Computer General Discussion Thread

[KiraKira Land]

Ah, another thing that doesn't work: Any emulator for anything over 64 bits. I'm using the 32 bit Windows Vista actually. Any game system newer than the N64 cannot be emulated from my experience. This is probably because of my computer hardware again, though.

It is a bit of common sense, if you have a 32-bit CPU or hardware and/or a 32-bit OS, you can't run any 64-bit software. It won't have enough memory address space to run any 64-bit instruction set. Nobody manufactures 32-bit hardware anymore, that has been completely discontinued since around 2008 in favor of 64-bit.

The same isn't true for software, for whatever reason- there is plenty of 32-bit software and applications out there and there probably will be for the foreseeable future, but with perhaps 32-bit OSes starting to go away. A 64-bit CPU or OS can run anything 32-bit because 32 bits of binary will fit inside a 64-bit address range.

Actually as I mentioned, it does run 64 bit emulators. N64 for instance works wonderfully. I said it wouldn't run anything OVER 64 bit. This is because the CPU itself is 64 bit. The OS only is 32 bit.

[Saiwania]

Alright so, I have this Android smartphone that I don't really care about all that much but still want to get into good working order.

The phone is a "hand me down" from someone else who moved onto a better phone. It is an LG L22C that I play with, I basically connect it to my residential network but permanently disable the cellular data because I don't want to pay for any actual phone service with that device.

I factory reset it and everything to initially get it close to my liking. Then I got bored of staying with only the official software from Google and got the bright idea of wanting to root that device. I used an APK called KingRoot in order to do that. On the surface- it appears to work wonderfully. One button press and it enables root access, so easy and convenient. But I have concerns and perhaps some paranoia because by this point, I've bricked that Android and only after a while managed to un-brick it- but still haven't recovered in some respects. Only 1 of the 3 home row buttons work for unknown reasons and Google Play refuses to download anything unless I downgrade it.

Now onto my question: if anyone else here has ever used or tried KingRoot, can you say for certain that it is malware? I can't quite find the consensus I'm looking for to determine whether it is safe to use or not.

It is true that the program itself uses software exploits to get Root access to Android but allegedly it doesn't go rogue on you in that it actively tries to spread itself to infect other devices or progressively makes itself harder to remove and more intrusive and obnoxious by locking out programs and etc. I suspect that it does come with an ad-ware component but asides from that, I've had mixed results with KingRoot.

For a few days, it did exactly as I wanted it to and seemed to run like a legitimate application that came with a ton of cool features. But instead today, shortly after I used it- it seems to have bricked my phone and I had to hard reset to get the phone back to an imperfect but usable state.

King Root- awesome but partially flawed application or malware? I'd really love to be able to keep using King Root, but unfortunately it seems that there is every possibility that it is in fact- a Trojan Horse that is best avoided.

If I do screw up this phone too much over time, perhaps I could completely ditch the stock OS that came with it and try my hand at installing a newer or alternative version of Android on it (that the hardware can handle). My concern is that the drivers won't perfectly correspond to the phone's hardware but it'd be way more interesting to do from my perspective.

I want to access features I wouldn't normally be able to, I want to assume all the risks and see what works and what doesn't, I want to get my hands dirty with all that is Android. Trying out all the software under the sun and etc. I can't exactly do that only playing it safe or doing just what Google, LG, and TracFone want me to do as merely an end user.

[Of Herbshire]

That's quite the old Operating System. I'd like to ask, since you're using it in 2017, has the newer software that's been released for Windows given you any problems under Vista?

I can answer that, yes some new software doesn't work. For instance I could not run the Sims 3 without it crashing. Second Life is so slow it is unusable. But I think that's just my computer's low specs. It doesn't do well with complex 3D. For instance IMVU worked well on my old Windows XP netbook. But not on my current laptop.

I don't use much new software, so other than that it seems to work fine for what I do, which is usually use the internet and retro emulators.

Ah, another thing that doesn't work: Any emulator for anything over 64 bits. I'm using the 32 bit Windows Vista actually. Any game system newer than the N64 cannot be emulated from my experience. This is probably because of my computer hardware again, though.

BTW I'm running Vista on a physical machine, which is an HP Compaq dc5850, with AMD Athlon 64 x2 2.6 GHz, 2 GB of DDR2 RAM and ATI Radeon 3100 Graphics. While i did have another PC running Windows 10 which is faster, i decided to use my old Vista PC as a daily driver because i often use Excel and Word 2010 on that particular machine for work, and my favorite printer (the Canon LBP-2900) only runs fine under Vista and 7. If you attempt to install it on Windows 10, it'll not work properly with the drivers.

Actually, i did try Windows 7 and 10 on my computer but it ran more slower with the experience index being 3.1 instead of 3.3. I was sometimes greeted with a black screen of death after logging on and it annoyed me so much. Even it refuses to install any AV, due to admin "rights". Bollocks. Rather than just leaving my machine being infected with malware, i'll rather reinstall Vista for the sake of nothing.


Game-wise, it could run Sims 2 very well at high settings, although i have to wait like 1 minute and a half to get to the main menu from the loading screen. It was like between 42-53 FPS. For a Radeon which only has 256 MB of dedicated graphics, it's typical. Sims 3? Well, a bit longer than Sims 2. Almost 2 minutes to reach Bridgeport. That's even longer than my crappy Celeron laptop. But 32 FPS is not too bad. World of Warcraft runs fine, despite having a lil bit of lag. Around 54 FPS so far.

So far, My main browser (s) on Vista is currently Opera, although Pale Moon continues to be my backup browser.

[Xin-Nippon]

According to the poll, 6 percent are using DOS..

I am really curious who is still using DOS, besides for gaming etc..

[Lord Dominator]

According to the poll, 6 percent are using DOS..

I am really curious who is still using DOS, besides for gaming etc..

Correction, 6 people total

[Grand Britannia]

According to the poll, 6 percent are using DOS..

I am really curious who is still using DOS, besides for gaming etc..

1337 russian hackerz things.

[Nordengrund]

What are the pros and cons of dual boot. My PC came with Windows 10, but I also put Linux Mint on it, but now I think it was wiped after an update. Fortunately, I still have it on a USB, but I'm debating whether or not I really need it on dual boot. I got Mint to familiar myself with Linux.

[Corvus Metallum]

What are the pros and cons of dual boot. My PC came with Windows 10, but I also put Linux Mint on it, but now I think it was wiped after an update. Fortunately, I still have it on a USB, but I'm debating whether or not I really need it on dual boot. I got Mint to familiar myself with Linux.

Aside from a shrunken Windows partition, there really aren't a whole lot of downsides to dual-booting. A USB Live Image is all well and dandy, but you really won't be able to familiarize yourself with the system as much as if you had it installed--unless you have persistent storage set up, you'll lose any and all changes made to the USB image in a given session.

[Nordengrund]

What are the pros and cons of dual boot. My PC came with Windows 10, but I also put Linux Mint on it, but now I think it was wiped after an update. Fortunately, I still have it on a USB, but I'm debating whether or not I really need it on dual boot. I got Mint to familiar myself with Linux.

Aside from a shrunken Windows partition, there really aren't a whole lot of downsides to dual-booting. A USB Live Image is all well and dandy, but you really won't be able to familiarize yourself with the system as much as if you had it installed--unless you have persistent storage set up, you'll lose any and all changes made to the USB image in a given session.

I only have one PC at the moment, so it's my all-purpose computer, for research, school, and gaming. I'm quite impressed with Mint so far, my only complaint is that it doesn't run Steam games very well, which is why I kept Windows around.

[Xin-Nippon]

If and when I ever build my own PC, I am going to dual boot it with Tails and Windows 7.

[Corvus Metallum]

Aside from a shrunken Windows partition, there really aren't a whole lot of downsides to dual-booting. A USB Live Image is all well and dandy, but you really won't be able to familiarize yourself with the system as much as if you had it installed--unless you have persistent storage set up, you'll lose any and all changes made to the USB image in a given session.

I only have one PC at the moment, so it's my all-purpose computer, for research, school, and gaming. I'm quite impressed with Mint so far, my only complaint is that it doesn't run Steam games very well, which is why I kept Windows around.

Yeah, Steam and Mint don't always get along. You're better off stickng to Windows for gaming.

[Nordengrund]

What is your preferred browser?

I don't have at the moment, but I really like Vivaldi so far. My only complaint is that it isn't completely open source, and I find Otter (an open-source version of Opera) too slow upon launching, and is still quite primitive in its UI and features, though it is a work in progress. I grew up on Firefox, but I also use Chrome alot, particularly when it pertains to school, emails, etc.

[Lord Dominator]

I only have one PC at the moment, so it's my all-purpose computer, for research, school, and gaming. I'm quite impressed with Mint so far, my only complaint is that it doesn't run Steam games very well, which is why I kept Windows around.

Yeah, Steam and Mint don't always get along. You're better off stickng to Windows for gaming.

I don't think Steam and Linux in general get along

[Saiwania]

And- I've officially hard bricked this Android smartphone. It didn't cost me any money though, so it is easy enough for me to let it go.

I don't have the means to flash the ROM myself, the bootloader isn't open and damn near impossible to crack, and factory reset doesn't work on it anymore, so I don't think it can be fixed without going to a manufacturer. The device is old and out of warranty, so yeah- I think this is it. I'm fixing to throw it away.

My lesson for everyone- don't buy LGE phones. But if you do have one and a restrictive carrier like TracFone for example, don't root your phone. It sucks not being able to remove bloatware or do whatever the hell you want with your device, but it is a better alternative to have it still work instead of an update from Google or whoever nuking your phone if they detect that your phone is rooted.

[Xin-Nippon]

And- I've officially hard bricked this Android smartphone. It didn't cost me any money though, so it is easy enough for me to let it go.

I don't have the means to flash the ROM myself, the bootloader isn't open and damn near impossible to crack, and factory reset doesn't work on it anymore, so I don't think it can be fixed without going to a manufacturer. The device is old and out of warranty, so yeah- I think this is it. I'm fixing to throw it away.

My lesson for everyone- don't buy LGE phones. But if you do have one and a restrictive carrier like TracFone for example, don't root your phone. It sucks not being able to remove bloatware or do whatever the hell you want with your device, but it is a better alternative to have it still work instead of an update from Google or whoever nuking your phone if they detect that your phone is rooted.

Don't throw it away, take it to recycle center instead at least.

[Saiwania]

Don't throw it away, take it to recycle center instead at least.

Nobody really does this. People throw electronics away left and right, because it is far easier to do that than to try to dispose of every item the correct way. There is even a question of being able to find a recycling center where you live that isn't too far out of your way and cost free.

This is especially true of certain scenarios like getting rid of a CRT TV. It is unprofitable to dismantle one at this point- so generally speaking; you'll get charged money to have them take certain waste off your hands. People aren't going to pay up, instead people are incentivized to go to more extreme lengths to get rid of their stuff illegally, such as simply leaving it by a roadside or tossing it into a ditch where no one will notice before they're long gone.

This is all obviously bad for the environment, but it can't be helped unless trash and recycling is made as easy as possible. I do have a recycling bin where I live but that is the best I can do really.

There are plenty of guidelines about what is trash and what is recyclable but people are horrible at both producing waste and managing it. It is virtually guaranteed that trash will wind up in the recycle can and some recyclables will end up in the trash.

There are some items that fit the characteristics of recyclable and trash, so it can be a judgement call. As just one example, there can be food waste that is stuck to tinfoil that can't be easily removed, I'd be inclined to crumble it up into a ball and consider it recyclable, even though the rules technically say that anything with food on it is trash. In my mind, I can't help but think it is recyclable because it is still metal that can be melted down and used again.

Garbage and what to do with it all, is very complicated.

[Soldati Senza Confini]

Don't throw it away, take it to recycle center instead at least.

Nobody really does this. People throw electronics away left and right, because it is far easier to do that than to try to dispose of every item the correct way. There is even a question of being able to find a recycling center where you live that isn't too far out of your way and cost free.

This is especially true of certain scenarios like getting rid of a CRT TV. It is unprofitable to dismantle one at this point- so generally speaking; you'll get charged money to have them take certain waste off your hands. People aren't going to pay up, instead people are incentivized to go to more extreme lengths to get rid of their stuff illegally, such as simply leaving it by a roadside or tossing it into a ditch where no one will notice before they're long gone.

This is all obviously bad for the environment, but it can't be helped unless trash and recycling is made as easy as possible. I do have a recycling bin where I live but that is the best I can do really.

There are plenty of guidelines about what is trash and what is recyclable but people are horrible at both producing waste and managing it. It is virtually guaranteed that trash will wind up in the recycle can and some recyclables will end up in the trash.

There are some items that fit the characteristics of recyclable and trash, so it can be a judgement call. As just one example, there can be food waste that is stuck to tinfoil that can't be easily removed, I'd be inclined to crumble it up into a ball and consider it recyclable, even though the rules technically say that anything with food on it is trash. In my mind, I can't help but think it is recyclable because it is still metal that can be melted down and used again.

Garbage and what to do with it all, is very complicated.

You obviously don't know the value of the CRT bulb in the TV then.

Nowadays the TVs are useless as a whole, but many people are quick to jump on the CRT train when they find out how much does the bulb actually cost -- which is what a lot of people try to scavenge out of old TVs to resell, even when they are old and in the curb.

[Xin-Nippon]

...And then there is me, who still uses a CRT TV as my everyday TV

To be fair, I use it mostly for gaming.

I would rather drive even a while to a recycle center rather than throw an old device away.

Anyways, I actually keep all my old devices as a collection. You can see the history of mobile devices over the years, it's interesting to me how much they have changed in the past decade alone. I plan to repair the broken ones soon.
If I had a device that was absolutely not repairable, I would scavenge parts from it. I repair other people's electronics, you never know when they might have that exact model. LCD screens and charging ports especially are useful.

But anyways, modern devices break so easily because of planned obsolescence, they want you to throw it away (and thus help ruin the environment) so you can buy a new one soon. It's always been around, but planned obsolescence seems to have gotten much worse in recent years.

It's one of the reasons I prefer PC to smartphone, and I have reverted to using a so-called "dumbphone" for calling and texting. I'm not a luddite, at least not intentionally, I just don't have the money to spend on a new phone every year, nor do I agree with the practice of planned obsolescence.

[Salandriagado]

Don't throw it away, take it to recycle center instead at least.

Nobody really does this. People throw electronics away left and right, because it is far easier to do that than to try to dispose of every item the correct way. There is even a question of being able to find a recycling center where you live that isn't too far out of your way and cost free.

This is especially true of certain scenarios like getting rid of a CRT TV. It is unprofitable to dismantle one at this point- so generally speaking; you'll get charged money to have them take certain waste off your hands. People aren't going to pay up, instead people are incentivized to go to more extreme lengths to get rid of their stuff illegally, such as simply leaving it by a roadside or tossing it into a ditch where no one will notice before they're long gone.

This is all obviously bad for the environment, but it can't be helped unless trash and recycling is made as easy as possible. I do have a recycling bin where I live but that is the best I can do really.

There are plenty of guidelines about what is trash and what is recyclable but people are horrible at both producing waste and managing it. It is virtually guaranteed that trash will wind up in the recycle can and some recyclables will end up in the trash.

There are some items that fit the characteristics of recyclable and trash, so it can be a judgement call. As just one example, there can be food waste that is stuck to tinfoil that can't be easily removed, I'd be inclined to crumble it up into a ball and consider it recyclable, even though the rules technically say that anything with food on it is trash. In my mind, I can't help but think it is recyclable because it is still metal that can be melted down and used again.

Garbage and what to do with it all, is very complicated.

If people stop recycling mobile phones, we stop being able to make them. There's only ~5 years worth of Indium (needed for making the screens) in the whole world if we don't recycle them. That's why there's so much effort going into recycling them.

[Saiwania]

If people stop recycling mobile phones, we stop being able to make them. There's only ~5 years worth of Indium (needed for making the screens) in the whole world if we don't recycle them. That's why there's so much effort going into recycling them.

I'm sure people will figure out an alternative or how to get more if needed, I do throw recyclables away in the recycle bin- but what Waste Management actually does with it, I can't say. I don't work there unfortunately. Recycling used to not even be an option where I lived. There is at least a somewhat easy process now in place. I never saw peak oil happen, and that desperately needs to occur. Instead, we're potentially getting peak demand but there isn't any guarantee this will happen compared to if oil ran out and only renewables were an option.

Only main downside I notice is that I'm throwing more plastic bags away than before because the bags stink if I reuse those bags for too long. But any garbage bags that contain trash would be thrown out with it anyways. When it is bagged, it substantially cuts down on the ants, flies, roaches, any other bugs attracted to it. Recycling is gross because all of it has to be unbagged, but the silver lining is that most recyclables will be inorganic or have few traces of food waste along with it.

[Salandriagado]

If people stop recycling mobile phones, we stop being able to make them. There's only ~5 years worth of Indium (needed for making the screens) in the whole world if we don't recycle them. That's why there's so much effort going into recycling them.

I'm sure people will figure out an alternative or how to get more if needed, I do throw recyclables away in the recycle bin- but what Waste Management actually does with it, I can't say. I don't work there unfortunately. Recycling used to not even be an option where I lived. There is at least a somewhat easy process now in place. I never saw peak oil happen, and that desperately needs to occur. Instead, we're potentially getting peak demand but there isn't any guarantee this will happen compared to if oil ran out and only renewables were an option.

Only main downside I notice is that I'm throwing more plastic bags away than before because the bags stink if I reuse those bags for too long. But any garbage bags that contain trash would be thrown out with it anyways. When it is bagged, it substantially cuts down on the ants, flies, roaches, any other bugs attracted to it. Recycling is gross because all of it has to be unbagged, but the silver lining is that most recyclables will be inorganic or have few traces of food waste along with it.

This isn't a "difficult mining" thing. This is literally "that's how much of it there is on the earth". We haven't found any in asteroids or other nearby planets either, so even if we're going crazy, that still isn't an option. There is literally no alternative to recycling in the long run.

[Xin-Nippon]

Why someone would practically protest against recycling is beyond me..

Humans are so silly, the only animals to actively destroy their planet and fight for the right to do so..

[Saiwania]

This isn't a "difficult mining" thing. This is literally "that's how much of it there is on the earth". We haven't found any in asteroids or other nearby planets either, so even if we're going crazy, that still isn't an option. There is literally no alternative to recycling in the long run.

A problem is that recycling can be unprofitable, because not all materials are created equal; it depends on the material in question and where the market for commodities is currently at. Sometimes it costs more in terms of labor to extract what you can out of waste than it would be to simply burn or bury it. So people have the wrong incentives to damage the environment to varying extents.

If there is a supply shortage, the price will be higher and with more money- it can be spent on R&D or whatever else necessary to find an alternative material or more of it. In the long run, everything will sort itself out. But people will still have problems.

[Salandriagado]

This isn't a "difficult mining" thing. This is literally "that's how much of it there is on the earth". We haven't found any in asteroids or other nearby planets either, so even if we're going crazy, that still isn't an option. There is literally no alternative to recycling in the long run.

A problem is that recycling can be unprofitable, because not all materials are created equal; it depends on the material in question and where the market for commodities is currently at. Sometimes it costs more in terms of labor to extract what you can out of waste than it would be to simply burn or bury it. So people have the wrong incentives to damage the environment to varying extents.

If there is a supply shortage, the price will be higher and with more money- it can be spent on R&D or whatever else necessary to find an alternative material or more of it. In the long run, everything will sort itself out. But people will still have problems.

Anything involving a smartphone is massively profitable to recycle. Even as an individual, companies will pay you up to $50 for broken smartphones (depending on the screen size), just to melt down the screens. Actual recycling profits are significantly higher than that. Your two arguments contradict each other: if a vital resource is in shortage (which it is), then recycling will become profitable.

[Minoa]

Why someone would practically protest against recycling is beyond me..

Humans are so silly, the only animals to actively destroy their planet and fight for the right to do so..

Some may think it is pointless, because events like Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma (edit: plus Tropical Storm Jose) and the forest fires in Los Angeles may have them resigned to the idea that it is too late and we're all doomed no matter how much we try.

As a side note, I managed to my VPN settings to exempt the BBC because I live in the UK. However, I had to calculate the CIDR ranges to pull it off.

I just hope that ASUS Merlin will soon allow me to use domain names for the routing policy rules. I can already do that for Little Snitch.