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[Telgin]

You could try just RMAing it again.  It's unlikely but possible they just sent you another dud.  I once went through a rash of dying hard drives in a laptop where I had to RMA 3 back-to-back to get one that worked.

They purport to have "repaired" the card, rather than replaced it. I don't imagine they would do different a second time, and I'm hesitant to spend more money on shipping and wait another three weeks if it's going to be the same damn thing again.

Ah, yeah, I missed the part about it being repaired.  It's possible that contacting their support and explaining the situation might get you somewhere, but I'm pretty doubtful.  Do they actually have separate channels for repairing vs. replacing defective equipment, or is their option?

[Lord Shonus]

In my experience dealing with component companies, "repaired" usually means "we replaced it, but we don't want to admit it because the customer expected to get mostly the same thing back" especially with things like graphics cards that are so integrated tracking down the bad part is a bitch and a half. Know a guy  who sent his in repair, and it wasn't even the same model (was the slightly better model, so no complaints) that he got back, although they claimed it was a repair.

[Sensei]

In my experience dealing with component companies, "repaired" usually means "we replaced it, but we don't want to admit it because the customer expected to get mostly the same thing back" especially with things like graphics cards that are so integrated tracking down the bad part is a bitch and a half. Know a guy  who sent his in repair, and it wasn't even the same model (was the slightly better model, so no complaints) that he got back, although they claimed it was a repair.

This is sort of what I expected to happen, but as far as I can tell it's the same card; a Radeon HD 7790, which is a card they no longer manufacture (and I'm loathe to replace since it's been climbing in price for a while). When I get the opportunity I'll check if the serial number is the same- if it's not, I guess I did get a dud twice and it's worth trying again. If it's the same, then one presumes they'll be just as incompetent in repairing it the second time as the first.

[Sappho]

I've got internet woes, friends. My ISP (O2 telefonica) is one of the worst-rated in Prague for customer service, but unfortunately they're also one of the only options. It's DSL. The only cable internet company is still not widespread and not currently available in my area. I've heard there are other DSL companies, but I'm having trouble tracking down any in my area, especially any who have English-speaking representatives.

So on a regular basis, the internet goes down. Sometimes for just a few minutes, sometimes for an hour, sometimes for a day. Seems completely random. This has been happening for many months (I've lost track of how long, at least a year, probably longer). Every time it happens, I try to contact tech support (which, I was promised when I signed the contract, should always be available in English), but every time I call I get a recorded message saying sorry, there are no English-speaking representatives available right now. Sadly, my Czech is not good enough when it comes to tech stuff for me to get help without English.

So this morning it happened again. I finally, miraculously, managed to get an English speaker on the phone. I'm pretty sure he's the only English speaker in the whole company, because I recognized his voice from the last time I managed to get through. He took my info, did some tests, and finally declared that everything on their end was working perfectly. He had me reset the modem twice, but there were still no results, so finally he decided it must be my modem that is causing the problems. He suggested I try getting a replacement cable today and see if it fixes the problem, and if not, then I must buy a new modem which, naturally, is no longer under warranty.

Now, I'm extremely confused. If the modem was broken, wouldn't it be... BROKEN? How can a modem connect 90% of the time but randomly disconnect for periods of time, then reconnect? Hardware experts, can you confirm that this is possible or likely? Because this has been going on for so long, I have a hard time believing the problem is on my end. It seems to me that if there were something wrong with the modem, it would be more consistent. (Furthermore, this has been happening for so long that if I had managed to get through to tech support earlier, the fucking thing would still have been under warranty.)

I'm not sure what to do. I'm looking for alternative ISPs, but so far I haven't found anything.

[Sensei]

Yeah, they're probably full of shit. That doesn't sound at all like a router problem.

[Tellemurius]

Do you see your computer actually disconnecting from the internet?

[Sappho]

The computer stays connected to the router, but the router itself disconnects from the internet. The DSL light on the router blinks slowly, as it does when it's trying to connect to the internet. During this time I have no internet access on the computer. It is extremely frustrating and irritating and the internet company says it's not their fault, which I'm pretty sure is a load of shit.

[Tellemurius]

Routers usually need to have the feature on first to allow those signals to push through, problem is though you need another computer in the network to send that request to turn on a machine. there are remote programs out there that can do what you need to do but you still need another computer in the office to turn it on.

EDIT: or if you have recent expensive router i do know some of those have the feature to do WoL via remote admin console.

[Delta Foxtrot]

I'm getting a new computer for the summer. I'm a bit puzzled by the operating systems though. XP has served my gaming needs well for the last decade but I have a feeling it won't be a good idea for a new rig. Most windows OS's I see mentioned tend to be Vista/7/8. My understanding is that 8 is some crappy smartphone OS on a desktop, but maybe that's just based on some baseless internet whining. Some info on which I should pick and why would be appreciated.

Secondly, I've figured that the best way to insure compatibility with older games is partitioning a separate OS/harddrive space for "retro" gaming. Are there any hardware considerations to be made prior to purchasing or is that something I can worry about once I have my new machine?

Third, if I do get a secondary OS for those games that hate 64bit vistas or whatever kids these days play with, would I be better served by XP, some linux or something else? I know linux has some compatibility options (Wine?) but I have no idea if it's as good as the real deal.

[Lord Shonus]

A "retro" OS isn't a bad idea, and XP will serve the purpose admirably, so long as you ensure that all of your hardware retains driver support for it.

Vista is absolutely pointless. It's next on the decommission chain (now that XP is unsupported, Vista is now the oldest supported OS), and has no compatibility advantages.

As for 7 vs 8, 8 is nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be, but offers absolutely nothing 7 doesn't, and has a number of fairly small annoyances. You're better off with 7.

[Aklyon]

8 is objectively less compatible with games. 7 is not.

[miauw62]

Yeah, go with 8.1 and install a custom shell. It's better under the hood and will last longer.

[Tellemurius]

Also to let you all know ahead, Microsoft will be sending out an update to add back the Start Menu around august along making some changes with the apps http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/23/5643328/windows-8-start-menu-return-in-second-update

[Akura]

What's the best way to deal with a waterlogged netbook display? Apparently getting mad and glaring at it worked, but I don't think that was the most practical solution.

[Tellemurius]

Well definitely need to dry it out, best option would be to disassemble the screen and let it dry out. for simple option put it in a tub full of rice.