Another day, another lie

[Rgarner]

This time's about a computer that I will supposedly be donated on Monday. Hell will probably freeze over first, but just in case this is not totally fake, I want to review the phone fix stuff: minimal adb + fastboot, usb drivers, etc.. I also want to make sure I know enough about Linux (most likely Ubuntu because I have used it years ago), and Calibre at last, I hope. Keeping in mind that this would be a freebie, I expect minimal onboard storage/memory. I probably won't be able to cram it all in there, which of course leads me to the topic of expansion, most likely external. I would like to have at least 1 tb, 2 or more if possible. Wish me luck...

 

[ocnbrze]

good luck

 

[ozonetrooper]

This machine is almost a year old now, when I built it I used large digital bar drives, am not anticipating expansion issues.

The other machine, (the second one I built) is a spin up and have 3 external storage devices for it, they work real good

 

[Deleted member 2157292]

I bought a new discounted Dell i3 10xxx desktop pc from a major department store after Christmas last year (well April by the time it was open) with the intention of replacing the HDD with an SSD.

Compared to my 8 or 10 year old Lenovo Thinkpad with an i3 32xxu, the new Dell is lightening quick and has the latest gen ports so I'm happy with it as it is.
I know Dell's are frowned on for their own limited motherboards and other things, but it's been terrific.

I still wouldn't knock a HDD for general use.

 

[nickdalzell]

I frown on Dell for three reasons:

Modern Inspiron:
Your battery is not working properly. Please see the nearest Dell support center for details (It was fine, all I did was reboot the darned thing!)

Dell SupportAssist on all in one PC, claiming my HDD is bad (it's not, and I can still boot Linux via the other boot partition, run scans, SMART tests fine!) It only does this on the Windows side, and trying to skip or end the check just turns the PC off. It refuses to boot without SupportAssist telling me that my drive is bad when in fact it's clearly not.

Dell Latitude CPi and Dell Latitude D610: "1-3-5" battery error code. This was an extremely controversial one at the time since it's based on planned obsolescence and from the 'laptop fire' scandal that HP had at the time. After a chip inside the battery pack counts 500 recharge cycles. it burns a pico fuse inside the board of the battery and the LED that shows the charge status on the battery pack (CPi) or the charge status (D610) flash 1 time, pause, 3 times, pause, 5 times and the cycle repeats. Dell says it's a 'replace battery' error. Sorry, but I don't accept replacing a perfectly fine pack because y'all scared of them exploding. Unlike most folks I'm not an idiot and take care of my things. This pico fuse is surface mount, and there was a 150+ page thread that's no longer available online (the forum is gone) and despite some claiming to attempt to replace the fuse, the chip still sees 500 recharge cycles and just burns the fuse again and again. Today, modern dell laptops will just display a battery icon in Windows with an ! inside it after the same recharge cycle count, today, meaning you have to replace the computer because it's non-removable. Dell never learned their lesson.

 

[Deleted member 2157292]

Those are sorry tales and I don't doubt they have a lot of unhappy ex customers.

I watch pc reviews occasionally and get the general opinion on them.

For the spec I decided I would be happy with though (expecting to add a SSD, it will take two) , and for £300 for a substitute outer box but untouched unit instead of the £430 marked I went for it.

It has enough expansion available and it's been good so far, though I still use the old Lenovo as another desktop for basic Office stuff.

I needed a HDMI out more than anything tbh, and it had better ports than other brands; plus I had a gift card for £200.

One US reviewer who likes to knock Dell found it wasn't half bad.

I'll stay clear of a Dell laptop though.

(Inspiron Galactus 3881, i3, 1tb, 8 ram)

 

[nickdalzell]

I got a Lenovo IdeaPad 3 (top specced out) and it's been superior to both HP and Dell laptops that I've owned. I truly love Windows 11, and have it sorta themed like Windows 7. My only concern is that it's got an SSD and I wonder what happens when it reaches the max write count? Does the laptop just stop working, or what? I see tons of indexing going on in Windows these days and I doubt an SSD will outlive even the worst 1980s stepper motor HDD. There's still Seagate ST-225s running these days, over 30 years later. I doubt any SSD will last that long.

 

[ozonetrooper]

My only concern is that it's got an SSD and I wonder what happens when it reaches the max write count?

Exactly !

I used two 2TB SSD's and do alot of downloading and deleting from them.

This is almost a years usage so far:

 

[nickdalzell]

I'm a buy it for lifer. I don't plan on upgrading tech. I bought this laptop to keep, not replace when the SSD dies. But I've never hit the write count on my SD card I've had since 2009, either. So knock on wood?

 

[Rgarner]

This is some great stuff. The main thing I wanna do, though, is use the computer to revive that pesky Moto G Stylus. Also, I want to secure it against the creepy crawlies. Is there anything akin to No Root Firewall for pcs? (I'm assuming here, but a Mac or anything else doesn't seem likely.)

 

[nickdalzell]

It's not as easy as No Root Firewall but the HOSTS file edit was what I ultimately killed Windows update with.

NetGuard on Android creates its own VPN but it runs on your device, not phoning home to some cloud. When you tap the icons to disable Wifi/Data access to a specific app, it just routes all that app's traffic to localhost just like editing HOSTS. There's also filters and tons of configurable options under advanced settings.

 

[Rgarner]

Another day, another truth...wowie kazowie,, it's actually real! I've been told that it's new but reconditioned seems more likely. It's still in the box because I'm almost scared to take it out and use it. I really need all that advice now, about how to set it up with No Root Firewall or as close as I can get it, the tools for fixing that crappy Stylus, etc.. Will Calibre work with Linux? Will it work with any format,

not just pdf and epub?

 

[nickdalzell]

NetGuard No Root Firewall is easy. You can get it either by APK download (my preference) or by Google Play Store. Free, no In-app crap. Then, just go to the settings inside the app, then advanced, enable 'manage system apps' then go back to the main screen where it lists all your apps. Next to them is a wifi and a data symbol. Enable the 'switch' up top to turn on Netguard, accept the 'this is going to create a VPN' prompt, then tap the relevant apps' 'wifi' or 'data' icons to disable or enable access. It's that simple. You can turn off the notifications from Netguard in app settings on your phone or tablet.

My first advice is to disable the 'software update' one first. But that's because I outright despise updates. Also to turn off ads in games, do the same, turn off their access and many games will run offline just fine, no ad banners, and especially no ad pop-ups.

 

[Rgarner]

That soundsgre!t

 

[Rgarner]

That sounds great! Is it for computers?

 

[nickdalzell]

NetGuard is an Android app. For computers, there's HOSTS.

HOSTS edits are easy. Take ownership of Windows/system32, and find HOSTS file. Edit it in Notepad, and ensure that all requests to 'windowsupdate.microsoft.com' and 'microsoft.com' are going to 0.0.0.0 and BAM! No more windows update.

########################
# Block windows update
########################
0.0.0.0 *.download.windowsupdate.com
0.0.0.0 *.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 *.update.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 *.windowsupdate.com
0.0.0.0 *.windowsupdate.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 download.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 download.windowsupdate.com
0.0.0.0 ntservicepack.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 test.stats.update.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 windowsupdate.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 wustat.windows.com

 

[Rgarner]

Gee, I guess protecting a computer is a lot harder than safeguarding a phone. Who knew? How do I also ward off googoo, especially with a chromebook, and all the rest? Does there have to be a separate protocol for each of these?

 

[nickdalzell]

I can't help with Chromebooks since I don't use the blasted things (why intentionally buy a limited laptop anyway?) but to avoid Google just disable all the Google apps/services including Play Services and Play Store. Also disable the 'Download Manager' since no non-Google browsers or apps depend on it for actual downloads. Many have their own download manager built in and the system version is there to 're-wake up' Google when it's turned off. It can also sneak in OTA updates for server side changes too.

Basically turn all the Google apps/services off, and use NetGuard to disable internet to those few that aren't able to be disabled (the option greyed out).

I always found it sorta ironic how everyone made a huge deal out of TouchWiz on Samsung having their own apps for email, browser, and so on, but no one ever criticized Google of doing the same damn thing. I don't want apps that I don't agree with built in. That includes Google apps.

I still despise Play Store. What a stupid name. If only they would have stuck with 'Android Market'. it just felt correct. Besides, they're systematically taking 'Google Play' off their other apps (no more Play Music, or Play Movies and TV anymore for example). so why not just ditch Play Store and call it Market again?

One of my most biggest mistakes back in the glory days was logging into a Google account on a phone running Android 2.3. I loved Gingerbread but you can bet money that by simply logging into a Google account the phone turned into a hot lag fest and ran out of internal storage in minutes. Just logging into a damned account.

 

[Rgarner]

Is there any such thing as rooting a computer? It doesn't sound as if it would be necessary. I know it's almost impossible to root a phone without one.

 

[nickdalzell]

Root is just a UNIX term for 'administrator'. On Windows the admin account is there, normally default, but you need to bypass a User Account Control prompt to get elevated permissions. It's supposed to prevent stuff like ransomware from gaining access and running rampant.

You can still do like in the old NT 4.x days and 'take ownership' of the entire hard disk (including windows/system32) and deny any access to anything but yourself, which I always do and how I disable all the damned updates.

It's more difficult on modern android phones thanks to Google Safetynet, locked bootloaders and 'safe boot' that produces an unskippable 'warning 'dialogue at boot time that can last a few minutes and looks more like an error before the phone starts to boot up.

In Linux it's even easier:

just type 'sudo bash' and enter a password and voila you've become root!

 

[Rgarner]

Alas, it is a chromebook, just as I had hoped not. It's also a Samsung, but I know virtually nothing about their computers. At least I probably won't have to worry much about windows. Is this thing expandable? Can I add a hard drive, assuming that I could eventually afford one? Are regular hdds available any more? I sure don't want that solid state stuff.

 

[nickdalzell]

I don't think they're meant to be opened up. the SSD has their 'Chrome OS' on it and it's probably paritioned a specific way that would turn the machine into a brick if a third party HDD were put in its place.

The RAM is soldered to the board.

It's only 'Samsung' in name only. Chromebooks all run the same software and services, the brand means nothing and they don't differentiate the looks all that much hardware wise.

There are ways to EOL the Chrome OS and put Ubuntu or some derivative of Linux on one, but for about the same price you could have gotten a better machine that you could simply wipe and put Linux on easily.

I don't know about where you live, but where I live, HDDs still exist. Not sure about laptop drives, but on desktops you can get both, and the spinner disks are cheaper than their SSD counterparts. The write limit has me worried about SSD longevity. They're still as silent as a SSD though. No longer do you get the satisfying sound of work being done like you could with a Seagate ST-225.

Sound of MFM harddrives! Seagate ST-225 ST-251 ST-238R ST-250R NEC D5126H - YouTube

Bring back my jet engines in my PCs!

 

[Rgarner]

I got this computer for free after waiting more than a year. I really doubt that I'll do much better, for now. How do I protect it from googoo before I connect it to wifi? Is there some place to plug in a phone/sd card? If there is, I might be able to use No Root Firewall. I'm leery about just letting it run the way "they" evidently want. Also, can I connect an EXTERNAL HDD somehow? If I could add at least 1 t, that might make this thing workable. The main stuff I want to do with it is to fix that Stylus, get Linux, and finally use Calibre. I don't know why they don't just make it available for Android instead of dancing around it with that companion app. Right now this A02s can probably run rings around that "pc".

 

[nickdalzell]

You cannot login without a Google account. You can use the 'guest' account but it won't let you do anything since it's a limited account. ChromeOS is a cloud OS, and the login is just an online Google login. It doesn't run an OS the way a normal computer does. It's pretty useless without internet.

There are USB ports but I am not sure if it accepts the kind of external hardware that a normal laptop does. The specs will be quite low so even if you got Linux on the thing, it's going to perform horribly.

Set up Linux on your Chromebook
Linux is a feature that lets you develop software using your Chromebook. You can install Linux command line tools, code editors, and IDEs (integrated development environments) on your Chromebook. These can be used to write code, create apps, and more. Check which devices have Linux.

Important: If you use your Chromebook at work or school, you might not be able to use Linux. For more information, contact your administrator.

Turn on Linux
Linux is off by default. You can turn it on any time from Settings.

1. On your Chromebook, at the bottom right, select the time.
2. Select Settings
   
   
   Advanced
   
   Developers.
3. Next to "Linux development environment," select Turn On.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions. Setup can take 10 minutes or more.
5. A terminal window opens. You have a Debian 10 (Buster) environment. You can run Linux commands, install more tools using the APT package manager, and customize your shell

Install Ubuntu on a Chromebook | Ubuntu