I sit here on a laptop, connected to an external KB/M, with a USB hub connecting an external sound card (with attached speakers), a DAS enclosure, an additional external SSD, and a cooling lift with fans. The difference is the laptop itself is still perfectible functional, and can be disconnected for travel at any time. It's simply a desktop replacement setup. But I still identify with this video so much, heh.
....this is literally what my boomer parents did. For literal decades. I JUST got them set up with a new mini PC, after almost 3 decades of cobbled-together dinosaur tech reigning supreme. Argh...
The year is 2249, the keys have holes worn into them, the screen only shows a burnt-in BSOD. Somehow the trackpad is missing entirely. A daisy chain of antique USB peripherals have patched together a spider web that must be carefully navigated to avoid unplugging anything. The androids housing my parents' memories refuse to replace it, still functionable
The memory one was confusing. I assume they mean storage and booting off of an external drive is not optimal. Most laptops though you can easily replace the storage for cheaper than the price of an external drive.
I have an Alienware M17X R3 that is in much the same position..GPU port is fried so anytime you put a new one in, it instantly nukes it. Then you have to reinstall the OS and drivers before it’ll boot. But if you run on the discrete GPU, you can run minecraft at about 54fps. When I’m a little better with solder joints I plan to restore it to its former glory, deserves it after lasting me 12 years. Rest well until then king.
It probably overheated because it wasn't getting airflow, you can take the case aparte and blow out the dust. The "memory corrupted" isn't memory, it was hard disk. And you can replace those cheaply. (while you have the case apart, you could remove the actual memory and it won't be functionable anymore.
🎶 why's it have to be complicated, all I wanted to do was clean the faaaan, clean the fan, it's good as new, but spic and span, is hard to do🎶 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpCJzdWxEbQ
Commenting from an 11 year old laptop that has no battery and the wifi doesnt work either. Its been rebuilt inside the case from a dead laptop i bought on ebay for 20 bucks because the case was cracked in several places and the hinges were broken. Also running linux on a SSD that I added later (but its actually installed not an external)
My wife's last laptop also lived for more than 10 years. I swapped the HDD with an SSD eventually any bought a new battery twice, but it would still work to this day if it weren't for the crappy GPU.
At this point you can just pin the mainboard to the wall and connect all the other shit, then you won't need the external cooling and the rest of the laptop. Or maybe just mercy kill it.
I had a first gen Sony Vaio that was like that, it sat on a milk crate for airflow, sitting on top of an old eMachines tube monitor, with a wacom graphire as mouse, $5 microcenter usb keyboard, no battery, would crash if you plugged in the wifi card, could barely use dial-up, and couldn't run any illustration software newer than Photoshop Elements. I had to limp that thing along on life support through middle school, high school, and only finally replaced it a decade later in 2008.
I named my laptop from ~2010 Theseus. Replaced the HD and RAM of course, but also the bottom case, the built-in keyboard, the wifi board (added Bluetooth), the CPU and motherboard (from Sandy Bridge “Pentium” to an Ivy Bridge i5 + discrete GPU)… Was a Gateway now thinks it’s an Acer. Weirdly, battery still works fine.
While it’s surprisingly usable, at this point I’m just doing it for the challenge. Currently working on the screen, just need to find the right LVDS cable.
It's quite a bit like the Ship of Theseus. All you are doing is replacing the question of it's individual identity with the question of it's categorical identity. "How much functionality of a laptop can the laptop lose before it's no longer a laptop?" Is identity tied to the current functionality/state or it's original construction?
I've seen this as something like "The Galley of Theseus". Little by little you replace the oarsmen with sails and rigging. At what point is it no longer a galley?
It's a modified version of it. What's in question is not its individuated identity but it's categorical identity. "Is a laptop still a laptop once it requires external ... everything"
My old laptop was an ASUS N550JK, which had the same setup as above minus needing an external drive and monitor. Still worked when I replaced it with a newer laptop. 15 years old was just too long in the tooth anymore, even after a few upgrades. (It also started on Vista, and ended on 10.)
As someone that's had a laptop screen go out: go into the settings and change it so it "does nothing" when the lid is closed, then place the monitor on top of the closed laptop for more space. You can also pop the bad hard drive out and shuck the external to slip it inside the laptop (provided it's the proper size).
But bear in mind that laptops are often designed to passively dissipate heat through the keyboard, so closing the lid might not always be the best idea.
Most laptops have cooling fans that blow the air out the back/side. If you have a laptop that is only passively cooled then you must have a pentium/celeron and it works fine (though incredibly slow) with the lid closed.
Even modern high performnce laptops with active cooling will still be designed to maximize passive heat dissipation through the keyboard, which will help keep the cooling system as small and quiet as possible. You will notice a meaningful reduction in performance with the lid closed.
I go in and do this to all my laptops even if I'm not using an external monitor. That way I can close my laptop when it's working on things in the background or just taking a break.
Most modern externals have made the usb connection on the bottom board of the hdd rather than using an adapter after the sata ports. Most cannot be removed from their shell to be added as added to internal storage because they literally don’t have the right connectors for it.
Hm. I've not encountered one like that yet. Seems way easier and probably cheaper to not use drivers with custom boards and just stick a cheap sata-to-usb converter board in.
Magnar1183
I think he might be a tad bitter his parents aren't keep their word. Lol
spiritplumber
We have one of these running the CNC mills in the shop
incendras
RAM fries, install linux, attach second drive as swap memory, crank to 100% swap. Still functionable.
codenametrixie
Quick question, Can he just put all the extensions together an get rid of the original lap top?
IslaNublar
I sit here on a laptop, connected to an external KB/M, with a USB hub connecting an external sound card (with attached speakers), a DAS enclosure, an additional external SSD, and a cooling lift with fans. The difference is the laptop itself is still perfectible functional, and can be disconnected for travel at any time. It's simply a desktop replacement setup. But I still identify with this video so much, heh.
Fingerbob73
Supposingly
yoyopopo
I used to do this, I still do but I used to do it as well.
MarlenaWatches
....this is literally what my boomer parents did. For literal decades. I JUST got them set up with a new mini PC, after almost 3 decades of cobbled-together dinosaur tech reigning supreme. Argh...
CatSparkleBreaker
The year is 2249, the keys have holes worn into them, the screen only shows a burnt-in BSOD. Somehow the trackpad is missing entirely. A daisy chain of antique USB peripherals have patched together a spider web that must be carefully navigated to avoid unplugging anything. The androids housing my parents' memories refuse to replace it, still functionable
KentKnifen
At a certain point, it just becomes known as the craptop.
Ranos17
Functionable? Supposingly?
ThongsAreFootwear
He's Malaysian.
He's speaking what's colloquially known as Manglish.
dustygamedev
The memory one was confusing. I assume they mean storage and booting off of an external drive is not optimal. Most laptops though you can easily replace the storage for cheaper than the price of an external drive.
3andAHalfLivesAgo
I have an Alienware M17X R3 that is in much the same position..GPU port is fried so anytime you put a new one in, it instantly nukes it. Then you have to reinstall the OS and drivers before it’ll boot. But if you run on the discrete GPU, you can run minecraft at about 54fps. When I’m a little better with solder joints I plan to restore it to its former glory, deserves it after lasting me 12 years. Rest well until then king.
Gunslinger2071
At first I was irritated that the word should be "functional." Then I looked it up and realized "functionable" is the perfect word.
itdweeb
Laptop of Theseus.
vegivamp
Except not a single part got replaced. Not that I'd expect him to, given that he calls the hard disk "memory".
stoots24
How many pieces can be switched out before it's no longer the same functionable laptop?
sharkbirdbitecaw
I also have a functioning laptop, complete with Windows XP!
SoulTakerWasSupposedToBeMyUsernameButSomebodyStoleIT
Fungshonable laptop
Niagaran
FUNGshonable
andrewcj8
Supposingly
linexnewt
It probably overheated because it wasn't getting airflow, you can take the case aparte and blow out the dust. The "memory corrupted" isn't memory, it was hard disk. And you can replace those cheaply. (while you have the case apart, you could remove the actual memory and it won't be functionable anymore.
mixiekins
🎶 why's it have to be complicated, all I wanted to do was clean the faaaan, clean the fan, it's good as new, but spic and span, is hard to do🎶 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpCJzdWxEbQ
chr155ter
that was the laptop I had in high school. Had it apart many times
briham86
hatsuseno
Mhmmmmm, cadmium <3
HollerinAtTheVoid
GET THE RICE!!!!🍚 🌾
Mrmisfit
Hmm, I think I'm gonna get some rice.
anothersalad
Get… The. Rice.
ActualTttony
Does Uncle Roger know about this
ThongsAreFootwear
They're both Malaysian so, probably.
chr155ter
Commenting from an 11 year old laptop that has no battery and the wifi doesnt work either. Its been rebuilt inside the case from a dead laptop i bought on ebay for 20 bucks because the case was cracked in several places and the hinges were broken. Also running linux on a SSD that I added later (but its actually installed not an external)
JaromirAzarov
My wife's last laptop also lived for more than 10 years. I swapped the HDD with an SSD eventually any bought a new battery twice, but it would still work to this day if it weren't for the crappy GPU.
obarey
Also probably RAM limitations.
JaromirAzarov
RAM could be upgraded, but not the GPU.
Hammerwell
Linux Mint, as xfce version, if needs must. Minimum is a 500 MHz single core, 1GB ram and 10GB HDD, a bit more is more comfortable. https://linuxmint.starcitizenships.org/compare-linux-mint-editions
JaromirAzarov
I use Mint in a VM for internet browsing, it's quite good.
RuffyRuffHausen
At this point you can just pin the mainboard to the wall and connect all the other shit, then you won't need the external cooling and the rest of the laptop. Or maybe just mercy kill it.
Vungor
My daughter tore my laptop and A hole.
mixiekins
I had a first gen Sony Vaio that was like that, it sat on a milk crate for airflow, sitting on top of an old eMachines tube monitor, with a wacom graphire as mouse, $5 microcenter usb keyboard, no battery, would crash if you plugged in the wifi card, could barely use dial-up, and couldn't run any illustration software newer than Photoshop Elements. I had to limp that thing along on life support through middle school, high school, and only finally replaced it a decade later in 2008.
DriverIRQnotlessOrEqual
Theseus: Damn bro that’s rough, I got a boat just like that
OxfordWriter
This is the 21st century version of the Ship of Theseus.
tavadis
panta rhei
dudbdjf
I named my laptop from ~2010 Theseus. Replaced the HD and RAM of course, but also the bottom case, the built-in keyboard, the wifi board (added Bluetooth), the CPU and motherboard (from Sandy Bridge “Pentium” to an Ivy Bridge i5 + discrete GPU)… Was a Gateway now thinks it’s an Acer. Weirdly, battery still works fine.
While it’s surprisingly usable, at this point I’m just doing it for the challenge. Currently working on the screen, just need to find the right LVDS cable.
LongCommentChainAppreciator
The Chip of Asus
myloveforyouislikeatruckberserker
Except not a single part of the laptop was replaced.. just connected to it.. so basically nothing like that
quzar
It's quite a bit like the Ship of Theseus. All you are doing is replacing the question of it's individual identity with the question of it's categorical identity. "How much functionality of a laptop can the laptop lose before it's no longer a laptop?" Is identity tied to the current functionality/state or it's original construction?
I've seen this as something like "The Galley of Theseus". Little by little you replace the oarsmen with sails and rigging. At what point is it no longer a galley?
myloveforyouislikeatruckberserker
Can’t argue with your logic, madame/sir
HollerinAtTheVoid
Or it’s exactly the same so long as they never remove the bad parts from the ship
Quixus
But if all the original parts remain, there is no question whether it is still the ship of Theseus, so again the laptop is nothing like it.
quzar
It's a modified version of it. What's in question is not its individuated identity but it's categorical identity. "Is a laptop still a laptop once it requires external ... everything"
Quixus
OK, but with the ship of Theseus only the individuated identity is in question not whether it remains a ship AFAIK.
HollerinAtTheVoid
I’m not here for your facts
OmnesMundiLardum
That's not how ship repairs work.
ohwhenwilldeathcome
https://media0.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTY1YjkxZmJlcmk0ZTl1a3M1Y2o1dWg2cmxjamg5YTZ1Ynp4ZzRmNzllbjV1cjZvdSZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/LCo3JuJ8ca3XXJQqlM/200w.mp4
barnwolf
The ship of Theseus has turned into the warf of Theseus.
quzar
The Dock of Theseus
YippeeKayakOB
runs Doom
Ahroo
15 someodd years and it's "still going"
beoff
I have a similar vintage. New SSD, WIndows 11, still works fine.
IslaNublar
My old laptop was an ASUS N550JK, which had the same setup as above minus needing an external drive and monitor. Still worked when I replaced it with a newer laptop. 15 years old was just too long in the tooth anymore, even after a few upgrades. (It also started on Vista, and ended on 10.)
HeadJamistan
I have an MSI that around that old that a client bought off of me when I upgraded. They leave it plugged in and turned on ALL the time 1/
HeadJamistan
and it still works just fine. If someone asks me for laptop advice, I saw MSI, Asus, or Lenovo.
WhiskyBravo
windows 7 FTW
LicensedAdHominem
That's old Asus for you. I wonder if the brand is still like that.
mixiekins
I miss the old ThinkPads, those things were i n d e s t r u c t i b l e
DontAskMeAboutMyUsernameOkay
As someone that's had a laptop screen go out: go into the settings and change it so it "does nothing" when the lid is closed, then place the monitor on top of the closed laptop for more space. You can also pop the bad hard drive out and shuck the external to slip it inside the laptop (provided it's the proper size).
spitfires2000
You're so functionable...
kuscheck
But bear in mind that laptops are often designed to passively dissipate heat through the keyboard, so closing the lid might not always be the best idea.
Dstar99a
Most laptops have cooling fans that blow the air out the back/side. If you have a laptop that is only passively cooled then you must have a pentium/celeron and it works fine (though incredibly slow) with the lid closed.
kuscheck
Even modern high performnce laptops with active cooling will still be designed to maximize passive heat dissipation through the keyboard, which will help keep the cooling system as small and quiet as possible. You will notice a meaningful reduction in performance with the lid closed.
KainLamond
I go in and do this to all my laptops even if I'm not using an external monitor.
That way I can close my laptop when it's working on things in the background or just taking a break.
Dstar99a
Most modern externals have made the usb connection on the bottom board of the hdd rather than using an adapter after the sata ports. Most cannot be removed from their shell to be added as added to internal storage because they literally don’t have the right connectors for it.
vegivamp
Hm. I've not encountered one like that yet. Seems way easier and probably cheaper to not use drivers with custom boards and just stick a cheap sata-to-usb converter board in.
Dstar99a
But that is adding a second control board to each unit cost rather than using the usb board and calling it a day.
TK421isAFK
Depends on the brand. Seagate has proprietary controller boards that don't have SATA or IDE connectors, but WD uses standard drive boards.