The computing stuff rant thread

[Pickled Onion]

Changed the password on my wifi AP, then couldn't log in to it. 

It took ages to work out that the text entered on the Set Password page is (silently) truncated to eight characters, but when entering the same into the Log In page it's used in its entirety! Grrr.

[Afasoas]

It took ages to work out that the text entered on the Set Password page is (silently) truncated to eight characters

8 characters? It's not secure. Bin it 

[Pickled Onion]

It took ages to work out that the text entered on the Set Password page is (silently) truncated to eight characters

8 characters? It's not secure. Bin it 

that's eight chars for the web interface log in - after you've got on to the network via WPA2 or ssh with RSA-only log in allowed from outside.

[aidan.f]

WAN management is disabled... 

[Afasoas]

Needless to say, my prior comment wasn't meant to be taken seriously!

[Feanor]

Why does an ISP routing outage always co-incide with me making network changes?

I make some modest network changes, and then I have everyone complaining that the Internet is broken.
<clickety-click> Hmm, I still have sync with the exchange, but no PPP session with AAISP.
<IRC on 'phone's 3G connction>... 'Yes, it's broken.'

Family don't believe it's not my fault, because I've been frobbing with the network!

All back up now.

[Kim]

Top tip:  Prefix all network jibble with a loud "Hmm, looks like our internet connection is broken...", so your fiddling appears to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

(No, I don't believe that'll actually work.)

[Mr Larrington]

When I wanted to juggle partition sizes on the old XP box I was allowed to do so without let or hindrance.  Now I want to do so on the Win 8 box, but it has other ideas.  I think it has been possessed by IS, or perhaps I just don't know what I'm doing.

Bah!

[Mr Larrington]

Why does deleting Stuffs off the NAS take so bleeding long   Ruthless pruning is underway and, at this rate, will still be underway at Lammas Eve.

[Biggsy]

There's no save toner economode in HP's 64-bit LaserJet 4100 printer drivers, unlike the 32-bit versions, which I can't install on W7 64-bit.  Stupid bastards.

[pcolbeck]

Sony you idiots. I want to stream Amazon Instant video to my Sony TV but you need an Sony Entertainment account with your TV registered to it to do that. My TV was registered to their old Sony Essentials Service. Now I have to migrate the account and it just goes round in a loop saying an error has occurred asking me to login again when I try and transfer the account.

[woollypigs]

Shouldn't that be easier to now, since Sony accounts are in public domain

I really do hope that we never get the urge to get a telly again - Hi I'm Bob, (everyone "Hello Bob") its been about seven years now without a telly. A few years ago I had a looksee in PCcurryWorld at the telly boxes and I honestly didn't know what I was looking at/for. And now you tell me that you need an account to be able to use it, that is just yet another layer of extra choice/option I really don't need/want to be able to watch a rerun.

[pcolbeck]

You can watch broadcast TV without an account or DVDs or use your computer and a HDMI lead to feed streamed video to the TV. What you need a Sony account for is to use the inbuilt Amazon app its a Smart TV) to stream Amazon Instant Video direct to the TV without using a computer. The Sony account I presume provides a way of validating that the TV is one of the nominated devices on your Amazon account.

I hate watching TV shows on films on a tiny laptop screen and wont even bother on a tablet or mobile phone. I like my big (well not so big these days but it will do for me) 40 inch screen for that. Also three people round a laptop screen just isn't fun.

[Afasoas]

Can you try a factory reset of the TV and create a new account?

[pcolbeck]

Can you try a factory reset of the TV and create a new account?

First thing I tried and its still knows its registered ....

Sony tech support have escalated it to the second level of support. So we wait and see what happens.

[TheLurker]

*sigh*
Two days pissed up against a wall trying and failing to fix a cross-thread locking problem.  I _loathe_ multi-threaded applications (but it's the way of the future! chimes the chorus) and if WPF is involved well... why don't you just take me out and shoot me?  It would be significantly less painful.

[Pickled Onion]

*sigh*
Two days pissed up against a wall trying and failing to fix a cross-thread locking problem.  I _loathe_ multi-threaded applications (but it's the way of the future! chimes the chorus)

I *love* multi-threaded stuff and have done since _{[mumble mumble - you don't look That Old!]}

and if WPF is involved well... why don't you just take me out and shoot me?  It would be significantly less painful.

I feel your pain. Can't you get your client/employer to use a proper computer?

[Afasoas]

WDS Multicast Transmission Fail.

IGMP transmissions saturating a firewalls LAN ports. Very slow transmissions to the WDS clients.

[Mr Larrington]

Stupid media server doesn't recognise the existence of albums occupying more than one "disc".  It's just tried to play "Blonde On Blonde" in, like, totally the wrong order. #firstworldproblems

[matthew]

Some b****r has put me on a list as requiring Microsoft Lync installed on my work laptop for communication with the client. The implications of this are that I will be on this project whilst it is on site not just on the design phase.

I shall now find out if Lync is as bad as implied by others.

[TheLurker]

I shall now find out if Lync is as bad as implied by others.

Unless they've (M$ natch) truly ballsed it up in the last 12 months then it's not too bad to _use_.   I prefer it to Skype and other IM products I've used for reasons gone into previously.

[pcolbeck]

WDS Multicast Transmission Fail.

IGMP transmissions saturating a firewalls LAN ports. Very slow transmissions to the WDS clients.

Inefficient multicast is a bit of a known issue with some wireless solutions.

[Afasoas]

WDS Multicast Transmission Fail.

IGMP transmissions saturating a firewalls LAN ports. Very slow transmissions to the WDS clients.

Inefficient multicast is a bit of a known issue with some wireless solutions.

It's not a wi-fi issue. More of a CARP one. I figure a couple of ports on the switch are configured to be promiscuous in order for the master/slave firewalls to share a virtual IP address. Will need to try implementing some rules on the switch which block multicast traffic from the ports used with the firewalls before trying this again.

[pcolbeck]

Switches don't have the concept of promiscuous mode as they will accept packets for any destination MAC (unless you are talking about private VLANs in which case yes there is a promiscuous mode).

[frankly frankie]

Two days pissed up against a wall trying and failing to fix a cross-thread locking problem.

I know.  I was putting a pannier carrier on an old alu frame and had the same trouble, totally stripped out, what a bummer.

Stupid media server ... just tried to play "Blonde On Blonde" in, like, totally the wrong order.

Well that sounds like a plus to me, being as how the most iconic song comes last in the track order.