Adventures in MicrosoftLand

[MrBogosity]

Getting the Microsoft LifeCam VX-5000 (remember, this is a MICROSOFT product) to work in Windows:

1. Plug it in
2. Have it search for and install the drivers
3. It fails, so put in the CD
4. It still fails to find the drivers
5. Run Setup from the CD
6. Setup fails
7. Reboot in Safe Mode
8. Run Setup from CD
9. Reboot and try the cam again (it fails)
10. Try 2-6 again
11. Swear loudly and threaten to torture to death everyone at Microsoft (I'm convinced this is a vital part of the process)
12. Reboot AGAIN
13. Windows Update FINALLY finds the updated drivers for it
14. Reboot YET AGAIN
15. It works, FINALLY!

Getting the Microsoft LifeCam VX-5000 (remember, this is a MICROSOFT product) to work in Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal):

1. Plug it in
2. It works

What's wrong with this picture?

[Travis Retriever]

That ain't right...

[Virgil0211]

I finally got around to installing Ubuntu. Due to the fact that I don't actually have a Windows 7 Disc, and still need it for my Windows 7 phone and such, I un-partitioned my second hard drive to install it on that.

Since then, I haven't actually used Windows 7 for anything except my phone (Unfortunately, Zune still doesn't work on Ubuntu). However, I've noticed that my computer is now able to stream high def web video, whereas standard def web video used to give it problems (It'd make the exorcist noises whenever the video was loading, negating any 'streaming' possibilities, and making Netflix next to impossible.). I'm still getting used to it, but so far, just about everything is a direct improvement over Windows 7. If I'd known it was going to be this much of an upgrade, I would've done this earlier. I still haven't tested everything I use this laptop for (hacking game saves on the 360, for example), but if it goes as smoothly as everything else, I may end up chucking Windows 7 entirely.

[Travis Retriever]

I finally got around to installing Ubuntu. Due to the fact that I don't actually have a Windows 7 Disc, and still need it for my Windows 7 phone and such, I un-partitioned my second hard drive to install it on that.

Since then, I haven't actually used Windows 7 for anything except my phone (Unfortunately, Zune still doesn't work on Ubuntu). However, I've noticed that my computer is now able to stream high def web video, whereas standard def web video used to give it problems (It'd make the exorcist noises whenever the video was loading, negating any 'streaming' possibilities, and making Netflix next to impossible.). I'm still getting used to it, but so far, just about everything is a direct improvement over Windows 7. If I'd known it was going to be this much of an upgrade, I would've done this earlier. I still haven't tested everything I use this laptop for (hacking game saves on the 360, for example), but if it goes as smoothly as everything else, I may end up chucking Windows 7 entirely.

*One Google search later*
Damn, so that's what unpartioning a hard drive means.
Also, what do you mean "hacking game saves on the 360"?

[Virgil0211]

*One Google search later*
Damn, so that's what unpartioning a hard drive means.
Also, what do you mean "hacking game saves on the 360"?

Changing values in saved games on the 360 for the sake of modifying or cheating in single player mode. I keep my cheats strictly offline, but I've been doing this sort of thing since I was 13 and got my hands on a game shark. Gamesharks and other cheat devices don't work anymore, so you've gotta more or less get your hands dirty to do the same thing. The worst is the stuff you can only modify by using a hex editor. It's tedious, boring, and confusing at times. I've wrecked more than a couple of game-saves because I got frustrated and did a 'Find + Replace' on what I thought were values unique to what I was trying to edit (The attributes on a piece of equipment for example). Had quite a few unusual things happen with that one. =P

But seriously, the thing that made my jaw hit the floor was the streaming video. I had no idea how to fix the exorcist noises whenever video was loading, nothing I tried had worked, and the MSI customer service person told me to make sure I wasn't streaming high-def video/audio, as my laptop wasn't designed for it. Well, here I am, streaming 1080p video with no issues whatsoever. I don't know why Ubuntu is able to do this where Microsoft Windows 7 (or whatever video/audio codec it uses) isn't, but it's an amazing, jaw-dropping improvement. It's like Krillin suddenly being able to kill Frieza.

[Travis Retriever]

Changing values in saved games on the 360 for the sake of modifying or cheating in single player mode. I keep my cheats strictly offline, but I've been doing this sort of thing since I was 13 and got my hands on a game shark. Gamesharks and other cheat devices don't work anymore, so you've gotta more or less get your hands dirty to do the same thing. The worst is the stuff you can only modify by using a hex editor. It's tedious, boring, and confusing at times. I've wrecked more than a couple of game-saves because I got frustrated and did a 'Find + Replace' on what I thought were values unique to what I was trying to edit (The attributes on a piece of equipment for example). Had quite a few unusual things happen with that one. =P

Christ, so much for you "not being good with software"

But seriously, the thing that made my jaw hit the floor was the streaming video. I had no idea how to fix the exorcist noises whenever video was loading, nothing I tried had worked, and the MSI customer service person told me to make sure I wasn't streaming high-def video/audio, as my laptop wasn't designed for it. Well, here I am, streaming 1080p video with no issues whatsoever. I don't know why Ubuntu is able to do this where Microsoft Windows 7 (or whatever video/audio codec it uses) isn't, but it's an amazing, jaw-dropping improvement. It's like Krillin suddenly being able to kill Frieza.

That big a deal, eh? Wow.

[MrBogosity]

Linux has FAR less overhead than Windows. Personally, I keep wondering just what the hell is all this crap Microsoft's apparently loaded in there!

[Travis Retriever]

Linux has FAR less overhead than Windows. Personally, I keep wondering just what the hell is all this crap Microsoft's apparently loaded in there!

Would that explain why, on good days, while idling Windows 7 Home Edition 64 bit uses up 1.6 GB out of the 8 GB this machine came installed with?

[Virgil0211]

Christ, so much for you "not being good with software"

That's technically math and pattern-seeking. Not really software. I don't have to be good with software to look at the amount of money I have in-game, convert it to base-16, and look for it in-game, or to follow a guide that someone with far more free time than myself wrote up on Se7ensins. I mean, it took me a while just to figure out how to mount a drive in DosBox.

That big a deal, eh? Wow.

Yeah. It was actually preventing me from using this laptop for its video capabilities. I mean, it has an HDMI output, but it's tough to use it for that when it starts making the exorcist noises whenever I'm doing anything other than playing local video. With Ubuntu, I have to actually make an effort to tax the memory, and even then it doesn't make any weird distortions.

Linux has FAR less overhead than Windows. Personally, I keep wondering just what the hell is all this crap Microsoft's apparently loaded in there!

The strange thing, though, is that it seemed to almost be a case of bad memory management when it happened. After I installed HTMLS Everywhere, slowing down my connection speed a bit, it happened less often. Almost like the computer had a hard time managing bandwidth. I mean, the video would play fine after it was done loading (though it wasn't quite able to handle high-def), but the sound would be distorted if the video was loading at all. The faster the video was loading, the greater the distortion.

Like I said, though, not at all a problem in Ubuntu.

[MrBogosity]

Even if you do have a problem, you could always install Xubuntu or Lubuntu and have it work better on even slower processors. I put Lubuntu on a 12-year-old laptop to give to my daughter and she loves it!

[Virgil0211]

Even if you do have a problem, you could always install Xubuntu or Lubuntu and have it work better on even slower processors. I put Lubuntu on a 12-year-old laptop to give to my daughter and she loves it!

Hmmm... I did try ubuntu on my parents' old PC desktop (Live CD session), but it kept freezing after a few minutes. However, during those few minutes, it worked better than it ever has before. That is, to say, it actually worked. Damned thing's years old, runs Windows XP, and takes about 20 minutes to boot up and another 8-10 minutes to start a web browser. Ubuntu booted up within 3 minutes, and started a web browser almost immediately after that. Would Xubuntu or Lubuntu work better for either of those? My parents aren't as computer-literate.

[MrBogosity]

Possibly, but it depends on what's causing the freezes.

[Virgil0211]

Possibly, but it depends on what's causing the freezes.

My uncle said it was probably the registry key database (Don't remember exact terms), which tends to build up alot of junk in XP after a few years. More or less, it's just so old that it needs to either get a new OS or have the old one reinstalled. I think that's what he said. It was a while ago. We've just never gotten around to fixing it. Like I said, I'm not good with software. =P

[MrBogosity]

If it's still freezing with Ubuntu, it's obviously not a registry issue.

[Virgil0211]

If it's still freezing with Ubuntu, it's obviously not a registry issue.

I mean, that's why it was apparently running slow under Windows XP. Like I said, I'm not good with software, so I kind-of associated freezing with the running slow thing.

I dunno. It's an old computer, and they're probably either going to replace it soon or end up reinstalling the OS.