So I Got A New Phone Last Week….

IIRC, ordered the phone on a Tuesday, it arrived on a Thursday. Activation was quick and painless. In fact, from the time I ordered it to the time I received it was easiest experience. Remember the last time I did this, I ended file a police report against UPS. And there were a couple of times when the activations servers were down.

So once I got the phone activated and started moving in. I had about a half dozen passkeys on my old phone, and I found the best way to move them was to simply delete the old ones and then establish new ones on my new phone. I mainly used the Microsoft Authenticator app. There was one account I couldn’t migrate to my new phone, but my research pointed to it not being T-Mobile’s fault.

So, one of the apps I use on my phone is Mozilla Thunderbird (yes, there is an official Android build of it). I tried the option to export my accounts from the desktop app (which involved scanning two qr codes), but I got better results entering in all my information from scratch, especially since the accounts I use the most also have 2-factor authentication, and I have to resign into them anyway…

There are some differences with the Motorola vs. my old Samsung. Since I no longer have the One UI that Samsung had, I can no longer view my phone apps on my computer, nor do I have a shared clipboard anymore. But because it’s a flip phone, it’s easier to fit into my pocket/holster. It does all the other functions the my previous phones have done, so it’s just a phone. And all my charging solutions still work with it as well…

Now I have to send the old phone back since I agreed to trade it in. With my new phone, I got the padded envelope and the preprinted ups label to ship it back, but no return box. I quick chat with T-Mobile, however, revealed that I could just take to the nearest T-Mobile store, and that would be good. So, I’ll do that next week….

Render Unto Caesar: Update…

So my Tax refund arrived today. This morning, to be precise. Paid a couple of bills first (they were budgeted to be paid from tomorrow’s paycheck, but I decided to take care of them early). And then I found a pretty good deal on the T-Mobile website, so I ordered my next phone: A Motorola Razr+ 2024. I’ve had Motorolas before. When I first moved here, I had a MotoRIZR Z3 (the slide phone, not the flip phone).

And hopefully I’ll have a couple of cases and a holster for it here before the phone arrives. I remember dropping my previous phone and it fucked up the display. Now let’s see if T-Mobile doesn’t try to fuck up the trade….

Lessons Learned From The Laptop….

So, my weekend project wrapped up. And then I wiped the laptop completely again. Because what happens is I put it away. And then forget about it. And then when I pull it out, it’s slow, and it takes less time to restore and patch the system from scratch than it is to try and update it. And also with the forthcoming demise of Windows 10, it’s life was limited anyway. Yes, I could put OpenSUSE on it, but then again it’s going on 8 years old and it’s slower than a broken-knee’ed turtle.

So it’s wiped clean and put away. It’s current role will be emergency (as in total hardware failure in the main tower) backup. Where if I can’t even turn on the tower and I need a system while parts are ordered. And lessons learned say that it’ll be less time to install the OS from scratch than to patch what I already have at the time. Once upon a time I thought I could use it for streaming on the go, but my phone does that already out of the box.

It may be put away where my old tower once laid, but at least I won’t trip over it….

RIP Windows 7 and 8.1

I should point out since my HP Towers are now in the dumpster, I no longer have anything capable of running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. I had a preference for Windows 7, but I eventually learned how to tolerate 8.1. But progress is inevitable. And as computers got replaced my equipment became not compatible with them. I may no longer use them, but they will live on when I have to use compatibility settings to get my really old games to work on Windows 11+.

I guess this means I can also clean up my flash drives, and get rid of installation usb’s…

3 Computers Later….

I decided to try my hand at cleaning my room just now. My room does have a few nooks and crannies where old tech can be simply abandoned in place, and if I can easily reach it, it tends to be forgotten. So while my current project continues to update (see the past three or so posts), I made a couple of trips to the dumpster:

• The old HP Pavilion 500-314. From behind my tv. It used to be my Blu-Ray/streaming box. And then all of my streaming services became available through my cable box, and my Blu-Ray player (also abandoned in place) still had a remote. So it got chucked.
• The old HP Pavilion 500-214. Died in 2018 (why I ordered the 500-314). I simply chucked into the closet.
• The old Dell from the Tacoma Mall Pretzel Time. It was given to me when the Mrs. Fields closed, and I very quickly realized that it would’ve become a money hole.
• A couple of keyboards. No longer needed and/or missing keys.
• 3 pairs of shoes.
• The cushion from my very first big office chair. Which broke. And was replaced. The rest of it got chucked when it was first replaced,
• And all in all, 4 garbage bags’ worth of junk.

And then I was able to vacuum. Before and after, you might be able to see the difference, but I can. And that’s what counts. At least the only computers left in my room work….

Back to where I was last week….

Ok, so after 3 attempts to nuke it, I finally got my laptop ‘restored’. Debloated. Then got the current version of Windows 10 installed. The upgraded to Windows 10 Pro (with my Tower when I built them, I used the Pro version from the get go. Here it came with Home pre-installed, and I had to go through the Microsoft Store to get it to pro). Then I got all the store apps updated. Then I went to Windows Update. Which is where I am now. When I decided to kill it last week, there was one particular update that it was stuck on for over four hours and 20% installed. SO far, we’re getting a little bit better progress.

I still have to move all of my documents over. I’ll probably do this with my external HDD backup. I guess this project has one shining light to it: it prompted me to bring my back up current….

Yet Another Laptop Update, and why can’t I just leave things alone….

So I decided to give it just one more try with the system restore. Mainly because of drivers. This thing is so old that HP doesn’t have the drivers online for it anymore. So before I do anything else to it, I have to go in and take out the bloatware. But I’m making progress. And I’m killing time on a ‘weekend’ when I can’t do anything due to being after dark, and I actually respect my neighbors….

It’s older than dirt, but it still works…

Begin: Weekend Adventures….

Got home form work, and put the system restore flash drive in the laptop. And then went to bed. And woke up to a system restore failed screen. So now, I’m trying again this time with a Windows 10 22H2 flash drive. This time I got to a desktop, so now I’m running update on it.

While I was sleeping, my brother decided ate dinner. Only mentioning this because I decided about three days ago to order pizza tonight. And so my day off started with taking down an entire Dominos pan pizza in one sitting.

I think a nap attack will be forthcoming…..

Back From Wherever….

When we last left our hero last week, I decided the laptop had reached the end of its usefulness, and I wiped it with GParted. Fast forward to today, when I found the system restore usb flash drive for it. And I thought what the hell. So I’m factory resetting it. Why not? It’s a 17.3” Touchscreen, and while it is older that dirt and slower than molasses, it still does work. I just need to remember to turn it on once a month so it can update, I figure if I can keep Firefox and Chrome on it, then I can use it for streaming. Or when I do finally fuck my tower up to the point of unusability (which I’ve successfully done before), I can use it to at least order the replacement parts…

Barely Two Weeks In

And we already have Articles of Impeachment filed. Yes, it’s a long shot, but still a reminder that Cheetos-Face, the current occupier of the White House is ethically challenged….

And his first executive order (the one attempting to end birthright citizenship) has been indefinitely blocked nationwide by a federal judge. Somebody apparently does read the Constitution.

And his so-called plan for Gaza: ethnic cleansing. That’s what it is, pure and simple.

Render Unto Caesar, 2025 Edition

As you could probably guess from the title of this post, I just did my taxes. Another refund. Yes, I’ve heard of that a tax refund is basically giving the government an interest free loan throughout the year. But then again, I figure it’s better than having to pay. I’ve had that before, and the sticker shock of having a tax bill when your finances are already tight is nothing to scoff at.

But the main thing is once again, I’m dutch with the IRS, and I’m getting a little back as well…

RIP my laptop…

When we last left our hero, I tried installing Windows 11 on it. Fortunately, I wised up before anything got destroyed. So I left the laptop on while it still downloaded updates (it was last turned in December of 2023). And I noticed that it was just hanging. Rebooted. No progress. I’ve finally decided that it was time. Pulled out my GParted flash drive, booted it, and completely wiped the laptop. It has now crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. Although it could find life down the road with SuSE Linux (yes, I know it’s now OpenSUSE, but I like the old spelling)….

So I pulled my laptop out last night….

And it’s slower than molasses. Like it’s always been. But hardware wise, it’s still viable. On multiple occasions when I fucked my computer up to the point of unusability, it was available as a back-up. Slow, but still functional….

With the impending demise of Windows 10, I was wondering what would I do with it. On the first take, it wouldn’t work with Windows 11. But I use rufus when I create the flash drive to install it on my tower, and it does have the tools to bypass the system checks. So, that’s what I’m doing now. It may take a few hours, but hopefully it’ll remain usable. At least until my weekend ends and I put it away for another year and a half….

Not Henry V…

So, I have the night off (nothing special, just my weekend). And Peacock+ is covering the 6 Nations tournament. And I just the replay of France vs. Wales. France won with a 43-0 shutout.  Of course I had to think of Henry V (the Kenneth Branagh film). A king who said he was Welsh who went against the French. Unfortunately, this weekend, the French won….

So I pulled my laptop out tonight….

Pulled it out and turned it on. I’ll give it about 4 hours for windows to update itself. Although I think the record is 8 hours…

About two weeks in…

It’s been about two weeks into the Cheetos-Face administration. It’s increasingly difficult to separate the facts from the paritsan rhetoric and editorial bias. But I have previously posted that this, too, shall pass. And I stand by that. I live in a blue state. I feel that my congressional representative feel the same way as I do. So the best course of action is to just turn up my collar against the storm. Personally I don’t think he’ll even last out his term. My rediciton is he’ll be impeached and removed from office. If not, he’ll lose congress at the mid-terms…

Like I said, this too shall pass….