Reposted by RichardM⑨ddie @mjdxp.labyrinth.zone.ap.brid.gy · 02/10/2026okay, that's pretty good 52740
Richard @messaroundery.net · 07/09/2026This Windows 10 install was so messed up that it fell back to the hidden Windows 7 Basic theme. The built-in reset feature miraculously brought it back, and the clock on year 3224 somehow wasn't a hardware fault. 011
Richard @messaroundery.net · 19/08/2026I've had this Pokémon Go Plus autocatcher with a Chinese rechargeable battery (slots in place of a CR2032) for who knows how many years, but it's now having random charging issues. Micro USB needs rework, but it's also hard to tell if a cell this small has become a spicy pillow. 010
Reposted by RichardRairii :win3_progman: :win3: @rairii.labyrinth.zone.ap.brid.gy · 04/08/2026i didn’t think it was physically possible, but there’s finally something worse than `curl | sh` 16245280
Richard @messaroundery.net · 01/08/2026It's been a while, but I'm still having fun with obsolete electronic repairs, starting with a ThinkPad T420 board I damaged in 2019 by using a wrong screw. I got a new board back then, which has now failed, so I had a go at the original with the skills I've acquired since. 110
Richard @messaroundery.net · 18/05/2026I'm one of those obtuse people who stayed on Windows 10 for the classic XP/Vista taskbar option. Microsoft are trying hard to bring customization back, but it'll only be good enough for me if they fix the different button sizes when labels are enabled. arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026...arstechnica.comFive years later, Windows 11 brings back much-missed taskbar options (and more)Microsoft is also testing a smaller taskbar and more customizable Start menu. 000
Richard @messaroundery.net · 02/04/2026Just repaired a laptop with a built-in analog horror generator. 2135
Reposted by Richardtechknight @thetechknight.bsky.social · 06/12/2025I propose a solution to our ongoing RAM shortage: 301824483
Richard @messaroundery.net · 23/10/2025This Sony Vaio laptop circa 2010 has, among other issues, a leaking NiMH CMOS battery instead of a regular lithium cell. Party like it's the 1990s Varta bombs. 020
Richard @messaroundery.net · 13/10/2025Unearthing an Android app that hasn't been compiled in years is always fun. You have SDKs, JDKs, Android Studio telling you to install a different Gradle every step of the way, small Gradle syntax changes, library dependencies that were lost to the JCenter shutdown... 000
Reposted by RichardAlice Averlong 🏳️⚧️ @alice.averlong.com · 25/08/2025if you love something, take it apart until you understand it, then share it with the world. 23532135
Richard @messaroundery.net · 12/08/2025A cheap window air conditioner gave me quite the scare a while back. Control panel was acting weird and eventually started making arcing sounds. Looks like the switching power supply for the electronics failed catastrophically. 030
Richard @messaroundery.net · 28/07/2025My old Wikipedia Chain experiment (inspired by xkcd 214) is now working again after modern browsers broke it. Also added the ability to start from a random page. richardg867.github.io/wikichain The Fediverse bot at mastodon.xyz/@wikipediach... is still going after years of zero maintenance.richardg867.github.ioWikipedia ChainClicking random links on Wikipedia articles couldn't be more fun. 021
Richard @messaroundery.net · 25/07/2025The ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2nd Gen has many flaws, but requiring a SATA M.2 SSD (now a cursed form factor) takes the cake. In upgrading this machine, a brand new WD Green kept crashing so I had to fall back to a China special. 031
Richard @messaroundery.net · 15/07/2025Had a BSOD today, and a frame from the video I was watching managed to sneak in through the GPU video decoder! 021
Richard @messaroundery.net · 27/06/2025Built a bulk hard drive testing rig for validating a job lot of old drives. Horrible chain of power adapters as this PSU has the 5V capacity but very few connectors. Even got an IDE-SATA converter (works surprisingly fine) for the 7th drive. 020
Reposted by RichardTomb💀Time @tubetime.bsky.social · 24/05/2025The existence of Norway implies the existence of Nandway. 1213519
Richard @messaroundery.net · 05/05/2025In trying to clean the sticky rubberized finish on this old laptop, I ended up stripping a chunk of the coating, then asked myself: why not go the rest of the way? It looks way cooler than I expected. Happy little accident. 173
Richard @messaroundery.net · 16/04/2025There's lots of speculation as to what exactly makes an USB-C dock incompatible with the Nintendo Switch. One factor is Power Delivery: docks tend to reduce the advertised current (because their USB ports need power) just enough to fall below the Switch's 15V 2.6A requirement. 010
Richard @messaroundery.net · 02/04/2025The Thunderbolt port failure issue with some ThinkPads bit me... or so I thought. My X390 showed some (controller gone) but not all (15W charging) symptoms, and I'm sure it already had the fixed firmware. A hard reset through the bottom pinhole brought it back to normal. 000
Reposted by RichardAndy @therasteri.bsky.social · 12/02/2025The Windows API is... wild. You're trying to change the color of a button and the answer is like "use setwindowshookex to inject a dll back into its own process using some undocumented GUID" and you're like, surely this is a hack, but its how Word 97 did it so it's part of the official docs now 021
Richard @messaroundery.net · 20/03/2025Had to deal with an Android app that wouldn't build because two dependencies are pinned to versions that were only ever uploaded to JCenter which is gone now. Just those specific versions, all others are on Maven Central. Guess I'm too used to centralized repos like PyPI and npm. 000
Richard @messaroundery.net · 12/02/2025Latest adventure: fixing the cooling on ECS Classmate PC netbooks. The Atom CPU throttles under sustained load because all it has is a tiny fan pulling air through a thin metal plate. Friend suggested adding a thermal pad between metal and plastic, which I've seen done before. 100
Richard @messaroundery.net · 08/01/2025Cursed capacitor 2.0: it gets worse, as this time it was soldered on at the factory. Yet another FIC Core 2 Duo laptop from a local OEM. 261
Richard @messaroundery.net · 16/12/2024Obligatory: who is "we" and why are they in my computer? The magic option may or may not be "Suggest ways I can finish setting up my device to get the most out of Windows", which was still enabled on this machine. 010
Richard @messaroundery.net · 08/12/2024One way to practice electronics repair is by doing questionable fixes to laptops nobody would touch these days. 2x ThinkPad X200 with failed input protection MOSFET, replacements fail again instantly, my bypass jumpers (with solder wick + lots of solder) work... at least for now. 030
Richard @messaroundery.net · 28/11/2024Latest oddware find: Zotac IONITX-S-E motherboard, from that time Nvidia sold "ION" as a replacement for the awful Intel iGPU in Atom systems. First generation was a full 9400M chipset (as used in MacBooks); this is the second one which is a GT 210 connected through PCIe Gen1 x1. 100
Richard @messaroundery.net · 18/11/2024Protip: don't let a Windows 11 machine run with no disk space for an extended period of time. UWP falls apart, you lose search and the Terminal, and fixing this is a world of hurt. I got away with an OS reset followed by manual repairs, but reinstalling is best. 000
Richard @messaroundery.net · 11/11/2024Bad SATA cables are a recurring issue in old HP office PCs I deal with. The rubber insulation gets sticky, flakes off everywhere and is a pain to clean. Only the black cables in 1st-3rd gen machines (like the once popular 8200) do this; gray ones in older Core 2/Athlon II are OK. 000
Richard @messaroundery.net · 04/11/2024Just dug up a "Coov N100 Plus" Nintendo Switch controller converter from many years ago. Was in firmware update mode, the file has disappeared from the web but I found it in my data hoard. Unfortunately this device is too old for Xbox Series controllers. messaroundery.net/assets/files...messaroundery.net 000
Richard @messaroundery.net · 16/10/2024Watched two videos in a row - today's Linus Tech Tips and an uncredited snippet here youtu.be/f1v1gWLHcOk?... - featuring RetroZilla on the Wayback Machine. I always wonder if it's my WaybackProxy; the status bar showing loads from web.archive.org makes me think it is.youtu.beTeaching an Old Mac New TricksYouTube video by Hunter Irving 000
Richard @messaroundery.net · 14/10/2024The ongoing WordPress dumpster fire has motivated me to finally migrate my blog. Not thrilled about paying Automattic a few bucks a year to redirect the old subdomain, but it is what it is. messaroundery.net/blogmessaroundery.netBlogI like writing about tech and maybe other stuff. 000
Richard @messaroundery.net · 05/10/2024Today on datasheet lies: Intel 4x chipsets (for Core 2) supposedly limiting PCIe x16 to x1 if integrated graphics are enabled. This Q43 system runs an NVMe SSD at Gen2 x4 speed (albeit CPU bottlenecked) alongside the iGPU. x8 may work; no x16 due to pin sharing with DVI/HDMI/DP. 110
Richard @messaroundery.net · 19/09/2024This old but never used USB extension cable spooked me with the Windows device sound when I plugged it in. Turns out whoever designed this found it better to build a single-port hub (at least it's actual 2.0, not the fake full-speed-only ones) than use a dedicated redriver chip. 120
Richard @messaroundery.net · 26/08/2024Very cheap USB analog capture device vs. a Conexant-based AVerMedia PCIe card, pictured capturing the S-Video output of a Chinese GeForce FX5500 card. The PCIe card has great quality, but ancient Windows drivers that sometimes just quit working and even knocked out my OS once. 010
Richard @messaroundery.net · 17/08/2024Turns out Linux can try to read the partitions on an *Atari ST* hard drive. This isn't one, just a regular 2 TB drive filled with 0x55 bytes by badblocks, which ended up being detected as AHDI with 4 equal 682.7 GB partitions. Not enough magic signatures in the format I guess. 000
Richard @messaroundery.net · 15/08/2024This USB keyboard's packaging unearthed the name people wouldn't stop calling Windows 7 during its beta period, I vividly remember. Bonus: Mac OS 9 (but not X) mentioned. 000
Richard @messaroundery.net · 12/07/2024Oh look, yet another Adobe ploy to try and get people locked into their ecosystem. Long expired because this is a clearance bin SSD dated late 2022. 000
Richard @messaroundery.net · 03/07/2024Cursed tech support call: this Samsung phone got *very* confused by a broken charging cable and started dumping more than 5V (presumably the main rail) out the USB-C port. It shut down two computers which thankfully survived without damage. Rebooting brought it back to normal. 010
Richard @messaroundery.net · 21/06/2024Long shot PSA: Apple has silently replaced their well-regarded USB-C headphone dongle with a new model (MU7E2AM/A -> MW2Q3AM/A). No info on differences yet; I ordered the old one to use on a Samsung, got caught in the change, now my order is stuck and I'll have to call them. Fun! 100
Richard @messaroundery.net · 11/06/2024If that blog post I wrote a while ago didn't make it clear: Creative's sound drivers are pure unadulterated quality. 000
Richard @messaroundery.net · 02/06/2024Watching people discover the talking BIOS is always fun. richardg867.wordpress.com/2020/04/30/o... twitter.com/lazygamerevi...richardg867.wordpress.comOddware: ASUS P4B card reader and talking BIOSMotherboard gimmicks were pretty different in the early 2000s. 000
Richard @messaroundery.net · 30/05/2024Got this self-encrypting Seagate among a pile of random hard drives. Identifies as "HP Secure Hard Disk". Was tricky to unlock, because a PSID reset with sedutil only clears the encryption and not the ATA user password, but an "instant secure erase" with SeaTools got rid of it. 010
Richard @messaroundery.net · 28/05/2024I gave GPT-4 a budget of $100 and it told me to switch to a mobile browser that can run an ad blocker before I go crazy. Or "browser security software" as I overheard someone calling them, I'm using that term now. 000
Richard @messaroundery.net · 26/04/2024I've always kept an IRC client active for old time's sake. I just discovered that my current internet provider sometimes disconnects me from IRC multiple times per hour for no reason, and that has got my IP banned from at least one network. Guess it's time to retire that client. 000
Richard @messaroundery.net · 12/04/2024Testing the lower limits of USB-C charging on two laptops of a similar age. ThinkPad E490 is my daily driver, 12W barely keeps up with idle power draw; Latitude 3410 can't charge another 3410, as it accepts 9V if powered off but not 5V. Not an ideal test as my cables sag ~0.5V. 110
![richard@nas:~$ sudo dmesg | grep sdc
[ 2.131181] sd 0:0:2:0: [sdc] 3907029168 512-byte logical blocks: (2.00 TB/1.82 TiB)
[ 2.131183] sd 0:0:2:0: [sdc] 4096-byte physical blocks
[ 2.262290] sd 0:0:2:0: [sdc] Write Protect is off
[ 2.262300] sd 0:0:2:0: [sdc] Mode Sense: 7f 00 10 08
[ 2.263324] sd 0:0:2:0: [sdc] Write cache: enabled, read cache: enabled, supports DPO and FUA
[ 2.397926] sdc: AHDI sdc1 sdc2 sdc3 sdc4
[ 2.398929] sd 0:0:2:0: [sdc] Attached SCSI disk
richard@nas:~$](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4uoxrx2ownskdgo774rc3rke/bafkreigt6lwqqkgpfcdghrjikyj2rdxm5or3l43oslb4wvlrma3z6j5rqe)
