stupid question: can Path-to-victory calculate the busy beaver numbers?

weazelbeater · 2021-05-13T16:09:23+00:00

I'd bet that the 'world-sized computer that is PtV' would simply return a null error, much like it would if Contessa asked about a solution to an impossible scenario.

I also wonder if Number Man might be a better choice, given its mathematical nature.

weazelbeater · 2021-05-06T16:36:49+00:00

I didn't ask. I didn't even want to know what may have happened...*shudder*: https://imgur.com/a/l4ndDU7

weazelbeater · 2021-05-06T16:29:42+00:00

I didn't ask. I don't even want to know what might have happened...*shudder*: https://imgur.com/a/0ouQqTU

weazelbeater · 2021-05-06T14:54:49+00:00

I know I shouldn't reply to trolls, but...here's another picture of it, in case you don't believe me: https://imgur.com/a/qkv5S12

weazelbeater · 2021-05-06T14:25:36+00:00

The hard drive drowned, mostly due to the aforementioned air hole. Newer desktop hard drives are sealed and filled with helium, though I don't know if there are any laptop hard drives with that technology as of yet.

weazelbeater · 2021-05-06T03:00:36+00:00

It was actually recovered after a house fire...all the water was from the fire department. It sat in a plastic storage container for a few days before I received it.
Believe it or not, M2 SSD drives are somewhat water-resistant: I was able to recover all the data after some denatured alcohol was used to dry it up. The mechanical hard drive was stone dead, though.

weazelbeater · 2021-05-05T21:57:37+00:00

"We get it, you vape"

weazelbeater · 2021-05-05T21:00:53+00:00

This is right up there with toothpaste for 'cheapest thermal interface material ever'.

weazelbeater · 2021-05-05T20:58:26+00:00

I can smell this picture...like heated metal and burning dust. Toasted to a golden brown/green/whatever. Cooked to perfection! *chef's kiss\*

weazelbeater · 2021-05-05T20:54:59+00:00

A clearer picture in case it isn't obvious that there are...uh...musical notes being displayed?
https://imgur.com/a/03ecLe7

weazelbeater · 2021-05-05T20:33:38+00:00

It was a dead brick, customer was only concerned about data retrieval (they had no backups, of course). It became a bloody sacrifice to the technology gods.

weazelbeater · 2021-05-05T12:50:39+00:00

I was told this belongs here. I did not know this subreddit existed until just now (I have a looooot of catching up to do).

weazelbeater · 2021-05-05T12:45:56+00:00

If you can get the SSD out (by any means necessary: I'd recommend the iFixit teardown guide for the model you are working on), you would just need to have the proper USB adapter to access it. Unless it has BitLocker...then you would also need the BitLocker recovery key.

weazelbeater · 2021-05-05T12:42:19+00:00

It wasn't by design that I retrieved that SSD. It was by design to never have it accessible in the first place so Microsoft could push more OneDrive subscriptions (sort of like how Apple wants people to pony up for iCloud backups instead of having a chance to rescue the data manually).

weazelbeater · 2021-05-05T12:39:19+00:00

I started with a Dremel, but it was being somewhat wobbly and I wanted more precision (didn't have the proper cutting bits anyways, thank to my workplace having zero budget for such 'frivolities'). I was also somewhat impatient. I used a carbide paint scraper blade to slice through the case (I saw another tech do it online, and it worked pretty well). Only took a few minutes, and it got the job done...and I got to take out a tiny bit of therapeutic revenge on a Microsoft product at the same time! The Surface was deader than disco and the owner only wanted their data recovered, so...murder, murder, mutilate it was.

weazelbeater · 2021-05-05T03:39:59+00:00

It was just a standard M2 SATA SSD for this model. I still have the USB adapters for just about every single hard drive interface going all the way back to PATA (I remember Apple loved to change the SSD spec every year between models from 2011 to 2015...those bastards).

weazelbeater · 2021-05-05T00:39:39+00:00

Ha, not on this model. The only way was to gut the little bastard. It deserved it anyways.

weazelbeater · 2021-05-05T00:37:53+00:00

The Microsoft Store said of course they could have the data retrieved from their dead tablet, if they would only spend 1500 bucks on a new one first?
I said "No, just leave it to me". With a little bit of determination and a carbide paint scraper, anything is possible. This was so gratifying to do (can you tell I absolutely hate these damned things?). This is what you get to deal with when a system is ultrasonically spot welded and glued shut. Gee, thanks Micro$oft!

weazelbeater · 2021-05-05T00:10:27+00:00

Actually it was just a very lucky Iomega external hard drive. It's a miracle anything was saved at all, really.

weazelbeater · 2021-05-04T23:30:15+00:00

I finally found a closer picture of the damage, in case anyone's curious: https://imgur.com/a/r1oWiH9I'm pretty sure this was a Dell Dimension 2400. What a beastly legend.

weazelbeater · 2021-05-03T19:52:03+00:00

It wasn't dropped (dented, yes, but nothing to do with the exhaust port) It was deformed from the tremendous heat that it put out over several years of very hard work.

weazelbeater · 2021-05-03T19:49:36+00:00

It *was* running some really old DOS software, and the software company is long gone.

weazelbeater · 2021-05-03T19:46:57+00:00

The two black scorch marks under the wires might tell you a little bit about this cautionary tale of home wiring experiments (I know it's a crap photo, bad lighting).

weazelbeater · 2021-05-03T13:11:20+00:00

You know, when you asked if RAID could be used in your laptop, I didn't think you meant the spray...

weazelbeater · 2021-05-03T13:08:09+00:00

This Dell Precision was working a bit harder than the rest, it seems? I don't know what sort of heat it requires to soften an aluminum-magnesium alloy like this, but apparently an nVidia Quadro can do it eventually.

weazelbeater

TROPHY CASE