Random Tech Questions you want answered.

I'm pretty happy with my Acronis Backup. It's tweakable enough without getting too nitty gritty, and backups in incremental images to my WD MyCloud.

My cloud backups are covered by OneDrive in my O365 subscription (for all documents) and by Google Photos, and my music in Google Music. The CD's I ripped them from are my physical backup

Google Photos will no longer sync to Google Drive, though. How do you easily get photos out of it, en masse, then?

If you have an Amazon Prime subscription, it gives you unlimited photo storage at original quality, even for raw files (but doesn't cover.xmp, which can be really annoying if you're already at your limit for non photo file types).

Kurrelgyre wrote:

Google Photos will no longer sync to Google Drive, though. How do you easily get photos out of it, en masse, then?

That's something I need to look into yeah. I've actually been withdrawing from the Google ecosphere for their tendency to kick longtime users in the shin. I'm already off Gmail, but it's easier said than done.

Chairman_Mao wrote:

My brother's fiancee used Google Maps "share my location" feature to send brother a link to see where she was. Link ended going to my dad's phone as well. How could that happen?

Relevant facts:
1. Fiancee doesn't have dad's contact info on her phone
2. Both fiancee and dad have iPhones.
3. Brother and dad and both on the same Verizon family plan.

I'm guessing this has something to do with iPhones location and family sharing. There is an option to see where all phones are at all times. Maybe by sharing a location to an iphone, with that enabled, somehow tethered it into that feature.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

Two questions:

  1. I've had a paid Pro Flickr account for years but Yahoo seems determined to make it progressively worse as time goes by. I'm looking for a replacement image hosting site. So I need a site, free or paid, that
    • I can back up my photos/images/screenshots to
    • supports albums
    • lets me hot-link from GWJ or reddit or wherever
    • lets me arrange my "home" page layout
    • is reasonably priced
    • gives me lots of space

As a thought to keep in the back of your head: if you can't find anything you like, keep in mind that you can easily host pictures on a standard web server, and there should be packages to let you more or less do what you want. This would take more configuration on your part, but then you wouldn't be married to any particular provider, and could use anyone proving a web server (like Dreamhost) or a virtual server host (like Linode or Amazon or whatever.)

This takes more effort, but it also means that you won't end up orphaned again. If your provider decides to shut down or change terms, you can just find someone else offering basic services.

I've started to have some stuttering issues across several games, including ones that shouldn't be particularly taxing my rig (e.g. Enter The Gungeon).

How do I go about troubleshooting this?

Jonman wrote:

I've started to have some stuttering issues across several games, including ones that shouldn't be particularly taxing my rig (e.g. Enter The Gungeon).

How do I go about troubleshooting this?

I'm only experiencing it with Sunless Skies But same question applies I suppose!

Further complication, and Bigger Problem.

GeForce said it had a driver update, but it crashed mid-update.

Rebooted, and can't open GeForce Experience. Did some Googling, and followed a Youtube video about reinstalling Nvidia Control Panel (which would also reinstall GeForce Experience).

As that's installing, I go upstairs. Come back down to an entirely black screen. No output on the DisplayPort to my monitor at all. Multiple reboots, nothing on the monitor whatsoever.

No idea where to go from here - how do I troubleshoot when I have no monitor? Entirely clean Windows install?

UPDATE - had to physically disconnect the DisplayPort cable from the PC in order to force it to output on HDMI. Looks like I might be back up and running - at least enough for the driver to keep installing...

Jonman wrote:

Further complication, and Bigger Problem.

GeForce said it had a driver update, but it crashed mid-update.

Rebooted, and can't open GeForce Experience. Did some Googling, and followed a Youtube video about reinstalling Nvidia Control Panel (which would also reinstall GeForce Experience).

As that's installing, I go upstairs. Come back down to an entirely black screen. No output on the DisplayPort to my monitor at all. Multiple reboots, nothing on the monitor whatsoever. Same deal switching out the DisplayPort to HDMI

No idea where to go from here - how do I troubleshoot when I have no monitor? Entirely clean Windows install?

Do you get anything at all on screen during the boot process? BIOS prompt or motherboard logo or is it just solid black the whole time?

I've seen the Telemetry service not start until switched to using a local account.. that will prevent the GeForce Experience from opening.

Rykin wrote:

Do you get anything at all on screen during the boot process? BIOS prompt or motherboard logo or is it just solid black the whole time?

OK, I'm back up and running. Pulling the DisplayPort cable forced HDMI output so I could login and let the drivers finish installing, which then let me switch back to DisplayPort.

*phew*

Jonman wrote:
Rykin wrote:

Do you get anything at all on screen during the boot process? BIOS prompt or motherboard logo or is it just solid black the whole time?

OK, I'm back up and running. Pulling the DisplayPort cable forced HDMI output so I could login and let the drivers finish installing, which then let me switch back to DisplayPort.

*phew*

I think nVidia has issues with multiple displays and/or interfaces. I've had regular issues with my 1 DisplayPort and 1 HDMI setup. Every few driver revisions it seems like my computer will refuse to output to the DisplayPort until I strip it of all the displays and boot it up with the DisplayPort monitor as the only one connected.

I'm on AMD, but whenever Display port craps out power cycling the monitor has brought it back for me. Unplug from power, count to three, return power, it's like nothing ever happened until the next time. Spent an embarrassing amount of time troubleshooting a similar issue until I stumbled over that.

This is about the 6th time that Windows has told me that my version will go out of support soon, and that I need to restart to update to a supported version. Should I just keep clicking Restart and hope it gets there eventually, or do I need to investigate a potential problem?

Vargen wrote:

This is about the 6th time that Windows has told me that my version will go out of support soon, and that I need to restart to update to a supported version. Should I just keep clicking Restart and hope it gets there eventually, or do I need to investigate a potential problem?

Is it installing updates each time or is the update failing? I recently updated my server computer and it took about 7 restarts to get it completely up-to-date.

Go into Windows Update and see what it says?

If it's Windows 7, you have until January 20, at which point it goes out of official support.

I’m on some flavor of Windows 10.

Rykin wrote:
Vargen wrote:

This is about the 6th time that Windows has told me that my version will go out of support soon, and that I need to restart to update to a supported version. Should I just keep clicking Restart and hope it gets there eventually, or do I need to investigate a potential problem?

Is it installing updates each time or is the update failing? I recently updated my server computer and it took about 7 restarts to get it completely up-to-date.

No error messages. When I hit Restart it gives me a screen with an increasing % number and then the computer reboots. The only sign something hasn’t worked is when it asks me to do it again.

LeapingGnome wrote:

Go into Windows Update and see what it says?

When the corner prompt was up, Windows Update Settings also had a “restart to apply” button. Now that I have done so it says “You’re up to date” and then right below that it says “you’re running a version of Windows 10 that’s nearing the end of support.”

Huh, the built-in troubleshooting wizard seems to have found something it thinks it can fix. It claims to be downloading a feature update that matches the one in the alert popup. If this works that’ll be a first for the automated troubleshooter...

While I was typing that, it went from “downloading... 0%” to “we can’t install some updates because other updates are in progress.”

Hmm.

I would try the manual windows update and go to version 1903. Make sure you remove any usb or SD cards.

Hit the Update Now from this link

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/soft...

it will download the tool that will update to 1903 bypassing any incremental updates you might be getting stuck on.

TheGameguru wrote:

I would try the manual windows update and go to version 1903. Make sure you remove any usb or SD cards.

100% that. For a month I couldn't figure out why WU wouldn't update to 1903. I had a USB drive plugged into the back of my desktop that I had forgotten about, and for some stupid reason Windows refused to install updates because of it.

^^ agree with them.

Windows is the absolute worst OS at updating itself. It's not even a contest.

What's your preferred PDF reader for Windows?

I don't need editing functions, just reading/viewing.

Been using Foxit for years.

We just moved and my Polk soundbar/sub combo got moved to the living room at Kit's request and my older Denon AVR-3806 A/V Receiver went upstairs into the new game room along with the speakers and sub. It's older and only has 2 HDMI inputs, but a switcher will take care of that.

What I immediately miss about not having the Polk soundbar in the game room is no Bluetooth to run my tunes through off of my phone or even my laptop. I'd like to fix that. Back when I had an iPhone 2(?), I had a little plastic dock that plugged into the TV or DVD in. I don't want to do that, I want to run Bluetooth audio through this thing.

Do you guys have any recommendations on a gadget I can use to run Bluetooth through my Denon? Here's pics of it if that will help. I'm currently only using the 2 HDMI inputs and the 2 front, 1 center, and the SW outputs. I don't have my 2 back speakers mounted in this oddly shaped room, yet.

This is what I'm working with:

(unnecessary) Front:
IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/w5TSE3s.png)

Back: (click for bigger...)
IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/3EFt2ol.png)

All input (nyuk) is appreciated!
-BEP

Edit: I will do my own standard research; I'm just hoping somebody here has been through this and has personal feedback.

misplacedbravado wrote:

What's your preferred PDF reader for Windows?

I don't need editing functions, just reading/viewing.

I use SumatraPDF... rather minimalist, but does an excellent job of rendering things. It's been years since I've needed anything else.

Sorry I can't really help with the receiver problem. I don't use Bluetooth much.

You're looking for something like this

Problem:

- when no sound is played - except for spotify - the headphones don't get any signal and switches over to noise.

- Windows 10
- Sennheiser TR120 set wireless

When headphone looses signal, putting the volume in windows up and down regains signal. And I can listen to spotify again.

When I play a game - everything is allright. But typing word with spotify only... noise after 2 minutes or less.
Seems that spotify puts out nog signal, that the volume in windows does?

I am lost.

Baron Of Hell wrote:

Been using Foxit for years.

This. It is part of the list on Ninite, too.

How come some games allow you to change audio outputs in Windows after you've launched them, and other don't?