Computer/phone advice/troubleshooting help thread

Discussion in 'Geek Cave: Computers, Tablets, HT, Phones, Games' started by rhythmdevils, Sep 11, 2021.

  1. dasman66

    dasman66 Self proclaimed lazy ass - friend

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    If you're currently running W7, then by all means upgrade to W10. It is better in every way and there is no reason to continue with W7.

    W11 I have on a test machine and I'm generally pretty happy with it, but I will say that their need to apple-fy the UI causes me confusion... just the muscle memory of going to the LL to hit the start menu alone drives me bonkers.
     
  2. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    Windows? Good grief no! :eek:
     
  3. haywood

    haywood Friend

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    It is safe to buy an iPhone on eBay as long as you use common sense. Assuming you’re not looking for new the unicorn is a good deal on an Apple refurbished (white box) phone as they’re literally like new but cheaper. Failing that I’d prefer buying from a private individual who has pictures of the device so you can see the condition. You can usually get one in excellent shape that’s always been in a case, had screen protector, etc. These also probably come with the original box and accessories and I’d pay more for an active AppleCare warranty if it’s of any length. There should be a ton of “open box” and refurb offers which would be my next choice but as there’s no individual pictures the condition of the phone will be variable and it’s usually just the bare phone. As always with eBay you want to buy from sellers with a history and lack of negative feedback.

    There probably isn’t going to be much difference in performance between XS and 11 but the XS is equivalent in finish to the 11 Pro. The 11 Pro has an extra camera (wide angle) and iirc much better low light with a night mode. I personally think that model (X/XS/11 Pro) has the best aesthetics of any big screen iPhone, it feels a lot more premium than the flat style 12/13 which minimizes the bling of the stainless case.
     
  4. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Why doesn't someone make a USB hub for MacBook Air M1 laptops that just has 2 or 3 thunderbolt/usb C ports and a USB C charging port? If you're charing the laptop which you have to do when you have drives connected transferring data, you only have one port.

    Everything I see on Amazon only gives you one USB C port plus a whole bunch of crap I don't need like SD card readers, Ethernet, HDMI, etc.

    Seems like a very common need to just want more thunderbolt/USB C ports.

    I had to buy this $180 hub from OWC to add more ports. but it's not the nice slim kind that just connect onto the laptop.
     
  5. fastfwd

    fastfwd Friend

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    Caldigit makes one, too: https://www.caldigit.com/thunderbolt-4-element-hub/

    It's similarly priced. It's also not a "nice slim" USB-type hub, mostly because of Thunderbolt's power-delivery requirements but also because Thunderbolt is just more complicated.

    You don't see many basic Thunderbolt hubs because Thunderbolt is basically PCI Express, which supports device chaining but does not support a hub-and-spoke topology like USB. The Caldigit and OWC hubs were only enabled recently, by Intel silicon that implements a combination of the new USB4 spec (which describes how PCI-E can be tunneled over USB) and a new Thunderbolt "Alternate Mode" that supports USB4 hubs.
     
  6. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    Does thunderbolt translate to Apple tax?
     
  7. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    Not quite as it’s compatible with anything USB-C
     
  8. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    So it is the same connector form factor, cool.

    I have not kept up on Apple stuff since I moved to PCs and Win for my music servers.
     
  9. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Another question would be why Apple put only 2 thunderbolt/usb C connectors on the laptop and one is required for power. Ridiculous. I almost didn’t buy it because of that. Sick of Apple trying to make their devices look clean at the expense of usability. Plugging in 2 devices at once is a pretty common need. Especially considering all the things those ports are capable of. Have a monitor plugged in? Zero ports free for external hard drives.

    /rant
     
  10. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    If thunderbolt is the issue, why doesn't anyone make a simple hub that attaches to the laptop that has 3 USB C ports (or 4)? One for power and the rest for connecting devices via USB C? I could use that. I imagine a lot of people could. But instead its' all one USB C port and all this random very specific use stuff.
     
  11. Metro

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    A valid complaint, and reviewers often criticize Apple for it. I have to believe that users within Apple itself also grumble about it. They do seem to be coming around. The latest MacBook Pro models restored ports that had been taken away (HDMI, SD card, MagSafe power), and the new Mac Studio even has USB A ports.
     
  12. Wobbletits

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    I feel like all the stick on macbbook hubs are just to give them the ports that almost every other laptop would have and otherwise they expect you to use a regular usb3 hub, and apparently hardly anyone actually needs multiple usbc or thunderbolt ports vs usba because practically every motherboard is max 1 C/thunderbolt port and 89758925797592 usbA sockets.
     
  13. fastfwd

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    Ok, I don't know anything about the Air -- maybe there's something different about its Thunderbolt implementation. But in your situation with an M1 Macbook Pro, you'd plug the external drive into the monitor and the monitor into your Mac. The monitor would not only power the drive but also simultaneously charge the laptop, so you'd only be using a single Mac Thunderbolt port for power, display, and external storage.
     
  14. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    If you have ever tried to fix Apple products (and honestly other manufacturers) the reason becomes obvious. Ever wonder why they keep advertising how thin their products are even though this is near the bottom of features consumers want? It’s so they have an excuse to manufacture in a way to make their products extremely hard to service as well as remove easy to swap batteries.

    After maximizing what they can from thinner and thinner products we now have waterproofing for phones which to me means making it harder to open as well as removing the 3.5mm port. I get the feeling that the reason for wireless charging is to eventually have a completely enclosed wireless device with zero ports.

    Recently though Apple has made statements that they are making their documentation available now and will make batteries user replaceable.

    https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/19/22787245/apple-iphone-mac-self-service-program-repair-diy
     
  15. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    I use an Anker USB-C to 4x USB-A hub. Most of my external devices (mouse, USB stick) are USB-A anyway and would need to be converted.

    I’m not a big fan of USB-C so far. The very first time I plug it in it’s pretty firm but after a few cycles it feels loose. Something I’ve never experienced with microUSB. It’s also really easy to bend compared to USB-A.
     
    Last edited: Apr 3, 2022
  16. bixby

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    Help- Trying to use Plasma as monitor with Win 10- Displayport to hdmi input works, but brightness and other picture controls on TV do not. And Win 10 has no adjustments. The picture using Jriver is a dim murky mess. Any ideas on how to get the brightness up and working?

    I realize a 720p plasma that is 43 in is going to have load less pixel density compared to phone or monitor but the brightness thing has me stumped.

    EDIT: It has gotten dimmer over the past 9+ years to the point it is noticeable like the monitor I replaced a few years ago. Will wait for prime sales time to possibly replace.
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2022
  17. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Anyways one else getting crazy battery drain from ios15? My battery health is suddenly 90% on my iPhone 12 Pro and last time I checked it was 100% as I’m careful to never let it discharge below 20% or above 80% when possible.

    And it suddenly only lasts a couple hours from 100% charge.
     
  18. zottel

    zottel Friend

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    I think I read people had such problems with earlier iOS 15 versions like 15.1 or so. Not about current 15.5, which doesn’t mean there haven’t been reports, of course.
    My iPhone 12 Pro Max is at 92% after nearly 1.5 years, which is less than I had expected, but I still get two days from a charge without problems, depending on usage, of course. It’s the display that draws most energy, especially in direct sunlight.
     
  19. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Sorry I meant iOS 15.5. I didn’t have this problem before updating.
     
  20. Rob the Comic

    Rob the Comic banned from ASR

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    I have a iPhone 13 Pro and have not experienced any problems. BUT my iMac is a different story - I wait for the day when Apple are hit with a class action for the detrimental to performance effects their upgrades have.
     

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