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- First reviewMay 20, 2016
- Last reviewJune 24, 2016
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BrainDeadRetiredEngineer's Reviews
Apricorn ASW-USB3-25 Data Transfer Cable - SATA - 2.50" - USB - SATA
Customer Rating
5
SATA to USB Product--We're All Mad Here
on June 24, 2016
Posted by: BrainDeadRetiredEngineer
Verified Purchase:Yes
Yup, the horrific technical potential of your laptop as the permanent scribe of your family history--dogs, cats, children, wedding, graduations or possibly even contact with loving grandparents from the afterlife, has succumbed to the silicon version of death. It's body lies helplessly before you and all efforts to bring it back to life (even during the Easter or Passover seasons) have failed. Even when plugged into its personal and loving AC adaptor it will never light up again to brighten your family history.
But it has a soul. It's memories and algorithmic love of your family via intimate association with its fervent and dedicated internal hard drive have an embodied afterlife of sorts.
And, with this cable, you can access the soul of your deceased laptop. It's fond and valuable memories can live on another computer as transferred files. This transformative process will require surgery, so to speak. It will be necessary to remove the still beating heart of your dead laptop in the form of its hard drive for connection to the above mentioned cable.
Then all that has to be done is connect the laptop soul (hard drive) to the transformative cable, plug the USB side of the cable into the soul-sucking working computer, and transfer the files. The sun will once gain shine bright on your family history, the angels will sing--if you know the file structure of the beating heart hard drive.
Peace...
My Best Buy number: 0033493817
My Best Buy number: 0033493817
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+30points
47of 64voted this as helpful.
Windows 10 Home Operating System: Stay productive with a new web browser that lets you draw notes directly on a web page, and with Cortana, a personal digital assistant that helps you browse for information, write emails, and more. When it's time for gaming, stream your favorite Xbox One games directly onto your Windows 10 PC, laptop, or tablet.
Customer Rating
5
Surprise! Even old laptops can run 64 bits!
on June 18, 2016
Posted by: BrainDeadRetiredEngineer
Verified Purchase:Yes
Remarkably life can be breathed into old laptop computers ready for the glue factory. Windows10 home version is distributed as a memory stick rather than a disc based media and includes both the 32 and 64 bit version of the operating system. Without going into technical detail
the 64 bit version is significantly more efficient in terms of processing speed than the 32 bit version. In very practical terms this means that an old laptop with very constrained maximal system memory limitations can nearly run like a top if it's internal design can handle a 64 bit operating system. Run like a top means able to stream Netflix (tm) over WiFi of sufficient speed (bandwidth).
the 64 bit version is significantly more efficient in terms of processing speed than the 32 bit version. In very practical terms this means that an old laptop with very constrained maximal system memory limitations can nearly run like a top if it's internal design can handle a 64 bit operating system. Run like a top means able to stream Netflix (tm) over WiFi of sufficient speed (bandwidth).
As a practical example this reviewer had an eight year old Compaq C700 series that was originally supplied with a 32 bit Windows Vista. With some effort it could be goaded into running Windows XP after suitable peripheral device drivers were installed; useless at 32 bits and headed for the junk pile.
For the foregoing it very important to appreciate how computers (including laptops) transfer information between the hard drive, the processor, and the system memory and how this influences overall system speed. There are usually two memory slots that are populated
with 32 bit memory sticks. The microprocessor can grab 64 bits by accessing both 32 bit memory sticks at the same time, or grab, at twice the memory access speed, the information available from two consecutive transfers from one or the other memory slots. This isn't an issue if the operating system is 32 bits but it's a big deal for a 64 bit operating system. This is because if the laptop can handle a 64 bit operating system but the system memory slots don't have the same memory capacity (for example instead of each having 1gb sticks one memory slot has 1gb and the other 2gb) then the operating system will default to a consecutive 32 bit information transfer method as opposed to a single 64 bit grab from both memory slots. This will result in a significant reduction in overall system speed.
with 32 bit memory sticks. The microprocessor can grab 64 bits by accessing both 32 bit memory sticks at the same time, or grab, at twice the memory access speed, the information available from two consecutive transfers from one or the other memory slots. This isn't an issue if the operating system is 32 bits but it's a big deal for a 64 bit operating system. This is because if the laptop can handle a 64 bit operating system but the system memory slots don't have the same memory capacity (for example instead of each having 1gb sticks one memory slot has 1gb and the other 2gb) then the operating system will default to a consecutive 32 bit information transfer method as opposed to a single 64 bit grab from both memory slots. This will result in a significant reduction in overall system speed.
In a nutshell this means that running a 64 bit operating system such as Windows 10 will only provide an improvement in the processing speed of an ancient computer if and only if the two system memory slots have the same memory capacity.
The Compaq C700 series constrains system memory to 2gb--1gb in each of the two memory slots. There is a published BIOS quirk that if slot zero is populated with a 1gb memory tick then memory slot one can be populated with up to a 4gb memory stick. This reviewer demonstrated this BIOS quirk with a 2gb memory stick in slot one and saw that the system BIOS recognized 3gb of system memory. Behind the scenes this recognition forced the system to degrade system memory transfers to two consecutive 32 bit memory transfers rather than a single 64 bit memory information transfer which would have been the case if each of the two memory slots were populated at the technical specification for that machine of 2gb of system memory.
The long and short of this rather ghastly textual exhibition is simple:
If an ancient laptop can accept a 64 bit installation of Windows 10 just be sure that each system memory slot has the same memory capacity.
If an ancient laptop can accept a 64 bit installation of Windows 10 just be sure that each system memory slot has the same memory capacity.
Yup, my ancient Compaq C700 series running 62 bit Windows 10 at 2gb maximum published specification memory can actually stream Netflix (tm) and likely do other tasks because the 64 bit operating system can do system memory transfers 64 bit grabs.
In the end Windows 10 is n easy installation but watch out for how the system memory is organized. This reviewer's eight year old laptop has been rescued from the trash...
My Best Buy number: 0033493817
My Best Buy number: 0033493817
I would recommend this to a friend!
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1of 1voted this as helpful.
Insignia™ NS-40D420NA16 LED HDTV: Watch your favorite TV shows and movies in beautiful Full HD, and enjoy a minimalist design that will look good in any room. Includes connections for a DVD player, Blu-ray player or gaming console, and a USB port for viewing compatible JPEG files.
Customer Rating
5
HDTV: What a steal for a sale price of $200
on June 17, 2016
Posted by: BrainDeadRetiredEngineer
Verified Purchase:Yes
Liquid crystal based television screens have improved markedly with the introduction of light emitting diode backlighting. Basically liquid crystal screens have repeating patterns of red, green, and blue that act as "light valves" which together vary the ratios of red, green and blue that get through them. In order to function such screens need a uniform lighting method behind them in order to form images. In the past this has been fluorescent lighting that brought out a fundamental deficiency in liquid crystal based screens that that while acting as light valves they could not completely block light, that is turn absolutely black--there is always some illumination leakage. This television has the approach that obviated the problem of light leakage by using arrays of light emitting diodes that could be turned off behind the liquid crystal light valves to create dark blacks within an image. The result is very vivid color that this television obviously presents.
Two other inherent problems of liquid crystal based screens are "refresh rate" and "viewing angle". Refresh rate means how fast individual frames that comprise a moving image can be presented to the viewer and viewing angle is how bright the screen image appears when not directly viewing the screen; in other words how much the viewed image appears to dim when not viewing the liquid crystal based screen head on.
In terms of refresh rate this television can present a moving image frame 60 times per second (60Hz) as opposed to those at a significantly higher price point that can present moving image frames
120 times per second (120Hz). The difference between the two is a question of viewer perception as to how "jerky" a moving image might appear. Most folks can't discern between the two and for two hundred bucks 60 Hz looks just fine on this screen.
120 times per second (120Hz). The difference between the two is a question of viewer perception as to how "jerky" a moving image might appear. Most folks can't discern between the two and for two hundred bucks 60 Hz looks just fine on this screen.
Without going into excruciating engineering technical detail the viewing angle issue inherent in liquid crystal based screens is readily compensated for by specialized layers of suitable plastic films that are incorporated in the screen construction. This television has very good viewing angle compensation.
When on sale for $200 this television is a steal. It also makes a fantastic computer monitor as well. Although this reviewer has never been an ardent fan of liquid crystal based screens, given a very strong bias toward plasma screens, for two hundred bucks this television was irresistible. It also has great sound.
My Best Buy number: 0033493817
My Best Buy number: 0033493817
I would recommend this to a friend!
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0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Asus Laptop: Chiclet keys and an HD display let you work and play with ease, while a 500GB hard drive stores videos, photos, music and more. The integrated webcam makes connecting with family and friends simple.
Customer Rating
5
Can't Beat This Machine With a Stick at the Price
on May 20, 2016
Posted by: BrainDeadRetiredEngineer
Verified Purchase:Yes
First take a look at similarly priced laptops in this price range, a very close look. Mass storage, that is what passes for a hard disk is the issue. This laptop machine has an actual hard drive with a spinning disk inside so its storage capacity is a respectable 500 gigabytes.
Take a look at the competition in this price range. In terms of mass storage (where the Windows 10 operating system is) they are puny 98 pound weaklings. They use something like flash memory for a hard drive. This is very expensive and very limited. Read the fine print: maybe 64 gb or 32 gb of mass storage. Subtract 20 gb from that for the Windows 10 operating system and see what's left. Subtract 20 gb from 500 gb provided by this machine and there are 480 gb left for applications and data.
Admittedly the system memory on this machine is a little light and not expandable but its 4gb can run Windows 10 respectably. This machine is good enough to stream Netflix (tm) over it's Wi-Fi Interface. This machine can handle the computational needs of most normal mortal users. It is not a gaming machine nor can it do complex engineering computations, But it can handle most proletarian needs such as word processing, image analysis along the lines of Photoshop (tm) and Microsoft Office (tm) because of its mass storage of 500 gb.
The operating speed of the machine appears to be somewhat compromised by all of the demonstration software that it's loaded with that pops up to death. For an experienced user this can all be deleted.
The screen is bright and large but there is one incredible feature of this machine that has to be seen to believed. It actually has an HDMI output
socket so that its screen image and sound can go right to a large TV screen via an HDMI cable of sufficient length.
socket so that its screen image and sound can go right to a large TV screen via an HDMI cable of sufficient length.
If a buyer is fortunate enough to get one of these machines on sale for under $200 it's a virtual form of highway robbery. Although the machine does have an optical media reader this may not have write capability. Just use flash memory.
This is a real computer for the price so if it gets smashed or stolen there is no way the bank would be broken. This reviewer was so impressed with the machine that one was purchased for a tax computer, another for a wife of 30 years, and of course myself.
My Best Buy number: 0033493817
My Best Buy number: 0033493817
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+3points
3of 3voted this as helpful.
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