What did you do today?

[Cenedd]

Finally got round to levelling the most important machine in the shop*....the coffee machine! Might sound like I'm being pedantic (that's hardly unheard of!) but it does seem to help when the water goes through the middle of the puck (we're talking espresso here rather than drip) instead of through the edge. Easier to get the cup in the right place too.

Happy new year to everyone. Hope this next one is better to all of you than this last one has been to me.

*Ok, it's not actually IN the shop, there's no space, but allow me some artist license!

[PStechPaul]

Today I decided to start using my Toshiba Satellite Win10 computer as my primary machine. I had been using it only occasionally, sometimes just to transfer files from and to it using my old sluggish Dell Win8 machine. It has been running but unused for several weeks, and I have occasionally noticed that it updated and restarted. So I went to log on, and it was taking forever to show the desktop. The screen occasionally would go dark, and then the unpopulated desktop would appear. I shut it down and restarted, which seemed fairly normal, and the log-on prompt appeared and was accepted, but then it seemed to get stuck in some sort of loop. I was able to use Alt-Ctrl-Del to open the Task Manager, and I was able to see the processes that were running. But it shows 100% disk utilization!

I was able to start up my Dell laptop, and I was able to access the files on the Satellite's disk, but it took several minutes to transfer a folder with 1.4 MB of data. And the screen is still stuck on the desktop, occasionally blinking black. I noticed that Windows Explorer was suspended, so I restarted it, but now it's suspended again. I'll look on-line for a solution, probably a safe mode reboot? Anyone else have this sort of issue?

[edit] I found a few resources:

https://whatsabyte.com/windows/fix-100-disk-usage-windows-10/

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12376/windows-10-start-your-pc-in-safe-mode

[mattthegamer463]

Redid my router table wing for my table saw, previously was just a router stuck upside down in a hole. A little better now. Need to work on my slot routing skills. Pretty sloppy.



Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

[Darren M]

Finished this saw refurb w/ modifications. I've needed a good saw and this one was a Craigslist find I just couldn't pass up.
Bainbridge 712
Before


After

[Jon Heron]

Printed out a choke box for my new CZ 20ga Bobwhite scattergun.
Nice and quiet New Years day here to geek out on the computing machine and printer!
Happy new years all!
Jon

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3327385

[PStechPaul]

It looks like the 1 TB hard disk in my laptop has failed. I tried some of the remedies suggested in links above, but it seems the drive has slowly deteriorated and now it will not even go to the log-in screen.


I took the bottom off and removed the drive:


I connected it to my EZ-connect device and hooked it up to a USB port in my Dell machine. It detected the drive but reported that the disc file system was corrupted and unreadable. I might see if I can get another drive for the Toshiba and use it as a Linux machine, and also maybe get another Win 10 machine. But I'm tempted to get one with Win7 or Win8. I have not been pleased with Win10.

[plastikosmd]

Trail work

[Cenedd]

It looks like the 1 TB hard disk in my laptop has failed. I might see if I can get another drive for the Toshiba and use it as a Linux machine, and also maybe get another Win 10 machine. But I'm tempted to get one with Win7 or Win8. I have not been pleased with Win10.

If you get a replacement, get an SSD that will fit. By the looks of it a 2.5" SATA either 7 or 9mm thick (or 7 with a spacer) will work. It will be so much faster it'll be like a new machine. Whether you want to run Windows or Linux is entirely down to preference. Windows 10 is not perfect....but it's not without its benefits either. Most of what irritates you can be changed or replaced or has ways around things. One of the benefits is that if you download the Windows 10 "Media Creation Tool", you can have it make an install stick using an 8GB memory stick (I think 4GB is too small if I remember correctly). Installing onto an SSD from a recently made stick will get you up and running in a few minutes - most drivers will either be already known or come down from Windows Update and there won't be a day's worth of updates to do like you get with Windows 7. It's a lot faster and less faff than it ever used to be. As it's already had Windows 10 on the machine (and you probably won't have an install key) you can just click "I don't have a key" and it will activate automatically since it now works by 'fingerprinting' the computer.

Hope that's of some help.

[PStechPaul]

Thanks. The local Microcenter has SSDs, $20 for 120 GB, $30 for 240 GB, and $55 for 480 GB. They also have HDDs, $10 for 250 GB, and $15 for 320 GB, but I think they are 3.5". Their 2.5 GB drives stat at $42.

I can buy a copy of Windows 10 Pro for $112. Or I can buy a Dell Latitude E6520 for $280, with 120 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM, and Win 10 Pro. Or an HP Elite Book 850 GR for $389 with 240 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM, and Win 10 Pro.

But those are all black, and I really would prefer silver or gold or any lighter color. Not a deal breaker, though.

My biggest peeve with Win10 (and 8.1) is that it won't run my TuboCad version, or any of the Windows Live programs such as Mail and Movie Maker. I was able to use Thunderbird and Power Director, but I really prefer the older, simpler programs. And the default Win10 Mail is crap.

[bandsawguy]

I finished a welding and machining project for a customer today. Then decided to see why the right x feed handle had so much play in it on my new to me Mill. Turned out the key way was wallowed out. Since I didn't have a broach or bushing the correct size I ground a single point HSS toolbit and broached it out on the lathe. It was kind of difficult to hold the handle in the four jaw but I got a new key way at 90 degrees to the old one and the slop is gone.

[RB211]

Walked around Hong Kong, just as I did for the past four days...

[Cenedd]

Thanks. The local Microcenter has SSDs, $20 for 120 GB, $30 for 240 GB, and $55 for 480 GB. They also have HDDs, $10 for 250 GB, and $15 for 320 GB, but I think they are 3.5". Their 2.5 GB drives stat at $42.

I can buy a copy of Windows 10 Pro for $112. Or I can buy a Dell Latitude E6520 for $280, with 120 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM, and Win 10 Pro. Or an HP Elite Book 850 GR for $389 with 240 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM, and Win 10 Pro.

But those are all black, and I really would prefer silver or gold or any lighter color. Not a deal breaker, though.

My biggest peeve with Win10 (and 8.1) is that it won't run my TuboCad version, or any of the Windows Live programs such as Mail and Movie Maker. I was able to use Thunderbird and Power Director, but I really prefer the older, simpler programs. And the default Win10 Mail is crap.

120GB gets too small very quickly. 240GB and above should be fine depending how much stuff you need to store on the machine. Seems very cheap though. Would recommend making sure it's a decent brand as you'll be trusting it with your data.
If the machine has had Windows 10 on it already - which you said it had - you won't need to buy it again.
The Windows 10 mail app is what it is but if you don't like it, Thunderbird should do for most things (Exchange being the exception - although I've not looked for a while, it may do that now). If you're in any way connecting to the internet (and email implies you will be) you're better to be using an operating system that is kept up to date against some of the risks and work out the software issues or alternatives as necessary. If you're running Windows 10 Pro, you could use Hyper-V to run a Windows XP virtual machine or if you're using Home, there are alternatives such as VM Ware Player that are free. That way you could run any software you need that won't run under Windows 10 even with Compatibility Options. You'd want a Windows XP machine never to go on the internet once fully updated though.

[DennisCA]

Not today, but keeping on welding and modifying a shop crane, not done in the picture yet. But pretty close.

[Fear]

The previous homeowner was a terrible carpenter. He seemed to like to spend lots of money on expensive lumber only to make it into really crappy workbenches. Lots of crappy workbenches that waste lots of space. I kept talking myself out of making a giant sacrificial fire to honor the great workbench gods because I thought there must be some way to re-allocate materials for something actually useful (besides heat and marshmallow toasting).

So here's the efforts of just some of the plywood and 2x4s from four crappy workbenches. Shelves made from 3/4" plywood. I think I could park a car on them without so much as a creek out of them.

Not so bad for free materials.

[Tungsten dipper]

That's quite colorful, and organized!