Do the linux failures quietly fade away?

[nishtya]

HaHa. Don't even speak such things, Actually you did get really lucky there. Cracked screens and spills into the keyboard are the number one cause of nightmares among laptop techs. I remember when I was on a consulting gig and they were having trouble with the laptops that had had an extra battery in them. Dell sent out their tech guy when ours couldn't find the problem. This guy knew right away the issue in the mobo but what impressed all was about the 200 screws he had to remove to get at it! And then put them back
has
Oh, mr mouse has survived the reassembly. But doesnt scroll reliably I gingerly opened my only other neutered mouse to get a gander of this wheel and clicker assembly Sure enough that spring I found did belong to the mouse and I learned there was another! Fate shined on me that I then found it! But I am trying to figure out what is wrong with scrolling. Could be mechanical or could be something to do with the circuit board getting a caffeine hit. I don't want to delve deeper into practice mouse and risk losing it to.

[champagnemojo]

Yes, I got very lucky indeed. I did open it up and clean all I could, but the touchpad part was hard to get to so I just had to do what I could. Sorry to hear about your mouse. I guess mice are getting more and more complicated nowadays. At least mice are cheap nowadays. Amazon has some optical mice that are under $5 after a rebate I think.

[turbine]

Just recently got DSL but here's how I handled my dialup before. Got an old second hand computer from Dell auction and keep win98 installed on it. (don't flame me everyone I don't know how to do this in knoppix yet). The win98 box connects to my modem. I turn on internet connection sharing. The 2 computers that me and my wife do our work on connect to this win98 box via a lan and we have them configured to connect to the internet via the lan also. She's running win98 because of the financial stuff that she does. I run knoppix. Worked great. When I got DSL i merely replaced my dialup modem with the DSL modem and things still work great.

[nishtya]

Hi Turbine. DSL is not available in my area. But am so sick of miserable dialup that I am considering ditching the landline (save 30US bucks a month) upgrade the cell plan (for another 15US bucks a month to cover it all) and then adding cable (I only use broadcast now so I am going to get soaked) and dumping my dialup. Time was dialup wasn't that awful. Now it is all geared to broadband users and I just don't think I can stand it another minute

[OErjan]

i remember when i paid ~55€ for a 3button serial mouse. now i can get a 3button optical scrollmouse for less than 12€.
i have fiddles with both microsoft and logotec optical mice (shortened the cables to be more managable together with my laptop...)
the scrooll mut be just so. of it is ever so slightly missaligned it wil become eratical. and the springs likewise (autoclicking, noclicking...).

[Cuddles]

Hi Turbine. DSL is not available in my area. But am so sick of miserable dialup that I am considering ditching the landline (save 30US bucks a month) upgrade the cell plan (for another 15US bucks a month to cover it all) and then adding cable (I only use broadcast now so I am going to get soaked) and dumping my dialup. Time was dialup wasn't that awful. Now it is all geared to broadband users and I just don't think I can stand it another minute

I know what you mean, I am quite sure, around here, we can get anything... As long as, ( 1 ) it is through the local (monopoly) phone company, and ( 2 ) you have enough money. I had considered the "lan" idea - with either my Knoppix as the local "host" server, and the "other" computer ( Win98 ) as the "client", or vice-versa... We dropped the "cable" through the phone company, and use Dish now for TV ( we only have local phone through the company, and use a pre-paid card for long distance, cause the whole "monopoly" thing was getting expensive, with ISP added... Local Phone Company had a big stink when we went to Dish, to the point they came out to disconnect the "cable", and ripped out all "cable wire" from pole to almost into the house, wire -=- saying it ALL belonged to them. )

It has come down to "needing" high-speed internet, now-a-days... It is almost "required", considering download needs, video conferancing, chat, etc... you can't get anything fast enough, unless you have it... We may have to just "kiss the local phone companies tush" and pay through the nose, and just get DSL, or cable, through them... But, we have only had "bad luck" with anything they provide... Bad connections, dropped lines, and we fear, since the "significant other" is an EX of a family member who works for the phone company, that our lines are "listened to", or just "made problems" with, because "they" can, or they "just want to", lind of thing... The Government seriously has to come into this "way too small" town, and realize just how much of a monopoly the phone company has here... We can't even get any other ISP here, because the local Phone Company won't give them local access phone lines - so if you want anything, it has to be through them.

Dialup is seriously looking like a dinosaur, and it just seems like some company like EXXON, or SINCLARE just has to come around and collect the crude from it. It seems like only yesterday, when the "big" thing, was going from a 28K modem to the "woo hoo big time" 56K... I guess it was only, enevidable, that "something" would be "bigger" than that... Gez, I am sure if you had one of those old 300 baud modems, you couldn't even "connect" any where any more...

BTW, if anyone wants to "start" a lucrative ISP here in Phillips, WI, I am sure that more than 75% of this town would "pay" for it, let alone, "back" them - but, be prepared for a fight, with lawyers and court fees, cause the phone company isn't going to give in without a "big" fight. Just be sure you have the government with you, and I am sure you could win... I didn't realize just how bad it is to move into a small town, after coming from a larger city - till you do...

Oh well, guess thats life,
Ms. Cuddles

[nishtya]

It's true Oerjan, I think it is like a fancy car that's been in an awful accident, it may look ok and run but it just doesn't handle quite the same. I don't do any gaming of the sort I do/did in windows. If I do boot up windows and want to play I will probably have to get another mouse. The clicker misadjustment wont get me past first level in a lot of my games and the scroll feels "soft" but it least it doesn't smell like eau de coffeeshop like my poor keyboard haven't tried that yet, will hook it up to OLD OLD computer and make sure it doesn't go POP

Cuddles, yeah I think I will have to figure a way to work cable into the budget. It is really starting to ruin my "computing enjoyment". The cable company offers a halfprice dealie the first six months. And with the other maneuvering it shouldn't come to more than a few dollars than I am paying now. In six months though, I will be up a creek. No raises for consultants actually my income keeps going down. I am making a couple of hundred less a month than I did in 2000 and with my salary that is a good chunk. Unlike the hardware, the connectivity costs keep going up :shock

[Cuddles]

Nishtya,

Want to start a ISP company in Phillips, WI. ???? ( could be the "business" opportunity of a life-time You might even be able to retire, with all the money you'd be making )

Seriously, people here, would be lining up to sign up, if they had the "choice" - currently, the only choice people have here, is, to have it, or not, thats it... The "Phone Company" doesn't have any competition, and can do "what they want", charge what they want, drop who they want, etc... Even, mess with people's phone lines / connections, and, what can you do, nothing - they are the "only" ones who have the services. period.

Ms. Cuddles

[OErjan]

just take it apart again and clean.
I have had mine "showered" in coke (a 1.5liter bottle spilling over, mouse in line of gushing...). it worked ok after a few times (more grime seems to emerge with use).
good luck.
btw use deionized water for cleaning (what is used in car bateries) or perhaps the more expensive distilled variant.

[nishtya]

Mr mouse came quite clean. It was only a little coffee managed to get between bottom of circuit board and a plastic ring thing around the optical lens/sensor whateveritis. But only way of getting it out was taking apart and not knowing the whole clicker/scroller assembly would go boing, well, it went boing onto the kitchen floor. I just think I have the springs and that wheel set up a little off. Buttons seem ok, really need to boot into windows to try it all out. Is a good optical gaming mouse or was

and Cuddles, little ISPs keep going POOF here. Can't imagine they would fair better in your boonies. I had one local after another (I preferred them to the biggies that try to shove their software down your throat). All went POOF in a few months and I wound up with earthlink. It was a bit of a pain to find the dun settings for them (they too want you to use their software) but I did dig them up. What's hilarious? The local but mega phone company here up until fairly recently didn't have a local access phone number in my area if I had wanted to go with them. I had called them to see if one of earthlink's numbers were local for me and she asked why I didn't go with their dialup service. Told her. She looked it up. And yeah, they didn't have a local number for this decrepid burg.