NUC is working fine.. Had an issue with the included power brick, they included the brick but no mains cord so had to find a suitable substitute.. So far so good fingers crossed and I hope they are happy with their machine.
I did the helpdesking for a while but I am not good at it, I am too impatient and I can't fake nice...
I did work for several computer firms, mainly building and repairing PC's and also servers, I am good with hardware and meh with software..
I often say patience is a virtual but not one of mine.
Yet somehow I do very well with as "help desk"
Hardware is not problem and I can often get software going and software agnostic - I can work with windows, Linux, OS X, iOS and Android.
So I need a bit of advice. I just upgraded to a replacement mattress with a foam pad which is a bit taller than the old one, and I'm trying to adjust the height of my laptop which sits on like a TV tray style folding table. The laptop itself isn't so much the issue (I've got two books under it as a stopgap, at least 
), but I'm not sure what to use for the mouse. I'm experimenting today with having a smaller book under it, but I'm not sure what the best solution is.
Any advice on general things I could use for such a height modification?
), but I'm not sure what to use for the mouse. I'm experimenting today with having a smaller book under it, but I'm not sure what the best solution is.Any advice on general things I could use for such a height modification?
Thanks again for the help and success! I raised a ticket with IT and they agreed to remote on to my PC and run the Media Creation Tool but it hit a snag when he needed to be logged on to my laptop as administrator to run it so he had to log us both off so he could log on as an admin and it then took about 30 minutes for the download to complete while we were both on the phone to each other but we worked in the same office before lockdown last March so had a bit of a catch up.
With the USB drive ready I hooked up the SSD, RAM and USB drive to the PC and when I powered it on the power light was flashing amber which I thought might be from the kettle lead I was using which wasn't for the PC but the disk drive eject button still worked so it was getting power. A google search suggested it could be an issue with the RAM so I took out the 3 x 2Gb sticks that came with the PC when I bought it (I've been incorrectly saying in previous posts I had 8Gb RAM because it was 6GB) and left just the new 8Gb RAM stick inserted and then tried the power button again. It powered up, detected the USB drive without me having to open the BIOS and Windows 10 installed like a dream and less than 20 minutes later it was loaded to the desktop ready to use. I took your advice not to be connected to the internet and used the licence key on a sticker that came with the PC so I've not had to sign up to those services and probably never will.
Thanks for the tip about the sticky tape because I was going to use gaffer tape for the SSD but instead it's resting inside the empty slot for the old HDD. I have a few USB storage disks I use so don't think I'll need to add another internal disk. Not sure what to do with the spare RAM but with the cost of it these days they are probably ready to be binned.
It now takes 14 seconds from the Dell logo on power up to the desktop. Amazing. When I told the engineer who helped me out that I was still using a HDD as the OS drive he seemed surprised and I must admit a little shocked
With the USB drive ready I hooked up the SSD, RAM and USB drive to the PC and when I powered it on the power light was flashing amber which I thought might be from the kettle lead I was using which wasn't for the PC but the disk drive eject button still worked so it was getting power. A google search suggested it could be an issue with the RAM so I took out the 3 x 2Gb sticks that came with the PC when I bought it (I've been incorrectly saying in previous posts I had 8Gb RAM because it was 6GB) and left just the new 8Gb RAM stick inserted and then tried the power button again. It powered up, detected the USB drive without me having to open the BIOS and Windows 10 installed like a dream and less than 20 minutes later it was loaded to the desktop ready to use. I took your advice not to be connected to the internet and used the licence key on a sticker that came with the PC so I've not had to sign up to those services and probably never will.
Thanks for the tip about the sticky tape because I was going to use gaffer tape for the SSD but instead it's resting inside the empty slot for the old HDD. I have a few USB storage disks I use so don't think I'll need to add another internal disk. Not sure what to do with the spare RAM but with the cost of it these days they are probably ready to be binned.
It now takes 14 seconds from the Dell logo on power up to the desktop. Amazing. When I told the engineer who helped me out that I was still using a HDD as the OS drive he seemed surprised and I must admit a little shocked
Thanks again for the help and success! I raised a ticket with IT and they agreed to remote on to my PC and run the Media Creation Tool but it hit a snag when he needed to be logged on to my laptop as administrator to run it so he had to log us both off so he could log on as an admin and it then took about 30 minutes for the download to complete while we were both on the phone to each other but we worked in the same office before lockdown last March so had a bit of a catch up.
With the USB drive ready I hooked up the SSD, RAM and USB drive to the PC and when I powered it on the power light was flashing amber which I thought might be from the kettle lead I was using which wasn't for the PC but the disk drive eject button still worked so it was getting power. A google search suggested it could be an issue with the RAM so I took out the 3 x 2Gb sticks that came with the PC when I bought it (I've been incorrectly saying in previous posts I had 8Gb RAM because it was 6GB) and left just the new 8Gb RAM stick inserted and then tried the power button again. It powered up, detected the USB drive without me having to open the BIOS and Windows 10 installed like a dream and less than 20 minutes later it was loaded to the desktop ready to use. I took your advice not to be connected to the internet and used the licence key on a sticker that came with the PC so I've not had to sign up to those services and probably never will.
Thanks for the tip about the sticky tape because I was going to use gaffer tape for the SSD but instead it's resting inside the empty slot for the old HDD. I have a few USB storage disks I use so don't think I'll need to add another internal disk. Not sure what to do with the spare RAM but with the cost of it these days they are probably ready to be binned.
It now takes 14 seconds from the Dell logo on power up to the desktop. Amazing. When I told the engineer who helped me out that I was still using a HDD as the OS drive he seemed surprised and I must admit a little shocked
Glad you're up and running and happy as the pig in the proverbial with things.
Yes the tendency these days is SSD for the boot drive which makes things start up nice and quick
and the spinning rust for when you need lots and lots of space - either for media (video/music/photos) or for games.I gather an install for MS Flight Sim 2020 is something like 120GB and full X-plane install with all the scenery isn't much smaller (I'm only chewing about 50GB by not having it all installed).
But I like having a real mouse.
A real mouse is a mouse with a ball that collects dirt and grime not this infra red nonsense /s
I guess the quickest way is just to put something under the feet of that folding table which will raise the whole thing.But I like having a real mouse.
Depending on cost - there are some fairly small height adjustable tables out there (standing desks).
I don't what your overall situation is though...
I like the trackball concept.
I love trackballs, when I had come out of hospital in 1998 after a medical drama I had one on my desk to use as a mouse. Seemed more fun then a regular mouse
So I have a really old laptop, 10+ years old. It only has an integrated graphics card so it can't play many of the latest games or even some games that are 5+ years old. But it is fully functional in other respects and no other problems at all. The idea of eGPUs caught my eye, but i couldn't find eGPU gear that would come to an inexpensive total. Is it possible to make an entry-level eGPU rig for say $100 (including the graphics card)? My laptop has an HDMI port, so if the eGPU rig can connect directly to that, it would be great.
Any help/ideas greatly appreciated!
Any help/ideas greatly appreciated!
https://www.windowscentral.com/best-affordable-egpu
One caveat. Nearly all of these require thunderbolt. HDMI won't work, that I know of.
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Thanks. still too expensive though.
Yep even entry level isn't cheap... I was even contemplating this as a replacement for my desktop with my laptop but even my 2019 laptop doesn't have thunderbolt. SOL for me too.
