odeon's ask away-thread

[Lucifer]

you've lost me now, you geekoids. 

[odeon]

Proprietary BIOS=bad thing
Bad thing=fucks up computer

[Callaway]

Just don't buy a Sony. Those twelve hundred dollar paperweights seem to spend a lot of time in the repair shop.

Now you tell me, after I already bought a Sony Vaio from your store.

 

[DirtDawg]

Just don't buy a Sony. Those twelve hundred dollar paperweights seem to spend a lot of time in the repair shop.

Now you tell me, after I already bought a Sony Vaio from your store.

 

Sorry, but I don't remember being consulted.

 

Honestly, a year ago I did not have the knowledge base of competing brands I now have. Talk about an eye-opening experience!

(I hope yours is a "good" one)

[Callaway]

Just don't buy a Sony. Those twelve hundred dollar paperweights seem to spend a lot of time in the repair shop.

Now you tell me, after I already bought a Sony Vaio from your store.

 

Sorry, but I don't remember being consulted.

 

Honestly, a year ago I did not have the knowledge base of competing brands I now have. Talk about an eye-opening experience!

(I hope your is a "good" one)

Good point.  My husband picked this one out for me.

I'll consult you when this one breaks.

 

[Lucifer]

Proprietary BIOS=bad thing
Bad thing=fucks up computer

<geeklet alert>

so the proprietary BIOS is why i can't boot up from my knoppix cd, yes?

[odeon]

Good question. You *should* be able to boot a CD, simply by telling the BIOS that your CD reader should be the first boot device, before the HDD.

[Lucifer]

done that.  it ignores me.  stupid pooter. 

[GalileoAce]

It ignores you!? How is that even possible? It's nigh impossible to ignore Lucifer

[Lucifer]

exactly!



it is obviously a highly sophisticated machine. 

[GalileoAce]

exactly!

it is obviously a highly sophisticated machine. 

Unlike....Us?

[Pyraxis]

Yup.

[DirtDawg]

Good question. You *should* be able to boot a CD, simply by telling the BIOS that your CD reader should be the first boot device, before the HDD.

In addition, most modern BIOS configurations include the option to select a particular boot device as a one-time choice, without affecting the local, pre-stored settings.

With mine, I press F12 during POST and it asks me which storage device to try first as a boot device. Some even support booting from a USB connected device.

 

[Pyraxis]

How can you figure out if your BIOS will boot from a USB device?

Like, say I want to run Linux off my laptop using a new external HD, instead of wiping part of the local drive for a new partition.

[DirtDawg]

How can you figure out if your BIOS will boot from a USB device?

Like, say I want to run Linux off my laptop using a new external HD, instead of wiping part of the local drive for a new partition.

Open your BIOS configuration and look?

(I meant, USB boot as a default setting)

Is your USB support part of the BIOS? If it is not, you're fucked. I think Win98 era is when that became part of the chipset standard. Any computer built since the turn of the millennium should certainly be able to do this.

I know some guys use Linux on a flash drive. They stick the little thing into any computer USB port, boot up, do all their work (or rip off files, burn disks, etc.) and leave without any trace of what they have done. The installed operating system never even knows that they were there.