Computer questions you'd be embarrassed to ask any where else!

Dan Steely

It's been a while but the way I used to do was:

Start

Type "cmd"

Type "format e: /fs:ntfs"

without the quotes where "e" above is the drive letter.

Or this video shows how to do it in Windows

https://youtu.be/QfNMajoFJe4

Firblog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122187120#Comment_122187120

Right click on the USB stick you want to send the file to and select format, on the window that pops up go to file system and select NTFS, then click start.

Should be good to copy to it then.

muffler

Thanks guys. That worked. Much appreciated.

muffler

Problem no 2.

Got the video copied from one flash drive to another (as above) and posted to a relative so all sorted now in that regard. I was able to copy the video to my desktop PC but I cant see any way to cast to the tv. I tried playing it (flash drive) by inserting it into a Zgemma box but it wasnt recognised. I then plugged it directly into the tv but an error message read that the device was corrupted.

The file type is MP4. How can we watch this video now? Any advice would be much appreciated.

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122195873#Comment_122195873

Do you have a Chromecast connected to the TV or is Chromecast built into the TV (check TV menus)? If so you might be able to open the video in Chrome browser on PC, right click on it and cast it to the Chromecast / TV if all devices are on the same network.

If the mp4 copies to your phone it will almost certainly play in VLC Player mobile app and can be cast while playing in VLC. Some newer TVs will accept screen mirroring / smart sharing directly also.

The other option is cable your PC to a HDMI input on the TV. VLC is the player I use on PC. Plays everything.

FishOnABike

@muffler It might depend on the brand of smart TV you are plugging the USB drive into.

Both Windows and Mac can read from NTFS and exFAT. However, Smart TVs will often support one or the other. Sony TV's typically support FAT32 and exFAT, while Samsung and other brands typically support FAT32 and NTFS.

Check your TV's user guide to ensure the filesystem you formatted the USB stick with is supported by your TV.

muffler

Thanks guys. I'll check the tv later today.

The flash drive I formatted was posted to a relative. The drive I have here now is the one I got from a member of the family and he was saying that he also had to format it before passing it on to me.

muffler

Thanks for all the help guys. I checked the TV and it has chromecast built in so I was able to drop the file into Chrome and cast from the desktop PC.

Masala

any recommendations for a Teams and Zoom background??

Am using Blur most of the time … but would like to get something interesting.

Any thoughts ?..

niallb

What my son did when he was in college was tidy up his room and take a picture of it from his laptop on the desk.

He used it as a background for quite a while before we realised!

Masala

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122262221#Comment_122262221

Thats a good idea…. I suppose if I took a picture of my view from Bar Stool / Hotel Lobby etc.. I could then use that as my own personal background. Just got to ensure that when I save it - I save it in a certain resolution for Teams & Zoom. Thats another google job to do later!

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122262221#Comment_122262221

🤣 Dont work hard work smart. Hes going places!

NIMAN

I have a laptop with an SSD drive in C:, and a HDD as D.

Ssd is full.

Hdd is practically empty, but anytime try to install anything new, it's trying to put it on C.

How can I tell the laptop to start using D? I thought it would have been automatic.

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122289529#Comment_122289529

Most (but not all) software will let you choose install path after download / unpacking install files. E.g. change from C:\Program Files\ to D:\Program Files\. Some suggestions.

1. Uninstall software from C: and reinstall on D: EDIT: Amending this. Id keep programs you use daily / regularly on SSD as they will run faster. E.g. internet browsers, MS Office etc. Depends what you want to prioritise to run faster on SSD.
2. Clear all browsing data (Edit: I usually dont delete saved logins / passwords) and caches. Change browser cache directories to D: in browser settings. The cache directory is where your browser saves files off to re-use while you browse. It can build up.
3. Change all browser download directories to D: in browser settings. This is where your browser stores files you download using the browser.
4. Download ccleaner. Do as deep of a clean as you can. Ccleaner also handy for uninstalling software.
5. Install TreeSize. Free software to see where exactly space is being used on your drives.
6. How big is your SSD? You need at least 120gb these days in my opinion for a windows install. 240gb would be better. You can clone from an ssd to a bigger ssd easily enough. Then just swap the drives in your laptop.

NIMAN

Afaik ssd is 240gb and hdd is 1tb.

Everything on the laptop went to the ssd. Games, photos, apps, the lot.

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122289679#Comment_122289679

Definitely with games you can specify D: drive for install. If its Epic Games, Steam etc save data is kept in the cloud so uninstall / reinstall from C to D and specify in epic / steam settings to use D: from now on...

Charles Babbage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122289679#Comment_122289679

Also you can do things like change the downloads directory in your browser to D: and you don't have to store things in Photos, you can put them somewhere else.

I keep all my files on one drive while the software installs on another.

Wisecleaner is a useful tool for removing junk.

ottolwinner

I’d like to know an easy way to gather all photos from my laptop. It’s dying and I’d like to get them all before it goes kaput. Is there a simple way to search to find them all so I can download them all to an external hard drive. Thanks.

Charles Babbage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122289900#Comment_122289900

In Windows Explorer just go to C:\ and search (top right) for *.jpg and *.jpeg then you can copy from this window and it will identify the directories where files are stored.

Hey2.Hey2

You can search for multiple extensions using:

Ext: jpg OR Ext: bmp

(The 'OR' must be upper case)

Rather then just searching for files with specific extension(s) you can search for all images using:

kind:=picture

(Learned something myself …It seems the '=' is optional - Ext:=JPG or EXT:BMP)

Esel

Basic 'rule' is OS and programs on SSD, data files on HD.

How big are your My Documents etc folders?

Norrie Rugger Head

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122261989#Comment_122261989

I've a very nice vista only a few hundred metres from my house and have taken 5 pictures with different weather conditions .

Rotate as appropriate

Norrie Rugger Head

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122289710#Comment_122289710

Put games on a HDD instead of an SSD?

Generally no and you do NOT need to uninstall/reinstall, the launchers can move the directory themselves directly on the machine.

What you can/should do is create a new directory (assuming Steam or similar) on the HDD for less intensive game and leave games which need faster read times on the SSD, on the installation screen you'll be asked (in future) which directory you wish to use.

Game launchers are not tied to a specific drive.

Huge games you need to bite the bullet and leave them on HDD but you can move them around as needed so if there's a game suffering from being on the HDD, move other games to the HDD and that to the SSD while you're focused on that game.

Assuming you don't want to uninstall it afterwards, or face re-downloading, move it back to HDD when done.

Norrie Rugger Head

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122289529#Comment_122289529

Any time you go to install something it should give an installation path.

Most times the default to a C location and we all generally just OK over the screen. You can manually browse to the HDD drive and select that. Sometimes you need to select "Custom" or "Advanced" installation as opposed to "express" to show this option.

For games you will need to follow a few simple prerequisites and then, at install time you select which drive to use in a simple drop down

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122290225#Comment_122290225

Didn't know launchers can move games between drives. I have fibre but that's good to avoid a redownload if your broadband isnt great.

Of course having games on an SSD is better. OP has 240gb SSD though. I have the same size SSD / HDD setup on my PC as OP. I keep OS / most program files on SSD and all media / games / documents on HDD. All games run fast enough for me. Playing HL Alyx at the moment. Id say personal preference but I couldn't be arsed moving games in and out of a 240gb SSD around what Im currently playing. I also dont like having my OS drive full or close to full as this can slow down your PC in general. The other option is an upgrade. Larger SSDs are very cheap these days.

Jellybaby_1

Perhaps someone can advise on this problem. We have a few computers at home. The desktop computer I personally use in one particular room keeps dropping the internet!! No problems on other devices in the rest of the house. I asked himself what can I do, and he said do this:

Network & Internet Settings / Change Adapter options / Ethernet / Disable this Network Device / Enable this Network Device.

Then I'm back on the internet, until perhaps 10/15/20 minutes later and I do it all again. The problem is I have to do this so many times every day I'm just sick of it. Remember please, I'm not very tech savvy so tech language means little to me. Anything I can do to improve things?

muffler

Im pretty useless myself at these things so won't be much help but can you tell us how the pc connects? Is it Wi-Fi or cable?

tohaltuwi

Just one or two basic questions, do you have an Ethernet cable connecting your WiFi to your router? Have you used wireless? Where does your internet come in through the wall, location of router (the box thingy relaying it)? Location of tricky connecting pc?

bonzodog2

Check in power options, it may be putting a wifi card to sleep after some inactivity.

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122295003#Comment_122295003

I used to work in tech support. This was practically famous as a way to fix frequent connection drops.

A foible of windows is it has an agressive power management policy and sometimes, turns off some devices "to save power". Which makes sense on laptops, it should be completely disabled on desktops.

OP, follow the instructions on this page:

https://support.windwardsoftware.com/support/solutions/articles/66000487622-disable-power-saving-and-power-options-in-windows#:~:text=To%20Disable%20Power%20Saving&text=Choose%20your%20connection%20and%20Right,turn%20off%20to%20save%20power%E2%80%9D.