Quick [tech] Questions Thread

[Viin]

-Is it mobo? If it is what the fuck is broken exactly? I'm using Z97-A/USB 3.1's AVI port with the cpu's Intel® HD Graphics 4600. This feels like where I am most likely to fuck up as almost every machine I've made or used ever uses a discrete card.

***

What should I test/try next?

Can you plug into a different display port on the mobo? That one could be faulty.

[Trippy]

Do you see the lights on the motherboard and are the MB connector fans all spinning when there's no display output?

[Engels]

Did you check the BIOS to make sure on-board video or either disabled or set to secondary?

[Trippy]

He's trying to use the on-board video.

[Hoax]

-Is it mobo? If it is what the fuck is broken exactly? I'm using Z97-A/USB 3.1's AVI port with the cpu's Intel® HD Graphics 4600. This feels like where I am most likely to fuck up as almost every machine I've made or used ever uses a discrete card.

***

What should I test/try next?

Can you plug into a different display port on the mobo? That one could be faulty.

Did you check the BIOS to make sure on-board video or either disabled or set to secondary?

I'm using the on-board video using the only DVI to DVI available. I'll take a look at the BIOS and see if there is any on-board settings to look at but again the mystery is why does it only give a display signal some of the time.

Do you see the lights on the motherboard and are the MB connector fans all spinning when there's no display output?

Yes the fans are spinning, the mobo lights up correctly and I have power to the kb and can turn on capslock/numlock lights. So it looks like it is making some progress but I'm not getting any display. However come to think of it I've never gotten the windows startup sound to play from behind the black screen, I'll see if I can.

[Viin]

I'm using the on-board video using the only DVI to DVI available. I'll take a look at the BIOS and see if there is any on-board settings to look at but again the mystery is why does it only give a display signal some of the time.

If there's an HDMI out or some other output type, it would be worth it to plug that into another monitor to see if it behaves the same. If it does there are potentially serious issues afoot. If it behaves fine then it's likely an issue with just the DVI output (which may or may not be OK to live with).

[Trippy]

Yes the fans are spinning, the mobo lights up correctly and I have power to the kb and can turn on capslock/numlock lights. So it looks like it is making some progress but I'm not getting any display. However come to think of it I've never gotten the windows startup sound to play from behind the black screen, I'll see if I can.

At this point I would suspect a driver issue. If you mash the F8 key to boot into the boot menu and start up in safe mode (assuming you can see the selections) can you consistently get Windows to display the desktop?

[ezrast]

I'd make sure the BIOS is updated: https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/Z97A/HelpDesk_Download/

[Chimpy]

If the motherboard is new, Windows 7's generic graphics drivers might not be fully compatible with it.

[Engels]

Yes the fans are spinning, the mobo lights up correctly and I have power to the kb and can turn on capslock/numlock lights. So it looks like it is making some progress but I'm not getting any display. However come to think of it I've never gotten the windows startup sound to play from behind the black screen, I'll see if I can.

At this point I would suspect a driver issue. If you mash the F8 key to boot into the boot menu and start up in safe mode (assuming you can see the selections) can you consistently get Windows to display the desktop?

Just apropos of nothing, if you are running Windows 8-10, safe mode can't be accessed via F8 anymore. Shift-restart is the easiest way, assuming you can get to the desktop. http://www.digitalcitizen.life/4-ways-boot-safe-mode-windows-10

[Hoax]

I'm using the on-board video using the only DVI to DVI available. I'll take a look at the BIOS and see if there is any on-board settings to look at but again the mystery is why does it only give a display signal some of the time.

If there's an HDMI out or some other output type, it would be worth it to plug that into another monitor to see if it behaves the same. If it does there are potentially serious issues afoot. If it behaves fine then it's likely an issue with just the DVI output (which may or may not be OK to live with).

This looks like the winner. I need to test a bit more and also to make sure that the DVI isn't just being fucked over by some kind of missing driver / driver failure but using a VGA to VGA seems to have 100% success rate of displaying bios/safe mode/normal desktop.

You guys are the best, many thanks.

[Yegolev]

I want (possibly need) to do low-level PE work on linux lvm and the dumb-ass shit I am getting via google isn't helping.  Does anyone know of anyplace to get deep info on linux lvm, or can confirm that it indeed does not exist?  Also I specifically this minute could do with figuring out why I get range errors when trying to use pvmove to shuffle PE around.  The man page is not helping at all, and neither is google.

[schild]

Stupid question was here. Meant modem. Answer is no.

[Yegolev]

That isn't even a question, is it?

[Soln]

I'd like advice on buying or building a proxy behind my Comcast cable modem.  I don't have enough confidence with Comcast to leave their wireless router as is without extra security to things like a sharred Time Capsule.

Any advice?  I'm not sure what to trust on the market.  Thank ye.

[Chimpy]

I am confused. Do you not have a router behind the cable modem?

Also, for 70 bucks you can buy a compatible cable modem that does not have their wireless bullshit in it and save yourself the 7 (or is it now 8?) bucks a month for modem rental.

[Soln]

We're using their wireless router built into the modem.  Bad idea?

[MahrinSkel]

We're using their wireless router built into the modem.  Bad idea?

Yes. At best, it won't be very good at maintaining the network compared to a dedicated access point. The one I got from Time Warner, I could transfer between computers on my home network at no better than 10-15 megabits/second (between 1 and 2 megabytes) over a nominally 802.11n network that should have been capable of at least 10 times that much. Even between two computers hardwired (ethernet) to the nominal gigabit ports were lucky to get an actual 10 megabytes per second.

I put everything on a TrendNet gigabit unmanaged switch (16 ports and enough internal bandwidth to serve them all at top speed) and a dedicated TP-Link Archer C7 for the wifi, cost about $200 total. But even a $50 dedicated wifi access point would outperform the one built into the modem.

--Dave

[Chimpy]

We're using their wireless router built into the modem.  Bad idea?

If you are concerned about security, very much so.

I don't have any specific recommendations for wireless routers at this point as my five year old Cisco/linksys still does what I need, but for Comcast compatible cable modems, the surfboard SB6121 is great.

[MahrinSkel]

The Archer C7 I am using for an access point is a full fledged gateway router. I had to reconfigure it to be only an access point because it was breaking the set tops in the new house, but that was because AT&T was doing something weird, it should have been compatible.

The C7 by itself is more than adequate for the typical residential setup, with lots of wifi bandwidth (up to 1.75 gigabit) and support for up to 4 SSID's (which can all use different channels), I added the switch because the house had ethernet pre-wired and I wanted to connect every port so I wouldn't have to mess with patch cables every time someone wanted to hook something new up (it's my ex-wife's place, I visit my daughter there regularly but I am not always around to tend the network).

I set up one SSID for B/G, for the tablets (and all the other bits and bobs with built in wifi), another for N (so the systems that could do that wouldn't have to share bandwidth all the other crap), and another for AC (which only my laptop can use right now). It's covering a huge house, 3 floors and about 4000 square feet, from one spot (although I am not sure how the AC would reach).

--Dave

[Trippy]

I'd like advice on buying or building a proxy behind my Comcast cable modem.  I don't have enough confidence with Comcast to leave their wireless router as is without extra security to things like a sharred Time Capsule.

Any advice?  I'm not sure what to trust on the market.  Thank ye.

Do you have phone line connected through your cable modem or just Internet? You can get your own cable modem, though if yours has phone those are harder to find, or you can get a separate wireless router as other people have suggested and use that instead. BTW you can turn off the "public" Wi-Fi access point thingy on your Comcast provided modem (assuming it's a newer one with that feature) through the Web site -- you can't do it in the admin UI for the modem itself.

[Ironwood]

Is there a browser that's NOT a complete crashy POS??

[Sky]

Do you have phone line connected through your cable modem or just Internet? You can get your own cable modem, though if yours has phone those are harder to find, or you can get a separate wireless router as other people have suggested and use that instead.

Was just going to suggest this. When I cut my (cable-based) landline phone, I ditched the TW-supplied modem (and monthly fee) for a Motorola SurfBoard SB6141 (now Arris, I believe). Bumped my max Steam download speeds from 1.2 to 2.1 (over my ASUS WIFI router). Paid for itself years ago, one of the best tech purchases I've made.

[Trippy]

Is there a browser that's NOT a complete crashy POS??

Opera?

[Yegolev]

I haven't even used Opera so no idea.  Chrome works OK with 16GB RAM.  Godspeed.

[Soln]

Thanks guys.  I will start researching reliable, secure routers once more.  Hit me with any other recommendations.  (Yes, we also use the cable modem for phone.  I gave up on wifi routers when the cable box's seemed more consistent than the DLink we had.  Wifi routers constantly seem to have their firmware going wonky or just going stale).

[Chimpy]

You had a D-Link...reliable and secure are two words I have real trouble putting on items produced by them. 

[Yegolev]

I have a blanket recommendation to install a 3rd-party router software (dd-wrt for example) on anything that will take it.

[Salamok]

I have a blanket recommendation to install a 3rd-party router software (dd-wrt for example) on anything that will take it.

How much config is involved in putting dd-wrt on a router?  Do you just flash it and then let it rip or is there more than the usual amount of config involved when compared to setting up a store bought router?

[Yegolev]

My experience is that it does work out of the gate, but you can do a lot of things with it if you want.  More than typical firmwares.

[MahrinSkel]

Yeah, I haven't used it, but in essence you've got a stripped down Linux box running on your router, it's still going to be limited by the physical hardware but it's going to be inherently more flexible than the original system. You might have to turn off the FTP server to free up ram and cycles for the VPN host, or some such, but you get the options that are normally reserved for the 'business grade' versions of the system.

--Dave

[Shannow]

Quick question on current generation Xbox One's and controllers, do they still need the converter to take a headset with a 3.5mm jack to work? Or can you plug directly into controller now? Seems to be some confusion on this issue.

[Abagadro]

My dual monitor setup seems to have crapped out.  Booted up today and my main monitor was blank.  Swapped the DVI inputs and it came back but the other one is now blank.  I assume something has gone bad on my video card, but is there any other explanation for such a circumstance?

[Trippy]

Did you check the Display control panel to make sure multiple displays is still configured? Did you try different video cables?

[Abagadro]

Yes on the first.

I doubt it is cables as I just swapped the two cables on the DVI ports and the originally dark one came on.