Computer Questions Not Worth Their Own Thread II

[GenMarshall]

Should I use Tigerdirect or my local electronics store (Best Buy) to buy components to build a computer?

I've been pondering on building my own once I get a steady job and my own place. Not to mention getting tired of prebuilt rigs. Though I am not a computer nerd, just a gamer/digital artist who's never poked his head inside the case . I do know that static is hazardous to electronics.

 

[Princeps]

Has anyone else had youtube loading incredibly slowly for the past two weeks or so?

 

[GenMarshall]

Do motherboards have an eathernet card built into the unit? Just wondering incase if I have to buy a separate card in the future when building a computer.

 

[Cutlass]

Should I use Tigerdirect or my local electronics store (Best Buy) to buy components to build a computer?

I've been pondering on building my own once I get a steady job and my own place. Not to mention getting tired of prebuilt rigs. Though I am not a computer nerd, just a gamer/digital artist who's never poked his head inside the case . I do know that static is hazardous to electronics.

I, and a number of people I know, have found http://www.newegg.com/ to be good for buying computer components and accessories. Amazon.com is good for a number of things as well. I don't think you can easily get all the components you might want in Best Buy or other local stores. The places that used to stock that sort of thing are gone now. And online the prices are usually better. If you know what you want, and want to comparison shop, http://www.pricewatch.com/ is pretty useful as well.

Do motherboards have an eathernet card built into the unit? Just wondering incase if I have to buy a separate card in the future when building a computer.

These days I think that between most and all motherboards will have ethernet built in. When you look at the specs on the board, it will tell you.

 

[Meteor Man]

Has anyone else had youtube loading incredibly slowly for the past two weeks or so?

It's working fine for me. Must be your internet.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

With my recent issues with StarForce, this question came to mind: What would happen if you installed a DRM'd game in a virtual machine?

I googled it and got some EULA clause saying you can't run Microsoft DRM'd stuff in a virtual machine but thsts really it

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Basically: Last night lightning hit our house and the power went out. I was in the bathroom at the time and I didn't know there was a storm (it came up very quick) and it was dark and Im night-blind and I couldn't make it to the computer in time to unplug it. (I don't have a UPS; Im saving up for one.) Anyways the deep-freezer blew up and then when the power came back on (it was a surge) fuses started blowing up and an electrician just came and fixed our fuse-box. My computer started just fine and its not acting any laggy (like it did the one time it got unplugged & the filesystem got corrupted) so should I be fine? Im doing an extra backup just in case.

 

[Meteor Man]

If the surge didn't kill it the first time, it won't spontaneously explode. So you're good I would say.

I would get a surge protector though if you live in a thunderstorm-prone area.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

This was actually the worst storm I'd ever seen! The lightning bolts were huge and it was so loud I had to put cotton balls in my ears.

 

[Meteor Man]

...I had to put cotton balls in my ears.

As if that actually helps.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

I burn music CDs so I don't scratch the originals. But the burned CDs become so scratched they're unusable very soon. I keep them in a CD wallet & hold them by the edges and I don't throw them around and when I have to put them on a surface I put them label-side down. Some of the scratches actually now have holes where light come through. What could I be doing wrong here?

 

[Meteor Man]

Probably has to do with your CD player, because you're treating them alright.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Well I will mention my CD wallet is getting rather old. Could that?

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

A few months ago someone gave us two huge CD wallets with various CDs (mostly those free games you used to get in cereal boxes). Just going through them now. One of them has something called "Ulead Video Studio SE." I googled it and got various stuff such as the official site, support and warez sites What I want to know though is if its any good?

 

[Meteor Man]

Well I will mention my CD wallet is getting rather old. Could that?

Not really unless you're throwing it around the house.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

No but the parts where the CDs go in are actually tearing loose of the cover and they're really ragged. I think I'm going to take some money out of my account to get a new one anyways.

Question: I was downloading some torrents. The speed was higher than I've ever tested on the speed-tests even at night. Can an ISP throttle a speed-test?

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Here is a different one: I have a cassette and I want to copy some audio from it onto the computer. I have a cassette player with a line-out, a computer with a line-in, a double-male stereo cable, and a copy of Audacity 1.3. I also have the cassette. I know how to plug it in but the thing online says to plug the red end of the cable in one way and the white line of the cable the other and both ends of the cable are black. What do I do now?

 

[PeteAtoms]

Well there are only two options. Try it one way. And if that don't work, try it the other way. If neither work, find a different solution.

I really hope you never have to diffuse a bomb.

"NO AIMEE! THE BLUE WIRE, THE BLUE WIRE!"

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Well there are only two options. Try it one way. And if that don't work, try it the other way. If neither work, find a different solution.

I really hope you never have to diffuse a bomb.

"NO AIMEE! THE BLUE WIRE, THE BLUE WIRE!"

Why the blue wire? I read if you cut any wire the electrical will turn off and it will not blow up. It doesn't need to be a blue wire but they put that in movies for dramatic.

 

[PeteAtoms]

I was being sarcastic and trying not to offend you or insult your intelligence... But yeah, just try the wire one way and then the other.