Fidcal

Haha! Don't get me started on Bethedsa! I still play Fallout 4 A LOT and rate it as possibly my favourite game of all time (can't really compare with previous eras like Thief but still, I applaud the game.) However, there are a ton of design flaws: Repeated very distinctive speeches (especially insults even from people you've helped) for one which drive me crazy after two years so much so that I literally mute my sound when I go to Diamond City and Good Neighbor traders. In Thief and Dark Mod we use brief coughs, sneezes, mumbles, sniffs, etc to give life to background characters, they don't say 'make a move and I'll kill you wastelander' every feggin time they pass behind your back or 'what you looking at?' when they're behind your back' or that stupid little girl in Diamond City who comes up to you and says her dad says she shouldn't talk to strangers or I wanna be left alone to which I scream so fuck off then why come up to me and talk to me!!!!!!!!!! AAAAGGGGHH O sod it, now you've got me talking about Fallout 4. STOP. wHERE WAS i? Oh yeah... Operating systems. Wot you say, Destined, is no excuse for the absurd, bizarre, ridiculous problems that M$oft cause. You can't seriously think it is reasonable that they put in a 'LOCK SCREEN' with no clue as to what it is or how to easily bypass it even on the very options page for the lock screen!!!!!! AAAGGGGHHH!! Oh, just discovered that when I right click the taskbar that neither properties nor settings are there any more so I have to search to change taskbar settings elsewhere. Good job then that I know one CAN actually change taskbar settings isn't it? Pity the poor beginner who never knew and will never know. Went on the net and read on the microsoft site that its a new feature (presumably it was too easy for people to adjust their taskbar properties.) Incidentally, despite that, I'm almost sure I did find properties on right click menu yesterday. Gone now. Maybe it will reappear another day. It's not the errors and bugs and faults, it's the VAST NUMBER of them that is annoying and the fact that M$oft have HUGE resources in manpower and experience and knowhow and money but still make a mess of it all.

OK, thanks all. I'll work through these bit by bit and come back. First, Stumpy, thanks. Found the Lock Screen settings but there is nothing there to disable/remove it. Settings - Accounts - Sign in options - there is no option to bypass/disable password screen - yet I know I've seen the option elsewhere (something like 'not use pasword for this user - which I've already set but I'll see if I can find it again.) I'll say it again in different words: M$oft are total arseholes. I see there's another thread here about not using Win10. Doesn't surprise me. If you google something like microsoft error or problem or fault or etc. you can get maybe half a billion pages (claims google.) Now those are not single users but webpages where there might be dozen or hundred of people complaining/worried/distressed - trillions of manhours wasted around the globe trying to figure out how to do stuff in Windows. Fuck M$oft. And if I sound bitter it's because I am. I personally have wasted hundreds and probably thousands of hours over the last 20 years since win95, Multiply by maybe a billion users?

Thanks, I'll look at all these suggestions in a bit. The lock screen I've seen a setting somewhere - I thought that meant lock rotation! Maybe I've set it on myself. That's the problem with no context info at the point of use. M$oft are total bastards. And if they'd blocked classic shell they are double bastards (which means they fathered themselves out of bedlock.) I've already downloaded two classic themes not tried yet but I think classic shell is a different thing for the menu. I've also got my SharpE shell up my sleeve but I can't install that for a while even if it works in win10.

I've searched the net in vain but can't find the answer. When I start up my win10 tablet after sleep it shows a full screen picture and the date and time. There is an airplane icon bottom right and another (forget what.) Touching either does nothing. Occasionally I've seen a third icon which is a power icon. That works to reboot which of defeats the object of putting the thing to sleep. In frustration I've pressed and swiped all over the screen. [EDIT Just discovered an upward swipe goes past it.] That then takes me to the password (pointless because I don't use a password.) So then I press the empty password box and get by it to the desktop. TEE - DEE - OUS! I have a faint memory I had a similar problem with Win8 (my main PC is Win7 so doesn't do any of this.) In the win8 I somehow got rid of that funny picture screen. Again, my faint memory of it was it might be called a start screen (not sure.) Any way to get rid of it completely? And the password screen? (I'm guessing the password screen might be impossible to bypass (yet I somehow did it in Win8 now I think back.) The daft thing is, if I fully switch off then later when it boots up fully, it goes direct to the desktop!! PS, Anyone else having trouble logging in here at Darkmod? On my Opera 12 it fails many times then sometimes works and I see Fidcal at top right, but when I then select say, Off-Topic, it says you need to log in to post!! So then I tried my Vivaldi browser, this failed a couple of times in a similar way but eventually it stuck and I'm in. What gives? (oh, wait, wonder if it's a cookie thing? I'll check.)

Incidentally, my old Thief boxed set box lid is the perfect size to make a support stand for my Galaxy E tab. I laid a thick book in there and wedged the tab (horizontally but with screen rotated around so the power switch is at the top) at the front. I can see the time but the date is obscured by the front side of the lid. I'm waiting a while before cutting down that front size. Hate to deface my historic Thief lid without good reason.

The impression I'm getting is that android manages memory by leaving apps running but removing the oldest accessed (by the user) as more memory space [edit: or processing power or other resources] is needed. Whether they remain on the 'recent apps' popup after being closed down I don't know without testing. The title 'recent apps' suggests they're NOT removed, otherwise it could be called 'open apps', so the popup might include apps the system has closed down. So, suppose you run say, a simple stopwatch program which is counting up. You set it going then use the 'back/esc button' to go and launch other apps, when you go back is the stopwatch still counting time correctly? And what if the system shuts it down? Then there's alarm clocks and reminder systems. Maybe they set a system variable 'don't close me down without user permission'?

Mmm... well it behaves exactly as if they are still running. I have Firefox set to NOT remember my open tabs after quitting. If I open another program then return to Firefox via the 'recent apps' icon then the tabs are open exactly as before and even the web page position. If, however, I close Firefox on the 'recent apps' popup (it does say 'close all' at the bottom not 'remove' or 'hide') then run Firefox again (don't know any other way to run it but to click on its icon) then it starts up at the home page. Hang on. Just remembered there's a list of running programs in App Manager - yes, they're all running.

Thanks, Biker. Downloaded your suggestion. Not bad. Got it up and running and nice and clear.

Seemed like a good idea at the time. The physical clock I have on a shelf near my armchair is the usual LCD - black on dark grey and my eyesight is not getting any better. Those LCD displays haven't improved at all as far as I can see since the 1970's. Well, I believe there are some where the grey is lighter but not good enough and, of course, one cannot tell from the crappy images on-line. So I was browsing around the net then remembered I had this old Galaxy in a drawer somewhere. Dug it out and put it on charge thinking once it's warmed up I can download a clock app in 2 minutes for free and see how it looks propped up on my shelf permanently on charge. HAha! Joke's on me. 2 hours plus later not counting charging time... well, you know the rest. So, yes, the in-built clock on the Galaxy is too thin and small for such use. No matter.

Sounds like I've got the official android for this then. Oh, well, there was no guarantee it would fix the problem anyway. Seems that Samsung hijack a null touch. What they show instead is quick settings and its in the settings for button order but not to be turned off. Crazy because I've never ever used it. The font is microscopic and the info is of no interest except maybe battery status and that's easy to check and they notify low battery anyway. Meanwhile, app developers ought to always show a menu icon for a few seconds each launch so it won't spoil the display once it times out and the user can choose how long it shows up to permanently. That way everyone's happy. Even me.

OK, got it booted up again! But where can I download android 5.0.1? I've been googling from website to website with nothing but clutter and confusion for my troubles.

I wasn't trying to get an apk file. I simply recalled that when I did a factory reset this morning (long story but it's not been used for months and the battery was dead then after recharging most everything was gone including the settings) I noticed an option to update android. Thing is, on this Galaxy, to do a factory reset or the above, you hold three buttons then release one when the screen changes. You then get some micro text with options using the vol up/down button as move and the power button to select. One option is factory reset. Another is this android update. Anyway, I've fugged it up good and proper because it's locked up totally with the screen on and even the last resort factory reset doesn't work. I can't do anything but wait a few days for the battery to drain then factory reset it again (if I'm lucky.) before the above, I tried in the settings to update the Galaxy sys settings but they were already uptodate (because by default it was set to auto-update.) I don't recall seeing an android update in those settings.

Worth trying. What I get is the message: Manual mode Applying Multi-CSC Applied the CSC code BTU Successfully applied multi CSC Now send the package you want to apply to the device with adb sideload <filename> I'm guessing it either wants a url or a path name on my pc or maybe I need to download the update first then run this routine. I'll google this to see if I can find out then try again.

Okay, thanks, everyone. Looks like the version I've got (3.2.088) doesn't configure on the Samsung Galaxy E. I'd already tried swiping stroking, tapping holding etc on the display and all I ever see is a system bar with option such as wifi and time and location etc. There's no 3-dot menu. I get that system bar on pretty much any screen even the desktop if I touch an area that's not doing something else.

Let's see... Tablet model is SM-T560 Android version is 4.4.4 By 'app' I suppose everyone means the icon? Yeah, I did try that before but forgot to include it in my list of things I'd done. When I first go to that screen I see the three little dot menu but if I click it then I only get display options for the system itself, eg, show suffixes, show hidden files, nothing else. If I hold the [app] icon for a couple of seconds then it selects it (check/tick mark on left.) That hides the 3-dot menu leaving only the trash icon and a new icon saying 1 item selected. Clicking that does nothing. This is the app: https://www.appsapk.com/digital-clock-shg2-free/ You can see it says: Color scheme and display contents can be changed. Alarm function (Day of week can be selected.). The default display is VERY faint blue digits on black, nothing like that shown. Thing is, how to config it? Or any app! I have another clock and can't config that either. What am I missing?

how?

Got an old Samsung Galaxy Tab E tablet. Took me months to discover that 'recent apps' really means 'running apps' like Windows taskbar and that's where you CLOSE them! I've left apps running all day because I had no idea how to stop them! Anyway, what I can't figure out is how do you configure an app? I mean in Windows software there's usually an options menu if any config is available! I just downloaded a digital clock which was described on the download site as having various customisation and can even set an alarm. How? Is there some standard method in android? Tried: Google - hopeless. I don't think they could believe anyone could not see how to configure an app unless they meant software engineers writing an app. Right pressing clock display (touch screen) but no menu popped up. Manage Apps in main tablet settings - but this only gives a few basic tablet settings that apply to that app. Hitting screen with forehead - no effect except for bruising and headache.

SOLVED! The problem was caused by McAfee Anti-virus bloatware that was pre-installed on this new pc. I uninstalled it and voila! - my email is working! It's true what they say - many anti-virus programs are worse than viruses! There was no message or anything from McAfee - they just blocked me from receiving email silently behind my back. Anyway, I'm dead chuff now it's solved!

Is that in the router, the email program, or in a Windows setting? I just successfully SENT a test message but cannot receive. In the email program it has Port 25 for the incoming mail. Can't see anything about TCP though.

Just setting up my new Win 7 pro PC. I have internet connection okay (using it here!) Problem is, I just installed my Courier Email program - correctly gave it permission to access the net through my firewall - but checking for email just gets a winsock error: WINSOCK Error: Connection refused. (The requested mail service is not running on the designated server. Verify the server name or contact your System Administrator). Connection to socket failed. Now, I know the mail service IS running on the server because I just used this exact same program and mailbox on my Win XP PC minutes before. I simply checked my email as normal on that machine, received email okay, saved the mailbox, copied it over to this new pc via a flash drive - but get this stupid error when I try to get email with the exact same email program and config. Google didn't help. Any ideas anyone?

Ah, thanks Jetrell, that's the one! I would never have remembered that name because it's so... unmemorable! Sadly, I can't find it anywhere in my DVDs so have to assume I recorded it from TV onto VHS tape. I had those tapes lying idle for well over a decade with nothing to play them on but reluctant to throw them away. Finally, within the last year, I made the decision to dump them without looking at the labels else I'd never have done it. Oh, well, maybe I'll order it on DVD...

This is driving me nutty. Going through my old dvds I vaguely recalled a movie I liked but can't remember its title. This is all I can remember: Very wealthy guy. Sort of Mel Gibson or George Clooney clean cut type (but not wisecracking in this movie where he's more desperate.) I can't track it in any of their filmographies. He kind of has to relive part of his life differently or his world changes anyway somehow. One of these moral messages like It's a Wonderful Life. I think he wakes up at home in bed and everything's changed and he doesn't believe it at first. There's a wife but I can't recall maybe in the previous life she'd left him. Another scene: he's at home. Little kid, not sure if girl or boy but he/she is the only one who realises he's not who he's supposed to be. I think he/she says something like 'where's my real daddy?' One scene I recall he goes to this big office block (glass fronted etc). He owns the block or at least is president of the company or maybe its just a swanky apartment block. Anyway, the doorman (probably a black guy but not sure) won't let him in because he doesn't know him. There might be some supernatural person/angel whatever appearing now and again to tell him stuff. I got deja vu that a few years back I was also searching for this movie and it took me hours. I'm sure I've watched this two or three times already. I'd guess it's a late 90's or early 2000's date. Hope it wasn't on an old VHS tape 'cos I threw those out now I don't have a player. Not much to go on but maybe one of you will recoginise it? Please?

Hi, Springheel. Well, I've not done any mapping or anything like that for quite a while but I do play a mission now and again! I sometimes come here to browse around and see what I'm missing or to use this off-topic thread to get some friendly free advice. I'm mainly still preoccupied with writing fan fiction, and getting good reviews for my stories too which is very rewarding.

Thanks kano, LXDE seems to tick most of my boxes. I can configure launch bars with a taskbar and a separate sys tray. Some reservations. Kept losing sight of the tiny black icon on dark screen. I have found a setting where it seems I can install new pointers so I'll check that out some time. The main 'panel' can show large text and small icons but limited items to add directly to it, whereas a launch bar within the panel can have any installed app but is icon only! That's where I want large text but get none at all. I think many hands worked on different parts of those systems so its inconsistent. Still better than M$oft but not as good as my own launcher which has well over a hundred items in coloured group columns. So, if I want Firefox, I click on 'Firefox' in the internet column. I don't have to wonder which icon does what because there aren't any! Icons are great in their place where space is restricted (like Dark Radiatn), but you have to slowly learn them all. It's funny that the LXDE panel can let you set icon only, icon with text (side or below) or text only. Why can't everything have that? The launch bars are icon only. So close to being ideal but not quite. I've not given up on it yet though. I'll check out the others as I find time. Thanks everyone.

Thanks, yeah, I gave up on the old machine for testing Linux desktops so just using my main pc where they all seem to boot up ok.