[clackers]

Any of you guys that can come over to my place for a few hours and help me out!
Regards!

The current generation isn't worried by touch-centric interfaces, Rupert, but I can suggest for you the free 'Classic Shell'.

You'll find it .... familiar.

[NicoleC]

Just downloaded Office into Windows 8......got a confirmation E-mail but then it took me an hour to find it on the system. I've heard there are ways to make the desktop more like XP or Windows 7.....I think I'm going to have to find out how that works, this start screen is not working for me.

The method is unchanged, it just looks (a lot) different. Hit the "Windows" key (or click it) and start typing the name of the program you are looking for; a search will pop up. The only difference is that you see the start screen instead of just the start menu. If you can't remember the name, when you are in the start menu there is a down facing arrow on the bottom left. If you click that, you can see all your programs. New ones will be highlighted. You can right click and "pin to start" frequently used ones.


Once a desktop program is opened, you can still pin them to the taskbar by right clicking the icon when it's in the Taskbar and selecting that menu item. I prefer the Taskbar for most frequently used programs.


If you want your start menu back, Start8 is $5. Looks just like Windows 7.


Windows 10 (they are skipping 9), which will be released in 2015, brings the Start Menu back but adds the organizing, live tiles and resizing you get with the start screen. Which is what us early testers told them they needed to do for Windows 8.

[Rupert]

Clackers/Nicole.....Thanks a bunch! Those suggestions helped me a lot. This is on Mrs Rupert's new Nextbook and I am trying to get it to something she can more readily recognize and use. This morning I downloaded Firefox and her normal home page and it already looks much more like what she is used to.
After using the Start page a few times, with the touch screen scroll down list of everything on the computer, I'm sort of liking what I see. I can go straight to anything from there and it is really quite simple....even for an old plumber! Next I am going to try to make the desktop appear more normal...it's pretty empty now, but maybe I can figure out how to fill it up?

Best Regards....You guys are really great to have around, always willing to help! Got a plumbing problem...just let me know!

[debmalya]

Good for you, eh.



Yeah, I do but I've had those drives die on me and have had corrupted files on them. Could just have been a dying drive too but I doubt it.

The reason for your drive dying maybe different from the reason for the OP's observations and problem.

Upon filesystem mounting, Windows sets something called a "dirty bit" on the file system. Upon graceful unmount such as by shutdown or eject, this bit is reset. On a hard disk drive system, if the computer is hard powered down the dirty bit remains set. That's when on a subsequent system restart you see the well recognized warning "One of your disks need to be checked for consistency. ...". On a USB/removable file system the message is "Do you want to scan and fix ...? There might be a problem with some files on this device ... blah blah blah"

As already stated by you and others, safely ejecting the device resolves this problem because it allows Windows to reset the dirty bit before unmounting the filesystem. This is the correct approach and its not limited to Windows by the way.

The "Do you want to scan and fix ...? ..." message can be suppressed by disabling the AutoPlay notification. For those of you who know how to tackle things in Windows, disable and stop the Shell Hardware Detection (ShellHWDetection) service. This will take care of the pesky message but at the same time you won't get any notification when you plugin a removable hardware.

Now to explain the cause of your drives failing based on your suspicion of pulling them out without ejecting - is quite valid. But I will make an assumption that your problem was in reference to removable hard disk drives and not flash drives. With hard disk drives, many of them are bus powered. The USB bus provides power to the device at the same time it reads/writes data from/to it. As you know, the hard disk involves a spinning media that's powered by a brushless DC motor. The motor draws power from the USB bus. The media spins at a very high speed, typically 5400/7200 RPM. The head floats on a cushion of air caused by the surface imperfections of the disk and never contacts the media. The clearance between the head and disk is in order of microns - less than size of most dust and smoke particles, that's why disks need to be hermetically sealed in a clean environment. When you power down a disk drive you need to bring the head to an unused part of the disk so that it can crash on the disk wihtout causing data loss. This part is called the landing zone (LANDZ). You may have seen this setting if you are an old timer and tinkered with BIOS settings. Typically the head is voice coil actuated and only moves towards the center when powered. Without power, a spring retracts the head to the landing zone. However, if you abruptly power off the device, its possible the head simply contacts the disk surface and drags on it while returning to the landing zone due to the lack of air cushion caused by the lack of high speed spin. You end up with a failure in the disk. So best is not to do that and always eject removable devices.

Again, these technologies are not specific to Windows operating system and therefore most of this discussion applies to computers in general.

HTH.

[NicoleC]

After using the Start page a few times, with the touch screen scroll down list of everything on the computer, I'm sort of liking what I see. I can go straight to anything from there and it is really quite simple....even for an old plumber! Next I am going to try to make the desktop appear more normal...it's pretty empty now, but maybe I can figure out how to fill it up?

Always glad to be of help when I can, and I'm glad I helped you.


Windows 8/8.1 is an entirely different animal on tablet and phone. Desktop annoyances become awesome on a touchscreen. It's Microsoft's usual downfall -- they release stuff before people (and hardware) are ready for it, then wonder why people get confused. My suggestion on the little tablet is to go whole hog on the new Metro start screen and apps, and save the desktop for when you need it. You didn't mention if Mrs. Rupert used any special software for her Sunday school class -- if she doesn't there is a whole wide world of software now to help those with disabilities. If she is the kind to tinker. If my 90 year old grandfather can do graphics and desktop publishing for his Sunday school class, it's not an age issue!


So... maybe you can tell me why suddenly flushing either toilet causes the plumbing to "moan" about 15 seconds after the tanks are full. Vent stack problem maybe?

[clackers]

So... maybe you can tell me why suddenly flushing either toilet causes the plumbing to "moan" about 15 seconds after the tanks are full. Vent stack problem maybe?

What an age we're living in when the barter system goes online! :-)

[r0ckstarr]

So... maybe you can tell me why suddenly flushing either toilet causes the plumbing to "moan" about 15 seconds after the tanks are full. Vent stack problem maybe?

Air in the lines?

Need more info. Location, age of house, type of plumbing.

[NicoleC]

Air in the lines?

Need more info. Location, age of house, type of plumbing.

House was built in 1962, on septic. Original(?) copper in, cast iron out, at least for the baths - the kitchen was redone years ago and it's all PVC now. I'm not sure what you need when you say location. Both toilets are very near each other and right over the waste water outlet.


I have access from the basement below and all looks fine down there. No drips, corrosion, loss of water pressure, slow drains, banging pipes or anything else I've noticed. Just this groaning sound all of the sudden.

[r0ckstarr]

House was built in 1962, on septic. Original(?) copper in, cast iron out, at least for the baths - the kitchen was redone years ago and it's all PVC now. I'm not sure what you need when you say location. Both toilets are very near each other and right over the waste water outlet.


I have access from the basement below and all looks fine down there. No drips, corrosion, loss of water pressure, slow drains, banging pipes or anything else I've noticed. Just this groaning sound all of the sudden.

I missed your location first time around, sorry. I asked for location to rule out any issues caused by weather.

If you would have said just one toilet makes the sound, I would have suspected the fill valve in the toilet. But, since you said both do the same thing:

I'd start by checking the vents, which means getting on the roof. If it is clogged, you might get lucky by running a snake through there. If not, call Rupert.

Another thing to try is to turn off the water to the house. Then turn on every cold faucet, then flush all toilets. Leave the faucets open for a little while to let everything drain out. Next, turn off all faucets and turn the water to the house back on and allow the pipes to fill back up. Flush a toilet and see if that cured the moaning sound.

If not, im out of ideas. I'm far from a plumber, just a home owner with an older house as well.

[NicoleC]

Thanks r0ckstarr. The kitchen sink did it this morning, too. It's definitely not a toilet problem.

[Rupert]

Thanks r0ckstarr. The kitchen sink did it this morning, too. It's definitely not a toilet problem.

Nicole, Google "water lines groan" and read the various answers at several different sites. There are more than a few causes, so it would take a lot of space here to cover them all, and these articles do a good job of it. If I could hear the groan on location, I could immediately tell if it was a water supply line problem or a drain obstruction problem (clogged drain/waste/vent) Which is what it sounds as most likely......but not hearing the familiar sound I can't say for certain. Air in water lines is usually a banging or "hammering" sound. Many times I have found nests of one type or another in vent pipes that have obstructed airflow.....wasps, small birds, a family of frogs once, and a time or two snakes.......which BTW...can enter and come up in a toilet.....rare, but it happens...bet you didn't want to hear that! Once got a call from one of my elderly widow lady customers in a panic! "I've got a snake in my toilet! " Yep, it was a big black rat snake and he had come in that way. She lived in a wooded area with lots of snakes so I put mesh guards on her vent stacks...after I got out the snake, of course! I don't think her toilet experiences were ever the same after that snake!

Back to the little 10 inch Nextbook Tablet/Transformer running Windows 8. After playing with it the past two days, getting some decent programs installed that Mrs Rupert uses often, and installing Firefox, I think this little tablet rocks! It's plenty fast, and once you understand how Window 8 displays and operates,it is not much different than my old XP on my desktop computer. The touchscreen is handy, the display is sharp and clear with good color, and overall the ease of operation is very good. I ordered her a mini Bluetooth mouse to make it easier than the pad on the keyboard, and found her a 16GB USB flash drive that has the full size on one end and the micro on the other....pretty neat! Got it at Staples for $12! I got her a case that holds the pad and keyboard and will get her another that only holds the pad for those times she needs a smaller package.
She sat down and used it last night for an hour or two, and I have to say she is thrilled with it...which is good, I just hate to get her something she doesn't like! My home office is full of cameras, lenses and other camera gear that she never wanted and has no use for........

Best Regards& Merry Christmas
Rupert

[r0ckstarr]

snakes.......which BTW...can enter and come up in a toilet.....rare, but it happens...bet you didn't want to hear that! Once got a call from one of my elderly widow lady customers in a panic! "I've got a snake in my toilet! " Yep, it was a big black rat snake and he had come in that way.

I believe that. Rat snakes climb trees then drop down onto your roof.

[Rupert]

I believe that. Rat snakes climb trees then drop down onto your roof.

Yep, they do, and several other types too, but I have never seen a venomous one go into a drain vent. Damnest thing was a whole family of tree frogs with those little suction cup feet. Like to have never figured that one out! They would leave the vent when I approached the roof from my ladder on one side of the house, then pack back in it after I had checked out the vent for obstructions and left. This went on several times until I got a glimpse of the last one leaving out of the vent. I went back down the ladder a little, waited and watched....they hid behind a furnace vent when I came up and went back to the moist drain when I left!
I was able to catch them all...it took some time, and relocate them to a little creek down the road. Hope they were happy there?

Regards!

[NicoleC]

Thanks, Rupert. I've read the various sites. My plan was to flush the pipes and then send hubbie up to check the vent stack. I'm the handy one and he's squeamish, but I can't stand heights, so he gets to do it. Your and r0ckstarr's comments don't seem to indicate a change of plan. If that doesn't work, call the plumber.


We have tons of snakes here, but no trees hanging over the roof. I love my rat snakes and king snakes; they eat the copperheads and rattlesnakes and the plethora of rodents. It seems to embarrass them when I pet them instead of running away.

My home office is full of cameras, lenses and other camera gear that she never wanted and has no use for........

HER presents, huh?

[Rupert]

I love my rat snakes and king snakes; they eat the copperheads and rattlesnakes and the plethora of rodents. It seems to embarrass them when I pet them instead of running away.

Yeah, I hardly ever kill any snake unless it is very necessary. This guy was a tough one, a bull snake that had a very nasty attitude. He tried his best to get a lock on me. Mrs Rupert was hollering to get the hoe, but I finally got him and took him and a bowl of water back to the Woods of Otis...he had only come up to the house to get a drink of water during a severe drought in the summer of 2011. Snakes are just trying to live too! It is a little unnerving when you are in a confined space working under a house and come face to face with a large snake....mostly they try to get out of your way and you seldom see them, but occasionally it happens. Depending on the snake, you do what you have to do.

To this day Mrs Rupert swears he was a rattler without his rattles, of course, he wasn't!


Regards!