Questions tagged [desktop-computer]
Traditional computers as compared to laptops and netbooks.
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Is it possible to run a motherboard in distilled water?
I have read that distilled water doesn't conduct electricity. This, in other words, means that we can submerge electronic devices like PCs/laptops in it and run them without any problem. I haven't ...
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Why is Windows reporting a battery charge with my desktop?
I have a desktop computer.
Get-wmiobject win32_computersystem | select manufacturer,model
Manufacturer : Hewlett-Packard
Model : HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF
For a while it would ...
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40
votes
4
answers
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Can software differentiate between a laptop and a desktop?
A license for CPU-intensive software like Pix4D says it can be installed on two devices - but with a condition. Reading the finer print, it seems that one device can be a full-processing workstation/...
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39
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Why isn't 255.255.249.0 a valid subnet mask?
I was just wondering about this question above and I would greatly appreciate it if someone can explain why 255.255.249.0 isn't a valid subnet mask.
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2
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Is ESD a serious risk on modern machines?
I heard that static electricity was a serious concern a couple of decades ago. However, many computer builders now don't seem to bother with things like electro-static discharge (ESD) straps or other ...
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1
answer
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What are these little rubber "condoms" that came with my thermal paste?
What are the white rubber condoms? They can be unrolled like a condom. For scale the battery is AA.
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22
votes
2
answers
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Why don't PC makers lock the bootloader? [closed]
Mobile phone makers always lock their device's bootloader - that is, they prevent you from getting root access to your device, or uninstalling the default operating system and installing something ...
user859885
21
votes
7
answers
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How to connect multiple HDDs to a computer?
What is the best and most efficient way to connect 10 - 20 SATA HDDs to a home computer? I mean an ordinary motherboard supporting 2 connections for SATA HDDs.
The purpose of this assembly is to ...
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20
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9
answers
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RAID 0 performance gains?
I'm building a new computer over the summer. I'm fairly competent in computer hardware, and am thus building the computer from scratch. I have everything planned out, but I was wondering about RAID. ...
- 1,547
18
votes
13
answers
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What are the benefits of a dual-core CPU over a quad-core in a desktop PC?
I know that in most cases when you buy a dual-core CPU for the same price you could get a quad-core, you end up getting 2 cores that are faster individually than the 4 cores individually in the quad-...
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Bare-metal virtualisation for the desktop
What knowledge exists about bare-metal virtualization products?
I'm interested in building a new desktop machine for home. I've been looking at the Intel Quad-Core processors, and I'd like to put 8 GB ...
Andrew Taylor
16
votes
2
answers
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Why upgrade to solid state hard drive on desktop computer
Why upgrade to a solid state hard drive on desktop computer if non-solid state hard drive speed = 6GB/s and solid state hard drive speed = 6GB/s
Will I just be paying more to get less space? they ...
- 879
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3
answers
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What should a person know before assembling their first computer?
For people who are setting out to build a computer for the first time, there's a lot of information on this site about how to choose an appropriate set of components. But after searching for a while, ...
16
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5
answers
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How to migrate local user to domain user?
I have a local user on my laptop. My company is migrating to a domain setup and I want to migrate the local user to a domain user, with all the settings (desktop, Start menu, programs) intact. How can ...
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3
answers
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Can I put a laptop Core i7 CPU in a desktop?
One of the most important thing to me for a CPU is a good mix between speed and heat. For example five years ago I bought a Core 2 Duo 6300 (max TDP 65W): I put a big heatsink on the CPU, no fans (I ...
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4
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Can a laptop's screen, keyboard and touchpad be used for a desktop?
Is it possible to use a laptop's screen, mouse and keyboard for a desktop?
Please do not suggest breaking the laptop apart or anything. Obviously, it is fine if I can not use the laptop while I am ...
- 1,373
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votes
3
answers
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Can a PC be set up not to shut down when unplugged?
I have a laptop now, and I love that when the power goes out accidentally (blackout from a storm, accidentally gets unplugged...), the laptop does not shutdown on me, it just switches to battery ...
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10
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Does an extra old internal hard disk drive affect my new PC system’s performance?
I've just recently bought a new PC with a high-speed SSD and a hard disk drive.
I do care much about its performance and don't intend to slow it down by any means.
I have an old 2 TB Green Western ...
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11
votes
6
answers
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Windows 10 internet speed capped at half the original speed on new PC
I got a new pc, the internet speed is somehow capped at 5 MB/s on every program .. Torrent, steam, chrome downloads and everything.
I tried with my laptop and other pc and it's runs all good, no ...
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4
answers
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Setting up a junk PC for classic PC gaming
I recently bought a computer from a local computer store that sells referbished/cheap PCs. I'm trying to set it up to play old DOS games I have on 5.25 and 3.5 inch floppies (DOS versions).
The PC ...
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Mixing RAM sticks with different CAS Latency and timings?
I currently have 2 of the following RAM sticks on my PC: Value 8Gb 240P DDR3 1600 Pc3 12800, G.SKILL, F3-1600C11S-8GNT, 8 Gb
I decided to add more so I bought those: G.Skill 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3 PC3-...
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9
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Computer turns on but no signal in monitor
I just made my first custom PC. I plugged everything in and when I turned on the PC the fans and lights went on but the monitor says that there is no signal. I am using an integrated graphics on a ...
9
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3
answers
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Simulate "battery mode" for windows desktop even though it is not connected to battery
Is there a way to fool windows desktop to think that it is running off a battery (like in a laptop)?
I need to do this to do some testing in battery mode, but I don't have a laptop on hand to do this.
...
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2
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If I remove the Luks-encrypted drive to another motherboard, will I be able to run my system there?
If I remove the drive to another motherboard (for example from PC to Notebook), will I be able to run my Luks-encrypted system there without any problem?
What if there are several systems on that ...
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5
answers
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My power supply/motherboard nightmare
Last summer I bought a broken power supply (without knowing of course) and put it in my computer. Turning my box on made one of my cheaper HDDs catch fire (I believe a capacitor or resistor blew) and ...
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8
votes
8
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Using my old PC as a web/file server?
I have an old desktop computer that I've been trying to sell for AGES. I guess nobody is looking for computers because it was advertised at a dirt cheap price on craigslist, local papers, etc. Anyways,...
Garrett
8
votes
1
answer
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Are there any drawbacks of running Caviar Red (or any other NAS-ready) HDD on your desktop PC?
What does the NAS-ready imply and how suitable are these HDD's for desktop PC's?
My home desktop PC is turned on whenever I'm home and/or I'm awake (I turn it off during the night). Would a NAS-ready ...
- 632
8
votes
2
answers
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Is it possible for a monitor to crash a graphics card?
I have a Windows 8.1 PC with ATI graphics (78xx series) card with up to date drivers. It's driving an old Iiyama 22" 1920x1080 50Hz LCD panel over a new DVI cable. I have two HDD, a little SSD for the ...
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Best Way to Protect A Desktop From Power Surge/Dirty Power?
What is the best way to protect a computer desktop from a power surge/dirty power? Would a power strip be adequate? (I don't have much space in my desk.)
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10
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Use RAID for desktop computer?
I'm building a new computer over the summer. I'm fairly competent in computer hardware, and am thus building the computer from scratch. I have everything planned out, but I was wondering if I should ...
- 1,547
7
votes
6
answers
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Connect a 2.5" (laptop hard disk) SATA hard disk to Desktop PC
Can I connect a laptop SATA hard disk to Desktop PC? Do I have to use some adapters or I can just plug in SATA power connector and SATA data cable like my Desktop hard disk is connected?
I noticed ...
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votes
9
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How can I determine a computer's specs? [closed]
I have a client who has a computer they want to upgrade. They are unable to tell me the specs of this computer and they're not the type of person I could walk it through with.
Ideally, I'd like to ...
- 297
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votes
2
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CPU cooling - one fan vs. two?
I have a fairly large aftermarket cooler (Xigmatek Gaia) for my i5-2500k processor. It shipped with one fan (pushing air into the cooler) but has the ability to put a 2nd fan on it (push-pull ...
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2
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Can I leave SSD unsecured?
I just bought a Samsung SSD 830 series for my desktop, but forget to buy a mount for it. Is it ok if I leave it connected, but not screwed in? Do I have to worry about short circuiting or any other ...
- 990
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Windows 8 working with hard disk at idle time
I have Windows 8 installed on PC, and another Windows 8 installed inside virtual computer. On virtual computer - without antivirus. In both cases, I see that OS intensively works with the hard disk at ...
- 915
7
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1
answer
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Internal UPS for desktop computers? [closed]
I was wondering, are there internal UPS'es available for desktop computers?
Every laptop has something like a UPS in it: The battery pack. Desktop computers don't consume that much power, it should ...
- 2,881
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votes
4
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How can I convert a laptop into a desktop?
I have an old laptop that I don't really use anymore, but I think would be useful as a desktop. Are there any instructions for taking a laptop motherboard and putting it into a case and converting to ...
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votes
6
answers
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Numlock on when computer is off
I have a desktop PC which was recently moved. Since moving I've noticed that even while the PC is turned off (but wall socket turned on) the NumLock LED on the keyboard is on.
It may have been doing ...
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votes
3
answers
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How can I tell if my mini computer is dying or it is just the fan?
I have a small Zotac mini computers, one of those computers that is in a small box like a book. Everything is crammed in there in a tight space.
The computer is making some scary noises. How can tell ...
- 6,151
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votes
8
answers
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How to troubleshoot a computer not booting up when powered on?
I can turn on my computer and sometimes it will boot up just fine. After a while of use, days or even a week, when I try to turn it on, it powers up, in that the fans spins up, the power indicator ...
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How to repair Creative Inspire Speakers 2.1 Volume Control Wheel?
Due to dust or something, the Volume Control Wheel does not work properly. Volume goes to one speaker, and other gets muted. Vice versa. When I carefully turn the wheel sometimes the Volume works ...
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2
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transfer windows + data from laptop to desktop
I have an old laptop where all my applications (windows, office, itunes, and other apps) and all my data (music, home made video, pictures, documents).
i want to transfer this laptop windows and data ...
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Can I use my laptop's wireless adapter in a desktop computer?
I bought a new desktop computer and my old one will be used in the living room. It is not very practical to lay a network cable through the living room to the desktop, so I was starting to think about ...
- 1,155
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votes
1
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Why is my CPU cooler fan delayed at startup?
I've just finished building a new computer with one of those new-fangled Haswell CPUs; in particular, the Intel Core i5-4570.
I plug in the power, turn it on, and watch as everything starts spinning ...
- 823
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votes
1
answer
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Windows 10 - park drives until manually unparked
Is there any way in Windows 10, either natively or using aftermarket software, to command your hard drives to park and prevent them from unparking until you issue another command?
I've tried using ...
- 161
5
votes
2
answers
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Get Access to all of the partitions of USB in Windows
I partitioned my USB drive into 3 partitions each with FAT32 file system, using gparted software in GNU Linux.
So, after succesfully partitioned my USB Drive, I tried it in a Windows PC, but only ...
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2
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Master/slave PATA setup not recognized
I have two Seagate barracuda 7200.10 500 GB drives pulled from an old Lacie Big Disk Extreme. I have been using them both in a Dell Dimension 4600 in a master slave configuration, (one by default has ...
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votes
2
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Desktop PC takes time to turn on after pressing button
Lately, my desktop PC does not turn on the moment I press the power button. It takes a while (10 mins to half hour) to turn on. I can see the LED on the motherboard is on all the while, but it doesnt ...
- 51
5
votes
2
answers
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What can I do with a spare computer with no hope of salvage? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What to do with old (example: 7+ years) PCs?
I have seen the what to do with a spare computer question. I want to know what to do with a spare computer that does not work any ...
- 2,200
5
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2
answers
2k
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Internal/External SATA drive for backup - 5900 RPM OK?
I'm building a new computer over the summer. I'm fairly competent in computer hardware, and am thus building the computer from scratch. I have everything planned out, but I was wondering about a ...
- 1,547