@oldles
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Well I see Dan has been and gone again, I was hoping for some input here. I still can’t decide if Timeshift does what I want, in spite of reading various online items.
Les.
Ed, I had seen that, and thought I had done it correctly. To recap, 2 weeks ago I bought a suitable enclosure and stuck a 500GB spinner inside. Using “Discs”, I formatted it ext4. I set up “Timeshift”, but did not apply any filters. I was a bit suspicious as the initial “save rime” was surprisingly short. A few days later I did a bit more research, and found the article to which you linked. So, last Monday, I used “Discs” to reformat my external drive, to prevent any risk of “contamination”.
Once more I set up Timeshift, but did apply filters. This obviously failed me yesterday. The only thing I can think of right now is maybe my PC still “Knew” only of the first non-filter attempt, in which case this fresh install with a once more fresh, empty extrnal drive would be OK. But I need to be certain.
Les.
Three weeks ago, i went ahead and ordered a 240GB SSD from Picstop for £32:99.Loads of crashes over the last few days, especially with Kodi and to a lesser extent with Thunderbird. Anyway, today it refused to restart, and a look in setup showed no hard drive listed. Back to a spinner, and this Kington SSD will be off for return shortly.
Les.
Good man, spot on. I think I left and right clicked everywhere, but I missed that. Back to sanity again. Cheers, Les.
Richard, I am only thinking of one of these as a suitable enclosure, one of which is already empty. In fact I now see another finishing tomorrow at £1.04, a worker but could similarly be gutted.
I gather the Pi has been used for backups somehow, but have no idea how. I do have a Pi which could live in such a case.
Les.
Comments on these please:-
The first would be gutted and I could stick the two HDDs in there, together with an adaptor for EACH HDD (one powered, one passive). A fair bit bigger than the £70 enclosure, but a damn sight cheaper. Or am I being stupid.
Les.
About 10 mins ago I went after the 240GB Kinston linked to by Boris on the 2nd of this month. For some reason it would not accept my address as supplied by Paypal, so instead I used my credit card. Ordered!
This will be used for the complete install including Docs, Pics etc. I don’t save music, videos etc., so my storage needs are minimal.
My replacement Shuttle has arrived, and everything seems to work OK. There was nothing in the “slots”, so I added a WiFi card I have into the PCI slot, and my GP610 (?) into the PCI-Express slot. The new SSD will go into the replacement PC, and the 500GB HDD available for backups.
Just looked for a cheap enclosure for the two 500 GB 3.5″ HDDs, but nothing cheap, around £70 which is more than I want to pay. I still have a firewire enclosure for a single IDE HDD which currently has backup stuff. It used to contain the old 500GB drive that failed at Christmas.
My backup procedures are VERY CRUDE. Not got my head around SENSIBLE methods yet, I just copy my hidden .thunderbird plus my documents, but NOT often enough. I guess I need my ass kicking.
Les.
In Dave’s previous reply about NUCs, he mentioned M2-SSDs, so I went looking on Ebay to survey the scene.
Today I saw his latest post, which made me stop and think. My last 10 years work was part time building individually specified PCs. Well over 1000 builds, but unlikely twice that. Whilst I avoided the software side as much as possible (never understood “digital”), I was completely up to date on hardware. Now, twelve years since retirement, that last message shows me just how out of touch I am. So much of it just flew over my head! Obviously I did not realise the significance of the M2 bit, and who his “Iris” is I have no idea.
So, back to SSDs. How much do I pay for a new 256GB. I assume I avoid all the “refurbished” ones I see. Are they all good, or only go for well known ones (Samsung, Toshiba, WD etc.).
I will have two SATA spinners, each 500GB either of which I can connect to USB with a little adaptor. Am I better to get an enclosure for back up purposes, or just link up ad hoc from time to time. I am starting to realise just how much important stuff I have in my documents folder, from ‘bikes through engineering, electronics, radio, electronic test equipment, combustion stuff, and even a bit of computer stuff. I guess after last years HDD failure scare, I should keep the two separate each with a copy. Again, I am a bit ignorant of best backup practice.
Les.
I am wondering if it is time for a re-think on hard drives. SSDs have been around a while now, and I am under the impression that originally they were rather flaky, as well as small (capacity wise) and expensive. That lead to many using a small SSD for the boot drive, with a spinner for main storage. Is it fair to think that ALL of these concerns are now behind us. I had both an old 500 GB IDE spinner and a useful little laptop spinner pack up last year, but fortunately, though used for backups, I still had an intact working drive. This fresh Shuttle will have a 500GB spinner, which could become my main storage backup. My current total storage is around 100 to 120 GB, so a 240 GB SSD would cover my needs for many more years. (I managed with a 10GB SCSI 15 years ago, and everything on there is a part of today’s total, so it really does grow slowly). Comments please, and suggestions based on cost and likely reliability.
Les.
I had the photos off DDan, but it has a full size ATX case, and the M/B would no go into a smaller case, so I declined his offer. However I have now located another Shuttle, same version as mine but with extra stuff (multi card reader) and a higher spec micom. One quarter of the cost of the one I linked to a few days ago. Should be here in a day or so.
Thanks to everybody who chimed in, and especially Dave, who I see looked at an NUC. I looked at a few specs of those last week, but concluded not good enough. Maybe they are. They would certainly have met my size considerations.
Of course, this one has not given any trouble since original issue, and that included leaving it on overnight Sunday to get the MotoGP via Kodi. It recorded all the prior football, but once into the lower race, it lost connection. I decided to watch tonight on Ch 5, but (just my luck), they ran it LAST night instead.
Les.
Tippon, many thank. I clicked on the little triangle next to “Size”, and that did it, like magic. I now see the little triangle points down, not up as in screen shot.
Just something else for me to remember, or more likely to forget.
Cheers, Job well done.
Les.
Tippon, you understood it, but your suggestion did not work. Screen shot attached.I clicked where the mouse pointer is, but the display is “attached” to the top file which was already selected when I landed there. The fault is plain to see here.
If I navigate to any file or folder, NOT whilst attaching, the view is the usual one expected, as seen in the second screenshot.
Les.
Thanks Dave. I will see what DDan has to show me, but he said it included a case. That looks a decent shape and size, but I am so out of touch with “normal” PC hardware (if there is any normal) so your comments always welcxome.
It has of course behaved itself since last Sunday of course.
Les.
As a kid, I lived about one mile from the (new) Wedgwood pottery factory, but all the kilns there at the time were electrically heated. When I started high school in 1952, we went by train, thro the centre of Stoke. On Saturdays however (Yes, school on Saturdays for us back then), the “Loop line” train did not run, so we got off at Stoke station, walked almost one mile, and caught the bus for last three miles. We saw the smoke from some of the coal fired bottle kilns, and on a foggy winter morning, your eyes stung from the acid in the air.
When I stater work in 1957, I push biked for the first four or five months before getting my first powered wheels. Again, riding thro Stoke on foggy mornings, the acid was still there, though less and less kilns were burning coal.
In 1966, I moved jobs to run a development pilot plant for producing expanded lightweight aggregate. Some of the raw materials were based on colliery shales, and they could produce some rather nasty combustion products. The worst however was a high sulphur red clay. We tested that on a typical autumn day, with no wind. After a while, we were getting sulphur dioxide fumes in the building. I went outside, only to find it was worse. The flue was emitting a plume of steam, which went directly upwards, with no sideways movement whatsoever. I went back inside and shut the plant down for the rest of the day. The very worst conditions I have ever met. Less than three months after starting that job, concerned at the prospect of moving home nearer, and realising the likely effect of Harold Wilson’s pay freeze, I returned to my previous firm with a worthwhile salary increase.
I think the clean air act came into force in 1954 or thereabouts, but of course it took some time to have effect on some industries.
Les, who nowadays breathes the clean air of the Isle of Man.
Hugh, I did try shorting the on-off contacts at the button, but not actually on MB itself. Will bare in mind.
Richard, still going fine, almost as though it did not happen.
PM, not what I want to hear. But I will not be surprised.
Dave, I have been cautioned that Shuttles are overpriced, but I like the small space they occupy, whereas the modern SFF types are not to my liking at all. Probably just silly of me, but Hey Ho!
OK, Dan, you have got me interested. I don’t know the Phenom, is it a little quiet one or a barnstorming noisy one? My current (2010 year) shuttle has an AMD Athlon II – 250, very low power job, and since I went from 2GB to 4GB, it handles everything I need. Correction, just checked. That would fit the existing Shuttle, but obviously giving it a BOOST. Double the power consumption on same fab size.
But please tell me more, and maybe send me a few photos etc. to manxduke at manx dot net. What size PSU is needed.
Definitely interested. Les.
Just to be safe, I left it on overnight and it stayed on. Switch off this afternoon, and restarted OK. If it plays up again, I will swop the Cmos battery, all simple lithium types these days.
I looked on Ebay for replacement PSUs, and £30-£40 will get something, but another search brought in various shuttles, many older some identical and also quite a few newer than mine. An identical one would allow diagnosis of actual fault (if it recurs), as PSU or MB. However I did look at this one:-
With data sheet here:-
http://global.shuttle.com/news/productsSpec?productId=1707
This could be a better solution. Not sure of its build date (mine is 2010), and I would need to purchase PCU and RAM. What type and rough cost would these cost? (Dave? you usually have a handle on costs)
Cheers, Les.
And yet another twist! Shortly after I logged off on Thursday , I got a skype call to say she was in Toronto, and no problems. She settled in for her 15 hr wait, and in the early hours of Friday (BST) took off, landing at Manchester late morning yesterday. At midday I get a text to voice message on the landline speaking of a cancellation, but I was uncertain of which flight. Was it the one from Toronto, or the one back to the island. I switched on PC to see what I could find, when the phone rang. Her Granddaughter had a call saying Tamara’s phone was almost out of available money, and could I put some on it.
As I did that, another call, her daughter saying she would get a free meal, taxi to Liverpool, and a ticket for a later flight.
Money added to card, I get a call from Tamara, almost in tears, Really done for by then, with this extra confusion so I do my best to calm her down.
Her flight from Liverpool is scheduled for 20:10 hrs, so at about 19:50, I am just thinking of getting ready to go to collect her when the phone rings again. Tamara is now in the departure lounge, but not very happy. Arriving at the check in, she is told her ticket is wrong. It is not her name on the ticket she was issued with. “That is what they gave me in Manchester.” Yes, but you should have checked it! – That was too much, and she burst into tears saying “I have been at airports for 30 hours, I just want my home”. I have not go clarity of actual procedure, but eventually she was let thro’, and I collected her a little after nine pm. She is just getting back to normality now, thank goodness.
Les.
Well, she SHOULD have been on Canadian soil for the last hour and a half, and if there is free WiFi, maybe I will get a call. But she has about 15hrs before the Manchester flight departs, so more likely I will get a call late evening. It was lucky I sent that pleading email on that first Monday. There was a helpline linked from that webpage,but every click got a “not accessible, probably busy. Try again later message.
I had prepared myself for booking a fresh flight, avoiding Canada, but which would have cost many hundreds at this short notice no doubt. But in the end, luck prevailed.
Thank goodness.
Regarding all these boundary changes, I remember back in 1965/66 whilst I was entering into my first house purchase. Giving my solicitor address details, I included my (new-fangled) post code. Oh!, we don’t bother with that, was his reply. I saw nothing wrong with the county system, it had served for centuries, and the country never got bigger.
Les.
Success. Just browsing Ebay for RAM a couple of weeks ago, I spotted a couple of 2GB sticks of RAM that looked OK at a very reasonable price, so I took a punt. When they arrived, they looked OK, Kingston and correct details on sticks. Installed, computer goes once more into a 100% sulk. I reported this to the seller, who asked which RAM I had in now. Corsair. “I will send you two sticks of Corsair, and pay return postage on the others”. I said that if he had two that worked, don’t worry about return postage, since he did not know of the shuttle’s picky nature.
Anyway, they arrived today, in they went, and I now have the 4GB I wanted.
For the last race, I watched the start, but had to go out (‘bike run), leaving Simple Screen Recorder in control.
When I returned, I tried to watch the rest, but the whole lot, once under race conditions was impossibly pixilated.
I did not delete it, just left on the desktop, so tonight I idly clicked on it to see if it was a playback issue not record.
PERFECT playback, so a success for a change.
And that was the SECOND success today! But I will amuse you with that in another tread elsewhere later.
Les.
Well, double success. Between writing of problem, and reading your reply, I decided to try the simple scan. I have used it before, and would describe it as competent but cumbersome. Anyway, it gave output in .pdf, which everybody and his (their) dog can read.
Then read your reply, and went to properties again. This time I found the output choice. I had only looked at the line above, the output, which is determined either by default, or the NEXT line. Anyway, I now have a .jpg output, as well as simple scan if Xsane fails.
Thanks, Les.
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