Question and Answer Thread

[Drisco]

I feel like I ask a lot of question about everyday things or whens something happens and I need answers I come to the PC. I hate making a new thread so this is where they are going from now on. Feel free to ask away :)


My Q!

My iPod got in the washer.. Oh noes... Typical my to be honest not surprised at all.

The point is. The iPod works great like brand new. Except when I unplug it from computer. Than it dies, the batter won't charge. It's only like 4 months old.

So, Cover story: I left it plugged in one night to charge and when I unplugged it, it died. It now won't hold a charge.

The real Question. Can they tell that it got wet? It's been like a week.

[Solkern]

Most batteries have that little sticker on it, that tells if it's been in water or not.

[iJin]

My younger sister was able to get her iPod exchanged at an iPod store after she washed it in her jeans.

[Ashlander]

If you've only had it for 4 months it should still be under warranty anyway so they should let you swap it out.

[Asha]

I've got an iphone question.
Does anyone here use anything to protect the screen?
I'm not likely to throw it about or drop it, but I do live relatively xtreme and scratches might be made.
I don't mean a cover to protect while it's not in use but something I can maybe cover the screen with and leave on?

[Ryvicke]

I had a roommate who worked at the apple store in nyc for a few years, he said usually if it isn't working and it's under warranty they swap it out right there--they don't take the time to do water testing, etc.

But both of the nyc stores are busy as shit, so I'm not sure if that's true throughout the country. Definitely take it to the apple store even if you bought it elsewhere.

[Drisco]

There isn't an Apple store here though. The best we got is a future shop which is where I bought it. I wonder if they would swap it out right then and there, or if they would make me wait while they send it away.



I've got an iphone question.
Does anyone here use anything to protect the screen?
I'm not likely to throw it about or drop it, but I do live relatively xtreme and scratches might be made.
I don't mean a cover to protect while it's not in use but something I can maybe cover the screen with and leave on?


If scratches are what you are worrying about you can buy those thin plastic sheets that are sticky and can go over the front of the screen. If you put it on carefully and make no air bubbles you won't even notice it.

[Asha]

Awesome. I'll check those out.

[Keller]

I absolutely use the clear plastic sticker on my phone.

I've been through three covers so far. I replace them when they get dinged or scratched.

The actual phone screen is pristine, though.

[Drisco]

Whats the Safes way to send Paypal money?

From Bank Account (E-Check)
From a Credit Card
Or from fund right off the Payapl Account?

[Back]

Where do babies come from?

[Back]

From Bank Account (E-Check)

I went this way and have had no problems. Unlike my cable company’s recent glitch on my pay by debit card which fucked me on over draft fees. At least they refunded my fees but that was a rough week without any money.

[Latrinsorm]

<<If you put it on carefully and make no air bubbles you won't even notice it.>>

Unless you're OCD. These things drive me crazy, and I only have one on the handle of my umbrella. I can't imagine putting up with one on my phone or whatever iPhones are actually analogous to.

[AestheticDeath]

Whats the Safes way to send Paypal money?

From Bank Account (E-Check)
From a Credit Card
Or from fund right off the Payapl Account?

CC is probably the safest way. If you mean person to person. You can supposedly get your money back if someone doesn't send you your merchandise etc.

Though if you mean somthing like WOW/GS accounts, you will be lucky to be covered on either end of the deal, buyer or seller. You just need to trust each other. Have faith or whatever...

[Ashlander]

What AestheticDeath said. Supposedly it's a lot harder to get charges reversed if you use your bank account compared to a cc.

[Drisco]

Another Q

Can you and if possible how can you look at a previous viewed Web Page. I save my files and cookies and history I don't touch it and can hold a huge amount. Is there anyway I can sift through and pull up a page? Even if the page had a little Lock on it? I don't want to do anything just see it. So working offline is what I want to do. Anyways thats possible?

If so how can I using Mozzilla Firefox/

[Liagala]

Stupid question of the day: Google research tells me that if I buy a new HD for my computer I will not need to buy a new copy of Windows, as it is somehow attached to the motherboard, not the hard drive. I don't understand how this works, since I thought all storage was on the HD, but whatever. 1 - Are they right? 2 - How does this work? Save files on something convenient, unplug old drive, plug new one in, transfer files? It can't be that easy.

[Mogonis]

If you get a new hard drive, you still have to install Windows on it. What you probably found has to do with licensing (retail vs. OEM). Retail copies of Windows can be installed on different systems. OEM copies are "tied" to specific hardware and are supposed to only be installed on the original system. OEM versions also have no Microsoft support. That's why OEM licenses are cheaper.

[Liagala]

If you get a new hard drive, you still have to install Windows on it. What you probably found has to do with licensing (retail vs. OEM). Retail copies of Windows can be installed on different systems. OEM copies are "tied" to specific hardware and are supposed to only be installed on the original system. OEM versions also have no Microsoft support. That's why OEM licenses are cheaper.
How do I install Windows without a disk? And am I correct in assuming that once I do so, I'll have no licensing issues (since it was originally installed by Dell when I bought this thing, which means it ought to fall under that OEM, tied-to-motherboard deal)?

[Mogonis]

When did you buy the Dell? Pre-built systems used to come with restore discs. Then they started to partition hard drives with some space reserved for restoring the OS. Now they seem to charge extra for restore discs. I'm not sure how they provide reinstalls now. Stored in the cloud somewhere?

Someone else might be able to help more. I've built my own systems since 2002. A Dell computer might require a Dell-branded copy of Windows. I'm not sure anymore. Anyway, I'm assuming Dell should have provided some way to reinstall Windows.

[Liagala]

When did you buy the Dell? Pre-built systems used to come with restore discs. Then they started to partition hard drives with some space reserved for restoring the OS. Now they seem to charge extra for restore discs. I'm not sure how they provide reinstalls now. Stored in the cloud somewhere?

Someone else might be able to help more. I've built my own systems since 2002. A Dell computer might require a Dell-branded copy of Windows. I'm not sure anymore. Anyway, I'm assuming Dell should have provided some way to reinstall Windows.
When you boot your machine up for the first time, it encourages you to create a restore disk using their handy tool. I'm pretty sure I did, but I couldn't tell you where said disk is now if my life depended on it.

Continued puttering around on google suggests creating an image of the current disk, and transferring that to the new one. Will this do what I think it will (transfer everything - Windows, files, installed programs, the whole mess)? Is it feasible? Is it free?

Finally, thank you Mogonis (and anyone else who chimes in) for helping my poor, computer-illiterate self with this!

[Mogonis]

Is this a desktop or a laptop? Why are you looking to get a new hard drive? You can create an image, but it can be complicated. Starting fresh is nice because there's no clutter. If you're just looking for extra storage, you can probably install a second hard drive if it's a desktop system.

[Liagala]

Is this a desktop or a laptop? Why are you looking to get a new hard drive? You can create an image, but it can be complicated. Starting fresh is nice because there's no clutter. If you're just looking for extra storage, you can probably install a second hard drive if it's a desktop system.
It's a desktop. I'm getting a new laptop at work, and if I play my cards right, there's a $200 gift card that will come along with it that my company has no need for. I was going to use it for an upgrade at home. I've been told that given the specs my computer has and what I use it for, getting a solid state drive would be the most noticeable increase in speed for me. Storage space isn't a problem - I have no music or videos, and probably 20 photos stored on my computer.

[Mogonis]

Yeah, in today's systems HDDs typically are the bottleneck, but dropping an SSD into an old(er?) Dell seems silly, like slapping a turbo on a Geo Metro. It sounds like you don't use your desktop much. Surely the $200 is better spent elsewhere?

[Liagala]

Yeah, in today's systems HDDs typically are the bottleneck, but dropping an SSD into an old(er?) Dell seems silly, like slapping a turbo on a Geo Metro. It sounds like you don't use your desktop much. Surely the $200 is better spent elsewhere?
If I'm not at work, asleep, or forced to be doing useful things, I'm on the computer. Mostly video games, but a fair bit of other random stuff. I thought about replacing the machine entirely, but it was a very good machine when I bought it, which means it's still half decent now. Doing it this way, I can get another year or two out of it for (effectively) free.

[Bobmuhthol]

If I'm not at work, asleep, or forced to be doing useful things, I'm on the computer. Mostly video games, but a fair bit of other random stuff. I thought about replacing the machine entirely, but it was a very good machine when I bought it, which means it's still half decent now. Doing it this way, I can get another year or two out of it for (effectively) free.I haven't really read any of the other posts, but I can promise you that your hard drive is not the reason your computer is underperforming.

[Liagala]

I haven't really read any of the other posts, but I can promise you that your hard drive is not the reason your computer is underperforming.
Care to elaborate?

[Bobmuhthol]

Care to elaborate? It's a storage medium. It doesn't make your computer any more or less usable, especially if you're not doing things like restarting constantly or editing large files in something like Photoshop.