欧州自転車レース追っかけ日記

Kalifornia (1993)
A well known movie title to me at least. I was living in the United States of America during 1992 to 1994. I think I saw this movie at a movie theater.

I remember watching the Clinton's presidential campaign on TV during 1992 and also watched him dance on stage along with his wife, his running mate, Al Gore and his wife, Tipper (so she was nicknamed) on TV. I left when Judge Lance Ito was presiding over the O.J. Simpson murder trial.

I vaguely remember the scenes (from Kalifornia) towards the end in the desolate nuclear test site but had totally forgotten the story and the fact I have seen it before.

I knew (in 2023 when I re-watched the movie at home on my notebook PC) three of the main characters. Even back then, David Duchovny was well-known for his roll in "The X-files". I remember seeing him on David Letterman's show. Letterman showed the cue card to the TV audience. The cue card carried the instructions how to read his guest's name correctly. It was written like, "Duh Kuv-Knee".

I remember Letterman commenting something like, "There's hooked on phonics right at work." After 30 years I still remember the tones of his voice poking fun at one of his crew.

I guess I watched "Natural Born Killers (1994)" at a movie theater in somewhere in so-called Greater Los Angeles area. Juliette Lewis was in that movie, too. I might have seen "What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)" back then, too.

Brad Pitt was having also a break around that time.

I read (2023) on Wikipedia that the movie just bombed at the box office sales. I also learned that some critics loved it and others hated it.

For me, it was not a great movie but it was entertaining.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Old memories from 1990's]の続きを読む

テーマ:日記 - ジャンル:日記

1. 2023/07/31(月) 21:41:03|
2. Diary
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What is the size of Tyler Hamilton's Cervelo Soloist 2003?
MR. Tyler Hamilton is an former professional American cyclist who won Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2003 among other races during his professional career.

Why am I writing this? Well, 2003 is a bit special year for me. In early 2003 after working for a company several years (I don't remember but), I decided to quit. It was about to happen. The work was not for me. I did not find that job interesting. I just worked for money. As the job became more demanding, I totally lost interest. I always wanted to live outside Japan and this job had nothing to do with it. I was just waiting something to happen.

Anyway, I was between jobs that Spring, 2003. I remember exactly when but around the time I quit this job, I bought a bicycle (Riese & Müller Birdy to be exact) because I wanted to burn some calories while exercising along.

I hadn't owned a bicycle since oblivion. I think (am not sure but) I commuted to my high school on a bike. It was the bicycle that belonged to my elder sister who also went to the same high school. Or was I on foot? The high school was so close to my place so it did not really matter I was on foot or not.

Anyway, a bicycle was such a gone artifact to me by the time I finished my junior high school. This thinking was so common among boys of my era in Japan. After all, we (Japanese boys) had so many car manufacturing companies and motorcycle manufacturing companies in Japan. As soon as you reach the legal age of having a driver's license, you have to get on some "motored" vehicle. I thought this way.

I had never thought that the time would come for me to consider being on a bike was such a cool thing.

In fact I had never heard of "Tour de France" until 2003. I had never heard of "Liège-Bastogne-Liège" nor "Fleche Wallonne" till then.

Anyway, the bike on which Tyler Hamilton won the race "Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2003" was the Cervélo Soloist with red and white coloring with Team CSC written all over it.

I started working in Germany at the end of September 2003. In 2004 I bought a road bike. Guess what I bought! None other than Cervélo Soloist. What else? In 2004 they (Cervélo) changed the coloring of the bike. It was painted in black and red. Later they started selling black and white Soloists.

To my greatest regret, when I bought the bike on my own, my first ever road bike, I did not have enough knowledge to make the right choice of the size. The bike I bought was a tad big for me. I still have it but I woule like to get the right size.

If I could, I would like to the old one, white and red just like Tyler Hamilton rode to the victory of LBL 2003. A black and white one would be also cool. Oh, I am talking about the original Aluminium (or Aluminum) Soloists.

I have been almost always on the look for it.

Back to the topic. I think the frame that Tyler Hamilton was using was of size 51 from the look. The short head tube made the top tube and down tube merge. I don't think it is of size 48. I am almost as tall as Tyler Hamilton. Sometimes pro riders use a bit smaller size than a typical hobby rider so I can not be 100% sure.

T4500 is in use already! And it's hot!
This morning I went to the local post office to get some uncollected things. I also had some small packages from the Post (this is the name of Luxembourg postal service).

1. From Germany, Intel Pentium T4500, a dual-core CPU rated at 2.3 GHz (inside it's just Core2 Duo Penryn)

2. From China, a iPod Classic 6th gen. internal cable assembly connecting the audio output plug and wheel control kill switch to the main circuitry board.

3. From China, an internal "so-claimed" 3,000 mAh battery for my iPod Classic. This is not the same battery that normally sits in my iPod Classic 6th gen. 160 GB model. This one "can" sit inside mine if I replace the thick HDD with a thinner SD card adapter (such as the ones from iflash.xyz or other ones). iflash.xyz rightly points out that this 3,000 mAh is not correct but this one only holds around 2,000 mAh. The original one in mine is rated at 850 mAh. iflash.xyz points out that the those Chinese sellers can claim anything but the weight of those batteries can not lie.

4. From Spain, a set of WiFi antennae for my CQ56.

After coming home from work, I checked the performance of my Intel Celeron 900 CQ56 briefly and began the operation. Shortly the machine was reborn with a faster CPU. Some screenshots were made to illustrate the "before" and "after".

When I play back an H265 encoded video with VLC media player on it, the Intel Cereron 900 (single-core) drops the frames so much. It simply can not handle it. The CPU load is 100 %.


This one shows the CPU state of Celeron 900 under a heavy load (H265 video decoding).
(image 01: )


This one shows the CPU state of Pentium T4500 (dual-core) under a heavy load (ditto).
(image 02: )


This one shows the CPU state of the "other" Pentium T4500 on another CQ56 under almost no load (idling away). Note the temperature. This is way cooler than the other.
(image 03: )


This one shows the CPU state of the newly acquired Pentium T4500 on the CQ56 that formerly had Celeron 900. Note the temperature. This is similar to that of Celeron 900 under almost no load.
(image 04: )

I can not tell whether the temperature difference between the two T4500 under light load is accurate. It could be caused by the temperature censor error. Anyway, the temperatures are lower than those of my AMD CQ56 so I won't be worried at all.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Intel Pentium T4500 v.s. Celeron 900 v.s. another T4500]の続きを読む

テーマ:ノートパソコン - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2023/07/28(金) 19:35:29|
2. PCs
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Compaq 610 is clean now
I did it. It was a bit complicated than with CQ56. While the motherboard was isolated, I took the CMOS battery out for about 15 minutes and then put it back.

So if the motherboard's BIOS password lock had been in effect and the removing the CMOS battery was one of the ways to reset the password lock, it would be gone by now. I will know when I turn it on sometime in the future.

The left button on the touchpad was clunky and I found the cause of it. The clickiness is provided by a tiny rubber part. It serves as a conductive rubber spring but the left one was broken. I can repair it if I can source the part. Probably I won't because it is not worth the trouble and the cost of it.

Even if I use this notebook PC for fun, I will use it with an external USB mouse for the ease of control.

I did not find much fluffy dust on the cooling fan or radiator fins. There was some but not much. The fan was housed in a case that was welded (plastic) rather than screwed. So I did not really clean the fins. I cleaned it as much as possible with a tooth brush.

Overall, this Compaq 610 seemed to be in good shape except for the left key on the touchpad. I want to know if it really works. The ebay seller showed a photo that captured this Compaq 610's initial splash screen (blue background and compaq logo and something else). I believe it boots at least to that point. I think it boots if I supply the HDD or from DVD (like Lubuntu boot image or Haiku OS boot image).

I am now anxious to get the power adapter. Without it I can not do anything further.
続きをどうぞ [Compaq 610 cleaned and aux Champs-Elysées]の続きを読む

テーマ:ノートパソコン - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2023/07/25(火) 20:14:41|
2. PCs
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Two new additions!
Intel Celeron 900 (2.2 GHz) Compaq Presario CQ56 is now running Lubuntu 23.04 with 4 GB of RAM with a new CPU cooling fan. The battery was dead (no wonder). I did not expect it to be sound anyway.

After I got them (CQ56 and 610), I took the memory modules from 610 and installed them into CQ56. I hastily turned it on with the power from the wall. I expected to see the BIOS settings screen with "ESC" key down. I saw a message screen telling me that CMOS battery is dead so any of the time / calendar data won't be saved. I pressed the "Return" key to continue (reboot). Next time another message appeared telling me that CPU cooling FAN is not functioning so it shuts itself down for protection of hardware. These are not exact messages but what they meant.

CPU cooling fan is dead? Luckily for me I had a new one and unluckily for me, it was not for this machine but for another CQ56. During the disassembly I noticed that the previous owner (or the ebay seller, whoever) had the grace to leave the HDD caddie inside (even though the HDD had been taken out) along with two of the three screws fixing it. I did not see the 4 screws that fixed the HDD onto the caddie but this was totally expected.

I disassembled the CQ56 hurriedly and swapped the fans. I was taken a back, surprised to see no accumulated fluffy dust on the radiator fins inside the cooling fan / heatsink unit of my newly acquired used CQ56. Why?

I assumed that this CQ56 had never been dismantled because the screws on the bottom of it were tight and neat. So you can imagine how surprised I was when I saw no fluffy dust there. I could not tell if the fan had been faulty and this made the previous owner clean the fan/heatsink. I doubt it. I believe (assume) that this notebook PC had been used on a clean desk in a office and also lightly. If this had been used by an individual who occasionally used it on a sofa or in bed, it could have been impossible NOT to collect (suck up) fluffy dust.

The machine works very well. I can not find anything wrong with it except for the faulty fan. I took some screenshots showing what the CPU-X (Linux version of the CPU-Z) showed during the low load and high load tasks.


(image 01: low load)
The CPU temperature keeps showing around 48 to 50 degrees Celsius under low load. In similar situations (similar ambient temperature and low load), the Intel Pentium T4500 machine showed the temperatures as low as 30 degrees Celsius. I guess the difference comes from the variable core clock speed function of T4500.


(image 02: integrated graphics information)
Open GL version 1.2 while AMD machines show Open GL version 1.3. It could make a huge difference (I really don't know if I am correct) but AMD machines performs twice as well as Intel machines with GL Teapot (3D drawing software) under Haiku OS.


(image 03: high load)
I was playing a YouTube video using Firefox. Although the CPU load was at 100% all the time, the playback was OK and smooth. I was impressed. It is a single-core CPU, right? The temperature showed around 65 degrees Celsius while in similar situations AMD machines showed 75 degrees Celsius. Cool! I mean literally cool.

What I learned for a short period of time with it is that it seems that the Celeron 900's clock is fixed at 2.2 GHz.

I had already ordered a Pentium T4500 at the same time I paid for this machines as this T4500 had been on my ebay watchlist for a while. It could come anytime next week. I was impressed by the Celeron 900's performance but I am sure it won't play H265 encoded videos.

I will get a new CMOS battery (CR2032 or something). Actually I will change all of them (on other CQ56 machines) eventually.


Compaq 610
Well, I have nothing new to report for now as I can not find the power adapter for it. The power input plug on this machine is different from its brother CQ56. I had a generic notebook PC power adapter but I can only find the plugs not the adapter itself. I could find a plug that fit this machine, so I am sure any of those generic adapters will do.

The appearance: medium to good (no obvious visible scars)
The LCD screen: looks fine
Missing parts: the HDD caddie is missing, three of six rubber feet on the bottom are missing.
The battery: most likely dead by now (after 14 years / nee 2009)
Faulty parts: the left button on the touchpad is clunky and does not click (either the spring is off or the plastic holder of the spring is broken?)

Since I can not boot it at all, I can not comment on the BIOS password lock status. The seller stated that it had been password locked.

Amazingly I can easily get the replacement battery even on Amazon Germany. I think I can source a lot of parts on ebay (or aliexpress?) for this one even today.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ
[Aux Champs-Elysees, Pairs, tomorrow!]の続きを読む

テーマ:ノートパソコン - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2023/07/22(土) 20:46:18|
2. PCs
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A second Intel Compaq Presario CQ56 has arrived and kicking!
In fact, I am writing this and uploading this on it.

I had a delivery from the UK ebay seller.
1. Compaq Presario CQ56 Intel Celeron 900 (1 GB, no HDD) boots to BIOS settings
2. Compaq 610 (4 GB, no HDD) BIOS password locked
both no power adapters

Above information was all I had until now.

Basically almost all of it turned out to be true. For some reason, NO. 1 did not boot to the BIOS screen as the machine complained that CPU fan was not properly working. It shuts itself automatically to protect itself from overheating.

Luckily for me I had a brand new CPU cooling fan with me delivered to me just a couple days ago. It was meant to be for other AMD machine but it was OK for now. I just have to order another.

It was OK after swapping the CPU cooling fan.

I will post more details later.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [The second Intel Compaq Presario CQ56 with Lubuntu 23.04]の続きを読む

テーマ:ノートパソコン - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2023/07/22(土) 15:44:00|
2. PCs
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I destroyed my newly acquired iPod Classic 6th gen. 160 GB
I did. I wanted to open it up to see what was inside and how easy or difficult to open it up knowing that I would do so when the time comes.

The first time, everything went almost alright. The second time I cut the cable off. I cut the thin film cable connecting the earphone jack and the switch that disables the wheel.

I can still repair it. I can buy the broken parts. The assembly unit costs a bit more than 10 Euro.

I immeidately ordered some parts: the unit aforementioned and the battery for "thin" iPod Classic (mine is "thick" iPod Classic). I was going to buy an iFlash SD to ZIF adapter card and the obligatory special ZIF film cable for the 6th gen. 160 GB model. This thin adapter board leaves enough space for the battery above-mentioned.

I was a bull in a china shop. I hope I learned from the mistake I made. I won't fail again! (by Anakin Skywalker)


4 cells rescured
I had a dead battery back from one of my Compaq Presario CQ56 notebook PCs. The ebay seller had clearly staated the battery pack was dead and it was dead indeed.

I broke opened the battery pack and took six cells out of it. Two of them had developed rust on both of the terminals. It seemed that they had developed leakage and the rust was the consequences. 4 seemingly clean ones were rescued. I charged them and they seemed to work.


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Haiku OS and Lithium-ion 18650 battery cells]の続きを読む

テーマ:ノートPC - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2023/07/18(火) 21:00:35|
2. HAIKU OS
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My newly acquired old used iPod Classic 6th gen. 160 GB
It has been restored. I plugged it in my MacBook Late 2009 and let iTunes restore it. It is mine now without any trace of the previous owner whose name I vaguely remember as the iPod Classic was delivered to me with the contents seemingly intact. The ebay seller did not care to erase or restore it before selling but only determined its model and battery status.

When I got it in a box sent from Germany, it was off (simply the battery was depleted). After charging it for a while, I could turned it on (or rather it turned itself on autumatically) and see if it really worked. It worked. It was loaded with a lot of song that I did not recognize. It had a lot of photos. I was not interested in them so I deleted them (by restoring it) in a rush.

No matter how long I charge it, the battery gets only around 30 to 40 % full.

I loaded all of my purchased audiobooks onto it. They were 3.4 GB in size. There is 145 GB of space left on my 160 GB hard disk drive. There is plenty space left for other audiobooks like those from LibreVox.

Today I took it on my car and connected it in the USB port of Mazda Connect system. It worked flawlessly so far. I was happy. I have found out that in sleep mode, it lasts more than several hours on battery. So I have no urgent need to replace the dying battery in a hurry. I can wait as my intended use for it is to serve as an audiobook source in my car where it is always powered by the USB port through which it also provide the audio.

I am interested in modifying it. This 6th generation iPod Classic may be the worst choice when it comes to modding. It has a fatal hardware flaw (according to a lot of sites I checked) that prevents it from accessing more than 128 GB of storage (unless the firmware or the OS is swapped to RockBox?). If so, why am I seeing 149 GB of storage on my iPod Classic? Or I am just seeing it as 149 GB of storage but I can only use 128 GB of it?

Anyway, I will keep my eyes on those batteries and HDD replacement devices.

I am trying to confirm that if I use one of those thin adapter boards (HDD replacement devices) , I can put a bigger capacity battery. My iPod is dubbed "Thick" (how rude!) among parts suppliers and modding fans likewise. The fat back cover has room for a flat battery and this thin flat circuit board. I hope the original HDD lasts long but in reality it can go bad any time. I am doing my homework (to know what to buy etc.) when the time comes.

Haiku OS and LibreOffice and USB memory stick support?
I am running Haiku OS on AMD (N370) Compaq Presario CQ56 and it works fine.

I wonder why a USB memory stick won't be recognized on Haiku OS (at least my Haiku OS). I can not pass the data (LibreOffice data made on other LibreOffice on Lubuntu or MacBook). Why? It is just a normal USB memory stick right out of the box.

Anyway, I want to use my Haiku OS desktop environment as much as possible so I wanted to work on the document that I use at work. I had to bother my Intel CQ56 (now running Lubuntu 23.04 again as the HDD was rendered to its brother AMD CQ56) to transfer the data from the USB stick to a USB connected HDD. Now I can work on the document.

For some reasons unknown to me, I could use the very USB memory stick I had just written "unusable" on Haiku OS moments ago.

I am pleased.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Haiku OS / LibreOffice at work!]の続きを読む

テーマ:ノートPC - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2023/07/16(日) 19:29:36|
2. HAIKU OS
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Hello, World!
I am writing this on my AMD N370 equipped Compaq Presario CQ56 using Web (a web browser formerly called Epiphany) running on top of Haiku OS (current).

It is OK. I can write like this but I can not still write in Japanese. I guess and I am pretty sure that Web does not accept Japanese input as of now. I hope its future version will eventually.

So the Japanese part will be written in other ways. Like doing so on my Lubuntu CQ56 or Webpositive (if it can) right after this.

One note: It (Web) can display Japanese perfectly. It is not about recognizing the languages other than Western languages like English, French or others but it is about accepting input from Input systems like Fcitx or Ibus or something else.

It was only iPod Classic 6th gen. 160 GB model
Obviously DHL has just changed its delivery system recently.

I guess DHL was sick of handling the undelivered parcels when the destinees were not available at the delivery destination address.

So they decided to partner up with the Post (Luxembourg Post Office) and made it possible to designate all the local small post office locations as its pick-up stations.

So the iPod Classic that the DHL tracking information claimed as deposited was kept at the local post office just several hundred meters away. I did not know this.

Anyway, I could pick it up. So the CPU heatsink fan that I thought had been delivered and kept at local post office was still on its way to me somewhere.

And how was the iPod Classic? Was it OK?

I will let you know. So far, it has been reset to factory settings and has already all the audiobooks purchased from Apple. I don't seem to locate the earphone so I can listen to them. How inconvenient! I will try to plug it into my Mazda MX-5 and see how it reacts.

The only problem that I have encountered so far is the 30-pin plug connection. It is not so stable. Maybe I have to clean it well.

In Japanese: 日本語でどうぞ [Hello from Haiku OS (Web) on AMD Compaq Presario CQ56]の続きを読む

テーマ:ノートパソコン - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2023/07/14(金) 11:09:42|
2. HAIKU OS
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Realtek rtl8192se
This chip does not work with Haiku OS at this time (hopefully maybe later, soon?). It works Linux obviously. I swapped the WiFi cards so that Haiku OS can use WiFi with the Atheros chip.

This chip (rtl8192se) behaves a bit strange. Linux boots OK and recognizes it. So far so good. On the other hand, during the booting process, some kind of error message comes up about this chip. Anyway, it is not my concern.


Haiku OS - One last try?
I got to know quite recently that the Intel Compaq Presario CQ56 can boot Haiku OS but the AMD Compaq Presario CQ56 hangs during the boot process (boot DVD).

Now I wonder why the AMD Compaq Presario CQ56 hangs during booting from the boot DVD.

Why is the tile of this entry "One last try"? Well, because I want to give it a last (for the time being) try this way.

I have a working Haiku OS environment on my Intel Compaq Presario CQ56. What happens if I take the HDD out of this and put it in one of my AMD Compaq Presario CQ56 and boot it from this HDD? Will it hang?

Let's see what happens, shall we?

Moments later . . .

It works!!!!!!
To my surprise, one of my AMD Compaq Presario CQ56 notebooks successfully booted without any hickups. Why? I don't know but it was encouraging.

I briefly played around and found something. It was N370 (top of the line Athlon II CPU for this notebook series) machine. I tried Web (web browser - formerly Epiphany) and directly went to YouTube site and played one of the videos. Its playback was much better than Intel machines!! How come? The Intel machine was powered by Intel Pentium T4500 (Dual-Core 2.3 GHz).

I also tried one of the "demo" software, "Teapot". When called, it displays a red teapot in 3D spins around. That's it. I remember seeing FPS around 60 (or was it 90?) on the Intel machine. This AMD machine did 190 FPS or around? I could see the teapot spinning much faster than the one on the Intel machine.

How come? I thought (wrongfully in the hindsight) that only Intel machine (CQ56) could run Haiku OS. Not only was I wrong about the CPU architecture that could run Haiku OS but also dead wrong about the expected performance of the AMD CPUs.

My wrong belief that only Intel CQ56 can run Haiku OS led me to purchasing another Intel CQ56.

Yes, it is true that Intel CPUs run much cooler than AMD CPUs (Core2 Duo v.s. Athlon II) but the performance under Haiku OS is better on AMD CPUs (?).

I am now confused.

The only thing I had to make Haiku OS run on my AMD CQ56 notebook PCs was to have the Intel CQ56 make a Haiku OS installed HDD (or SSD).

The post delivery negligence or bad hunch

Yesterday (Today it is July 12th, 2023) I opened up the mailbox and found a fresh notice of undelivered package notice from the post office on my way out to the post office for I had another previous notice slip from the post office.

The date (July 11th) suggested that it was put there the same morning.

How did I miss the delivery this morning? It's not possible. The mail woman or man must have guessed that I was not home without ringing the bell and left the note.

Is it a case of negligence or bad guessing on the delivery person's part?

One more funny coincidence to add this notice slip story.

The next day I tracked the ebay purchase, iPod Classic, several times since morning as I had done for the last couple of days and around noon I found that the tracking result had changed to "ready for pick-up".

What? How? I tracked further and found that the delivery attempt had been already made the previous day around the time I left my room to pick up the the thing at the local post office. I missed the DHL delivery for another delivery from the post office.

Now I will look inside the mailbox after work (I'm writing this at work) to find the notice slip from DHL.

***** Later I FOUND NO slip at all. I don't know where my parcel lies but I have to pick it up. I am assuming that it lies at the very main base of DHL Luxembourg near the airport. I will get it as soon as possible.

Minority Report 2002
Tom Cruise played a futuristic Police unit chief who caught criminals before they committed the actual crimes predicted by the Pre-Cogs to happen.

In this movie he mentioned a life of a poor woman who cleaned herself out of bad drug habits only to see herself tumble into another hole wherein she got killed.

A tragic situation but here I just want to borrow this line to illustrate my predicament where I tried to deal with one delivery-not-completed notification slip only to find myself incurring another one.

If I had stayed home till later or left earlier, I would have received the delivery.

AMD Compaq Presario CQ56 froze for seemingly no reasons
It has been solved.

I took my CQ56 to work place to get something done related to my new job. The machine worked normally for a while before it froze.

No keyboard keys worked. Mouse nor trackpad or touchpad input worked. I had to force shutdown by holding the power switch. It happened several times so I decided to shut it down for good.

Later, it dawned on me what could be causing this. Based on my experience, this symptom could be triggered by memory error. It could be triggered by RAM module(s) loose in the socket.

And further later at home, I opened up the service hatch and re-seated the RAM modules and then I booted the CQ56.

I think it has been solved.

Pseudo-MagSafe wallet
A quite disappointing result of "DG MING" wallet (pseudo-MagSafe wallet). I got it and tried it. I don't think this wallet claims to be MagSafe compatible and I found it was NOT.

The magnets inside both the wallet back and back of the phone case are 4 (each) small ones laid out in a square position. The phone case and the wallet sticks tightly.

This wallet sticks to MagSafe compatible phone case but just slightly. It easily falls off the phone case.

I wasted money.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Haiku OS on AMD Compaq Presario CQ56 . . . works!]の続きを読む

テーマ:ノートパソコン - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2023/07/13(木) 20:35:54|
2. HAIKU OS
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Is it possible?
Is it possible to make an Intel Compaq Presario CQ56 out of an AMD Compaq Presario CQ56? If so, what parts do I need?

I have two old AMD Compaq Presario CQ56 notebook PCs and one Intel one.

One (with AMD V160 - single core Athlon II) and the other (with AMD N370 - dual core Athlon II) to be exact.

The former was the original one that I had. I broke the LCD on it by accident and this incident started the journey of collecting more CQ56 as I wanted to repair it. I repaired the LCD by installing a used LCD panel. I only have to swap its ailing CPU fan to make it fully operational.

Wait a minute! I still have a minor issue with it. Its motherboard is a bit faulty. I guess its GPU chip is a bit loose, maybe. I am not sure but I suspect the GPU's soldering has been cracked or so. Its video output gets distorted from time to time but still works most of the time. Maybe it won't be too long before the video output gets distorted too often and eventually becomes unusable.

I recently found out that Intel version could operate on Haiku OS but AMD version could not. I am now preparing the one and only Intel machine to become a dedicated Haiku OS monster.

I am happy with the one which is fully operational. I don't know how long this failing one lasts.

What I can do is to get a working motherboard and keep it as a spare. In case it fails, I can repair it.

While searching for the best solution, it hit me. Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4500 (a kind of Core2Duo in disguise?) is much cooler than its counterpart (AMD N370).

Is it possible? That is the question. And if I did make an Intel CQ56, is it possible to run Haiku OS on it? Most likely yes!

How different are they?
How different they are Intel CQ56 and AMD CQ56? Obviously the motherboard itself is different but I believe the outer ports (USB, LAN, Audio, Video and Power) and internal connections (Touchpad, SATA, Video, Power switch, WiFi antennae, Webcam and etc.) are the same.

The other different parts other than motherboard itself (the CPU, chipset and video chip) are the CPU cooling heatsink unit, RAM modules (Intel = DDR2 older and more expensive / AMD = DDR3 newer but less expensive) as far as I can tell.

So if I can source the motherboard, CPU, RAM modules and CPU cooling heatsink unit, I will be able to assemble an Intel CQ56. Am I right?

Assuming this theory is correct, I wonder how much (moneywise) it would cost?

I wildly searched for the answers on ebay.

I can source the Intel motherboards, some with the CPU others without. I can always get used T4500 from China. I can also source the CPU cooling heatsink more or less. The most difficult part is getting 2 of 4 GB DDR2 RAM modules at lower prices. They are in still demand despite the fact that they have been long out of produciton. This makes them so expensive.

I can still get 2 of 2 GB DDR2 RAM modules at acceptable prices.

I am now looking at some items on ebay.

Haiku OS installed on Intel Compaq Presario CQ56
Now this section is written on Haiku OS using the default text editor called "StyleEdit". It took several trial and error before this notebook PC successfully booted off the HDD. I don't know why but I could finish the installation.

I have not installed the updates yet. This installation is just off the Beta 4 installation ISO image and then I installed mozc and Web (a web browser). The default WebPositive could not play the videos on YouTube so I chose this Web. I will soon install the updates since the release of Beta 4 and then install some applications like LibreOffice, VLC and others.

Qualcomm Atheros AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express) works!


Intel Celeron 900

It is a single core CPU and it seems not too powerful but gets basic jobs done. It was released in the first quarter of 2009. I doubt it can decode H265 encoded video well without stuttering. I also assume a Compaq Presario CQ56 equipped with this can boot Haiku OS as its brother/sister Pentium Dual-Core T4500 does.

I am running Haiku OS (beta 4 and updating to the current state) and I am very patient. For example, a browser, formerly Epiphany, Web works better with YouTube video but still the playback is not smooth at all. Haiku OS's native browser, WebPositive, won't play YouTube videos at all. YouTube keeps recommending me to upgrade to other current browsers like Chrome, FireFox or so.

It's really discouraging to see Web struggle with the YouTube site. It takes too long to load the site. Video accelaration is not the strong point of Haiku OS, I guess.

Back to the topic (Intel Celeron 900), normally I am not a fan of Intel. I have always liked longtime underdog AMD since the days of 486 or MMX (1990's).

I am expecting a new additon to my notebook family. Again??? Yes. I am expecting a yet new (used) Compaq Presario CQ56 (along with another notebook PC). Why? I explain why and how it happened.

The new CQ56 is an Intel version with a Celeron 900 on board.

I was thinking of converting my first CQ56 (which is almost operational by now) into an Intel equipped beast because Haiku OS runs only on an Intel CQ56 (so it seems).

All I need (as far as I can figure out) is 1. the motherboard, 2. Intel CPU, 3. CPU heatsink unit (fan and heatsink) and 4. RAM modules (DDR2 SO-DIMM 200-pin as opposed to DDR3 ones found on AMD CQ56).

I tried to source them on ebay.

There were three candidates on ebay at that time.

1. One motherboard with T4500 on board without CPU heatsink unit nor RAM modules from UK.

2. One motherboard with unspecified CPU on board including cables attached to it, WiFi card and heatsink unit. It also came with plastic covers upper and lower (including the WiFi antennae and web cam) but without keyboard, LCD and other small things.

3. The one I bought was an almost complete CQ56 and another obscure HP Compaq 610 notebook PC bundled together.

The CQ56 had 1GB of memory and no HDD (I believe no caddy, either). Why have I chosen this bundle above others even though it was the most expensive deal compared to 1. and 2.?

Because this Compaq 610 had 4GB of memory on it. So now I have to write about them.

So this no HDD CQ56 had only 1024 MB of RAM. It was booting according to the ebay seller's photos. Celeron 900 was clearly seen on the BIOS screen. To make it a beast, I only need Pentium Dual-Core T4500, more RAM and an HDD (or an SSD).

With candidate 1. I have to procure the heatsink unit somewhere and RAM modules.

With candidate 2. I have to get RAM modules and possibly a Pentium T4500 (if its hidden CPU turned to be a single core CPU).

With candidate 3. I have to get only a T4500.

Since the price of good decent used DDR2 SO-DIMM modules is unreasonably high, I thought I might end up paying more for choosing the least expensive option No.1 candidate.

If No.2 had T4500, I might have chosen it. I could ask the seller to reveal the CPU specification but I did not.

Candidate No.3 was least inexpensive but all I need to add is 15 or 16 Euro Pentium T4500.

This Compaq 610 is older than CQ56. It seems that 610 was a product aimed at middle or higher range. It has more (like SD card reader, PC card slot or Core2 Duo CPU) whereas the CQ56 has almost none of luxury equipment.

This 610 also had no HDD and BIOS password locked but it had 4 GB of RAM on board. These modules are precious nowadays. I will put them into the CQ56.

I might be able to reset the BIOS password and be able to use it. I might equip it with 2 GB of RAM (I have a couple of 1 GB modules around) and make use out of it. It seems to have some obscure HDD caddy (according to the maintenance manual from Compaq) so I don't know if I can install an HDD in case it did not come with the caddy.

続きをどうぞ [Haiku OS and Compaq Presario CQ56 powered by Intel]の続きを読む

テーマ:ノートパソコン - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2023/07/11(火) 14:26:32|
2. HAIKU OS
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4. | コメント：0

I bought an iPod Classic 6th generation
I recently had my iPod touch 2nd generation (I believe) stolen. I found out one day that the iPod touch was missing from my car. I did not know what happened but it had disappeared without a trace.

There was not a trace, indeed. The windows panes where not shattered. The doors were not destroyed. How had it happened?

Anyway, for the moment I don't have an Apple device that I can carry with me or inside the car to listen to some music (or audiobooks) that I purchased from Apple Store through iTunes.

I have been looking for something Apple for a while. I thought of buying iPod touch with at least 128 GB storage capacity. It was not easy to find one at reasonable prices.

I thought of buying iPad mini or something similar but in vain.

Today, it dawned on me that iPod Classic (with an HDD) would be not a bad idea. An iPod Classic was equipped with inexpensive small (1.8 inch or ??) HDD and generally HDDs are less expensive compared to RAM storage devices.

So I found a used, of course, iPod Classic 6th generation with 160 GB storage capacity from Germany. In its description the seller warned that the battery did not hold much charge. The back of the iPod (polished aluminum) had scratches and scars all over the place.

My main use for this will be a audiobook storage in my car. It does not matter much if the internal battery holds the juice or not as long as it works when plugged into the USB port of my Mazda MX-5.

So I decided to buy it. The shipping charge was not much as it comes from the neighboring Germany and the price was not bad.

I knew that it could break in a week, a month or a year as it was originally produced in 2007. If I wish or wished, I could put a new internal battery. I could swap the HDDs or put an SSD.

Let's see how it works!

Can anybody tell me why Haiku OS works on Intel CQ56 but not on AMD CQ56?
I wonder why. Is it something to do with the AMD chipset? Maybe so but I can not be sure.

I just found out that Intel CQ56 works just fine with Haiku OS. I am thinking of using my Intel CQ56 exclusively with Haiku OS in near future when the time is right.

I heard that many applications for Linux (or other Unix-like OS) are being ported to Haiku OS. Soon I hope Haiku OS is as useful as Linux.


続きをどうぞ [Haiku OS and iPod Classic 6th generation]の続きを読む

テーマ:ノートパソコン - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2023/07/06(木) 20:52:23|
2. HAIKU OS
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Haiku OS on Compaq Presario CQ56 (Intel)

It booted from the DVD (burnt from the ISO image) and I could successfully use it!


I tried Haiku OS on my Compaq Presario CQ56 (AMD V160) as early as 2019 (at that time beta 3 version) but the booting process stopped and I could not boot the notebook PC.

I tried Haiku OS on my Compaq Presario CQ56 (AMD V160? or N370) recently in 2023 (at this time beta 4 version) but the booting process abruptly stopped and I could not boot the notebook PC.

I tried Haiku OS beta 4 on my "Intel" Compaq Presario CQ56 (Pentium Dual-Core T4300) and to my big surprise the booting process went through and I could use the desktop for a while.

Why? Now I am curious. The previous multiple failed booting incidents with my AMD Compaq Presario CQ56 were caused by the AMD CPU? Or?

I have to try this DVD again with my AMD Compaq Presario CQ56 again to make sure it does not boot or to make sure that I was not mistaken (when I acknowledged that Haiku OS did not boot on AMD Compaq Presario CQ56).

I will set up the Intel machine so that I can use Haiku OS as a daily drive.


A minute later ...

I booted my AMD N370 Compaq Presario CQ56 and got a kernel panic debugger screen!

Yes, it is confirmed that AMD CQ56 won't boot (into desktop). it gives a debugger terminal with a panic screaming, "did not find any boot partitions" message.

I don't know why but Haiku OS only boots successfully on Intel version of Compaq Presario CQ56.


Why don't you just die? A meme?
I noticed this line by a fat bastard, an opponent of John wick in the movie "John Wick 4 (2023)".

The moment I heard this, a movie scene from Austin Powers The Spy Who Shagged Me came to my mind. I vividly remember Austin Powers cursing at the assassin women who just would not die so easily.

Why is this line repeatedly used in movies? Is it a meme? I Googled the line and found there were a movie and a TV series with the same line as their title. Where does this "Why don't you just die?" come from?


Pixel 7 and MagSafe Wallets?
A benefit of getting a smartphone from a major brand like Google is easy access to variety of accessories on the market. With the BV8800 (from Blackview an minor brand from China), my previous smartphone, getting a simple screen protection film was simply impossible (or it seemed). I bought it because it claimed to be ragged tough with the impressive so-called military standard. Its screen developed a crack when I dropped it with face down from the door sill of my Mazda MX-5. I did not have a screen protection film on it.

This time I bought a costly Google Pixel 7 and I expect to have access to accessories. As a starter I bought two MagSafe gadget items, 1. MagSafe imitation case and 2. MagSafe charger.

I now have my eyes on MagSafe Wallets. Are they practical? Can I manage to do away with my current cumbersome wallet?

I will see.


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Haiku OS booting on Compaq Presario CQ56 but it has to be Intel one!]の続きを読む

テーマ:ノートパソコン - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2023/07/04(火) 18:08:25|
2. HAIKU OS
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0