(Part 2) Best products from r/Windows10

Yep, I imagined that it would be a problem to change the motherboard out.

The only time I messed around with that was years ago when helping to build my nephew's project computer, and I don't overall have much experience with it, so I won't be messing with it now. The only reason I'd want to potentially do that is to support a better processor, anyway, and I'm getting a pretty sweet quad-core (over my dual-core, which I'm surprised runs Windows 10 as well as it does but is starting to bog down under features, load times etc.

Basically the same effect as has been hitting my 2nd-generation iPad because of the many updates to iOS 9; much longer load times, sometimes crashes or force-closures, things like that. I'll be SO happy to get this new computer, I'll tell you.

(It's this one: the ASUS M32CD.)

Intel core i5-6400 (my current computer is core i5-650); basically that's the most that'll change except the smaller (1TB) hard drive but I can add on the one that's in this current computer that I'm using now, if it comes to that, I hope :)

Thanks for your help, though! :)

EDITED TO ADD: NO BUG, THIS WAS A COINCIDENCE. MY WIRELESS ROUTER APPARENTLY BROKE AT THE SAME TIME AS MY UPDATE. SORRY!!!!


> Post bug reports, issues that you encounter as a reply to this comment. Follow the format which is shown at the bottom of the thread

.
OK, here is my bug report (unless it is an incompetence report! LOL)


> Description: Describe the issue in as much detail as possible.


I bought a new Acer Aspire E5-575G Signature Edition laptop a week ago, and it arrived with AU functioning on it. Three days ago I manually upgraded to CU.


After the upgrade, first my laptop was bumped off its wireless network connection every 20-60 minutes or so, and had to be reconnected. Finally today it would not connect at all, for 2-3 hours. However my iPad (connected to the same wireless network, which is only 15 feet away from both the iPad and laptop) stayed online with no problems. So I am thinking that the problem is not my wireless network (also tested with my boyfriend's wireless network since he lives next door; it could not connect with either one).


I ran the troubleshooter but could not understand much of what it was saying.


Finally I rolled back to AU and my laptop no longer has any problems at all with connecting to my wireless network. The problem only exists with Creator's Update. The network adapter driver did not need updating in Creator's Update.


After I rolled back to Anniversary Update I went to the Device Manager and updated the network adapter driver. It did update, but I still have no problems at all with connecting to my wireless network.

> Reproduction: Provide clear and concise steps that will allow the person/people trying to help you to reproduce/understand the bug.


I have no idea how to reproduce it other than re-installing the CU on my laptop.

> Frequency: How often does the bug occur? If it’s a complete one off then it may not be worth investigation, but if it’s more frequent it’s useful to know how often.


See above. I had to roll back to get internet access again.

> Video / Screenshot: A link to a video or screenshot of your bug, if that would be helpful. Imgur is a great website for pasting screenshots and ShareX is a great program for recording gifs, videos.


Wireless settings that work in Anniversary Update. Didn't make any screenshots when I had no internet access with Creator's Update (oops).


> System Specifications: Processor name, RAM, Graphics card, anything you think could be useful. Please ensure that you have the latest updates and driver updates installed.


Processor: Intel i5-7200U


RAM: 8.00 GB


Graphics Card NVIDIA 940MX


Other info from Amazon, where I bought it a week ago:


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DT4A2R4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


> Anything else you would find useful: Anything else that may be useful to the person helping you and Feedback application link possible.


Nothing

Would something like this work? https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Gold-Plated-DisplayPort/dp/B005H3Q59U

I dont have a displayport cord but Im happy to order one and give it a shot!

Thanks for the help =)

If you don't mind an OEM license (locked to your computer and can't be moved to another one), then yes. In fact, you might be able to save even more money by starting with 7 instead of 8.1.

The cheapest pro license I could find was Win 7 pro 32 bit OEM on Amazon for $55. I bought this and installed it. I then let it upgrade to win10, but this put me on 32 bit. I then created a Windows 10 Pro 64 bit install USB stick (a free download from Microsoft) and used that to format and reinstall Win10 but with 64 bit this time. It recognized my computer from the previous 32 bit install and automatically activated without me installing a key. This allowed me to end up with Windows 10 64 Pro OEM for only $55. I just checked and it looks like currently both 32 and 64 bits cost roughly the same (about $50), but back when I purchased the 32 bit version was cheaper so that is why I went that way.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LG25894

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LG242A0

Either of those products can be used to get up to Win10 Pro 64 bit OEM for cheap.

I did this back before the new Win10 updates that supposedly let you do a direct Win10 install and just type in the key from your Win7/8 license. This may allow you to do the same trick but without all the work. All you do is create a Win10 install USB stick, use it to install, and then type in the key from the Win7/8 disc. I haven't done this faster way but from what I understand that is possible now.

hi, i'm sorry about my delayed responses im orthodox jewish and there is a jewish holiday through wednesday so i wont really be around until after that. unfortunately, im not sure how to install a preview build, can you tell me how?

more importantly how do i get a log of something that windows does not seem to know is not working? to be super specific, im using this headset: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B078TCLYVM/
in earlier times (i dont have an exact date of when this stopped working) i could use windows to control the volume of my headset, either by using the slider bar by clicking the volume icon on the taskbar or the volume shortcut keys on my keyboard. now, when i use the slider bar, it still "slides" and similarly when i use the keyboard shortcut it still shows the volume increasing or decreasing, it just doesnt actually do anything, as in, it does not affect the headphones in any way to adjust the volume from within windows. windows does not seem to know that, however. windows i think thinks everything is working properly, so as far as i can tell, there is not a "problem" to generate an error log.

how can i create a log for you?

EDIT: just fyi, i can still adjust the volume using the hardware buttons on the headset itself. EDIT 2: i should mention the buttons on the headset have nothing to do with windows volume control, adjusting the volume up or down on the headset does not change the slider bar or whatever windows thinks the volume is.

thanks again for taking the time to communicate with me, i really appreciate it and will try to follow instructions to help you help me :)

Simple solution to this problem.

I have a Sony Wireless speaker system that has a transmitter that connects up to the PC thru USB. When I switched to Windows 10, I was bummed to find out that Sony's latest driver for the AirPC10T is Windows7. Although it works on Windows 10, just like the old joystick drivers, my PC won't sleep. THE SIMPLE SOLUTION I WENT WITH: I bought a Sabrent 4-Port Hub that has push buttons to turn on/off any individual port. For $7, it is hard to beat this solution: I now simply toggle off my USB transmitter port when I go to put the PC to sleep. Sure, I'd rather have Sony write a new driver, but their customer support made it clear they aren't going to do that. Here is the hub with toggles that I bought last month, and has been working great so far. http://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-4-Port-Individual-Switches-HB-UMLS/dp/B00BWF5U0M

Ah, I see! Just FYI, the USB option on that page you linked might take a few hours -- I always advise my customers who tackle this process themselves to take a breather; if it's evening where you are, go to bed and start fresh in the morning so you don't miss any steps. Hope it works out for you!

Here's a few other options for you, just in case it helps:

1. You can use a friend's or family member's computer to make an Ubuntu boot USB - just download the ISO file from ubuntu.com and a boot-disk-maker from pendrivelinux.com -- this will let you boot your laptop from the USB instead of the hard disk. Your hard drive should be readable as a secondary disk, and you can copy off your files from that environment.
   
   
2. If your hard drive is removable (3.5" 2.5" or M.2 stick, and not soldered on to the motherboard), then you can also remove it from most PC laptops very easily and drop it into a cheap USB case -- it will show up like any USB removable drive on a working computer.
   example: https://www.amazon.com/ORICO-USB3-0-External-Enclosure-Supported/dp/B01M08LCXW
   (note: if it's an M.2 SATA or PCI-E stick, you have to be very specific as to what form-factor the stick actually is. Most cases fit just one or two formats, and there are like EIGHT, and they're all called M.2 because the manufacturers probably like causing chaos or something)
   
   
3. In the worst-case scenario that Windows will simply NOT reinstall from recovery, you do NOT have a bricked laptop -- you can freely install Windows 10 from the publicly-available Media Download tool and if your PC is an OEM, it may re-license itself, because the "key" is actually in the motherboard's firmware. If the PC originally came with Windows 8 or whatever, then this won't work.
   
   
4. And finally, if Windows is a continuing problem, Linux is free, and nearly always works right out of the box.

Here is the best way I've discovered to do this:

With a inexpensive drive duplicator (around $35 U.S.), you can put the source drive (HDD) in in the source bay and the new, bare, drive (SSD) in the "target" drive slot.

Then, with the press of a button (you don't need to be connected to a PC to do this) all of the contents from the source drive gets duplicated onto the target drive. Plug the new SSD in the computer and power it up. Easy!

The problem? The target drive must be the same size or larger than the source drive. It would not work in your case. The process is a byte-by-byte duplication.

It's good to have the duplicator around, because you can later buy internal hard drives and use the duplicator as a docking station. Plug it into your PC, and suddenly you have one or two more storage drives.

So, my suggestion would be to buy an SSD the same size or larger than the spinning drive and get the cheap duplicator/docking station. A bit more money, yes, but a useful purchase.

Otherwise, you have to find a software solution to the problem, and software solutions (as you've discovered) are tricky.

HERE is an example of the dock.

Hope that helps.

Yeah you can get 240-256GB SSD's for $70-100 (just checked from Amazon), IMO that's not bad anymore. Of course it's still a bit expensive if compared to the size of mechanical HDD's but the speed improvement is really worth the money.

I'll never use a mechanical as an OS drive again. I have a 256GB SSD for Windows and some programs, then 500GB mechanical for rest of the programs and games and 3TB mechanical for other data.

EDIT: Here is a 240GB one for $59.99 and here is a 480 GB one for $107.50, they have read/write speeds of 550/520.

It would be great to have SSD's with those prices here in Finland too. The cheapest 480GB costs 129 euros which is 144.93 in USD. $107.50 is only 95,68 euros.

120 GB should be fine for Windows and basic applications, business PCs on a 120 GB drive are pretty solid, and leaves about half the drive free on average. That being said, you need to remember to leave a lot of free space (20-30 GB) at all times to account for Windows upgrades.

Also, 240 GB SSDs are super, super cheap right now, it's hard to image why you'd feel like you needed to keep to a 120 GB. This isn't best in class by any means, but these have been pretty reliable from my experience: https://www.amazon.com/Inland-Professional-240GB-Internal-Solid/dp/B076XXMJZH

You do understand that just because I can spend £2000 on games, that doesn't mean I can/want to spend £2000 instead of £100 for an equivalent mechanical drive to store them and gain next to imperceptible performance gains?

I'd rather just buy £2000 worth more games.

In an ideal world, sure, I'd install all executable files on my 10TB of SSD storage, and I'd have M2 drives for fun, 256GB of DDR4, and quad Titan Xs, plugged into Dell 4K 120Hz 30" monitors. But it's not an ideal world, and money is a factor.

A 2TB SSD still costs ~£500 here. I can get double the storage for one fifth of the price.

And yes, I said 2TB+, because mine is spread over two computers, one at nearly 3TB, the other at.. fuck knows. This doesn't even include all the GOG install files that I keep locally.

I've got this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N5G0JSB/

Works fine for steam streaming and light gaming, full HD screen. Be warned that not all indie games can support touchscreen only (I'm looking at you, Slay The Spire).

Updating windows 10 on it is quirky. It takes multiple passes to install any new versions, and is best just left on and plugged in overnight to think it through. You'll also need to run the disk cleanup tool regularly in System mode to remove old win versions and consolidate patches/WinSxS.

10" is a tough requirement to meet. You'll likely have to go with a 2-in-1 like the Dell Inspiron 3000, or some no name chinese vendor, like a Yuntab H8216.

Alternatively I recommend you using Powerline Adapters such as these. I have used these for the past 4 years and are a lifesaver. You should never game on a wireless network and you will find yourself happier knowing you have a wired connection.



What is it like in speed compared to normal ethernet?



5-10ms slower and depending on if your flat has really old wiring then you might have some issues. Most of the time though I don't have problems. (2-3 times a year it just drops out, I simply reset them)

I found on Amazon a dongle with a BlueSoleil license for 12€ (french, sorry) : https://www.amazon.fr/Avantree-Adaptateur-Bluetooth-utilisant-Branchement/dp/B00VWEK4IG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8.

I think i will go with this one. Do you think it's a good idea ? Thanks again for your help :)

The key idea is really just to have enough knowledge about the system so that you can follow what is likely wrong in a logical manner.

In this case this means having a good understanding of operating system internals, processor architecture and knowing some x86 assembly/C/C++.

Some good resources:

• Windows Internals A set of two books dedicated to how Windows works, although this set of books is only for Windows 7 it is still the best resource for operating system internals. The second book contains a chapter demonstrating basic troubleshooting using Windbg (The Windows Kernel and User-Mode debugger).
  
  
• Intel Software Development Manuals Most Windows systems run on x86 architecture processors so having a decent understanding on how they work is quite useful. At over 4600 pages this manual is more useful as a reference, but still something I use quite often.
  
  
• The NT-debugging blog Excellent blog written by Microsoft escalation engineers which are experts at debugging Windows problems.
  
  
• Defrag Tools A series of web-videos made by Microsoft demonstrating troubleshooting using various tools.
  

I got this one a year ago for my media center PC. I have 4 Echos and a Google Home. I think this and Cortana compete nicely and sort of carve out different niches of useful. I got a second one for my desktop and if you dig into stuff Cortana can do it can be pretty useful. Totally changed my mind on her.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VW5Q08/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_eFV2DbB0MNGCW

I know you're asking what to do about it other than buy an SSD but there really isn't anything significant. I'd recommend buying this while it's still on sale if you can. I just got mine Sunday and coming from a 7200rpm HDD, it made it almost feel like a new system. It boots in about 15 seconds now and I can open anything right away.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y2WLNFN

this one is perfect for my windows hello

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-NAND-SATA-Internal/dp/B0764WCXCV/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1538346487&sr=8-4&keywords=samsung%2B860%2Bevo&th=1

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There are other, cheaper or more expensive, but this is good value and quality. You're looking for SATA3 2.5in drives.

Most laptops today have very cheap mechanical hard drives in them that do not last very long. I would recommend upgrading to a solid state drive.
https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Inch-Internal-MZ-76E1T0B-AM/dp/B078DPCY3T/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1LOQK8YSGYIHP&keywords=samsung+ssd+850+evo+1tb&qid=1571438807&sprefix=samsung+ssd+850+evo+1tb%2Caps%2C440&sr=8-1

Upgrade. 1TB 2.5" and M.2 SSDs are so cheap now. Fits the OS and all my programs with plenty of room to spare, then all the data files can go on the HDD.

Some examples I looked up just now (for reference):

Crucial 1TB M.2 $99

Samsung 1TB 2.5" $140

Samsung 2TB 2.5" $280