[sudo-discuss] [liberated_lens] mackhintosh at LLC

Sun Jun 9 15:26:51 PDT 2019

On 6/8/19 5:53 PM, ...Anka wrote:
> What's up with the computer at LLC? Someone installed two different
> screens and the computer doesn't go on, it keeps rebooting itself. I
> need to take off some stuff from it for the screening tomorrow...
>
>

Anka, Thursday I replaced the Apple monitor with a slightly larger
monitor, it has a higher screen resolution (1920x1080 vs. 1680x1050) and
is a bit bigger and should have good color reproduction & better viewing
angles, it is IPS. If not the old monitor is near the GCEA computers. I
also replaced the M.2 SSD Linux install on the Hackintush with a regular
2.5" SSD drive with Linux, the previous M.2 install was flaky,
frequently giving me cryptic messages and not booting.

But I experienced some extreme weirdness when I was messing with the
computer which I meant to report to the list, but my brain don't work so
good any more, and it was never particularly great in the first place,
so it slipped my mind when I got home.

First, I wanted to use the desk lamp with the CFL bulb to see what I was
doing under the table, but it wasn't working. The power strip was
plugged in near the Cat 5 jack, so I tried plugging the power strip into
the wall socket near the hackintush, no joy. I tried another power
strip, no luck, then I realized that the lights on the power strips were
not lit up, _*BOTH*_ of the wall sockets are dead. I astutely noticed
all the extension cords bringing power from outside of the office, so I
plugged in to an extension and finally was able to get a light on.

So I got on my belly and grabbed the Hackintosh and got a pretty
substantial jolt even though I had flipped the switch off on the power
supply. So I pulled the Hack's power cable and continued to get little
shocks most whenever I touched the computer's body. I have NEVER had
anything like this happen in a close to 30 years of mucking with
'puters. I asked Dante if concrete conducted electricity, and he didn't
think so, but then he looked it up and told me that concrete is an
excellent conductor.

My guess is that whoever installed the electrical outlets,
cough...Gerald...cough.. mucked things up with the ground and basically
the whole office is now acting like some sort of ground. I actually
don't know shit about electricity, I discussed my experience with Yar,
Jenny & Rob, and they all said this sort of thing shouldn't be
happening, but they were a bit out of their depths fixing it, and I
should talk to my friend...Gerald. With friends like me who needs
enemas? Maybe Jake or Marc have a theory, I'll CC the sudoroom list and
the building folks.

Anywho, when I fired up the new Linux install I initially got the same
error messages that I was getting from the old M.2 Linux install. So I
tried O$X and got the same weird rebooting behavior you got, Anka. On
subsequent boots both the Linux and the Mac sides worked fine, so I
figured whatever it was had worked its way out of the system. Yes, I
know, I'm an idiot, and I don't need you lot to remind me. FWIW, Windows
booted like a champ when I fired it up to adjust the monitors and update
the operating system. Before I could 'troubleshoot' too much more my
first wife came by the Omni to offer us a ride home, and I didn't feel
like hoofing it back 4 miles to home with with my geriatric mongrel
Einstein.

So since I have never been shocked by an unplugged computer before I'm
guessing the machine is being surged with static electricity
<https://www.howtogeek.com/169994/how-to-protect-your-pcs-hardware-from-static-electricity-when-working-on-it/>
and it might be damaging the machine, but is certainly fucking with its
functionality. What we may need to do is hire an actual electrician to
sort out the power situation in the office if we can't find anyone to do
it for free, I'll certainly throw a C note or two at it at it.

In the mean time, we could try and figure out what doesn't conduct
electricity and put the computers on that. Diamond
<https://www.thoughtco.com/examples-of-electrical-conductors-and-insulators-608315>
is supposed to work well, but if we don't have enough of that lying
around, dry wood also apparently serves.

I can also try replacing the power supply, but I'm almost certain that
isn't the issue. In the meantime, at least with me, trying to boot again
seemed to work. I will duck my head in tonight after the LL film and see
if I can't scare up a little wood to put under the machines (that didn't
come out quite right, but you get the idea).

Ed

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