by "fhrblig" (fhrblig)
Published 12/03/2017 at 09:21
by "fhrblig" (fhrblig)
Published 12/03/2017 at 09:21
No Tags
STARS: 1
My desktop computer borked itself a couple weeks ago during a Windows 10 update. It’s probably fixable, but I don’t like it and took the opportunity to buy a cheap and somewhat powerful refurbished gaming computer (I’m not a gamer, just wanted something more powerful than I needed for once). The new tower will be here Tuesday, but until then I had to pull out my old asthmatic Toshiba laptop running Windows Vista, lol.
Anyway, it just hit me... I bought this computer 10 years ago, and a month after I bought it I started commenting on Off Topic/Oppo. I’ve been here nearly TEN YEARS. Holy crap.
I will probably write a long, sappy post about what Oppo means to me next month. Just know that you all are awesome and I love this place.
Here’s the pic that greeted me when I fired up the old laptop. I feel weird about my old 500 sometimes because I don’t really miss this car. It did nothing egregiously wrong during our time together, except for the stupid f’ing traction control that would turn itself back on if it decided it didn’t like what you were doing (GODDAMMIT I NEED THE WHEELS TO SPIN TO GET MOVING ON ICE YOU ASSHOLE). And it was fun in the twisties, even if it could have used 20-30 more hp; if you get one, get the turbo if you don’t get an Abarth. But I don’t have any longings about it like I’ve had with virtually every other car I have owned. But it was cute, and I did love the color.
Do you have a car in your history of ownership that you rarely think of and don’t really miss? I’m not talking about a bad experience, more like “I forgot I owned one of those. It was ok I guess. Anyway...”
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/03/2017 at 10:18, STARS: 1
I’ve had something like 15 cars and trucks. The only one I really regret selling is the Roadmaster wagon (damn you rust! Damn you to hellllll!!!!). I’d kind of like to have my first truck back, too. It was a ‘98 S-10 ext cab 2wd V6 auto, in a lovely meadow green. It never did me wrong, and I really bonded with that one over the four years I owned it.
The only one I genuinely regret buying, was a ‘12 Malibu that ended up being rather lemony and more trouble than it was worth. Buying that was stupid.
I loved each of the rest of them, but I don’t want them back and I rarely think about them.
"winterlegacy, here 'till the end" (winterlegacy)
12/03/2017 at 10:33, STARS: 1
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
If you have a Windows 10 install media, yes, it’s fixable. (Frustratingly though, you’d need to build your own install media with OEM systems, because you don’t get a physical media to work with.)
"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
12/03/2017 at 10:37, STARS: 1
1999 Ford Windstar. Base model, and I mean BASE. One slider, no A/C, manual windows, locks and mirrors. No rear defroster. Anemic 3.0l cast iron lump. Refrigerator white with depression gray interior. An odd combo of metric and SAE fasteners. Inaccessible rear bank of cylinders. Stupid mechanical failures and safety ‘features’ that just got in the way. The epitome of indifference, from design and engineering through the driving experience. It’s only redeeming quality was the price - $1 - and the fact that I made $349 when I sold it to a scrapper.
(Not an image of my actual car, but not far off)
It was the height of automotive apathy. Having to park this rolling turd and take a combination of Razor scooter and public transportation was actually a step up. I hope that, if things ever get so bad in my life that I have to drive another crapcan, I can find a vehicle that has something interesting about it, something that shows that someone at one point actually gave a damn about engineering, style or dynamics. The Windstar felt like it was used as a punishment for the engineers that had to create it, and that the only people that got any enjoyment out of designing and building it were the accountants who derived some perverse joy out of nickel-and-diming the build so that it met a specific and arbitrary price point.
"fhrblig" (fhrblig)
12/03/2017 at 10:47, STARS: 1
I could find a reason to want back nearly every car I’ve owned (17 so far), I think. Except for that damn Pontiac Phoenix. But I look back at the 500 and my response always seems to be “Yes, that is a car I have owned. Moving on...”. I miss the 40 mpg, but not the car.
"fhrblig" (fhrblig)
12/03/2017 at 10:53, STARS: 0
I’m certain the hard drive is fine, but this was a stopgap computer I bought on the cheap, one of those refurbished business towers with lots of memory and no frills. It didn’t even have a wireless card or graphics card, and the tower might be too small to fit some stuff. It was time to get something better. I may experiment on it and see if we can turn it into something usable and fun, but I have no idea what I’m doing. Technologically I am one step above caveman.
"winterlegacy, here 'till the end" (winterlegacy)
12/03/2017 at 10:59, STARS: 0
Aha.
My thought was that you could make a Windows 10 install media using the media creation tool and a flash drive. You could then run startup repair from it, which usually does an okay job at fixing most booting issues. After that, you could have a backup computer in case your gaming PC decides it no longer wants to function, instead of relying on your current laptop.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/03/2017 at 11:21, STARS: 0
I had no idea AC was optional on those.
"Manwich - now Keto-Friendly" (manwich)
12/03/2017 at 11:28, STARS: 0
You can download the ISO files to create your own windows media on this site:
https://softlay.net/operating-system/windows-10-iso-free-download.html
I’m currently downloading the Windows 7 ISO from that site because that’s what I reinstall windows on a laptop I have sitting next to me (which has a Win7 license).
And it’s all perfectly legal since you can’t do much with them without the license key anyway.
"Manwich - now Keto-Friendly" (manwich)
12/03/2017 at 11:36, STARS: 1
For me it was a 1995 Ford Escort Wagon I bought off of a mechanic who said it was in “good condition” for $1200.
Well, I wasn’t in as good condition as advertised and when I started to really look at and work on the car myself, I observed a bunch of little things the previous owner did to mask/hide issues... stupid shit like varying the tire pressures to hide an alignment issue.
I’m guessing I paid at least $500 too much for it... not the end of the world.
It still lasted me a little over a year so I basically got my moneys worth.
But that, and a few other experiences, has soured me on buying cars off of mechanics.
And the last time I was in the market for a car, my attitudes were reinforced by a mechanic that was selling a Mazda 3 that was in “great condition”, but was actually a flood vehicle... which I didn’t buy in spite of the seller’s promises that he would “fix any issues”... yeah... sure you will... as cheaply, quickly and haphazardly as possible.
"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
12/03/2017 at 12:46, STARS: 0
And if you didn’t order A/C you didn’t get the switch to turn on the defroster on the rear window. The grid and wiring were there, just not the switch. Cheap bastards...
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/03/2017 at 13:00, STARS: 0
Wow!
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
12/03/2017 at 23:12, STARS: 1
I can take it off your hands and make a vintage computer project out of it. :3
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
12/03/2017 at 23:16, STARS: 0
My mum had a 2003 Chrysler Voyager. There was nothing wrong with it...it just was...
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
12/04/2017 at 17:06, STARS: 1
I mean I try to no think about my 1985 Chevy Suburban with the 6.2 diesel. It was ok. Nothing special and falling apart. I was actually happy when it was stolen from my school parking lot because then I got a Jeep Wrangler.