From: adam@address.invalid
Moe Trin wrote:
> On Thu, 13 Dec 2012, in the Usenet newsgroup alt.os.linux.mandriva, in
article
> , Adam wrote:
[Thinkpad T60]
It seems to be working properly so far. I've repartitioned its "60 GB"
~55 GB HD into:
14 GB NTFS Windows XP (including swap and hibernate files)
14 GB ext4 for production distro
2 GB ext4 /mnt/accounts
14 GB ext4 for migration to next distro
<4 GB swap (large enough for suspend/hibernate when 3 GB RAM)
~7 GB FAT32 for miscellaneous data
I figured that if I was going to be carrying this around, I'd probably
have videos, MP3s, and other stuff to kill time on it, which is what the
FAT32 partition is for. I can always change things later. My
production install on stolid takes up only a little over 8 GB right now.
One curiosity was that "mke2fs -cc" on sda5 took 59' while on sda7
(same size) it took 71', both while nothing else was running. I knew
the outer part of the disk was faster, but didn't realize there was that
much difference.
> if you're using a LiveCD, do the boot messages show it finding
> an Ethernet interface?
Yes, although I haven't tried an RJ-45 cable yet. The Wi-Fi appears to
connect, once I realized there was a case switch to turn it on.
>> In fact, it arrived today, only two days after I ordered it online.
>
> Minor curiosity - how shipped from where?
UPS ground from the refurbisher (not Staples) in northern NJ.
>> I'd hoped for a manual, either printed or
>> on CD, but I've found some online that may serve.
I'm sure I could get it set up as a home system, but have no idea what's
necessary for security when I bring it into the world. I found the
official Hardware Maintenance Manual online which explains all those
strange switches, keys and connectors, and I've requested the latest
"Laptops for Dummies" from the public library. I'm hoping the book will
at least change my general confusion into more specific questions.
> There should be a date sticker on the battery, and I'd be
> slightly disappointed if it were 2006 or 2007 (i.e. an original).
No obvious date, but part of the bar code on the battery is 2011.
> don't wait to long to upgrade the memory.
Why -- is it getting harder to find? Although I'm planning to get a 2
GB RAM card (making 3 GB total) and a computer case next month.
>> Yep, although I don't want to put /too/ much money into accessories
>> that won't be usable on other systems.
>
> Mentioned, the case is on the order of $10-15, but it's not going to
> be useful for other than laptops.
If it's that little, it's definitely worth getting. Ditto ~$40 for 2 GB
RAM. But not $100+ for a larger internal HD or something like that.
Maybe a little for a USB mouse or another flash drive, but then those
would be usable elsewhere.
> You probably do want to buy the case of some kind (or at least a
> "wrapper" or "sleeve") to provide some scratch/ding protection.
Would I want/need both a wrapper/sleeve and a case?
> There is a lap pad with built-in fans to help cool things (fans
> powered by USB cable) that neither my wife or I bothered with.
Only if necessary. Reviews say this model runs cool.
["LoJack for Laptops"]
> the blurb says it allows you to remotely
> lock the laptop and to delete sensitive data (in addition to the
> tracking function that may allow recovery of the device). Hit the
> search engine for "LoJack for Laptops" - the company name is
> Absolute Software Corp.
The Thinkpad T60 mentions "CompuTrace" by Absolute Software in the BIOS
setup although that apparently that uses several Windows files. A web
search turned up details on how to remove it (not trivial) and much
discussion about whether or not to do so, since it does "phone home".
I'm not even sure what happens when I run Linux.
>> I know more or less how to configure its Wi-Fi to work with my LAN,
>> but getting it usable on public networks may be another matter.
>
> Only thing I needed to do was to change the firewall - the "away"
> firewall accepts no incoming connections, while the "home" firewall
> is a bit more trusting. [...]
> For setup, the hot-spots are DHCP, and most work by hijacking your
> initial browser session to a page asking you to play by their rules
> (and they may bring up advertising to help pay for things). Once you
> accept, their firewall will let your MAC address NAT through and you
> can use many network tools seamlessly (I've used it to FTP, reading
> news and running traceroute in addition to browsing). Some hot-spots
> may run through a proxy-server, but the setup is all done through DHCP
> and is pretty much transparent.
OK then, that doesn't sound too bad.
In other computer news, my parents' "louise-desktop" (the ripoff) has
been moved to basement storage, as no one's used it for years. I've
"borrowed" its monitor (a 2001 Gateway LCD originally shipped with
"retread", 15" diag with the old 4:3 aspect ratio) for "eris" to replace
the bulky 16" CRT bundled with eris. After some DSL outages at my
parents' house, my father is now considering getting a laptop so in case
of more outages he could get online at the library, McDonald's,
Starbucks, et al. although I don't think he realizes what's involved
(and I don't yet either!). Now you see why I need to know at least a
little about Windows. :-)
My two "new" bookcases should get moved here Wednesday. I'll probably
leave them empty for a few days until I'm happy with where I've put
them. I'm also tempted to put a second coat of paint on places that
could use it but aren't visible from eye level, such as the underside of
shelves.
> They tend to do [shopping] cart roundups frequently
Shopping carts in the Town of Poughkeepsie (but not the City of) have a
gadget so you need a quarter to detach them from the other carts, which
you get back when you're done and reconnect it to the other carts. This
is not a bad idea, as there are very few carts left anywhere other than
the "correct" places, such as blocking parking spots or rolling into
parked cars.
[Smokie]
> 11/05 5 lb 3, 11/11 4 lb 14, 11/16 4 lb 11 - I didn't record it, but
> I think she was down to 4 lb 6 when we took that last ride. It's
> horrible watching her melt away like that and the vet not able to do
> _SOMETHING_ or at least tell us why it was happening.
I can imagine. Unfortunately that's part of the risk of caring about an
animal... or another person.
Adam
--
[continued in next message]
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
|
