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?
That ain't right...
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.
Quote from: Virgil0211 on May 30, 2011, 03:56:39 PM
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"?
Quote from: surhotchaperchlorome on May 30, 2011, 04:26:01 PM
*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.
Quote from: Virgil0211 on May 30, 2011, 05:09:01 PM
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" :P
Quote from: Virgil0211 on May 30, 2011, 05:09:01 PMBut 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.
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!
Quote from: MrBogosity on May 30, 2011, 05:36:58 PMLinux 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?
Quote from: surhotchaperchlorome on May 30, 2011, 05:32:54 PM
Christ, so much for you "not being good with software" :P
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.
Quote from: surhotchaperchlorome on May 30, 2011, 05:32:54 PMThat 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.
Quote from: MrBogosity on May 30, 2011, 05:36:58 PM
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.
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!
Quote from: MrBogosity on May 30, 2011, 06:51:54 PM
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.
Possibly, but it depends on what's causing the freezes.
Quote from: MrBogosity on May 30, 2011, 08:27:35 PM
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
If it's still freezing with Ubuntu, it's obviously not a registry issue.
Quote from: MrBogosity on May 31, 2011, 06:33:10 AM
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.
The usual suggestion is to remove all of the cards in the computer and try it again. If it still freezes, it's a problem with the computer itself. If it doesn't, replace the cards one by one until it starts doing it again. The one you just put back in is the culprit.
Quote from: MrBogosity on May 31, 2011, 04:45:33 PM
The usual suggestion is to remove all of the cards in the computer and try it again. If it still freezes, it's a problem with the computer itself. If it doesn't, replace the cards one by one until it starts doing it again. The one you just put back in is the culprit.
But the weird thing is, it doesn't freeze when running windows. It's just ungodly slow. Could it be a hardware compatibility problem? Admittedly, I didn't fiddle around with the boot options as much as I did with my laptop.
Okay, we've found one problem. Apparently, Nvidia doesn't make very good Linux drivers for the card in my laptop. In windows, if I plugged in an HDMI cable, I'd get a cloned display on the tv. I've been fiddling around with this Nvidia X Server thingy, and I can't seem to get it to work anything like that. On top of that, the video seems to be distorted. I don't know another word for it, but whenever there's alot of movement on the screen, it seems like there's something of a horizontal 'break' in the screen where one portion is a couple of frames behind the other.
That, and it's also apparently difficult to run VirtualBox instances of Windows without having a boot disk ready. Since my laptop had the OS already loaded, I don't have a boot disk for it. So it's either switch back and forth when needed, or figure out how to do this.
Quote from: Virgil0211 on May 31, 2011, 07:30:53 PM
I don't know another word for it, but whenever there's alot of movement on the screen, it seems like there's something of a horizontal 'break' in the screen where one portion is a couple of frames behind the other.
It's called "tearing." Do a search for that plus your nVidia card model.
I've never had any problem with VirtualBox on Ubuntu.
Quote from: MrBogosity on May 31, 2011, 08:16:45 PM
It's called "tearing." Do a search for that plus your nVidia card model.
I've never had any problem with VirtualBox on Ubuntu.
Well, it's a week later and I still haven't managed to fix my screen tearing problem. I did, however, manage to screw up Ubuntu so badly in the process of attempting to fix it, getting distracted and trying to do something else, then going back to trying to fix it, that it wouldn't even boot up in safe mode. So, one reinstall later, with the same settings that I had before that apparently worked on my native laptop display, and I have screen tearing in there as well.
If there was any doubt before, this seals the deal- I just plain
STINK when it comes to software. :-P
There may not be any way to fix it.
Quote from: MrBogosity on June 08, 2011, 12:52:44 PM
There may not be any way to fix it.
Ain't that ironic? I can (or, at least, I was able to for a while) play high def video in Ubuntu, but can't hook it up to a TV display. In windows, I can hook it up to a TV display, but I can't play high def video. Geez. Times like these, I wish it were possible to make operating systems breed.
Quote from: Virgil0211 on June 08, 2011, 11:46:29 AMIf there was any doubt before, this seals the deal- I just plain STINK when it comes to software. :-P
I bet you're still better than me. I've been trying to find a way to get me into Lord T Hawkeye's World or his character into mine on Terraria via multiplayer for about a week now. I finally tried downloading LogMeIn Hamachi and trying to follow various instructional videos (despite EVERYONE talking about how easy it is and even TotalHalibut and Jesse Cox having no problem getting into multiplayer). After fiddling around with my FireWall (managed by McAfee) and FINALLY figuring out how to change the program allowed settings and how to properly add ports, I thought I was doing well. Until, when I booted up the TerrariaServer.exe software, I saw someone I didn't recognize trying to access my network, despite haven't NEVER given out the freaking password to anyone save for Hawkeye (it wasn't his IP address), and got so scared, I had the McAfee Firewall set back to the default settings and then uninstalled LogMeIn Hamachi. Then, when I tried going into my char's world via the multiplayer (for whatever reason), I put all my stuff in chests to make sure it saved. I exit out and got back in via single player mode. And wouldn't ya' know it, ALL the stuff I got: the awesome top tier weapons, etc, that I had put into the chests were gone. W. T. F. Terraria.
PS: Dear Terraria Multiplayer Mode: You Suck. Sincerely, Surhot.
Also, sorry for the rant. It's just that with so many people talking about how "easy" it is to use the multiplayer on Terraria, and me not being able to figure out how to get it to work, has depressed me somewhat. -_-;;;
Quote from: Virgil0211 on June 08, 2011, 02:43:33 PMGeez. Times like these, I wish it were possible to make operating systems breed.
Something that we'd see a lot more of if IP laws protecting Microsoft's Source Code were abolished. :P
And people wonder why I'm anti-IP on principle...
Since we're talking about only semi-related stuff: http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-reasons-internet-access-in-america-disaster/
I wonder if Japan has issues with internet providers being given local monopolies by government?
Well, it's been about a month now. No help from either the Ubuntu forums or the Nvidia linux support forums. As much video as I watch on my computer, I may end up sticking to windows. I mean, Ubuntu's got alot of great features, but I don't want to have to switch between operating systems every time I get an itch to browse youtube.
Slight update- it would seem that the screen tearing had been on my native display the entire time. I've recreated the settings I had before that I thought worked, and it keeps failing the 'tear-test' on youtube.
[yt]IRe9ykSfXyQ[/yt]
When in windows, this test is passed easily.
Well, after breaking my Ubuntu install for the 4th time, I'm back in Windows 7 burning liveCDs of as many different linux builds as I can. It's possible that the compiz-config program being used with Ubuntu's native desktop setup is what's causing problems. I'm also burning LiveCDs of debian and fedora, just for the hell of it.
It's strange. I mean, in my experience, Ubuntu and Windows have just as many errors as each other. The difference is that when you get a Windows error, it's Microsoft's fault, and when you get an Ubuntu error, it's your fault. :-P
I've been having problems with Compiz in Natty (11.04). It worked fine before. Dunno what they did but hopefully they'll fix it before too long.
Quote from: MrBogosity on June 30, 2011, 05:33:23 PM
I've been having problems with Compiz in Natty (11.04). It worked fine before. Dunno what they did but hopefully they'll fix it before too long.
Well, on the plus side, I'll have a huge stock of LiveCD copies of various operating systems should I ever need them. Even decided to download Debian Tails while I was at it. =P