I’m thinking of picking up a used ThinkPad on eBay for cheap to serve as my daily driver. I’ll likely run LMDE, and primarily use it for web browsing, office programs, coding, and FreeCAD. Any recommendations on which model would best hit the sweet spot of capability vs price?
Could be. I do have some significant Thinkpad experience (going back to the IBM days) and I do know that they will not alter the model number regardless of what's in the machine, but you can pull a build sheet from their website with the serial number. Do you know if your HPs could have had this happen? Was your distributor HP or elsewhere? (Not hating, just curious!)
Capacity loss over time is a decent idea. The 2nd Gen machine has an 11th Gen chip, vs 10th Gen in the Gen 1, and quiet possibly is able to burn more power quicker as well. Thinkpad power consumption is also definable in the BIOS or Vantage software for many of them, so those settings all could vary.
Normally I'd be happy to help troubleshoot this sort of thing but frankly I'm not sure OP was looking to chat.
I chose Debian 12 as a solid and stable base. Which of these shipped DEs is the best for this particular laptop series and Windows 10 like user experience?...
If it's "unbearably slow" that is an indication of drive failure especially on old boot drives. Linux will not fix this.
After that, Cinnamon if they like windows. Gnome if they don't or don't care.
Pop os is a great "fire and forget" OS for normal users. I work in a computer shop and have seen tons of not-knowledgable people run it without issues.
Partially dead CPUs can absolutely still POST and boot. I work in a PC repair shop and see it all the time. Everything will work totally "fine" and you'll get weird errors here and there similarly to failing RAM. You have to run a dedicated CPU test like the ones in OCCT (Windows-based, don't lynch me) or similar to see if you're getting WHEA or other errors.
The reason for this is that a lot of CPUs have built in redundancy to get around having imperfect silicon, and sometimes that is enough to make the system still work, but not be quite "right".
The good news is, if you are producing such errors, you usually have a 3yr warranty on most CPUs and the OEM will RMA them for you.
That's the name of the program. You can search it and it'll pop right up. It is now owned by Cooler Master.
Once you download it, you can run either the CPU Srress test or the Linpack test (this is for Intel mostly as it is their proprietary test) and it'll run while looking for math or WHEA errors.
While you're doing science, I would also recommend doing a RAM test with memtest86+. You download the .iso and make a bootable drive, and boot into it. Both RAM and CPU can make similar weird failures so checking both is a decent idea.
I got the T460 refurbished and I really didn't want to run Windows 10 on it. I last used Linux for any real length of time a good 20 years ago, so I'm pretty inexperienced with it at this point and I had to figure out how to install it myself....
This sounds like it was strictly the fault of the USB load. If you make a UEFI USB (you should use Ventoy, it's great btw) all you would need to do is shut off Secure Boot and install.
Most bootable drives don't support Secure Boot. You turn it off, do the install, and turn it back on if you want it. I personally just leave it off.
Outside of those caveats everything you described is industry-standard stuff. Nothing to do with Lenovo.
Linux needs to grow. Stop telling people it's 'tech-y' or acting like you're more advanced for using it, you are scaring away people. Linux Mint can be used by a senile person perfectly....
Hey there. I run Linux on my daily but also work in a Windows-centric PC repair shop.
"Official" answer: You can move your key over to a new mobo by signing in to Windows with a Microsoft account, installing your new hardware, and activating Win 11 through the Settings->Activation->Troubleshooting (button)->"I recently changed hardware". And that will pull your key back down from your account. But it does lock you into an account.
"Unofficial" answer: you can absolutely update to Win 11 on old hardware. The easiest way is to boot a Win 11 iso in Ventoy. That works fairly often. You can alternatively edit the installer to not do the TPM check in the installer, which you can search for guides for online/YouTube.
Alternatively: you can hop on g2a, kinguin, etc and buy Windows keys cheap.
To be clear I know this is all bullshit, but it's options. Hope this helps!
I was talking to my dad yesterday and he talked about how he dual booted windows and Linux in his college days. I immediately left to download Ubuntu, I feel so dumb for forgetting it’s an option. I literally only use windows so I can play Fortnite with friends. PSA: you can have both Linux and Windows, or you can use a vm in...
As others have said, I also highly recommend physically separate drives. I have found both Linux and Windows affect each other sometimes especially when you’re getting your bearings with dual booting.
For instance, after running Linux the clock in Windows will be wrong. And Windows will eat the Linux boot partition especially after feature packs (formerly called service packs), which come out about 1-2/year.
It's true. I work in a computer shop and we see literally thousands and thousands of dollars lost from people clicking on ads that look like normal buttons (things like "Download", "Next", etc). And not just the elderly either. Everyone has a a combination of inputs to get scared and comply. Folks that are otherwise extremely competent and savvy can get scammed too.
The best security you can have online is adblockers, only beaten by using trusted websites.
Edit, fair points with sites being slimy these days. I meant using legitimate versions of websites rather than copy/fake websites designed to steal credentials.
Looking to dip my toes into Linux for the first time. I have a 2016 Intel MacBook Pro with pretty solid specs collecting dust right now that I think I’m going to use. Research so far has indicated to me that the two best options for me are likely Mint or Elementary OS. Does anyone have any insight? Also open to other OS’s. I would consider myself decently tech savvy but I am not a programmer or anything. Comfortable dipping into the terminal when the need arises and all that.
I just started playing COD Black Ops Cold War because I got it through my PlayStation Plus subscription and wanted to try it out. I’ve previously played some others like Modern Warfare (1 and 2) and WWII. While it always felt a bit over the top and propaganda-ish, I really liked it for the blockbuster feeling and just turning...
You’re making a solid and valid point OP. The other guy is being a fuck. I wouldn’t pay him much mind but I do admire your willingness to explain your angle!
Meta conducted an experiment where thousands of users were shown chronological feeds on Facebook and Instagram for three months. Users of the chronological feeds engaged less with the platforms and were more likely to use competitors like YouTube and TikTok. This suggests that users prefer algorithmically ranked feeds that show...
What is the best model of used ThinkPad to purchase?
I’m thinking of picking up a used ThinkPad on eBay for cheap to serve as my daily driver. I’ll likely run LMDE, and primarily use it for web browsing, office programs, coding, and FreeCAD. Any recommendations on which model would best hit the sweet spot of capability vs price?
It’s the End of the Web as We Know It ( www.theatlantic.com )
Firefox UX: On Purpose: Collectively Defining Our Team’s Mission Statement ( blog.mozilla.org )
Which DE for my parent's laptop (old Lenovo IdeaPad)? Wayland or X11?
I chose Debian 12 as a solid and stable base. Which of these shipped DEs is the best for this particular laptop series and Windows 10 like user experience?...
Btw ( lemmy.ml )
[Thread, post or comment was deleted by the author]
I hate the term "Boomer Shooter"
Not to say I hate the genre, I actually love me some Dusk or Turbo Overkill, but why, oh why are they called Boomer Shooters?...
[Rant] A few days ago, I asked if Mint would run okay on a Lenovo T460 (I appreciate all the advice). I got it working, but the installation was a big pain and I totally blame Lenovo.
I got the T460 refurbished and I really didn't want to run Windows 10 on it. I last used Linux for any real length of time a good 20 years ago, so I'm pretty inexperienced with it at this point and I had to figure out how to install it myself....
Stop being elitist, spread Linux!
Linux needs to grow. Stop telling people it's 'tech-y' or acting like you're more advanced for using it, you are scaring away people. Linux Mint can be used by a senile person perfectly....
My First Month of Linux
This post idea was inspired by a recent post by Guenther_Amanita@feddit.de in this community....
New laptop
Hi everyone!...
Why didn't anyone remind me the dual booting exists?
I was talking to my dad yesterday and he talked about how he dual booted windows and Linux in his college days. I immediately left to download Ubuntu, I feel so dumb for forgetting it’s an option. I literally only use windows so I can play Fortnite with friends. PSA: you can have both Linux and Windows, or you can use a vm in...
Looks like Facebook is following youtube with anti-adblock measures. ( infosec.pub )
I don’t really use facebook anymore so couldn’t care less; but so happened to log in today to change my password and saw this on my front page.
So, Microsoft now owns Activision Blizzard. How will this affect the rest of the industry? ( www.gamesindustry.biz )
‘Call of Duty’ Doesn’t Just Depict Bad History—It’s Pro-War Propaganda ( progressive.org )
I just started playing COD Black Ops Cold War because I got it through my PlayStation Plus subscription and wanted to try it out. I’ve previously played some others like Modern Warfare (1 and 2) and WWII. While it always felt a bit over the top and propaganda-ish, I really liked it for the blockbuster feeling and just turning...
How do you shell expand your variables and why? ( lemmy.world )
Meta Just Proved People Hate Chronological Feeds ( www.wired.com )
Meta conducted an experiment where thousands of users were shown chronological feeds on Facebook and Instagram for three months. Users of the chronological feeds engaged less with the platforms and were more likely to use competitors like YouTube and TikTok. This suggests that users prefer algorithmically ranked feeds that show...