Newsletter Archives

• Opal becomes Obsidian

  Posted on July 24, 2023 at 02:43 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE DIY

  

  By Will Fastie

  In this final article about building my new Windows 11 PC, I reveal a surprising change.

  It’s taken quite a long time for my new Windows 11 PC to get to the point when it could become my daily driver. I admit to some sloth. Worse, I confess to some confusion.

  Nonetheless, the unexpected delay in the project has been a worthwhile learning experience.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.30.0, 2023-07-24).

  Hardware ASUS, Corsair, DIY, hardware, HDDs, Migration, Motherboards, Newsletters, Noctua

• Setting up your own cloud

  Posted on June 26, 2023 at 02:44 CDT by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE DIY

  

  By Ben Myers

  I began a pilot project to see what a NAS (Network Attached Storage) computer could do to improve data backup and management here.

  We have the usual collection of flash memory sticks and USB drives — and maybe, just maybe, we are not proactive with saving important information. It makes no sense to pay an annual rental for a Windows server license. There are several Linux distributions built for the specific purpose of hosting a NAS. Each of them, once installed, provides administration through the browser of a computer connected to one’s local area network.

  Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.26.0, 2023-06-26).

  Hardware DIY, hardware, NAS, Network, Newsletters, RAID

• Fixing Onyx’s RAID 1 failure — second drive

  Posted on June 26, 2023 at 02:41 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE DIY

  

  By Will Fastie

  In our May bonus issue, I wrote about fixing Onyx’s RAID 1 failure.

  There was one task left. I had replaced the failed drive in the mirror with a new Seagate FireCuda drive, but I did not want to install the second without giving the first drive time to burn in. In this brief article, I describe that final task.

  It went as expected.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.26.0, 2023-06-26).

  Hardware DIY, hardware, Intel RST, Newsletters, RAID 1

• Working with the Intel Driver & Support Assistant

  Posted on June 19, 2023 at 02:45 CDT by Ed Tittel • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.25 • 2023-06-19

  WINDOWS

  

  By Ed Tittel

  Intel’s share of the x86 processor market at the end of 2022 came out at nearly a two-to-one ratio for Intel vs. AMD.

  The Statista survey ascribes 62.8% of that market to Intel and 35.2% to AMD; the remaining 2% presumably belongs to ARM and “other CPUs” sometimes found in PCs.

  But other Intel devices, including PC chipsets and controllers, show up in PCs of all kinds. And that means Intel also supplies drivers to connect devices to Windows and allow them to do their jobs.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.25.0, 2023-06-19).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Windows hardware, Hardware drivers, Intel, Newsletters, Software, utilities, Windows

• Storage Spaces or Intel Rapid Storage?

  Posted on June 12, 2023 at 02:43 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE DIY

  

  By Will Fastie

  My plan to use Storage Spaces on Opal hit a speed bump.

  In my recent article Windows Storage Spaces (2023-05-22), I described my experiment with Opal, in which I decided to replace the RAID array created by Intel Rapid Storage with the same type of array created by Storage Spaces. My reaction was generally positive, although I did complain about the UI.

  My opinion has changed. I’ll be reverting to Intel Rapid Storage.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.24.0, 2023-06-12).

  Hardware DIY, hard drives, hardware, Intel RST, Newsletters, RAID, Storage Spaces

• Diagnostics and testing? Get it all done in a flash.

  Posted on June 5, 2023 at 02:43 CDT by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ben Myers

  Bootable USB flash drives are wonderful for doing many different software tasks when working on computers, but year by year they pile up.

  I needed to rid myself of my dependency on the many bootable flash drives I have collected in the last few years, by putting the most frequently used software on a single flash drive.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.23.0, 2023-06-05).

  Hardware Diagnostics, hardware, ISOs, Newsletters, Support, Testing, USB Flash Drives, USB SSDs

• Large or small? Old or new? Borrowed and blue?

  Posted on April 3, 2023 at 02:42 CDT by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ben Myers

  Decade-long trends in computer hardware make for more expansive and perplexing choices.

  So you need to buy another computer, or two, or more? What do you buy — large or small, mainstream brand, traditional or custom, new or used?

  Running a cradle-to-grave computer business including the repair and resale of gently used computers, I originally expected to portray the various tradeoffs between buying new and buying used computers. Then I realized that the trends that have swept over the computer industry in the past decade can, and do, have great influence over what to buy. Trends first, new vs. used later.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.14.0, 2023-04-03).

  Hardware Desktops, Form factor, hardware, Laptops, Newsletters, SSDs

• The Fastie Keyboard Silencer Pro+

  Posted on February 13, 2023 at 02:44 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE

  

  By Will Fastie

  Getting a quiet keyboard is easier than you think, especially with my new product concept.

  I type a lot. That’s what editors do. I also write code when I’m working on websites. I can’t escape the need for a good, comfortable keyboard.

  I also can’t escape the need for a quiet keyboard.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.07.0, 2023-02-13).

  Hardware hardware, keyboard, Keyboards, Newsletters, Quiet

• “What can I use my old computers for?”

  Posted on January 23, 2023 at 02:45 CST by Randy McElveen • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.04 • 2023-01-23

  SUPPORT

  

  By Randy McElveen

  I will be the first to admit that I have a problem letting go of things. I just cannot throw things away, especially electronics.

  In this article, I will give you some “tips for pack rats” about how to repurpose old computers. I’m sure I will get around to doing these things with my basement full of computers — someday.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.04.0, 2023-01-23).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Support hardware, Linux, Newsletters, Older PCs, Randy's Remedies

• When is the right time to buy a Windows 11 computer?

  Posted on January 23, 2023 at 02:41 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE

  

  By Susan Bradley

  The other day, I retired the last Windows 7 computer in our office, the one that had been used by our office manager.

  She didn’t like change and rarely went online. She used the computer only for some key business applications. (She carried a flip phone.) In other words, this is a case in which I wanted to make the transition as smooth as possible.

  So I took an older Windows 10 computer that wasn’t eligible for Windows 11, put the Start10 application on it, installed the Office classic menu, and ported her preferred background image to the “new” PC. I put the icons on the desktop in exactly the same place. I did everything possible to make the new computer look and behave as much like the old one as I could. And I didn’t tell her the computer had changed.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.04.0, 2023-01-23).

  Hardware hardware, Newsletters, Windows 10, Windows 11

• Dymo declines

  Posted on January 9, 2023 at 02:42 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE

  

  By Will Fastie

  One of my favorite brands is headed for extinction.

  I don’t think I’ve ever been as dismayed with a Christmas gift as I was a year ago. I just didn’t know it at the time. My wife gave me the gift because I asked for it, but even my reason for wanting it was askew.

  The gift? A Dymo LabelWriter 550 Turbo. Faster than a speeding bullet. Able to leap buildings in a single bound. And, designed to disappoint.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.02.0, 2023-01-09).

  Hardware Dymo, hardware, Newsletters, printers, Quality

• Let your PC start the new year right!

  Posted on January 2, 2023 at 02:45 CST by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.01 • 2023-01-02

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ben Myers

  Taking a little time now to check and proactively service your Windows PC thoroughly can pay off big time in the coming year.

  Whether you’re planning to move to Windows 11 or stick with Windows 10, this easy-to-follow annual checkup is the preventive medicine that can help ensure that your PC begins 2023 in the best shape possible.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.01.0, 2023-01-02).

  Hardware Backups, Drive maintenance, hardware, Networking, Newsletters, PC maintenance, security
• « Older Entries