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"I Need a New PC!" 2021. Sold Out Edition.

Yerd

Member
Yeah, that's my understanding of them, as well.
That also answers the question of whether they can be used as desktop computers.

It's not quite what I'm trying to do, but it might work. Ideally, I could just move files directly between computers. If I have to use a NAS a bridge between the two, that's not the end of the world.

From what I understand. You have files on one computer and you want to access them with all computers. You're probably running into issues because you have Windows Home(yes I'm assuming) which is very limited in it's network functions.

I don't know how many files you need to host, but I would wager you could get by with a 12tb or less device. What you are doing is adding this NAS as another computer to house all the files accessible to all computers on the network. I don't know what part of this is not what you are trying to do. Aside from spending money and adding new equipment.

The NAS will act as your new file hosting computer and depending on the hardware, will add speed and safety to your files.

If you're hard bent on not buying a NAS, look for some type of file sharing software. In that area I can't help. The only program I know of is PLEX. I would suggest looking to an AV forum for answers.
 

I_D

Member
From what I understand. You have files on one computer and you want to access them with all computers. You're probably running into issues because you have Windows Home(yes I'm assuming) which is very limited in it's network functions.

I don't know how many files you need to host, but I would wager you could get by with a 12tb or less device. What you are doing is adding this NAS as another computer to house all the files accessible to all computers on the network. I don't know what part of this is not what you are trying to do. Aside from spending money and adding new equipment.

The NAS will act as your new file hosting computer and depending on the hardware, will add speed and safety to your files.

If you're hard bent on not buying a NAS, look for some type of file sharing software. In that area I can't help. The only program I know of is PLEX. I would suggest looking to an AV forum for answers.

Yeah, I was hoping for easier solutions first. Time to move on to the costly/complicated options, I suppose.

Thank you for the help.
I'll get a NAS if needed, since it will almost do what I want, and it'll be "good enough."

I think I'll try some software options first, though, just to save some cash.

The most annoying thing about it is that it already works perfectly in Windows, by default. Windows itself is what breaks the network.
I literally just need a way to turn my network settings into "Untouchable" mode, so nothing can overwrite what I create.
 

A.Romero

Member
I'm sorry to keep harping on this, but I feel like you guys are my best chance for success.

I'm totally down for a software solution, if anybody knows of any. Google is not even remotely useful in this department.
Ideally, I'd use built-in Windows features, but it just can't stop itself from fucking up.

I just want to host files on one computer, and then stream/access them from another computer on the same network. The ability to read/write is secondary, though also nice.

When I reformat all of my computers, and have everything fresh, I can set up the file-sharing feature of Windows and every works beautifully.
As soon as one computer updates, though, it just goes to shit.
It's driving me crazy.


In the perfect scenario, I can hold all of my music on my living room computer, but then stream it (without transferring the file to my computer) on my upstairs computer.
I can even rename song files, if I want to. I can move stuff between folders, and even transfer files from one computer to the next. It's absolutely beautiful.
I can do the same stuff with movies, or books, or any file at all. It's like pure paradise.

But as soon as Windows updates, the whole damned thing falls apart.




I know this isn't exactly the right thread to ask in, so I'm asking a few questions:
1) Does anybody know of a better thread?
2) Can somebody please help me?
3) This is more of a plea than a question: I will take any solution at all. I don't care if it's software, or hardware, or buggy, or perfect. Literally anything at all that works will be better than Windows' solution.

If it's for media files Plex has worked wonders for me. It shares the folders that you want and can be accessed by either clients with the software or just another device in the network that supports DLNA (most modern network enabled devices do).

For example, I have Plex set up on my desktop and the music library mapped to an specific folder. When I do music network play from my Onkyo receiver I can see the music files and play them without issue. It can even sort them by artist, album, year, etc. It depends how well tagged the files are.

What it wouldn't do is allowing to write files from the client device.

It's easy to set up so within an hour you could check it out and decide if it covers your needs: https://support.plex.tv/articles/200350536-dlna/
 

DGrayson

Mod Team and Bat Team
Staff Member
Plex is what I use for streaming media in my home and outside of my home!

I have movies, music, TV shows etc on there.

For remote access of files inside and outside of my home I have different solutions depending if I am accessing my windows, android etc.
 

I_D

Member
If it's for media files Plex has worked wonders for me. It shares the folders that you want and can be accessed by either clients with the software or just another device in the network that supports DLNA (most modern network enabled devices do).

For example, I have Plex set up on my desktop and the music library mapped to an specific folder. When I do music network play from my Onkyo receiver I can see the music files and play them without issue. It can even sort them by artist, album, year, etc. It depends how well tagged the files are.

What it wouldn't do is allowing to write files from the client device.

It's easy to set up so within an hour you could check it out and decide if it covers your needs: https://support.plex.tv/articles/200350536-dlna/

I'm trying out Plex at the moment. It asked me for money, but then I clicked off of the pop-up, and now it doesn't seem to be a problem? I installed "Plex Media Server" on my 'server' machine, and then am just using the website for access from other machines.
If it starts to ask me for money though, that will definitely not be a permanent solution. So, for future reference, are there any Plex-alternatives that are actually free, if Plex isn't actually free?
As a side-question, does anybody know if installing the app affects streaming quality? The browser-based Plex access point looks like it's around 720p, or maybe 1080p with a shitty bitrate. Music seems to be perfect-quality, though.

Anyway... This does relatively-solve my streaming issue. I can now access all of my music and movies and ebooks and whatnot from my other computers; so this problem is fixed.
It does not let me move any files around, or rename anything; so it's not perfect, but it will do for now.



I absolutely need the ability to move/rename/edit/etc. files across the network, though. That was the entire purpose of my network, and the media stuff was a secondary bonus.
I'm thinking I might be able to do that with a remote-desktop program.

With such a program, I should be able to take over my downstairs-computer from my upstairs-computer, and then act as if I'm on that physical machine itself, right? So then I could install things on that computer, and move files around, and rename stuff, and whatnot, without actually being in front of that physical machine?
I've never used remote-access before, so I'm not quite sure how capable it can actually be.

So, with all of that in mind, does anybody know of a good remote-desktop program? If that's even the thing that I'm asking about?




And, finally, for the ability to actually move files between computers (which are too large to fit in the cloud), I'm thinking an FTP would be the way to go.
It seems ridiculous to me that I can't just drag files between computers on a LAN; but here we are.
So, does anybody know of any good and simple FTP programs? I don't need to set up a gigantic network. I just need to move files between four computers.



Once again, I thank everybody for the help; even those I haven't quoted. Even though I haven't quite figured out precisely what I want to do, you've all given me excellent ideas and alternatives.
 

A.Romero

Member
I'm trying out Plex at the moment. It asked me for money, but then I clicked off of the pop-up, and now it doesn't seem to be a problem? I installed "Plex Media Server" on my 'server' machine, and then am just using the website for access from other machines.
If it starts to ask me for money though, that will definitely not be a permanent solution. So, for future reference, are there any Plex-alternatives that are actually free, if Plex isn't actually free?
As a side-question, does anybody know if installing the app affects streaming quality? The browser-based Plex access point looks like it's around 720p, or maybe 1080p with a shitty bitrate. Music seems to be perfect-quality, though.

Anyway... This does relatively-solve my streaming issue. I can now access all of my music and movies and ebooks and whatnot from my other computers; so this problem is fixed.
It does not let me move any files around, or rename anything; so it's not perfect, but it will do for now.



I absolutely need the ability to move/rename/edit/etc. files across the network, though. That was the entire purpose of my network, and the media stuff was a secondary bonus.
I'm thinking I might be able to do that with a remote-desktop program.

With such a program, I should be able to take over my downstairs-computer from my upstairs-computer, and then act as if I'm on that physical machine itself, right? So then I could install things on that computer, and move files around, and rename stuff, and whatnot, without actually being in front of that physical machine?
I've never used remote-access before, so I'm not quite sure how capable it can actually be.

So, with all of that in mind, does anybody know of a good remote-desktop program? If that's even the thing that I'm asking about?




And, finally, for the ability to actually move files between computers (which are too large to fit in the cloud), I'm thinking an FTP would be the way to go.
It seems ridiculous to me that I can't just drag files between computers on a LAN; but here we are.
So, does anybody know of any good and simple FTP programs? I don't need to set up a gigantic network. I just need to move files between four computers.



Once again, I thank everybody for the help; even those I haven't quoted. Even though I haven't quite figured out precisely what I want to do, you've all given me excellent ideas and alternatives.
Plex has a free tier that basically lets you use every feature for your case use. Plex pass' features include things like streaming over the internet and vr. I've been using it for years and haven't had to pay.

Regarding the moving files around I guess that a remote desktop app like team viewer would work just fine. There are several options out there. Many with free tiers.

For ftp to work you would need to set up a ftp server on your machine and clients on the other devices, just keep that in mind.
 

Fuz

Banned
I don't want to open another thread just for this and I don't know where else to ask.

I have a 2TB external HDD that stopped being seen by Windows. The power led works, there's the "remove hardware" icon in the systray when I plug it in (doing "remove hardware" does nothing btw) but the system doesn't recognize it. I tried already to change its cable and to check for errors under Device Manager and to auto update drivers, but it just doesn't appear. Is there any way to save it or at least recover some data that's stored in it? I have a few important things in it and a professional data recovery center is not an option.
 

I_D

Member
I don't want to open another thread just for this and I don't know where else to ask.

I have a 2TB external HDD that stopped being seen by Windows. The power led works, there's the "remove hardware" icon in the systray when I plug it in (doing "remove hardware" does nothing btw) but the system doesn't recognize it. I tried already to change its cable and to check for errors under Device Manager and to auto update drivers, but it just doesn't appear. Is there any way to save it or at least recover some data that's stored in it? I have a few important things in it and a professional data recovery center is not an option.

If it was already working, then suddenly stopped without you moving the machine or changing something around, it's probably on its last legs. You'll want to replace it soon, regardless of whether this fix works or not.
If you did move something around, this is hopefully an easy fix. Something is probably unplugged, even though you've probably already checked for that. It might even be the drive itself is unplugged from the external enclosure.

But if that isn't the case...



Click on the Start menu / search bar and type in "Manage"

Open the "Computer Management" app (NOT Device manager)

On the left-hand side, click on "Storage" then "Disk Management"

This should show you all of your connected drives, whether internal or external. They will be marked with a solid blue line if they are working properly.

Drives that are connected but aren't working correctly will be marked with a non-blue line (usually black or red).
If you don't see the screwy HDD at all, try removing the HDD from its enclosure, and then attaching it directly to the mobo (while the computer is off, of course) as if it was an internal drive, then pray it shows up on the listing.

If so, right-click on the drive and try the "open" or "explore" options, to see if it lets you get into your files.
Barring that, try to give it a different drive letter, and then try to "open" or "explore" it again.



And if those don't work, you may be out of luck without using and third-party hardware to recover data.





Plex has a free tier that basically lets you use every feature for your case use. Plex pass' features include things like streaming over the internet and vr. I've been using it for years and haven't had to pay.

Regarding the moving files around I guess that a remote desktop app like team viewer would work just fine. There are several options out there. Many with free tiers.

For ftp to work you would need to set up a ftp server on your machine and clients on the other devices, just keep that in mind.

Yep, Plex is working well enough to last me through the New Years Party.
Now I'm looking into various options for moving files across a LAN, and remote-desktop programs to move those files once they've transferred. I'll pop back in with some updates if I'm not able to figure it all out.

Again, thanks for all the help.
 

dave_d

Member
I don't want to open another thread just for this and I don't know where else to ask.

I have a 2TB external HDD that stopped being seen by Windows. The power led works, there's the "remove hardware" icon in the systray when I plug it in (doing "remove hardware" does nothing btw) but the system doesn't recognize it. I tried already to change its cable and to check for errors under Device Manager and to auto update drivers, but it just doesn't appear. Is there any way to save it or at least recover some data that's stored in it? I have a few important things in it and a professional data recovery center is not an option.
Can you see it if you start up your computer with a linux boot disk like Ubuntu? Short of that I guess I'd ask can you shuck it? That might be a way to get the data off.
 
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dave_d

Member
If it was already working, then suddenly stopped without you moving the machine or changing something around, it's probably on its last legs. You'll want to replace it soon, regardless of whether this fix works or not.
If you did move something around, this is hopefully an easy fix. Something is probably unplugged, even though you've probably already checked for that. It might even be the drive itself is unplugged from the external enclosure.
Hopefully it's not one of those external drives where the electronics that adapt it from sata to usb are soldered on.
 

Fuz

Banned
If it was already working, then suddenly stopped without you moving the machine or changing something around, it's probably on its last legs. You'll want to replace it soon, regardless of whether this fix works or not.
If you did move something around, this is hopefully an easy fix. Something is probably unplugged, even though you've probably already checked for that. It might even be the drive itself is unplugged from the external enclosure.

But if that isn't the case...



Click on the Start menu / search bar and type in "Manage"

Open the "Computer Management" app (NOT Device manager)

On the left-hand side, click on "Storage" then "Disk Management"

This should show you all of your connected drives, whether internal or external. They will be marked with a solid blue line if they are working properly.

Drives that are connected but aren't working correctly will be marked with a non-blue line (usually black or red).
If you don't see the screwy HDD at all, try removing the HDD from its enclosure, and then attaching it directly to the mobo (while the computer is off, of course) as if it was an internal drive, then pray it shows up on the listing.

If so, right-click on the drive and try the "open" or "explore" options, to see if it lets you get into your files.
Barring that, try to give it a different drive letter, and then try to "open" or "explore" it again.



And if those don't work, you may be out of luck without using and third-party hardware to recover data.
First of all: Thank you for your help.
Tried your system and it asked me to "initialize" some "drive 2" (which was kinda strange to me since I have 1 SSD and 1 HDD on my PC), and when I clicked OK it says it couldn't be done because of "fatal hardware errors". As soon as I have a good chunk of free time and willpower I'll try dismantle it. What's the third-party hardware to recover data, exactly?

Can you see it if you start up your computer with a linux boot disk like Ubuntu? Short of that I guess I'd ask can you shuck it? That might be a way to get the data off.
I'll eventually try the linux boot disk idea too, thank you.
 
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I_D

Member
First of all: Thank you for your help.
Tried your system and it asked me to "initialize" some "drive 2" (which was kinda strange to me since I have 1 SSD and 1 HDD on my PC), and when I clicked OK it says it couldn't be done because of "fatal hardware errors". As soon as I have a good chunk of free time and willpower I'll try dismantle it. What's the third-party hardware to recover data, exactly?


I'll eventually try the linux boot disk idea too, thank you.

Recuva is the only one I'm vaguely familiar with. I've used it in the past, albeit a few years ago. It worked for me, though, on some shitty 5400rpm drive that was already 10 years old at the time.
Assuming the program hasn't gone to shit, you have a decent chance of getting your data back.

Keep in mind, though, if the drive itself isn't spinning at all, software won't help you.
There are ways to recover data by swapping disk platters to other enclosures, but that's not something the average person can do.
 
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Fuz

Banned
Recuva is the only one I'm vaguely familiar with. I've used it in the past, albeit a few years ago. It worked for me, though, on some shitty 5400rpm drive that was already 10 years old at the time.
Assuming the program hasn't gone to shit, you have a decent chance of getting your data back.

Keep in mind, though, if the drive itself isn't spinning at all, software won't help you.
There are ways to recover data by swapping disk platters to other enclosures, but that's not something the average person can do.
Thanks again.

EDIT: Recuva doesn't see the HDD. I'll try opening it and do some tests with an engineer friend in January. Thanks a lot, guys.
This is the only place where it appears, btw:
Driveporcoddio.jpg


Driveporcoddio2.jpg
 
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Orta

Banned
Apologies for going a little off topic, do all Xbox controllers (One, SX/S - wired & wireless) work on PC?
 
I am thinking of getting a 12700k without a graphic card and using the onboard graphics. Would moving my gtx 970 get me more performance? How do I find out the specs of onboard graphic cards? Apparently ryzen is better at 3d graphics but worse at everything else but I don't know where these numbers are.

I'm thinking ill buy a graphic card if they ever get cheaper this year. Right now the normal price over here is about 700usd for a 3600, 900 usd for a 3600ti and about 1400usd for a 3080. Seems buying a prebuilt pc or using BTO to buy a whole set doesn't save me any money. That or paying about 2800 usd for
SSD[M.2 Gen4] 1TB Seagate FireCuda530 SSD ( 7300MB/s, 6000MB/s, NVMe)
DriveDVD super multi
memory32GB (16GB x2) DDR4-3200
processorIntel Core i7-12700KF
CPU cooler【120mm PWM Fan】CoolerMaster (RR-2V2E-18PK-R2 / quiet FAN)
graphic cardNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti / 8GB / LHR (HDMI 、DisplayPort x3)
motherboardIntel Z690 ATX (ASUS TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4)
power supply[80PLUS GOLD】 CWT GPS750S-T (750W)
OSWindows 11 Home 64bit
PC caseG-GEAR ATX middle tower(black / 69JD)

Don't know if waiting will help since everything costs more here. I'm planning to binge total war: warhammer 3 hard so I want fast loading more than high fidelity graphics right now. I also generally like to have a ton of mods.
 
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chigstoke

Member
Well, what perfect timing.

My 2080 has bit the dust, it's begun artifacting or even refusing to allow the system to boot. Swapped with other cards, other components are good. I can't initialise the NV Driver to try and even attempt to reduce memory clocks.

Sadly I refuse to pay the current prices for cards that would merely be little more than a sidegrade, and absolutely no chance I'm paying £1000+ for a 3080. Given I purchased back in 2018, I would assume RMA is probably out of the question, though I've contacted Inno3D and Overclockers on the off chance.

If I have to use the basic display driver to the end of the year, I will. Hopefully GT7 should keep me going for a while once I decide on what wheel to get.
 
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