My Precious Partition

Over the weekend, I initiated myself to lengthen the life of our old PC Andrea.

She’s on her fifth year as a computer and even with Windows 7 Ultimate installed and everything, it’s still slow. I know that the hardware is the reason for this, but I have to make sure that my parents and younger brother would still be able to use it. I need to squeeze the life out of it and get maximum use from it. Hopefully they’ll be able to get a new one next year.

All I know is that the hard drive is nearing its end, the video card might be broken (outdated to say the least) and the processor is about to give.

I decided to install a Linux distribution, only hoping that might increase the life of the computer itself.

I created a LiveUSB of Ubuntu and began installation. There it was, the partition interface. I mean, I’ve seen it before. The only scary part about it is that if I make one mistake – no matter how small – I could kill the partition.

Alas, fate is cruel. The partitioning system crashed. I restarted the computer. I entered Windows 7 and only saw one partition. Panicking, I started to look for ways to get it back.

Then I found EaseUS Partition Manager, which also comes with a partition recovery tool. I used it to recover files that were in that partition that I knew was important like pictures and converted home videos.

The recovery tool worked with a little help from Black Beard. I got my stuff back!

In short, the lesson here is: always back up your files. Don’t be an idiot like me.

Right now, after that whole event, I just think that reinstalling Windows 7 might do the trick. Probably after that, I’ll install a distribution of Linux, but that’s another story. Besides, I don’t want it to go back to its prime, because I know that will never happen. All I want is for it to just last long enough until my family gets something new.

Keep Chewing!

Laughing is Good

Here are some great computer jokes that will surely make you laugh!

The General Ones

Like car accidents, most hardware failures are due to driver errors.

Evolution is God’s way of issuing updates.

My software doesn’t have bugs. It just develops random features.

These must really hurt for Windows…

The box said “requires Windows Vista or better,” so I installed Linux.

What’s the difference between a computer virus and Windows? Viruses do something.

Computers are like air conditioners; they stop working after you open windows.

Apple still sucks…

The best accelerator for a Mac is the one that causes it to speed up at 9.81 m/s^2.

While Linux literally gives away stuff for free, Apple resells it for $99.

A Mac user calls tech support and asks, “what is Linux?” The technician begins laughing and answers, “it’s an open source operating system, meaning any programmer can alter and change the source code. It’s also stable, so stable that NASA uses it at the Space Station. Oh, and it’s free!” The Mac user immediately hangs up.

Keep Chewing!

The Truth About Careless People

Ever since I worked for Future Shop, I’ve always wanted to write this. Here it goes.

What really grinds my gears are those who can’t take care of their tech. I am a lover of all things computers, from cellphones, gadgetry, hardware and software. Out of all of my things, I’ve only broken one special thing to me: my old Toshiba. After that, that was it.

Even then, although I was not tech savvy as now or as careful as now, I still feel bad for being careless about my stuff. I just feel that we should give some kind of importance for the things we buy or we get, no matter the price.

Consider this. I’ve had my HP laptop (Hannah Patricia) for an exact year now. Never have I scratched her, broken her or let her down. Sure, she was sick every once  and a while from BSODs and fever (overheating while installing Ubuntu), but I made sure that she was working on top performance. I cleaned her every week both software and peripherally. She still runs as good as new.

I hate those people who are so careless that you can literally smell the smoke coming out of their computer. I opened computer units that are so dirty, I had to excuse myself because I vomited a little. Some collect so much dust, that we have to vacuum it for at least 10 minutes.

Some are just so scratched out, that when we write our sign-in report, we just literally put an X on top of the report to signify that the unit came in with these scratches.

Come on! I seriously can’t believe some people. I mean, even Apple products get scratched. It shows that people are becoming less and less appreciative of things.

If you are reading this and you think you’re one of those people that I mentioned, please stop. Take care of your stuff. Be nice to it. Be thankful that you have it. Don’t get careless.

Keep Chewing!

Why I Didn’t Install Ubuntu

Ubuntu is a popular Linux distribution. It’s the most user friendly and a very heavily supported open source operating system. It’s what Linux newbies (like myself) install.

I definitely liked it when I worked with it in school, but the OS is terrible for laptops. Here’s why:

1. It’s a battery hog. It’ll eat all of the battery power it can take. Jupiter, the famous power management application, is no longer supported and so it was taken off the Ubuntu market.
2. It overheats my laptop. Like I said, Jupiter is no longer supported, so that’s never going to get fixed.
3. For some reason, my settings don’t stay the same. Each time I reboot my laptop, everything is there: my account, background and customization, but my power settings, brightness settings and other things such as my Unity Tweak settings do not stay the same.
4. It looks a lot like the Mac OS X user interface. I just don’t like it. Period.

I am hoping for some more apps similar to Jupiter that can help my battery life. Get this: when I had Ubuntu on my laptop, it only ran approximately one (1) hour on a 96% battery percentage. Usually, on my Windows 7, I’d be using my laptop for at least five to six hours.

At some point, when Hannah Patricia doesn’t perform her abilities (I’d say that would be five years from now), I’ll be getting a System 76 or something like Lenovo or ASUS.

If you have any suggestions for a battery friendly distro, comment below!

Keep Chewing!

Apple Fanboys

I read this article from Business Insider about Apple fanboys. I know multiple Apple Seeds*, and this article seems to point out obvious things about them.

Crazy Things Apple Fanboys Believe that Aren’t Actually True

*I call those Apple fanboys Apple Seeds. It seems appropriate enough.

How does one define an Apple fanboy? There are a few things that one must have to be considered an Apple Seed. Here’s my take on it.

Apple always have the best internal hardware

This is completely ridiculous. Sure, Apple design their products to look great, but it does not necessarily mean they have the most powerful processing power ever. In fact, when most smartphones had at least an 8 megapixel camera, the iPhone 4 (in its generation) did not. Of course, Apple has come a long way since then with their iPhone 5 and all its new features like the larger size screen – approximately 10% larger… That’s about it.

Also, let’s think about how the iPhone is built. I’m pretty sure if I drop an iPhone 4S or 5, it will surely crack the screen and it’s fragile body. Plus, fixing hardware issues is so expensive with Apple. Water damage repair could cost you a maximum of $950! In conclusion, their hardware is not the best.

Apple’s “Famous” Operating Systems

I’ll give it to Apple, they have the most “user-friendly” interface and environment. It looks pretty and it works well. This does not mean that their OS is the best. Linux is increasing in popularity, Windows is still a powerhouse and the Mac OS X is following behind. Functionality wise, Windows is friendlier. In the media, Apple products are more popular. Other than that, one cannot argue that the Mac OS X is the best. It’s only better in certain aspects and situations.

Apple products are virus-free

Total misunderstanding. Apple products are as vulnerable as Windows. As Windows get their BSODs, Macs get KPs (Kernel Panic). You can fix this by reinstalling the OS or changing the logic board.

To all the Apple fanboys out there, silence.

I don’t consider myself a Windows fanboy. I consider myself a PC fanboy.

Keep Chewing!

Guide to Linux

So, I haven’t had much insight towards this topic: Linux.

Linux, being an awesome, open source and free operating system is growing fast! There are new users each day, no matter which distribution. Truly, it is a remarkable piece of software.

I found this site, talking about what Linux is and everything in between. It’s called Newbie’s Guide to Linux.

NEWBIE’S GUIDE TO LINUX

What’s my take on Linux? Not much, really. I haven’t got the chance to fully use, although I’ve learned how to install it and used it for a few days in class. It’s a great operating system and worth downloading and installing. Honestly, I don’t have enough experience with it to give it any verdict. I did enjoy using it even though it was only for a while.

I actually laughed a little after reading Microsoft’s comment on Linux.

Sorry if I haven’t had any activity for the past few days. I missed the Chewy of the Week from last week, so I’ll be posting three Chewies this week.

Keep Chewing!

System 76

System 76: Ubuntu PCs!

Every Thursday on Tech Gum, I post some of the coolest links that I’ve seen on the internet called Chewy of the Week.

This week’s Chewy is System 76. Recently, I wrote about how I want to have Ubuntu on my PC, but due to hardware limitations, I cannot (for now). I thought of searching up PCs that offer Ubuntu built in. System 76 was one of the first results. I took a look at it and it is awesome! You can go to their site and order a laptop, desktop or a server. It’s worth a look and I think it speaks for itself. It offers amazing processing from Intel, customizable RAM (you customize it when you order the system itself) and overall a great build. I plan to buy a System 76 in the future when Hannah Patricia stops working (I expect this to happen with 6-7 years). I hope you enjoyed this week’s Chewy. Come back next week for another one. Don’t forget to follow my blog!

Keep Chewing!