Random Drivel

Using two different bandwidth tests and using wired/wireless connections, I’m still not sure what my actual bandwidth is from Brighthouse Networks. I’m pretty sure I’m paying for 7mbps down speed, but I’m not sure under what circumstances. Obviously, wireless has a higher latency and slower speed than wired, as shown by the below tests connecting to a server in Los Angeles:

Wireless:

Wired:

The other test, from Bandwidth Place, told me I had 3mbps down wired and 1mbps down when wireless. I’m still not sure which is right, but I spend most of my time on wireless from the laptop. Anyway, the whole reason I did this test was because I pay an obscene amount of money every month for this so called 7mbps service, and I’m not sure if its worth it. I can save $15 a month ($180 a year) by downgrading to the Road Runner Lite, which is I think 768kbps (more than 7 times slower, but about 15 times faster than dialup). I seriously think I’m being ripped off.

Well, after the last post I made about the laptop, I did indeed put a fresh install of XP onto it. I was able to find copies of the video drivers online, which took forever. The battery still didn’t work, and the wireless card began to go on the fritz (probably from me just grabbing the laptop by the screen to transport it around).

This morning, I was using the laptop when I started hearing some odd noises emanating from  the hard drive. I immediately knew that this was going to be a hard drive failure, and ran to setup the desktop to get ready to transfer files. Too late, the laptop shut itself off. Luckily, I have a converter to hookup laptop hard drives to desktops, so I was able to run a utility to repair the drive and copy files over. The repaired hard drive works now, so I stuck it back in the laptop. Kinda works, its a bit slower than before.

I’m not really in the market for a new laptop. Or a new desktop. The desktop has its own problems, least of which are IDE controller problems.

Oh, and Happy Easter!

My RHIT laptop may have seen its last battle. Now that I’m out of school, I’m obviously out of the warranty period, so anything that I do to the laptop can’t be fixed by IAIT (assuming they ever fixed things to begin with).

Currently, the battery no longer does anything. I’m sure the battery itself works, but the battery wont stay in its bay, so the computer cannot run without a power cord. Also, the video drivers are FUBAR. The hard drive is not reliable. Who knows what problems could be related to the motherboard. In an effort to fix some driver issues, I get a never ending loop asking me to install some dll file, even if i supply it with the file. The wireless card continuously needs to be ‘repaired’ (whatever that does) because its always finding little or no connection. I guess that could be router related, but hey whatever.

The moral of the story is that this laptop is probably going to get a fresh install of XP (or maybe i’ll try linux) and probably be demoted to file server duties. Contratulations, desktop pc, you’re being promoted. I guess I’m building a new desktop soon. Good excuse to buy an athlon64, eh?

The computer I built two years ago, the HTPC (Home Theater Personal Computer), was built with a DVD burner. Yesterday I burned my first ever DVD on it. Of course, that was after a week of not being able to do it, because of some firmware crap. I had to upgrade past 4 versions of old firmware (yeah, more proof that I never used the thing) before it would let me use it.

So anyway, I backed up My Docs and My Pictures, both of which came to somewhere near 8 GB so that took two disks. I also backed up Season 1 and 2 of Lost, which took 5 disks (It would have been only 4 disks, but Season 1 was 50 MB too big! So I split it into three equal disks).

I don’t feel like backing up my music, becuase I don’t really care that much. I was finally able to put that 3rd hard drive back into the computer because I drilled new holes into the drive cage to make it fit. Maybe i should buy a new hard drive, like a 200 or 300 GB one.

This is what happens when you’re at home for a few weeks and have plenty of free time. Also, it rains a lot in Oklahoma. I still find myself using Portable ShitBox (the laptop) more than HTPC because I can just leave it on my bed and use wireless. And all the stuff on HTPC can be accessed over the network, anyway.