestly, I’m not even surprised anymore seeing so many DOA media discs in a single pack. Optical media is pretty much a dying technology at this point—kind of like how it used to be with floppy disks where you'd pull one or two out of the box and they were already dead. It's just old tech, thin profit margins leading to crappy quality control, maybe some tired lasers in the players, or who knows how long they've been sitting in a warehouse... any little hiccup leads to a failed burn.
It feels a bit weird though, since Verbatim is such a solid brand (their Crystal Day stuff works flawlessly these days), so having a 20% failure rate is high. But I think all those factors I mentioned are to blame.
Like I said before, I haven't burned anything in years, but I recently tried helping a neighbor out. I dug up some old Verbatim (let me think... what was it called again?), and it worked perfectly on the first try.
Nowadays, USB sticks die on you daily; honestly, it's not even worth stressing over why.
BTW, I luckily forgot all about using ConvertXtoDVD 3 ages ago. The bigger headache now is actually finding a way to connect a device that plays everything to a modern screen...
Any decent Optical Character Recognition software. Basically, the better the accuracy, the more you’re gonna pay. Plus, everything really boils down to how good your template is and how clean your scan looks... we're talking percentages here: nobody ever hits that perfect 100% accuracy mark... If 97% sounds great to you, try counting the characters on a single page... I was looking at a basic memo: 165 words, 1,226 characters, which means a 97% accurate tool still leaves you with about 37 typos... scattered all over half a page of text, so good luck hunting them down. It's a bit easier when it's just minor punctuation glitches, but that adds up fast on a long document... It's not all bad news, though: Adobe Acrobat claims they hit 99.8% accuracy...
That's all just theory, though. In the real world: - You get some mediocre version of OCR software bundled with every scanner (does anyone actually buy those anymore?) - There are online converters, but honestly, they usually only process the first page as a demo before demanding cash for the rest. - You can use Microsoft OneNote from the Microsoft Office suite: just upload an image, right-click, select "Copy text from picture...", then paste it into Microsoft Word... but man, that's such a hassle... - You could grab some free software, like: FreeOCR and just fix the errors manually... just a heads-up, this one requires Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 to be installed.
Either way, you're gonna end up with unformatted, messy text—basically just a raw dump of whatever the software recognized based on the original layout—so expect to spend plenty of time cleaning it up so it actually looks professional. Regardless, instead of typing out stacks of pages by hand, this is a pretty helpful solution, even if low-quality scans give everyone a headache.
Hope you find this useful, and please don't use it to plagiarize some college thesis like those shady politicians back home...😁
Looks like your hard drive probably kicked the bucket. Based on what you're describing, this isn't really a DIY job: you'll need to run diagnostics, maybe try a clean OS reinstall... honestly, just take it to a repair shop. If there’s actually important data you need to rescue, make sure to mention that upfront (standard shops won't mess with it much, and you'd have to go to specialized recovery firms, which costs a fortune!)
Pro tip: if you're replacing the drive, definitely go with an SSD. You'll get less capacity (less junk cluttering things up), but the speed boost and responsiveness are insane—plus they handle bumps way better...
Look, I’ve read this twice now and I still have zero clue what’s actually working or what isn't. You aren't really describing your setup clearly enough... honestly, it feels like we're just spinning our wheels here. It's kind of like a blind man trying to lead someone who can't hear him, you know? Maybe this isn't the right place to troubleshoot a mess like this via an online forum.
Your best bet is probably calling a pro who actually knows their stuff to come fix it for you... you might have just totally botched the drivers.
You've got a 4 Mbps connection, which works out to about 500 KB/s of steady download speed. Everything checks out—just remember there's a difference between bits and bytes...
Honestly, it’s been a minute since I’ve brushed up on my own skills or stayed current, but I get plenty of chances to watch customers and IT equipment owners in action. It feels like 99% of them just want whatever is cheapest, even if it’s some sketchy knockoff from an online marketplace. And let's be real—probably two-thirds of them wouldn't know the difference between USB standards if their lives depended on it. The folks who actually turn to forums for advice are really just the cream of the crop—which is awesome, because at least they're trying to figure out cause and effect. Most of the younger crowd? Total blank slates when it comes to actual tech knowledge. Plus, every time I stop by a local repair shop, I’m genuinely shocked to see people still running Pentiume d. za hardware in their setups. I have this friend with a seven-year-old computer who insists it’s "basically brand new" just because he bought it. I don't even need to mention that his main priority back then was clearly "whatever costs the least." Now he acts baffled when other people can actually get things done while he can't. Like, what am I supposed to do? Call upon the holy spirit? Should I just wave a magic thumb drive and suddenly manifest a new i7, 16 GB of RAM, and an SSD out of thin air? Because apparently, spending any real money is totally off the table. It's wild—these are educated professionals making decent money, yet they act like buying a basic USB extension cable requires a full family council meeting to approve.
Elizabeth Sanders64 said:Thanks everyone for all the great advice! 👍
It totally slipped my mind, but it makes sense—this tiny little hub of mine just isn't pushing enough amper.
Like I was saying: those hubs are meant for "lightweight" peripherals. They're basically just a fancy way to swap ports or add extra slots without plugging everything directly into your PC or motherboard.
An external HDD isn't exactly "lightweight" peripheral when you think about power draw or how critical it is. With an HDD, you need steady, constant power without any fluctuations, plus rock-solid data transfer. You really only get that by using a single USB port plugged straight into the board. Whether that's "direct" via a shorter cable or just using the original one... well, that's the deal. That's it. For other stuff like mice or keyboards, it's not a huge deal if a few bits drop; you might just see the mouse stutter. But with a drive? You can't risk that.
You also have to realize that USB cables, hubs, and whatnot... even if they claim to be "standard compliant," they almost never perform well at their maximum rated lengths. Even if a cable says it can go up to 5m, it’s usually such thin crap that even a printer won't work on it because the voltage drop is just too high.
So yeah, USB hubs: best kept for less important, less "critical" gear...
Here’s how I set mine up (using Comcast): Honestly, the easiest way is just to create a brand-new mail account and let the setup wizard do the heavy lifting. You just step in and tweak whatever the automation gets wrong. First, right-click in the left panel, hit Settings, and once you’re in Account Settings, look for Account Actions at the bottom.
Add mail account
Your Name: whatever you want Email address: Your email here Password: Use your current one Check the box for Remember pass Next> Pick the POP3 server (assuming that's what your provider uses)
Scroll down to Manual config to open up the detailed settings: Incoming: POP3 pop.comcast.net (this is from the provider) Port: 110 SSL : STARTTLS Normal password
Outgoing Server (SMTP): Server Name: mail.comcast.net Port: 25 Connection Security: STARTTLS Authentication method: Normal password At the bottom, make sure to fix the User name (since Thunder tends to add an extra suffix to the address) User Name:
I think later on you can just right-click the email address and fix things individually under each server—though I’m mostly speaking from memory, except for the password part.
This guide is specifically for an American provider using a POP server. If you're using IMAP, you still need to stick to your specific provider's SMTP server and its details, otherwise, your emails won't actually send...
granitemason55 said:Yeah, looking back, I think the culprit might be the USB port. I plug my external drives into this 4-port USB hub, and maybe it's just choked with dust—even though I clean it regularly—or maybe it's just totally worn out and hit its limit. But if the issue is actually with the port where the hub plugs into the computer itself, I'll have to haul the whole rig back to the Geek Squad (which, by the way, I just had serviced two months ago).
If I were you, I’d look right there: stop plugging an external HDD into any kind of hub. Ideally, don't even use the front panel USB ports on the case, and definitely stay away from those multi-port hubs like that 4-port one of yours. Technically, you can "daisy chain" USB devices, meaning you can link cable to cable, but then everything depends on how good the cables are, how clean the contacts are, and the quality of the actual USB outputs—especially if you're using those front-facing case ports. By adding that hub into the mix, you've introduced a variable we know nothing about. Does it have its own power supply? What's the build quality? Who knows. Keep in mind that an external HDD is one of the bigger power hogs you can plug into a USB port, and a standard USB 2.0 port only puts out about 500 mA under perfect conditions. Your hub probably isn't providing more than that; in fact, it's likely providing less. Hubs are meant for connecting several small peripherals, and once they all start grabbing their slice of power, you're basically screwed. That's why external HDDs often come with those "Y-splitter" cables—they're designed to "steal" extra juice from a second USB port if one isn't enough. I've had plenty of weird experiences with my own externals: on my desktop, it worked fine with just one cable, but sometimes it demanded both, and at a buddy's place, it wouldn't work at all because his old PC had a weak power supply or a crappy motherboard with bad USB delivery.
The bottom line? Try plugging your external HDD directly into the rear USB ports on the back of the computer. Use it that way for a while and see if it stays stable. Only after you're sure the drive itself is fine should you start blaming the computer hardware.
Cut all those "extenders" out of the equation. Remember, USB carries both data and power, and all those extra cables and hubs cause voltage drops, weaken the current, and clog up communication. Hubs—like that 4-port thing you're using—are really intended for "lightweight" stuff like mice or other tiny gadgets that don't need a constant, heavy stream of data.
If you absolutely can't reach the rear ports (since cables are often too short), try a single, decent USB cable. Just make sure it's short—maybe around 20 inches—and thick; thicker usually means higher quality. Think of those old-school cables that used to come with early smartphones: thick, clear insulation, and you can see that silver shielding inside...
Honestly, it’s way faster to just hit up the official HP support site and check the actual light codes than to sit around guessing on Reddit waiting for someone else to pop up with the exact same issue: Blinking lights
Based on what you're saying, it sounds like those ink access doors aren't clicked shut all the way...
jadebison17 said:I've got a bit of a dilemma. I need to cut out some pieces—480 mm by 360 mm—for my water cooling radiators. How should I set up the dimensions so someone can actually laser cut or water jet them for me?
I found some measurements online, but I can't find actual ready-to-go files, you know? Like, digital schematics you just plug into a computer and it does the work... anyone got tips? Thanks!
Wait, so you're looking for "measurements" (like blueprints??) to hand over to a laser cutting shop? You can't just show up with a sketch drawn on a piece of cardboard... what would they even do with that? Try to shove it through a USB port?
Seriously, you should hit up the shop first and ask exactly what data they need. They'll need the dimensions and the shape so they can program their machine. It's not like they're going to tape a template to a sheet of metal and cut it out with a grinder... Nowadays, everything is usually handled in an Adobe Photoshop format if things get complicated enough..
During the installation process: Once you kick off the installer and breeze through all the steps, you'll hit that EULA screen where you have to check the box agreeing to the terms. Right after that, the next screen gives you a choice: do you want to upgrade your current setup or go with a Custom install (for a totally clean Windows install)? Go with Custom. Then, a window pops up asking which partition you want to use. You can format the old one, but honestly, the easiest way is just to wipe the slate clean—delete all the existing partitions and create a new one (or several, if you're feeling fancy). Just hit Delete on the old ones, then click New... That wipes everything out, leaving you with a perfectly fresh installation...
Speeds really come down to what kind of files you're throwing at them. This type of memory is generally way better at multitasking, so you get those "perceived" speed boosts. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they started caching Flash drives just like they do with SSDs and thumb drives nowadays... At the end of the day, it all depends on what you actually plan to do with the card. It sounds like you might have already hit the ceiling with the gear you're using, so those theoretical speeds don't even matter anymore, right?
Kenneth Reyes said:I used to have 12 tabs open, then I nuked some extensions and now I’m down to just 5 extensions and 2 tabs, but I’ve still got 8 Google Chrome processes running. Plus, using Mozilla Firefox eats up almost 80% of my memory.
Maybe the issue is actually "you"? Like, what are you even doing with 12 tabs open in Google Chrome that makes you need to fire up Mozilla Firefox too? And on a laptop, no less?
If you really need all that for work, then upgrading your RAM is definitely your first move...
ironcyclist58 said:Look, based on how the prompt is phrased, your solution is way over-engineered. He doesn't need an entire array (it doesn't say we need to store all the input numbers), just two variables to track the current max and min.
The assignment starts with "unnamed...", so I figured at least one array was involved. But wait, what kind of n numbers are we talking about here? Given ones? User input? Since there's zero clarification, I just assumed they should be generated and filled into that array before testing...
Honestly, I'm not even sure if the original post actually contains the literal wording of the task (though maybe it does, given how our American school system works), or if this is just a "loose interpretation" of the thread starter.
So, who actually gets the credit and the degree at the end of this whole saga—you or the guy who actually fixes it?
. generate unnamed - use them to build an array of n elements - (print the array)? - set the first element as both the max and the min - loop through the rest of the array if the next number is bigger than the current max, update the max (else) if it's smaller than the current min, update the min - print out the final max and min
urbanpilot7 said:Exactly. My main goal for using RAID is hardware redundancy against drive failure, not protection from ransomware or anything else. It’s strictly for storage. I plan to have a dedicated backup drive—likely the one I'm using now—that stays offline most of the time, maybe synced once a month. I don't have the budget for a dedicated NAS right now. I just have two identical new drives and a motherboard that supports a hardware-based RAID 1 via the chipset, independent of Windows.
I assumed that was the case based on your last point. My concern is how the system handles specific scenarios. For instance, when does it notify me if a drive fails? Is it within Windows or during the boot process? What happens when I swap out a dead drive? Can I simply pull one of the disks and plug it into another machine to access it like a standard drive?
The bottom line is that the RAID array needs to function normally even if I switch operating systems or boot from a Linux CD. I need to know exactly what happens during a failure so I don't lose everything by failing to restore the RAID to a healthy state properly.
I actually wrote more about this on another forum (the first post is identical), so I won't repeat myself here:
That part is telling: some jerk would probably suggest you patent that idea right now and get rich quick. 😁
So, you don't want a NAS because those aren't cheap, but you want all the perks of a totally software-hardware independent system built right into a single PC? And if I'm following you, you also want the RAID array to act as a "reserve" system partition you can boot from if things go south? Man, let me stop you right there: - If it's software-based, it's tied to the OS; - If it's hardware-based, you're stuck with that specific RAID card and whatever OS supports it; - If it's integrated into the motherboard, you're at the mercy of that specific motherboard + OS combo.
Basically, with software solutions, there's a huge risk when switching OSes, and it might not even work. If you buy a dedicated RAID card (the pro stuff makes sense, and the people buying them know why), you wouldn't put that in a PC where everyone's messing around. And if you rely on the motherboard? Just remember they can be pretty flaky...
Storing data like this is practically its own science. There’s no "click next, click finish" solution that actually works reliably without costing a fortune.
That’s why we have things like little home NAS units or network drives. But for people who hate "black boxes" and want total control, there are TrueNAS options available as free operating systems. You can throw one of those onto a mini-PC or an old desktop that's too weak for modern gaming but still crushes any off-the-shelf network drive. Toss some drives in, install TrueNAS or something similar, hide the PC somewhere in the house, plug it into your home network, and boom—it's available to everyone (or whoever you want) without anyone messing with the actual machine. It’s minimally dependent on hardware because you can run that OS on basically any PC. The OS itself is robust enough that you can just grab an image and reinstall it anywhere. And that bit about swapping disks in a RAID array? That's a whole different beast. If one drive dies, the others are basically just acting as a backup. You pop in a new one, pray everything goes smoothly, and rebuild the array. That’s really only for mirrors; more complex setups theoretically guarantee integrity, but in reality, anything can happen.
Besides, with RAID 1, you get a nice speed boost on reads (depending on how it's set up) since it pulls from two disks at once. But on the safety side? Both disks are in the same box, so whatever kills one disk will probably kill both. With how reliable drives are these days, the only real backup is... a backup. A physically separate one, preferably multiple copies...
Bryan Fowler7 said:I mean, okay, but I’m still totally lost on what kind of software he actually used to whip that file up.
Andrew Peterson2 hit the nail on the head here:
Andrew Peterson2 said:Honestly, just go ahead and download LibreOffice instead. The crew basically split off from OpenOffice to keep things moving under a new name... much cleaner that way.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab via Reddit
Go with Libre. It's free, totally open-source, and doesn't hog your hard drive (only needs about 1.5 GB). It handles all those "open" formats perfectly, plus most Microsoft stuff too. Sure, you might run into some weird formatting glitches or spreadsheet formula hiccups once in a while, but it works. Even plenty of US government agencies and schools are starting to embrace open formats now.
It’s pretty wild when you think about it—the ODT format, like all those other open standards, passed verification and became an official standard with a clear, transparent structure way before Microsoft formats did. And even then, Microsoft eventually forced their ways into those standards. Honestly? It just proves money talks. Most people just stick to what's expensive and ubiquitous because of pure habit. Our own government institutions and school systems end up supporting proprietary software and formats just because they bought a few licenses, essentially draining taxpayer money straight into the pockets of giant corporations. And for what? Mostly just for filling out boring paperwork...
Too little info here: what’s the setup, which OS are you running, what printers are we talking about, how are they connected, the PC's condition, or even the specific circumstances when it fails? Saying "it works sometimes and then it doesn't" is just way too vague, sorry...