Date: 28 March 24, 04:04 AM
Do you already have an account?

Forgot your password?


 How is everyone?



buffalo2102


Master Poaster
Posts 1339
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • ****

  • 1339
    Posts

  • Just for Ace...

Evening all.

Apologies for my prolonged absence but I have had a few major life changes in the last couple of years that have caused me to greatly reduce my on-line presence.  I won't bore you with details......

Anyway, I am back again and glad to see the usual suspects are still keeping this place going.  Hope everyone is well.

One thing I achieved a while ago was to build my own home server for TV recording, media streaming, backup, file-sharing, website and email hosting, downloading, DNS server and making the tea.  Alright, not the last bit but it does pretty much everything else.  I will attempt to poast a guide when I get time.

Buff
Windows 10 Pro x64. AMD Ryzen 7 3800X.  Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite.  16GB Team Group DDR4 @ 3800MHz. MSI Gaming X Trio RX 6800 XT.

buffalo2102


Master Poaster
Posts 1339
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • ****

  • 1339
    Posts

  • Just for Ace...

Oooh, nice colours Johnny!

My wife also loves a nice afternoon tea and she has asked me to take her out for a posh one on her birthday in November.  I think I can stretch to that.  Not sure about having kids afterwards though!

I didn't know you had relatives over here.  Good job they're not in Scotland or they may not be in (not so) Great Britain after the referendum tomorrow.

Will post something about the server in the System Builds section when I get a chance.

Thanks

Buff
Windows 10 Pro x64. AMD Ryzen 7 3800X.  Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite.  16GB Team Group DDR4 @ 3800MHz. MSI Gaming X Trio RX 6800 XT.

Bill


Universal Moderator
Posts 6830
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • *****

  • 6830
    Posts

Hi Buff, welcome back.
Don't be put off by our lack of volume of activity John, Scuzzy and I seem to be the only regular visitors, we'd like to count you among them.
Your server sounds like quite a project -dual quad core CPUs?
Fractal Design R5 | Asus  Z170 Pro | Intel i5 6600k | 16 GB G.Skill Ripjaws  DDR4 2133 | Seasonic 650w PSU | eVGA GTX 550 TI | Samsung 960 M2 500 GB | Samsung 850 EVO 500 GB | ASUS Burner | Windows 7 64-bit

buffalo2102


Master Poaster
Posts 1339
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • ****

  • 1339
    Posts

  • Just for Ace...

Hey Bill

No nothing that powerful.  Just a HP N54L microserver - AMD Turion dual-core CPU 2.2GHz.  Pretty low-end really but powerful enough for what I need it for.

No Ace then?  No Chandler, Carskick or Pat?  Maybe they will return one day if they are able, as I have.

Buff
Windows 10 Pro x64. AMD Ryzen 7 3800X.  Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite.  16GB Team Group DDR4 @ 3800MHz. MSI Gaming X Trio RX 6800 XT.

scuzzy


Administrator
Posts 10157
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • *****

  • Forum Cop

  • 10157
    Posts

  • In an emergency, 9-1-1 calls ME.

It's nice to see you back, Buff. I hope that whatever problems you've had are now safely tucked away in the past.

Somehow we just keep plugging along. Ace checks in about once a year, but he hasn't poasted anything in quite awhile. He's probably just drunk.

I'm fixing to be off line for a few days, but I'll be back soon enough.

buffalo2102


Master Poaster
Posts 1339
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • ****

  • 1339
    Posts

  • Just for Ace...

Good to know the cops are still around Scuzzy.

"See" you when you get back.

Buff
Windows 10 Pro x64. AMD Ryzen 7 3800X.  Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite.  16GB Team Group DDR4 @ 3800MHz. MSI Gaming X Trio RX 6800 XT.

Carol


Poastal Moderator
Posts 991
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • *****

  • 991
    Posts

I still drop by occasionally.

Carol
It is never too soon to do a kindness, for one never knows how soon it will be too late.

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'. - Erma Bombeck

buffalo2102


Master Poaster
Posts 1339
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • ****

  • 1339
    Posts

  • Just for Ace...

Oh, hi Carol.  Good to know there's a lady around to keep an eye on us.... :)
Windows 10 Pro x64. AMD Ryzen 7 3800X.  Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite.  16GB Team Group DDR4 @ 3800MHz. MSI Gaming X Trio RX 6800 XT.

carskick


xTreme Poaster
Posts 2794
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • *****

  • 2794
    Posts

    • Neighborhood Computer Supprt
I'm going to do it! I'm going to revive this ancient poast.

How's everyone been? I know a lot of us, including myself, hardly ever show our faces here anymore. It's quite a shame, as we have such a great community. I'm going to try and stop by more often to say hi and help people.

Computer related, I've been making side money refurbishing computers, primarily budget gaming/CAD/editing machines, through Facebook. Take an old Dell Optiplex or HP SFF with a 3rd or 4th gen i5, throw in an SSD & a GTX1050 in it, and you've got quite a capable machine that only costs about $350. As a bonus, the Windows 7 Serial number will activate on Windows 10 no problem, so you get Windows 10 pro. I enjoy custom builds far better, but it's hard to make money at that these days. But computer repair isn't my day job, just a fun hobby that makes a few side bucks.

My wife and I are in the process of selling our house and buying a new one in the area, which we are very excited about. We also started a family, I now have an 18 month old son. I've attached a picture of us from a few months ago.

What's everyone else been up to?
Current Primary PC:
AMD 5800X | MSI X570 Carbon | G.Skill 32GB DDR4-3600 16-19-19-39 | MSI GamerZ RTX 3070 | ADATA 8200 Pro 1TB NVME | Micron 1100 2TB SSD | Crucial MX500 2TB | Seasonic Gold 750 Watt | Fractal Define S Case w/Tempered Glass | Noctua NH-D15 CPU Cooler | Sound Blaster Z | Noctua 4x 140mm, 1x 120mm Chromax | Pixio PX7 & PX275H Monitors

Bill


Universal Moderator
Posts 6830
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • *****

  • 6830
    Posts

Hi Cars, welcome back.  There are still some of us around. Last poast on this thread was 9/14.  Buffalo was around couple weeks/months ? back, haven't seen him since.
Carol is still about, on occasion, holidays mostly.
Scuzzy and I use the boards almost as private chat rooms.  But you're certainly welcome anytime.
Fractal Design R5 | Asus  Z170 Pro | Intel i5 6600k | 16 GB G.Skill Ripjaws  DDR4 2133 | Seasonic 650w PSU | eVGA GTX 550 TI | Samsung 960 M2 500 GB | Samsung 850 EVO 500 GB | ASUS Burner | Windows 7 64-bit

carskick


xTreme Poaster
Posts 2794
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • *****

  • 2794
    Posts

    • Neighborhood Computer Supprt
Thanks, Bill. I'll happily join in!
Current Primary PC:
AMD 5800X | MSI X570 Carbon | G.Skill 32GB DDR4-3600 16-19-19-39 | MSI GamerZ RTX 3070 | ADATA 8200 Pro 1TB NVME | Micron 1100 2TB SSD | Crucial MX500 2TB | Seasonic Gold 750 Watt | Fractal Define S Case w/Tempered Glass | Noctua NH-D15 CPU Cooler | Sound Blaster Z | Noctua 4x 140mm, 1x 120mm Chromax | Pixio PX7 & PX275H Monitors

scuzzy


Administrator
Posts 10157
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • *****

  • Forum Cop

  • 10157
    Posts

  • In an emergency, 9-1-1 calls ME.

Happy to see you back, Cars! It's been awhile.

As Bill mentioned (and as is probably obvious), things have slowed to a crawl here. I should get off of my keister and reopen the forum to the public. A problem child forced me to completely shut the doors to everyone who doesn't have a key. Maybe in a few more weeks I'll open the doors again to new members.

The computer refurbishing idea is wise and a good way to pocket some extra change. You're right that there's no money in custom builds, with rare exception. The last custom build I sold was several years ago. That customer used it to commit fraud and eventually got 4 years in a federal prison.  ::)

I do not recall you being married, or even in a serious relationship. Then again it's been a few years. Congrats on both your marriage and your son. I hope all is well for you and your family. Oh, congrats on the new house as well. Exciting times, for sure.

I retired from law enforcement and now work in a retail store. I'll probably do that till the end of this year and then move on.

Feel free to join us as often as you like.

Carol


Poastal Moderator
Posts 991
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • *****

  • 991
    Posts

Hi Cars, 
Yes, I'm still around.  Pop in now and then.  Since I don't "speak" computer my conversations are limited.  Most of my spare time is spent doing genealogy, my own and for several friends. Nice that you are back, I should pop in more too.
Congrats on your marriage and your little one.  Enjoy every second and don't blink your eyes or he will be grown.  I can't believe mine are both in their early 30's now, one recently married.  When I joined I was driving them all over the place.
Carol
It is never too soon to do a kindness, for one never knows how soon it will be too late.

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'. - Erma Bombeck

Chandler


Poastal Moderator
Posts 4156
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • *****

  • 4156
    Posts

Hi all,
I check in from time to time, but things are really busy with work these days. I work from home, which is a blessing and a curse because it's nice to not have a daily commute, but it's far too easy to spend the evenings and weekends working. I'm currently doing quite a lot of work with the Raspberry Pi and other similar single board computers, which can be quite challenging for some of the things we are running on them, but it's all good stuff.

I still have my Quantex SM1 from 2000, but it's currently tucked away in a cupboard. It's a British Quantex, so I guess at 18 years old it's now old enough to drink alcohol in a pub. It's currently rocking a 1GHz Pentium III and 512MB RAM, up from the 650MHz and 128MB it came with from the factory, but still has the incredible Aureal Vortex 2 sound card, Zip 250 drive, Windows 98 SE and for now, even the original (and quite awful) nVidia TNT2 Vanta graphics card. The case plastic is looking pretty yellow these days, which is a shame, but pretty much to be expected with beige ABS. It has always been a great PC.

I'm quite into mid/late-90s to mid-00s gaming and nostalgia at the moment, and have (re)built a few PCs from various years during that period; recreating equivalents to my older systems which have either died or been sold for parts over the years. My latest build is a 2004-ish system based around the Athlon XP "Barton" 2500+ CPU and nVidia nForce2 motherboard and Radeon 9800 Pro. Hopefully this one will last longer than the motherboards in my "real" systems from that period, because I recall that all of them except for a very cheap Biostar board were extremely unreliable (probably thanks to dodgy capacitors).

Hope everyone else is doing well.

scuzzy


Administrator
Posts 10157
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • *****

  • Forum Cop

  • 10157
    Posts

  • In an emergency, 9-1-1 calls ME.

I can't believe you have hung on to that Q for that long. Lol. I have no clue whatever became of the Dell I purchased during that period.

I have not done much in repairing or building computers of late. My current builds (me & wife) are 3 years old already. The last time I did anything for a customer was a build I did some 6 or 7 years ago. He was a previous cop (coworker) who went on to use the computer for criminal activity and eventually got 4 years in the federal pen. As far as I know, the FBI seized all of his computer equipment. He's already done his time, so maybe it was all returned to him.

Chandler


Poastal Moderator
Posts 4156
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • *****

  • 4156
    Posts

My main desktop PC is 10 years old. It’s had a few upgrades over those years, but they’ve all been incremental or replacing failed components. I’m not heavily into gaming, so it just hasn’t been necessary to upgrade.

Building or upgrading computers these days is a lot less hassle than it was 15 or 20 years ago. Almost boring though, because everything generally works out of the box as soon as it’s put together and Windows finds and installs working drivers automatically.

scuzzy


Administrator
Posts 10157
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • *****

  • Forum Cop

  • 10157
    Posts

  • In an emergency, 9-1-1 calls ME.

True. It did seem more challenging back in the day, but I don't recall my last builds particularly easy-as-pie, so to speak. Bill had a bit of trouble with his last build and getting Windows 7 to work on an SSD M.2 card.

As for my current build, I am going to have to do something about storage for the operating system. I wrongfully thought 60GB would be more than enough for just the OS. When I first installed Windows 10, it took up around 20GB. It's now often pushing 50GB or more. I often find myself having to clean house to get it back under control. I'm thinking of installing a dedicated 256GB SSD for the OS.

Bill


Universal Moderator
Posts 6830
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • *****

  • 6830
    Posts

scuzzy is known for his understatements.  It took the combined expertise of three people and a lot of "google" to finally solve the problem.
In a nut shell, Win 7 didn't come with USB drivers, and the use of a USB stick was necessary to install 7 on the M-2.  We finally found someone that sorted a way to included USB drives in a Win 7 install using, all things, DOS commands.
Fractal Design R5 | Asus  Z170 Pro | Intel i5 6600k | 16 GB G.Skill Ripjaws  DDR4 2133 | Seasonic 650w PSU | eVGA GTX 550 TI | Samsung 960 M2 500 GB | Samsung 850 EVO 500 GB | ASUS Burner | Windows 7 64-bit

scuzzy


Administrator
Posts 10157
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • *****

  • Forum Cop

  • 10157
    Posts

  • In an emergency, 9-1-1 calls ME.


buffalo2102


Master Poaster
Posts 1339
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • ****

  • 1339
    Posts

  • Just for Ace...

Hello again.  Kinda like Groundhog day, I'm back again.  Like a bad penny.

Successfully negotiated a second divorce and feeling another few hundred years older.  Still keeping up with the tech though, whenever work allows.

Hope everyone is ok.  I'll try and stick around a while this time.
Windows 10 Pro x64. AMD Ryzen 7 3800X.  Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite.  16GB Team Group DDR4 @ 3800MHz. MSI Gaming X Trio RX 6800 XT.

scuzzy


Administrator
Posts 10157
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • *****

  • Forum Cop

  • 10157
    Posts

  • In an emergency, 9-1-1 calls ME.

Hello, Buff. I hope the second divorce wasn't from the same person. Gotta at least have some variety. I felt a few hundred years younger after my divorce back in 1988, although I was broke for awhile.

It's nice to see you back. I don't know why Poasters still exists, but here we are.

Scuzzy; older than dirt.

buffalo2102


Master Poaster
Posts 1339
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • ****

  • 1339
    Posts

  • Just for Ace...

Scuzzy!  Thanks for the welcome.

No, different person - spice of life and all that.

I must say that it's very reassuring finding you are still here.
Windows 10 Pro x64. AMD Ryzen 7 3800X.  Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite.  16GB Team Group DDR4 @ 3800MHz. MSI Gaming X Trio RX 6800 XT.

scuzzy


Administrator
Posts 10157
Report to moderator

Offline Offline

  • *****

  • Forum Cop

  • 10157
    Posts

  • In an emergency, 9-1-1 calls ME.