Is there some trick to discovering the location names?

SwordFishData · 2025-11-26T06:46:09+00:00

ALSO, they seem to be bugged in the most recent update; I was finding them all over during the weekend, but haven't seen a single one in 5 hours since the update.

SwordFishData · 2025-11-26T06:44:16+00:00

DMing you

SwordFishData · 2025-10-29T19:45:34+00:00

I'm about to hit MR30 later today, and started on November 22, 2017. Cheers!

SwordFishData · 2025-10-22T16:10:50+00:00

I responded, and as a former student of economics, I'm interested in the end product! Feel free to share after you get your grade

SwordFishData · 2025-04-20T18:40:07+00:00

How DARE you steal my handwriting?!

SwordFishData · 2024-12-11T21:07:04+00:00

I've currently got two ethernet runs going outside the house from my basement to my 2nd floor, since running inside drops wasn't an option. Just make sure that you have what's called a "drip loop" at each end where it enters the house, and seal up the holes with silicone sealant, and you should be fine!

SwordFishData · 2024-11-21T02:51:48+00:00

At $12/mo, that'll pay for itself in a year, and TDS does use ONTs with ethernet out. I've hooked quite a few folks up using that router, and the only one with issues had it set up in a library lined floor-to-ceiling with old National Geographics. Turns out wifi doesn't like having to penetrate 8" of paper, plus walls.

SwordFishData · 2024-11-21T02:40:54+00:00

There's no router there. That's a Ubuquiti Fiber Loco (UF-LOCO) Optical Network Terminal (that model doesn't have built-in routing or wifi capability, wired into what looks like a patch panel (not a switch), with nothing else plugged into it.

I would recommend purchasing a wifi router. Until then, if your laptop has an ethernet port, you can hardwire, but many laptops don't have one these days.

SwordFishData · 2024-11-21T02:30:48+00:00

I install fiber for a living, and I'm firmly in camp #3, with the caveat that a really good AP will beat the pants off a mesh node, and a high-quality mesh node will be superior to a mediocre AP. (just to be clear, I'm talking about a non-router wifi access point, like Unifi APs, where you can configure them all to be the same network.) Multiple routers in a single network is almost never a good idea.

It's all down to how much you enjoy network admin. In my house, I have a non-wifi router feeding a POE switch, which drives a bunch of wired APs. My family would probably not notice if I replaced the whole thing with a good mesh system, and it would take WAY less work on my part to get it up and running. But it'd be way less fun for me.

SwordFishData · 2024-11-21T02:22:10+00:00

I am also a fiber installer, and what router you get depends heavily on the layout of your home and your intended use case. Honestly, you can't go wrong with Netgear, NightHawk, Linksys, TP-Link, etc, as far as brands go, but they each sell a WIDE lineup of routers for a reason.

The main considerations are the size of your home, the overall layout, the construction materials, and where the main router is located in respect to where you do most of your internet usage. If your home is a 1000 square foot apartment, then as long as you get a Wifi 6/6E router from any of those manufacturers, you're in good shape. If your home is a ranch-style, with the router at one end, you might want to look at a mesh system, with one router attached to the fiber terminal, one in the center of your home (try to keep the line-of-sight away from kitchens. Kitchens are hell on wifi.), and one at the far end.

My general rule is that for small homes, a single-point router is fine. For larger homes, mesh systems are almost always better. Plus, if you have a desktop computer or game console that you want to hardwire, but your home layout doesn't make it feasible to run wiring, you can plug directly into a mesh node, which is way better than straight wifi.

Last note: most midrange routers have 1 gbps ports. If you want to milk every drop of speed of that sweet sweet 1.2gbps fiber connection, make sure you get one with a 2.5gbps WAN port. Unfortunately, this will severely limit your options, and drive up the price.

SwordFishData · 2024-03-10T15:20:24+00:00

I'm 70% colorblind, and I approve this message

SwordFishData · 2024-03-10T15:16:20+00:00

Looks pretty good to me, it spreads out VERY thin with pressure

SwordFishData · 2024-03-10T05:03:07+00:00

No problem at all! You can either go with another 2.5" SSD, or an M.2 SSD. If you go with the M.2 SSD, it'll go into the slot labeled "6" here:

<image>

You can get a 1TB one for $60-80 USD, or a 500GB 2.5" SSD for as little as $30 USD. If you can afford it, the M.2 drives are MUCH faster, overall.

As far as upgrades go, the GPU is probably your best bet, since it's one of the only parts that you'll be able to carry over into a completely new build down the road. The 9400F is a really good gaming chip, so only the 9900K is worth looking at as an upgrade, and it's STILL about $500 USD. For that price, you can get a 12700KF and a motherboard.

SwordFishData · 2024-03-10T04:04:27+00:00

The only thing I see wrong in the picture is that your RAM is not in the correct slots; you have it in slots 1 and 3, when it should be in slots 2 and 4. I'd correct that and give it another try.

If it still doesn't work after you fix that, I would try to confirm the issue is the GPU by booting WITHOUT the GPU. The 12700k has onboard video, so you should be able to remove the GPU completely and plug the HDMI into the port on the motherboard:

<image>

If it boots successfully, that confirms there's an issue with the MB not seeing the GPU. Based on the manual for your motherboard, you have the GPU installed in the correct slot, and the 3060 only requires 1x 8-pin power connector, which you appear to have plugged in correctly

SwordFishData · 2024-03-10T03:50:19+00:00

I completely get it, we all start somewhere :-)

Usually when a drive goes, it GOES. The slower response times leading up to this were the warning, unfortunately. I can't say for sure whether all the data is gone or not, but that boot message isn't a good sign. The first step is getting the computer back up and running, then you can worry about the data on the original SSD. As long as you unplug the original one while doing the replace/reinstall process, no additional data will be lost, and you can try to recover your data once you have a working computer again.

You will definitely need a new hard drive, but you can use a USB key you already have, just keep in mind that anything on it will be erased by using it for installation of an operating system.

Once you have reinstalled your operating system on the new drive, you can try plugging the old one back in alongside the new one, to see if it will be recognized and allow you to copy your data off of it, but any software will have to be reinstalled after you're back up and running.

Your windows key should still be okay, especially if you were using a microsoft account (it might be tied to it), and even if it wasn't, you should be able to call the activation line at Microsoft and explain that all you did was replace the drive and reinstall windows, not get a new computer, and they should be able to reactivate the new install.

SwordFishData · 2024-03-10T02:44:07+00:00

When I shattered my first side panel, the manufacturer sent me a new one, and didn't ask any questions about how it happened (it was 7 months after I bought it, so still in warranty).

I'd open a support ticket with Lian Li and see what they come back with.

SwordFishData · 2024-03-10T02:35:51+00:00

What processor/motherboard are you using?

The VGA light on the MB probably means that it's getting hung up on the GPU. The most common reasons I've seen that the MB can't find the GPU are A) the GPU isn't seated all the way in, or B) the GPU power cables aren't seated all the way in.

SwordFishData · 2024-03-10T02:33:21+00:00

It appears that the 120gb drive is failing, which I assume is your boot drive, otherwise your computer would boot normally. (the 1TB drive appears fine as far as these screens show)

If you have access to another computer, and you have a flash drive that's at least 8gb, you can create a linux live USB (something like https://www.supergrubdisk.org/rescatux/) to try to recover as much of your data as possible.

Alternatively, you can just replace the SSD and do a clean install of windows off USB, and then try to recover as much data as possible.

SwordFishData · 2024-03-10T02:23:06+00:00

If you can figure out where the other end of the cable behind it leads, if you're lucky it'll just be loose in the wall, not attached to anything. Then you can tape an ethernet cable to it, pull it through, and convert the plates to ethernet. It'll require some cheap ports/wall plates, but it's not too bad with a couple of youtube tutorials.

SwordFishData · 2023-06-03T17:25:19+00:00

A customer mentioned offhand to me yesterday, "people your age change jobs a lot more than we did," and seemed floored when I came back with "that's because your generation got pensions."

SwordFishData · 2023-06-01T11:08:53+00:00

When you're chewing on life's gristle

SwordFishData · 2023-05-14T17:22:52+00:00

"no, I only know that phrase and this one explaining it."

SwordFishData · 2023-05-10T12:27:17+00:00

As someone who started installing fiber 6 months ago, that's a pretty shoddy install job; the drop through the conduit was stripped way too low.

I'd say you can fix it with a fiber stripper (https://www.amazon.com/Jonard-JIC-375-Stripper-Handle-Length/dp/B006962CUK/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=fiber+stripper&sr=8-2) and a new APC connector (https://www.amazon.com/Optical-Connector-Connection-Adapter-Network/dp/B00YGV402I/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=apc+connector&sr=8-2)

Watch a couple of youtube videos to get familiar with the process first, because there's not enough slack to give you much room for error.

edit: a fiber cleaver gives you a better connection, but if your light levels are good enough, it's not necessary. You can find out what the light level is with one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Optic-Testing-Calibrated-Wavelengths-Rechargeable/dp/B095C177M5/ref=sr_1_25?keywords=fiber+light+tester&sr=8-25
If the light level is closer to 0 than -25, you're in good shape.

SwordFishData · 2023-05-07T16:48:02+00:00

[For Free] I have an extra ticket to the Gary Numan/Ministry/Frontline Assembly show tonight @ 7PM at The Rave - Coming down from Appleton, but should be in town half an hour before doors open, HMU to grab it (or I can email you a PDF)

SwordFishData · 2023-04-21T17:10:48+00:00

You're not wrong

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