Subj : Bluetooth To Ethernet To : Ky Moffet From : Barry Martin Date : Tue Apr 14 2026 08:38:00 Hi Ky! > KM> I need to set up a RAMdrive on Zombie, so the browser isn't using > KM> the M.2 drive that was then $60 and is now $370. > Just peer into the future to see if will be cheaper to replace a M.2 > drive or RAM! KM> Both are pricey, but RAM is more durable. So probably the better choice. > Actually not that hard to get a ramdrive going. First prerequisite is > to make sure one has sufficient RAM so not choking the system at the > expense of the ramdrive! KM> D'oh!! That's sort of something one watches with Raspberry Pi's: I don't recall doing nor reading about someone having issues with a 'choking' of the RAM but if one decides to give almost all of the memory shared by the video and processors to one or the other it won't boot. (Fix: take out the æSD card, edit a file, re-insert.) KM> I maxed everything out back when used RAM was cheap. Depending on the function of the system I generally did: I think I remember some have a capacity I could almost put the entire hard drive's contents in RAM. (Hmmm: super-quick access!) > > Back in the old XT days (my pre 'Super-XT') I had a 20 MB hard drive > > (no, any young readers, that is not a typo) and would spend time editing > > out extra spaces, etc., in files to get them to no larger than 2047 > > bytes. 2048 was the block size, so file=2049: one crammed-full block > > and a second block with a lonely piece of data spinning around. > KM> Yeah, I did the same thing!! > I wonder if it worked? Gain extra partitions, that is. Seemed logical > to do it. KM> You mean gained extra bytes? So long as you stayed within your KM> sector block size, yeah, it did. When sectors were coiunted in KM> hundreds or thousands, that could be significant. Probably was worthwhile then. KM> NTFS also changed that. It stores single-block files in the same KM> block as their MFT info, so they don't actually use any extra KM> disk space. So now we're editing the 2050 byte files! > KM> I have a lot of salvage in those boxes.... > Well between up here in the Computer Room and downstairs in the basement > at the Electronics Workbench section there are maybe a dozen Bankers > Boxes of parts, plus a bunch of miscellaneous-sized boxes just because a > Bankers Box wouldn't fit and was not wasting the space. > > At least by having the stuff somewhat sorted I can find it faster. KM> Mine is only sorted into "buried closed up boxes" and "open boxes KM> cluttering the floor". :) Well, I'll admit to having (more than a bit of) that also! > KM> The Easystore current has a Red inside, which is a good storage > KM> drive. Not as fast as a Black, but reliable (designed for > KM> datacenter use). > For backup the speed isn't the main criteria. For something like the > computers we're sitting in front of now we do want something fast. KM> Yeah. Once you realize how fast it CAN be, slower is annoying. Agree. One reason why when I build a new machine it's designed to be fast and last: super-quick access because I don't want to wait and I don't build them too often (because expensive and what do I do with the old one?!). > KM> 8GB are out of stock at the manufacturer level, so grab now if > KM> you're going to. > Thanks for the tip! I don't have any major builds planned for the near > future. KM> I did, but I don't now! That's good! Oddly I did come up with a project last night: going to watch a recorded show from the MythTV system, one MythTV Frontend failed to boot. Good News: the motherboard is old - before 2000. IIRC there is a restriction to the max memory it can take, which is restricting the OS I can load to it. (Not really a problem for MythTV, though probably will be in the near future.) The booting problem sort of reminded me of a failing SSD except I was received a GRUB error instead of a fsck error. Right now planning to replace the failed desktop computer with a Raspberry Pi and then 'play' with the failed system to practice recovery. > > So do you still need that coffee mug warmer?! > KM> LOL, I could use the HGST drive I've got, if it wasn't in a drive > KM> bay. > Another reminder to have good airflow! KM> Ah yes, other crap I need to buy: quiet fans. Yes, that is one thing I want to minimize: air flow noise. A little I good, none is potentially bad, > > Yes, you don't want to be scrambling at the last minute for a > > replacement as usually that will be the worst time to buy. > KM> And it's always when prices go up. They can see you coming with > KM> that desperate gleam in your eye. > Just about! I've snooped around looking for best product for my project > and of course price. Make decision - come back to the site next day -- > hey! the price went up! ...Though occasionally I have come back and > the price went down, so guess sort of averages out. KM> Amazon does that on purpose. Buy once, or put it in your cart and KM> leave it, and they figure they've got you so the algorithm raises KM> the price, significantly. Log out and look again to see the real KM> price. Thanks! I'll remember that. ...I generally do my price-checking in Incognito Mode just to avoid a barrage of "you still interested in this?" e-mails. Usually the same price when go back to buy in 'regular' mode. > KM> Yeah. Always buy the largest practical size, not the current-used > KM> size. > Right. Think I told you some time back I needed to replace the hard > drive in my MythTV Backend. Original was 4TB -- plenty of spare room so > planned on replacing with another 4TB drive. Hmm: for $20 more I can > get a 6 TB drive. Now lots of spare room! ...Eventually the Backend KM> Don't buy a WD 6TB drive right now, tho... they're much cheaper KM> everywhere than even smaller drives because they had a defect KM> recall and since the price spike the retailers could make more KM> money at gouging prices and betting on fewer returns under KM> warranty, than by returning 'em. Well hopefully that defect was after I purchased mine! You have any dates or serial number cut-off? > (MythTV isn't all that complicated to create but even they say better to > start from scratch than to update versions. Therefore I end up running > BE4 while creating and testing BE5 [my currently running system with the > 6TB drive]; BE5 will eventually be replaced by BE6. The BE5's 6TB drive > will either sit inside until BE6 gets created or the drive is needed in > something else.) KM> Software Leapfrog! Mixed with a bit of Hardware Leapfrog! I'll recycle the case, sometimes the motherboard, maybe increase the RAM, etc, Sometimes gut, all depends. > .. Path=DeskDrawer;Closet;BoxUnderBed;Bookshelf;GarbageCan KM> SEE?? No! I need a flashlight! ¯ ® ¯ BarryMartin3@MyMetronet.NET ® ¯ ® .... How can you tell when computer belongs to a Redneck? It's up on blocks. --- MultiMail/Win32 v0.47 þ wcECHO 4.2 ÷ ILink: The Safe BBS þ Bettendorf, IA þ RNET 2.10U: ILink: Techware BBS þ Hollywood, Ca þ www.techware2k.com --- QScan/PCB v1.20a / 01-0462 * Origin: ILink: CFBBS | cfbbs.no-ip.com (454:1/1) .