B!@@dy fool

[D-Dan]

Since last night I've had a problem with my Ubuntu install, in that I was getting no sound. It all went wrong when I removed my soundcard after it started messing up my cordless trackball when audio was playing (long story to how I got to that ultimately wrong conclusion).

Anyway, after a day of trying various fixes, I backed up my Linux config files that always take an age to fix, and reinstalled from scratch. Bad news, still no sound. I knew the card was working, because this is a dual boot machine and Vista had sound. It was finally 11:50 pm as I decided to have half an hour on Trackmania that things started to click. Sound worked, but no music (this is Windows) so I got out my torch and took a peek around the back of the machine.

Bear in mind, Linux and Creative don't work well together with 5 speakers, generally stereo is the best you can expect, which means if the jack for the two front speakers isn't connected, you'll get silence. You probably see where I'm going with this Yep, the front speakers weren't connected.

Put the plug in and tested Ubuntu again, and there I was in gorgeous stereo.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, the original problem was low batteries in the trackball.

As a computer wiz, I feel a bit of a fool now.

Steve

[Den]

We have all been there Steve, but most don't admit it 

[Simon]

That's why I stick to a corded mouse. 

[Rik]

My sympathies, Steve. I know I've been there, so these days I tend to apply the principle of Occam's Razor.

[Simon]

For those like me... 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam's_razor

[Rik]

It works.

[Gary]

That's why I stick to a corded mouse. 

My mouse LED flashes when its on low battery, I tried trackballs but never had much chance to say if I got on with them or not. I think now I could not easily change over. I will agre with Den I have got to the point of reinstalling and realised it was something suilly before, after a while you always look for the complex answer rather than the simple so Occams razor would be the way to go. Although working with computers is more akin to Schrödinger's cat 

[Rik]

Erudition rules, OK.

[Gary]

Erudition rules, OK.

we could go for Ensemble Interpretation, actually Wigner's Friend would be better then you could come back in and they have discovered the problem and you did not effect it then you can blame them

[Rik]

 

[Sebby]

We've all been there, Steve. Some of the computer "problems" I've had are too embarrassing to talk about.

[Rik]

And the none computer problems are even worse. 

[D-Dan]

Well perhaps I can take some comfort from the fact that my computer was, in fact, lying to me at the outset (the logitech utility told me the batteries were good). My mistake was believing it 

[Rik]

Take comfort from the fact we're all human, Steve. (Of course, some have expressed doubts about me. )

[quandam]

For those like me... 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam's_razor

Thanks for the link. however, having read it, my brain is hurting, is there a simpler version available?

That Rik knows some stuff!

[Rik]

Most of it useless, Q.

To paraphrase, Occam's Razor proposes that, when there are conflicting possible explanations, the simplest one is usually correct.

[Rik]

Try this:

Occam's razor is also called the principle of parsimony. These days it is usually interpreted to mean something like "the simpler the explanation, the better" or "don't multiply hypotheses unnecessarily." In any case, Occam's razor is a principle which is frequently used outside of ontology, e.g., by philosophers of science in an effort to establish criteria for choosing from among theories with equal explanatory power. When giving explanatory reasons for something, don't posit more than is necessary

http://skepdic.com/occam.html

[J!ll]

Most of it useless, Q.

To paraphrase, Occam's Razor proposes that, when there are conflicting possible explanations, the simplest one is usually correct.

Must put that forward to my NHS boss 

[Rik]

They invert Occam before starting work, Jill.

[Noreen]

We've all been there, Steve. Some of the computer "problems" I've had are too embarrassing to talk about.

Like me when I recently had to do an Acronis TI full image recovery and forgot to plug in the power plug to the laptop, which meant that it was running on its battery and so of course the battery ran down halfway through the reinstallation and I didn't notice until it was too late.

[Rik]

Fair makes you sweat when that happens, doesn't it.