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So I'm riding to Savannah and I'm working on an article on my new/old laptop, I just traded for it recently and forgot to set automatic update to ask me when updates are available instead of just doing it. Well I typing away and all of a sudden the machine says it's shutting down and not to cut the power as it's updating the computer, without any kind of indication.
So at first I thought I had lost an hours worth of work but thanks god for the VS recovery schema.
So needless to say first thing I did when I got home and charged up was to set the auto update to ask me and not auto update.
On top of everything else there's still updates available? WTF?
Sons-a-bitches!
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On my Win7 machines it asks you if you want to shut down now, or you can postpone it up to 4 hours.
The bad part is that when this window pops up it takes focus (doesn't come up in the background), so if you are typing and hit the space bar, it will dismiss the window with the default selection, which is to restart now. Not sure if that's what happened to you. Its annoying.
What is even worse is that I can hibernate my computer and if it has pending updates, it will wake itself up, apply the updates, and restart. Of course when it comes back up it opens everything I had open, but it certainly doesn't save any work. So not only does it forcibly close everything, but it doesn't put itself back to sleep. In the middle of the night I sometimes hear "Your virus definitions have been updated"...
I can't find a way to shut that off while leaving automatic updates on (I like them on so my dev machine is fully updated, and I have a Win7 VM that has a vanilla install with no updates for testing).
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Ron Beyer wrote: so if you are typing and hit the space bar, it will dismiss the window with the default selection, which is to restart now. Not sure if that's what happened to you. Its annoying.
I bet that's what happened but I didn't see the popup and yes if that's what it was it certainly is annoying.
Thanks Ron that explains the mystery!
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Even when you have set the option to never restart automatically, the not so new behavior can still be a pita. Have you ever needed to pack up the laptop at the last minute only to find that updates will be installed when you shut down...no opting out or putting it off for a more convenient time. This has caught me on more than a few occasions where I had to wait up to 10 minutes for it to shut down. I refuse to put it in the case running. I suppose proper planning on my part is the quickest remedy. 
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
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But they know what's best for us right? After all they have to get that SPYware downloaded into your computer so the NSA can do it's job!
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Quote: I refuse to put it in the case running
I develop automation software for big equipment, which requires outdoor testing. One day I was testing a huge hydraulic system and it was all being controlled with my laptop. It was the middle of August in Houston, outside temp was around 100F. I had set my computer up to not go to sleep when the cover is closed so it wouldn't lose connection.
Well long story short, I had the computer in a shaded place where it was relatively cool, and I left for lunch while it ran some tests. Somebody had picked up my computer, put it in my backpack (black mind you) and set it in the sun. When I got there my computer was so hot I had to find a freezer to put it in just so I could touch it. The mouse/speakers never worked again but didn't completely fry it
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Smart Bed - Snore detector![^]
Wonder if they have a tracking system for the badger that I'm sure c**ps in my mouth every Friday night - can't be anything to do with POETS day drinkies 
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Ah that's the Daily Mail though, do you have a more reliable source that this thing exists?
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Ah - you have a colony of Bed Badgers? I used to have those, they would steal all our money, kick our heads repeatedly, and use our mouths as a toilet.
The solution was to stop drinking: apparently they are attracted by the smell of alcohol and remain dormant if it isn't present.
Never underestimate the power of stupid things in large numbers
--- Serious Sam
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Nearing completion of a job, and when it's done upgrading my computer and I'm thinking about screens.
Should I go for one massive (32") screen, a biggish screen and a smaller one (say a 24" 16:10 and 19" 4:3) or three smaller screens (19" 16:10).
At the moment I have my laptop (1366x768 (ugh)) and a second dell screen (1280x1024).
What do you guys have, and what would you want to have?
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A 32" monitor would be sweet with 2840x2160 (4x HD) resolution, but I would still want a second monitor to put secondary or status programs on. Also it helps when debugging fullscreen programs. If money were not an issue, because the 32" monitors run ~$3500 US, the 32" and a 24" on the side.
I currently run a 30" and a 24", I tried adding a third monitor, a 24" monitor, but its just too much. I didn't use it, and ironically my real desktop workspace was more valuable to me than the value the extra monitor provided.
I don't know what you are running now, but with the 30" 2560x1600, I can maximize Visual Studio, display the solution explorer, and 3 columns of code, leaving plenty of room at the top or bottom for debug and status info panes. Any more than that and it seems to become distracting.
Good luck on your selection.
To know and not do, is not yet to know
http://www.codeofthedamned.com
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I saw a nice setup with a cheap 39" TV that supported 4K resolution (3840x2160). It went for well under $1K. The user normally had lots of windows opened at once and didn't like looking around at various monitors to find what he wanted. Of course, going this route is not for everyone, and does require getting a video card that supports 4K. Still, it looked great. But it's not useful if one does 3-wide gaming.
Personally, I use two 1920x1200 monitors, both in portrait mode, and have a connection to a 1080p 39" TV for watching movies, etc. It all depends on what one wants to do.
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I think my current main monitor at work is 27" (2560x1440 iMac) and my secondary screen is 15" (2880x1800 MacBook).
I suppose it'd be nice to instead have two 27" thunderbolt displays, but what I have right now works very well for me.
I typically have a Windows VM taking over the main screen, with Visual Studio on half of the screen and a browser open on the other half. The secondary screen usually has a browser open with some essential tabs (email, tasks list) and depending on what I'm doing an IM window or document.
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I have two 22" monitors, one portrait and the other landscape.
Wouldn't go back to one monitor, no matter what size, because two is just more flexible: you can "maximise" an app on each, so VS on the landscape for lines and tools and properties; with chrome open on the portrait for lots of lines.
Possibly one more 22 would be better, but then I'd have to move my head a fair amount to see what's going on...
Never underestimate the power of stupid things in large numbers
--- Serious Sam
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I must be cursed when it comes to multiple monitors. I tried it a couple of years ago. Every time the workstation restarted, the monitor configuration, settings, and icons would get hosed. It was probably just my video card, as others seem to have no problems.
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
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I would go with two...
I have one 21" Dell monitor and one 22" Dell monitor that are hooked to my main station, one is 1680x1050 and the bigger one is 1920x1080. I think the combination works out well, even though I got the monitors at different times.
I've been toying with the idea of replacing them with 2 24" monitors, and at one point I was thinking about 3 30" monitors, but I couldn't bring myself to drop $1500 on the monitors and video card necessary.
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Two monitors seems to work reasonably well! Sometimes when I'm working another screen seems like it would really be nice to have but those are rare times and doesn't justify getting the third screen.
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Two 24" monitors (1920x1200).
I would never want anything smaller or of different sizes. But next time I'll make sure they can be tilted to portrait mode. And maybe 27".
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I have four, one really small on my left and three across. It's too many, I never use them. I think three is optimal, one big one in the middle and one either side. That leaves one for chat, one for docs or side tasks, and one for your main IDE.
Christian Graus
My new article series is all about SQL !!!
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Christian Graus wrote: That leaves one for chat, one for docs or side tasks, two for CodeProject and one for your main IDE.
FTFY 
Soren Madsen
"When you don't know what you're doing it's best to do it quickly" - Jase #DuckDynasty
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*grin* I use CP in my main window. I also read mail in my main window. That way, I do it when I feel like I have a moment and it's not an always present distraction. Esp when I'm helping in forums and people ask questions, if I could see those while coding, it might make me stop to help.
Christian Graus
My new article series is all about SQL !!!
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JMK89 wrote: What do you guys have, and what would you want to have?
I have a big screen in the middle and two smaller screens, one on each side, sometimes a laptop in front of the monitor on the left, sometimes a cat wanting attention in front of the monitor in the middle.
Ideally, I'd like three big screens, all side by side. No wait. Ideally, I want something like this[^]
Marc
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That reminds me of Back To The Future... I still don't see why no one watches 6 TV channels at once. 
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At the moment I have 3 24" screens side by side
And a Tv connected as well tough I only turn that one on when I watch a movie or something.
Couldn't go back to 2 but 3 24" is a bit much, usually don't use all the space on them but for those rare occasions I do use everything it's very handy.
Ideally, see Marc's link 
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2 - 24"
They suit my needs of having one for an app like visual studio and one for reference material.
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