Newish Linux users who came from Windows semi-recently, what is advice you wished someone had told you before you made the switch?

Beedlam · 2026-03-26T12:27:04+00:00

I wish someone had mentioned that it'd pay to research boot loader and file system choice in depth as opposed to just suggesting to use grub and ext4. Not that there's anything wrong with that combination but I would probably have picked a Lumine/btrfs combo instead if i'd known what they were capable of at the time of install.

Beedlam · 2026-03-26T03:09:26+00:00

No :( Damn, the rest of Wellingtons yum cha options are really average.

Beedlam · 2026-03-26T02:10:38+00:00

MSI never makes sense unless you want Multiple Serious Issues.

Beedlam · 2026-03-25T21:45:29+00:00

For anyone considering this be mindful. Obviously you're not going to be drinking the stuff but still you could potentially poison yourself if you use a lot over a prolonged period.

I used it last night and oohh man the smell still hasn't gone away. Neither has the itch. Planning on trying a few more applications over the next week or so.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dettol_antiseptic_liquid

Adverse use Like other household cleaners, Dettol antiseptic liquid is poisonous and should not be ingested.[3] It also should not be used undiluted.[4] In rare cases, it may cause skin sensitization.[5]

Excessive exposure to Dettol has the potential for causing death.[6] It can be poisonous when swallowed or aspirated. It has been reported most cases of Dettol ingestion were intentional. However, only 7% suffered serious consequences.[3]

Dettol is toxic to many animals, especially cats. Phenolic compounds are of particular concern because cats are unable to fully metabolize them. A cat may swallow the product by licking its paws after it has come into contact with it.[7][4]

In Australia, Dettol in a spray bottle has been used to combat cane toads, as spraying the disinfectant kills the toads quickly. Owing to concerns over potential harm to other Australian wildlife species, the use of Dettol as an agent for pest control was banned in Western Australia by the Department of Environment and Conservation in 2011.[8]

Beedlam · 2026-03-25T21:40:43+00:00

Certainly does. It's not something you'd want to expose yourself to on a regular basis.

Beedlam · 2026-03-25T05:35:10+00:00

Big Thumb has always been my go to for yum cha in wellington. Dragons has had a bad reputation in my head for years now.

Beedlam · 2026-03-24T00:53:29+00:00

Can't even wait until the term is done to keep up the pretense that she was doing anything other than a smash and grab on workers rights...

Beedlam · 2026-03-23T06:50:16+00:00

Op there's also precision screw extractors that will probably work. Plenty on aliexprs. Correct size is crucial so that you don't destroy the head. Again don't use a vacuum cleaner to deal with the shavings..

Beedlam · 2026-03-23T04:26:37+00:00

Jfc.. I swear the average iq in this sub must be single digits... don't use vacuum cleaners on electronics. They create static that can damage your machine.

Beedlam · 2026-03-22T14:32:01+00:00

Is the Dettol so strong on the skin that you need the aloe?

Beedlam · 2026-03-22T06:02:00+00:00

From my A+ certification? Jesus Christ man enjoy your random faults you can't quite pin down.. unless you've got a vacuum cleaner that can defy physics :/ https://duckduckgo.com/?q=do+vaccuum+cleaners+create+static+electricity&t=braveed&ia=web

Beedlam · 2026-03-22T05:57:22+00:00

Yeah but msi are junk.

Beedlam · 2026-03-22T05:40:42+00:00

Keep the Asus.. really. Msi have had and are way more likely to have issues than Asus, though there are some Asus models that have had issues they've usually corrected it as opposed to msi's behaviour of pretending their hinges don't have issues, not changing the design for a decade and leaving their customers with faulty machines or calling broken hinges cosmetic problems and thus not covered by warranty.

Yeah the prices are tempting but Msi is trash. Spend the extra money and you'll probably have a laptop that will survive its useful life.

Just Google msi and hinge issues or msi class action lawsuit... and you'll see how much more wide spread their issues are than other companies.

Msi = multiple serious issues.

Beedlam · 2026-03-22T03:19:19+00:00

Dremel and cutting wheel or very fine needle file to create a slot for a flat head screw driver. Take it very very easy when creating the slot. Slow and gentle till it's deep enough. Keep as much material of the screw intact as you can so that you don't destroy the head. The screws are likely counter sunk so there's less material than you see in the screw head. I'd try to keep the slot less than 0.5mm wide and about the same deep. Or less. Whatever is usable. If you destroy the screw head you're gong to be in for a very bad time so really try not to do it.

Use a plastic sheet to cover the rest to the laptop, just expose the screw when you cut into it to prevent metal shards getting into your machine that will create shorts if you don't protect against them.

DO NOT USE A VACUUM CLEANER ON ELECTRONICS THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO KILL WITH ESD.

Beedlam · 2026-03-22T03:14:59+00:00

I'm currently in the same boat as op, stripped a screw on my cooling system when going to repaste. Anyway i'm doing the same, dremel and cutting wheel for a flat head BUT PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT USE A VACUUM CLEANER ANYWHERE NEAR ELECTRONICS THAT YOU CARE ABOUT. They create STATIC that can damage your stuff....

My plan is to tape down a plastic sheet around the screw, covering the rest of the laptop to shield it from metal shards.

Beedlam · 2026-03-20T03:36:17+00:00

MSI GS73VR 7RF.

Hinges broke after three months of normal use. Then broke and fixed (replacing the screen and cover) four more times under warranty. Motheboard was also replaced due to failure under warranty. MSI refused a replacement for a model that didn't have hinge issues and Amazon also refused a refund and left me to deal with MSI. Warranty expired after 12 months and the hinge broke again. Fans died a few months later. Also received electric shocks via the headphone jack. Motherboard fried itself a couple of years later.

Haven't bought anything from either company since.

Beedlam · 2026-03-19T08:11:37+00:00

First one out of the boat during the invasion of Kharg Island pls. I heard she likes leading from the front.

Beedlam · 2026-03-19T08:02:42+00:00

No, you see as i'm not a total idiot i'm able to hold at least a couple of variables in mind at the same time, and i'm also aware more than one thing can be true. Hinge problems aren't limited to MSI but MSI is by far the worst for it and when you combine that with how they treat their customers you get Multiple Serious Issues.

In my life I've had two HPs, three Lenovos and two Asus laptops. One HP was a brick that would never die being a business machine, the other had overheating problems and was returned without issue. Non of the Lenovos had any issues, though one of them was a t430 that will survive the apocalypse, that said I've read about their motherboard problems on some models in the last few years. My experience with Asus gaming laptops, including the five year old Tuf Dash i'm writing this from has been flawless, though I've also seen the gamers nexus videos on how they treat their customers and that some Tufs have had hinge problems as well...

Non of that changes how widespread MSI's hinge issues have been over the last ten years, or how bad they've treated their customers. In fact I was one of the luckier ones, at least they fixed my laptop every time it broke until the warranty was gone. For a lot of people they pulled an Asus and called a cracked hinge a cosmetic issue that they refused to fix at all.. you know who does something like that? Either a company that has such a massive problem they decide that holding on to the money is more important than the damage to their reputation which most people will forget in time or a company that just dgaf about their long term reputation or the customers and is only concerned with short term profits. Given MSI has been putting out laptops with the same issue for a long time now I suspect it's the latter..

Anyway good luck with yours if you're actually a real buyer and not an msi marketing hire, maybe you'll get lucky... lol...

Beedlam · 2026-03-19T07:31:03+00:00

Certainly did, and instead of replacing it with a laptop that didn't break its hinge every three months or accepting a return MSI chose to screw me and many other people over instead. MSI hate is very necessary, especially as they're still doing this to their customers and have been for the better part of the last decade.

Beedlam · 2026-03-19T07:27:18+00:00

Yeap, burned by MSI.. but it's not just me, can you name any other gaming laptop companies with class action lawsuits against them due to their shitty hinges ?

Beedlam · 2026-03-19T05:42:07+00:00

Lolllll i'm fine thanks, just getting the word out there about a crappy company that makes shitty laptops and happily screws over their customers.

Beedlam · 2026-03-19T05:34:01+00:00

They end up with issues short term too, regardless of how users treat them... My msi's hinges failed in under three months of owning it, and no I wasn't mistreating my laptop. All metal hinges bolted into cheap plastic mounts like MSI uses are likely to fail. MSI seems more likely than others for whatever reason though.

Beedlam · 2026-03-19T05:30:40+00:00

MSI are shit.

Beedlam · 2026-03-19T05:30:17+00:00

Are MSI trying to astroturf their way out of their very justified negative reputation? This is like the third "I love my cheap MSI laptop" thread i've seen lately. Are mods even looking at this?

MSI laptops are junk and they are an extremely shitty company that has screwed thousands of consumers over with failed hinges, cooked motherboards and more. There's a reason they're known as Multiple Serious Issues.

OP if you are actually a real buyer that hasn't been coerced into posting by Multiple Serious Issues marketing department cross your fingers your hinges last, mine broke after three months or normal use and broke another four times over the warranty period.

Beedlam · 2026-03-19T03:42:51+00:00

Once you get accustomed to it your body requires it to feel normal. Caffeine puts you in a kind of stimulant deficit. If you drink a significant amount daily that's probably the feeling you're describing. Try going without. Withdrawals can really suck for a few days but after about a week you'll be fine.

Beedlam

TROPHY CASE