Post by Ruiha on Nov 1, 2015 18:42:53 GMT -8
Foreword:
I've broken a few computers here and there. Out of rage, anger, impatience, disappointment, etc.
The year was 2002 the last time anything like that happened. But I've learned my lesson and I've come to the conclusion that it's better to solve problems at the source. I've been working on computers as a hobby and a frustratingly enjoyable pastime of mine since the good old Windows 98/XP days. And I've been very much a nerd since.
So in here I'll share some of my knowledge on how you too, my dear [#username] can have a wonderfully running PC!
The Value of a Computer
Laptops valued at under $800 as well as those manufactured before the year 2014 can be inherently slow due to their subpar Processors.*
Brands!
I keep getting asked what the best brand of computers are. Usually I tell people to stay away from HP or Dell because they use cheap parts and just flood the market with crappy sub-$600 laptops. As for what brands to actually get? Usually for gaming I recommend Asus, Acer, MSI, Razer, and Alienware (yes, I know they're a part of Dell but their build quality is a lot better).
Intel Core i5/i7 (or i9 if you have a lot of f*** you money) from 7th Generation and higher are recommended
- (Core "i" series 6th generation and older are kind of outdated and inefficient compared to their more modern counterparts but still capable!)
- (Atom, Pentium and Celeron are budget processors)
- (Core Duo, Core 2 Duo lines are outdated)
AMD Ryzen 5/7 and Threadrippers are recommended
- (Athlon, Phenom, Sempron, FX, A series are outdated)
*If you want to get technical, it's the small L3 cache that old/budget processors have. It's recommended to have a processor with at least 3MB L3 Cache or higher such as those found in the processors aforementioned.
8GB of RAM and above is recommended**
RAM is the easiest thing to upgrade, all you need is some RAM sticks of the same size (in GB) and specs (DDR3, DDR4, etc.) such as 2 x 4GB DDR4 sticks and a screwdriver to open the case--Just remember to discharge static electricity before working with internals of a computer!
Graphics Cards:
Nvidia is recommended overall for their high-end performance
AMD usually has decent price to performance ratio
How to tell graphics cards generations/performance level (because this confused me as a baby PC master race):
For example, Nvidia GTX 1080Ti
10xx is the generation number (in this example, generation 10)
xx8x is the performance level (usually 1 through 8)
xxx0 is the revision number (theoretically, but hasn't really been used lately)
xxxxTi is the suffix, usually denoted enhanced performance of a certain model (e.g. GTX 1080Ti is more powerful than as GTX 1080)
0. Too much crap is popping up when I start the computer!
Write this down:
Ctrl + Shift + Esc > File > Run New Task > explorer
Now that you are armed with knowledge,
1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc
2. Click More details at the bottom left of the window
3. Go to the Details tab at the top
4. Click Name (to sort by name) and find explorer.exe
5. MAKE SURE YOU REMEMBER WHAT I TOLD YOU TO WRITE DOWN EARLIER and right click on explorer.exe and End Process Tree
6. Everything will disappear, THIS IS NORMAL I PROMISE.
7. Do the steps you wrote above
8. Congratulations, you have taken the first step to taking your computer back!
1. Scan for Viruses & Malware
You might've picked up something along for the ride or two, especially when browsing unprotected (or with a terrible Antivirus like McAfee).
Perform a full scan from your Antivirus and Anti-Malware software. If you're using Trial versions, I recommend ditching them for free solutions that'll offer just the same if not better protection plus they won't nag you to buy them (as often):
Step 1: Remove your free trial Antivirus
McAfee (Scroll down to Step 2 in the article and download and use MCPR)
Norton (Click on the Norton Removal and Reinstall tool on the page)
Step 2: Install an antivirus and anti-malware and perform scans
Antivirus : Avast (more user friendly) or Panda (more sensitive but tends to report false positives)
Anti-Malware: MalwareBytes
IF YOU HAVE TWO OR MORE ACTIVE ANTIVIRUS, YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG.
Having two or more antivirus on your computer is more taxing on your computer than it is beneficial. It's less efficient on performance and can make it crash.
Uninstall other antiviruses to get back that performance hit and stability.
2. System Update
Make sure you have all the latest patches by Checking for Updates. Be prepared to reboot several times.
Windows 10:
Click the Start Button and start typing "Update" and click on the Gear Icon that says "Check for Updates"
(Yes, typing on the start screen/menu does something, even without a textbox)
Install Updates
Windows 7 / 8:
Upgrade to Windows 10.
Windows XP and Vista:
You seriously need a new computer.
Repeat this process after each reboot until it says there are no updates available.
3. System Drivers
Try updating your drivers by using Slimdrivers. This step can be risky if your computer doesn't report the right internals (like if you bought an el cheapo counterfeit model).
Main parts you really need to be concerned about is the Chipset and Video drivers because the Chipset controls the motherboard and tunes its proprietary components and the Video drivers are important to optimal graphics performance.
It'll prompt you to make a System Restore point when installing each one, be sure to accept it each and every time!
4. Clean out the gunk***
Part 1: Disable startup crap
Open up Task Manager through the three finger salute (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and click on the Startup Tab
Disable things that you don't actually use.
Part 2: Disable useless services
Press Win + R , enter in "msconfig" and click the Services Tab
Click Hide all Microsoft Services. Disable everything you don't recognize, keep stuff from your PC manufacturer.
***Nothing you disable will make your computer unusable but you might experience reduced functionality such as hotkeys (Fn) not working or two finger scrolling not working on touchpad.
5. Maintenance software
Keep that PC running smoothly by cleaning up old registry keys, temporary files on a regular basis. If you have a regular spinning hard drive (non-SSD), Defragmenting is akin to helping your Hard Drive read by organizing your data in a way that it can read it like a book rather than signs planted all over the road. Here are my recommendations for both:
Overall maintenance: Glary Utilities
Defragmenter: Smart Defrag 4.4.0.849
(defrags every 7 days and while your computer is idle--Not recommended for SSD)
(Do NOT get the latest version from iObit because you will lose the Automatic Defrag feature!!)
6. Game Boosters
You could also install a Game Booster such as the Razer Cortex which will help eliminate unneeded processes running in the background as well as clear up RAM for use by games.
There's also a function in the program that'll help optimize your computer's settings for gaming:
Boost > Tweak > Optimize
If your connection is feeling a bit sluggish, you can try using software such as WTFast. This will take you off the general internet and put you on what they call a "Gamer's Private Network."
Essentially, internet is made of many nodes and servers. Your data is pushed through these nodes and servers which have varying hardware and software with varying levels of reliability and performance. But with a private network, your connection is being pushed through these more reliable nodes and servers cutting down your ping, latency and yes.. lag.
7. I'm Feeling Lucky
If you're just plain desperate for performance, have at it:
Ultimate Windows Tweaker
Remove Xbox from Windows 10 (Disables in-game recording feature and removes Xbox app--Useful tweak for slower computers)
Charles "Black Viper" Sparks' Service Configurations (disable unnecessary Windows services--Recommended to use 'Tweaked' set)
RAM disk if you have enough f*** you money for 32GB of RAM or more. It's pretty advanced stuff but it supercharges loading times and worth including in this article for some super nerds.
Appendix. Specific Solutions
These are tweaks I've actually used to repair a few specific computers recently.
AMD Devices (computers before 2016)
Slow bootup on a computer with an AMD processor/GPU?
If your computer has an AMD sticker on it and it's slow at booting up, this is due to an incompatibility with ULPS (Ultra Low Power State) setting for modern Windows computers.
Follow the guide here to disable ULPS for your system.
Remember that you have to repeat this disabling procedure after every Catalyst (graphics driver) update!
HP Split Devices
Mouse/Touchpad/Keyboard freezes randomly when first booting up? Boot screen seems to freeze intermittently?
This is due to the computer deeming the base of the HP Split as non-essential and it being turned off and on during the boot process and even lasting until the desktop. It may work fine after a few minutes but this nuissance can be resolved by following directions on this post here.
This solution was used to fix an HP Split 13 X2.
If you have any questions or anything, let me know in the comments below! I can also do a remote desktop session via Teamviewer!
(but please keep your nudes out of the Downloads folder, I don't need to see that sh-t.)
[/nerdrui]
Appendix I
But what about Macs and can I run Mabinogi on a Mac?
Short answer: No. Requires Boot Camp.
Provided Macs are wonderful devices because both the hardware and software are designed by Apple, they have built in Maintenance that run daily and monthly (Which Microsoft just picked up on doing in Windows 8/10, which does slow your computer in 8/10--especially during late night sessions). But that doesn't mean they're all sunshine and daisies, they are still computers after all. Titanium Software's Onyx is your best bet at harvesting all that wonderful built in maintenance utilities to keep it in tip top shape!
Contrary to popular belief, Macs do get viruses and malware. It's just less common because there are.. less users. Don't be lulled by a false sense of security, there have been outbreaks before (2009 and 2012). I can't give any recommendations since I honestly don't use antivirus on OS X, let alone have I really used the OS X side of the Mac. But my choice when I had my PowerBook G4 was Sophos Antivirus.
Macs can in fact run Windows via Boot Camp or virtual machine (VMWare/Parallels/etc) but NexonGuard aka "BlackCipher" Anti-hacking/Monitoring software won't run in Virtual Machine so no Mabi on Virtual Machine.
Macs also have terrible battery life when running Windows via Boot Camp! (My 2010 MacBook Pro clocks 6 hours of OS X and less than 2 hours of Windows 7/8.1/10) Apple isn't going to release low level drivers (meaning harnessing the full efficiency of hardware) to having Windows work better than OS X on its own turf. The performance is certainly there but it is going to be running inefficiently and hotter than normal as well (possibly wearing out your computer faster). But Mabi can run on Boot Camp because Boot Camp is essentially Windows, meaning not running OS X or doing anything Mac at all (As simple as it sounds, people I talked to still don't understand that concept).
Addendum I-Aug 2019
Photo Recovery Operation
I just finished recovering 600GB worth of family photos from a 2012 iMac that had corrupt operating system files making it unable to boot.
Materials needed:
Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter (if receiving device is USB-C)
Thunderbolt 2 cable
Another Mac device
An external hard drive formatted for MacOS Journaled or ExFAT (If you plan on using it interchangeably with Windows PCs)
What I did:
Use Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) and connect iMac to another Mac (in this case, my MacBook Air).
Attach external hard drive and format it with Disk Utility for MacOS Journaled
Boot the iMac in Target mode by holding T key from power on blank screen, through boot chime, and until Thunderbolt logo appears (makes it have direct access to the hard drive)
On MacBook Air, used the rsync command in Terminal to copy files from the iMac hard drive to the external hard drive.
Operation was successful after 4 hours.
What didn't work:
Using Linux live disk's drag and drop to transport the files
Using MacOS's traditional drag and drop to transport the files
(Both took more than 8 hours to "preparing to copy" and transfer speeds were trash)
What I didn't try:
Using rsync command in Linux, this probably would've worked just as well and would've cut out the need for Thunderbolt adapters, cables, and another Mac altogether.
Appendix II
Linux?
Short answer: Not at all.
Linux runs programs in a different manner than Windows and therefore requires a software compatibility layer such as Wine or Crossfire for Linux to process Windows programs as Linux programs. However these software compatibility layers are incompatible with Mabinogi's anti-hacking/monitoring software because they freak out when they are run in a different environment than Windows. It is a similar reason why Mabinogi cannot be run on Macs running on a Virtual Machine software.
Kinser clinic is best clinic
I've broken a few computers here and there. Out of rage, anger, impatience, disappointment, etc.
The year was 2002 the last time anything like that happened. But I've learned my lesson and I've come to the conclusion that it's better to solve problems at the source. I've been working on computers as a hobby and a frustratingly enjoyable pastime of mine since the good old Windows 98/XP days. And I've been very much a nerd since.
So in here I'll share some of my knowledge on how you too, my dear [#username] can have a wonderfully running PC!
The Value of a Computer
Laptops valued at under $800 as well as those manufactured before the year 2014 can be inherently slow due to their subpar Processors.*
Brands!
I keep getting asked what the best brand of computers are. Usually I tell people to stay away from HP or Dell because they use cheap parts and just flood the market with crappy sub-$600 laptops. As for what brands to actually get? Usually for gaming I recommend Asus, Acer, MSI, Razer, and Alienware (yes, I know they're a part of Dell but their build quality is a lot better).
Intel Core i5/i7 (or i9 if you have a lot of f*** you money) from 7th Generation and higher are recommended
- (Core "i" series 6th generation and older are kind of outdated and inefficient compared to their more modern counterparts but still capable!)
- (Atom, Pentium and Celeron are budget processors)
- (Core Duo, Core 2 Duo lines are outdated)
AMD Ryzen 5/7 and Threadrippers are recommended
- (Athlon, Phenom, Sempron, FX, A series are outdated)
*If you want to get technical, it's the small L3 cache that old/budget processors have. It's recommended to have a processor with at least 3MB L3 Cache or higher such as those found in the processors aforementioned.
8GB of RAM and above is recommended**
RAM is the easiest thing to upgrade, all you need is some RAM sticks of the same size (in GB) and specs (DDR3, DDR4, etc.) such as 2 x 4GB DDR4 sticks and a screwdriver to open the case--Just remember to discharge static electricity before working with internals of a computer!
Graphics Cards:
Nvidia is recommended overall for their high-end performance
AMD usually has decent price to performance ratio
How to tell graphics cards generations/performance level (because this confused me as a baby PC master race):
For example, Nvidia GTX 1080Ti
10xx is the generation number (in this example, generation 10)
xx8x is the performance level (usually 1 through 8)
xxx0 is the revision number (theoretically, but hasn't really been used lately)
xxxxTi is the suffix, usually denoted enhanced performance of a certain model (e.g. GTX 1080Ti is more powerful than as GTX 1080)
0. Too much crap is popping up when I start the computer!
Write this down:
Ctrl + Shift + Esc > File > Run New Task > explorer
Now that you are armed with knowledge,
1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc
2. Click More details at the bottom left of the window
3. Go to the Details tab at the top
4. Click Name (to sort by name) and find explorer.exe
5. MAKE SURE YOU REMEMBER WHAT I TOLD YOU TO WRITE DOWN EARLIER and right click on explorer.exe and End Process Tree
6. Everything will disappear, THIS IS NORMAL I PROMISE.
7. Do the steps you wrote above
8. Congratulations, you have taken the first step to taking your computer back!
1. Scan for Viruses & Malware
You might've picked up something along for the ride or two, especially when browsing unprotected (or with a terrible Antivirus like McAfee).
Perform a full scan from your Antivirus and Anti-Malware software. If you're using Trial versions, I recommend ditching them for free solutions that'll offer just the same if not better protection plus they won't nag you to buy them (as often):
Step 1: Remove your free trial Antivirus
McAfee (Scroll down to Step 2 in the article and download and use MCPR)
Norton (Click on the Norton Removal and Reinstall tool on the page)
Step 2: Install an antivirus and anti-malware and perform scans
Antivirus : Avast (more user friendly) or Panda (more sensitive but tends to report false positives)
Anti-Malware: MalwareBytes
IF YOU HAVE TWO OR MORE ACTIVE ANTIVIRUS, YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG.
Having two or more antivirus on your computer is more taxing on your computer than it is beneficial. It's less efficient on performance and can make it crash.
Uninstall other antiviruses to get back that performance hit and stability.
2. System Update
Make sure you have all the latest patches by Checking for Updates. Be prepared to reboot several times.
Windows 10:
Click the Start Button and start typing "Update" and click on the Gear Icon that says "Check for Updates"
(Yes, typing on the start screen/menu does something, even without a textbox)
Install Updates
Windows 7 / 8:
Upgrade to Windows 10.
Windows XP and Vista:
You seriously need a new computer.
Repeat this process after each reboot until it says there are no updates available.
3. System Drivers
Try updating your drivers by using Slimdrivers. This step can be risky if your computer doesn't report the right internals (like if you bought an el cheapo counterfeit model).
Main parts you really need to be concerned about is the Chipset and Video drivers because the Chipset controls the motherboard and tunes its proprietary components and the Video drivers are important to optimal graphics performance.
It'll prompt you to make a System Restore point when installing each one, be sure to accept it each and every time!
4. Clean out the gunk***
Part 1: Disable startup crap
Open up Task Manager through the three finger salute (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and click on the Startup Tab
Disable things that you don't actually use.
Part 2: Disable useless services
Press Win + R , enter in "msconfig" and click the Services Tab
Click Hide all Microsoft Services. Disable everything you don't recognize, keep stuff from your PC manufacturer.
***Nothing you disable will make your computer unusable but you might experience reduced functionality such as hotkeys (Fn) not working or two finger scrolling not working on touchpad.
5. Maintenance software
Keep that PC running smoothly by cleaning up old registry keys, temporary files on a regular basis. If you have a regular spinning hard drive (non-SSD), Defragmenting is akin to helping your Hard Drive read by organizing your data in a way that it can read it like a book rather than signs planted all over the road. Here are my recommendations for both:
Overall maintenance: Glary Utilities
Defragmenter: Smart Defrag 4.4.0.849
(defrags every 7 days and while your computer is idle--Not recommended for SSD)
(Do NOT get the latest version from iObit because you will lose the Automatic Defrag feature!!)
6. Game Boosters
You could also install a Game Booster such as the Razer Cortex which will help eliminate unneeded processes running in the background as well as clear up RAM for use by games.
There's also a function in the program that'll help optimize your computer's settings for gaming:
Boost > Tweak > Optimize
If your connection is feeling a bit sluggish, you can try using software such as WTFast. This will take you off the general internet and put you on what they call a "Gamer's Private Network."
Essentially, internet is made of many nodes and servers. Your data is pushed through these nodes and servers which have varying hardware and software with varying levels of reliability and performance. But with a private network, your connection is being pushed through these more reliable nodes and servers cutting down your ping, latency and yes.. lag.
7. I'm Feeling Lucky
If you're just plain desperate for performance, have at it:
Ultimate Windows Tweaker
Remove Xbox from Windows 10 (Disables in-game recording feature and removes Xbox app--Useful tweak for slower computers)
Charles "Black Viper" Sparks' Service Configurations (disable unnecessary Windows services--Recommended to use 'Tweaked' set)
RAM disk if you have enough f*** you money for 32GB of RAM or more. It's pretty advanced stuff but it supercharges loading times and worth including in this article for some super nerds.
Appendix. Specific Solutions
These are tweaks I've actually used to repair a few specific computers recently.
AMD Devices (computers before 2016)
Slow bootup on a computer with an AMD processor/GPU?
If your computer has an AMD sticker on it and it's slow at booting up, this is due to an incompatibility with ULPS (Ultra Low Power State) setting for modern Windows computers.
Follow the guide here to disable ULPS for your system.
Remember that you have to repeat this disabling procedure after every Catalyst (graphics driver) update!
HP Split Devices
Mouse/Touchpad/Keyboard freezes randomly when first booting up? Boot screen seems to freeze intermittently?
This is due to the computer deeming the base of the HP Split as non-essential and it being turned off and on during the boot process and even lasting until the desktop. It may work fine after a few minutes but this nuissance can be resolved by following directions on this post here.
This solution was used to fix an HP Split 13 X2.
If you have any questions or anything, let me know in the comments below! I can also do a remote desktop session via Teamviewer!
(but please keep your nudes out of the Downloads folder, I don't need to see that sh-t.)
[/nerdrui]
Appendix I
But what about Macs and can I run Mabinogi on a Mac?
Short answer: No. Requires Boot Camp.
Provided Macs are wonderful devices because both the hardware and software are designed by Apple, they have built in Maintenance that run daily and monthly (Which Microsoft just picked up on doing in Windows 8/10, which does slow your computer in 8/10--especially during late night sessions). But that doesn't mean they're all sunshine and daisies, they are still computers after all. Titanium Software's Onyx is your best bet at harvesting all that wonderful built in maintenance utilities to keep it in tip top shape!
Contrary to popular belief, Macs do get viruses and malware. It's just less common because there are.. less users. Don't be lulled by a false sense of security, there have been outbreaks before (2009 and 2012). I can't give any recommendations since I honestly don't use antivirus on OS X, let alone have I really used the OS X side of the Mac. But my choice when I had my PowerBook G4 was Sophos Antivirus.
Macs can in fact run Windows via Boot Camp or virtual machine (VMWare/Parallels/etc) but NexonGuard aka "BlackCipher" Anti-hacking/Monitoring software won't run in Virtual Machine so no Mabi on Virtual Machine.
Macs also have terrible battery life when running Windows via Boot Camp! (My 2010 MacBook Pro clocks 6 hours of OS X and less than 2 hours of Windows 7/8.1/10) Apple isn't going to release low level drivers (meaning harnessing the full efficiency of hardware) to having Windows work better than OS X on its own turf. The performance is certainly there but it is going to be running inefficiently and hotter than normal as well (possibly wearing out your computer faster). But Mabi can run on Boot Camp because Boot Camp is essentially Windows, meaning not running OS X or doing anything Mac at all (As simple as it sounds, people I talked to still don't understand that concept).
Addendum I-Aug 2019
Photo Recovery Operation
I just finished recovering 600GB worth of family photos from a 2012 iMac that had corrupt operating system files making it unable to boot.
Materials needed:
Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter (if receiving device is USB-C)
Thunderbolt 2 cable
Another Mac device
An external hard drive formatted for MacOS Journaled or ExFAT (If you plan on using it interchangeably with Windows PCs)
What I did:
Use Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) and connect iMac to another Mac (in this case, my MacBook Air).
Attach external hard drive and format it with Disk Utility for MacOS Journaled
Boot the iMac in Target mode by holding T key from power on blank screen, through boot chime, and until Thunderbolt logo appears (makes it have direct access to the hard drive)
On MacBook Air, used the rsync command in Terminal to copy files from the iMac hard drive to the external hard drive.
Operation was successful after 4 hours.
What didn't work:
Using Linux live disk's drag and drop to transport the files
Using MacOS's traditional drag and drop to transport the files
(Both took more than 8 hours to "preparing to copy" and transfer speeds were trash)
What I didn't try:
Using rsync command in Linux, this probably would've worked just as well and would've cut out the need for Thunderbolt adapters, cables, and another Mac altogether.
Appendix II
Linux?
Short answer: Not at all.
Linux runs programs in a different manner than Windows and therefore requires a software compatibility layer such as Wine or Crossfire for Linux to process Windows programs as Linux programs. However these software compatibility layers are incompatible with Mabinogi's anti-hacking/monitoring software because they freak out when they are run in a different environment than Windows. It is a similar reason why Mabinogi cannot be run on Macs running on a Virtual Machine software.
Kinser clinic is best clinic
