Improving gadgets in spite of manufacturers. The "meanness" of modern technology and ways to overcome them
Hi% username%! So historically, “very smart” buyers are struggling with greedy manufacturers, while the latter slowly but surely win back the territory. Sometimes it seems to fighters of this front that it is easier to surrender and just change gadgets, but only computers have slowed down their development, mobile phones are about to plunge into the ceiling of characteristics, and not amenable to improvement devices are already in full bloom. Today we will talk about ways to improve the gadgets against the will of their creators and simply be the "owners" of technology, and not the crowd, who made computers of temporary use blessed the unearthly beauty.
Maybe so. Today, not everyone wants to use “undocumented functions” and go against the incomprehensible plan of the device creator. Some buyers sincerely do not understand why digital technology should be amenable to improvements. They are happy to be guided by recipes in the style of "two gigabytes, two cores, game graphics card" for their hard earned money. More importantly, exactly the same skepticism reigns in the ranks of wealthy children. Only they, on the contrary, lay out large sums of money for the “full stuffing” in the technique, so that after a couple of years to repeat this operation again.
')
This is not your method, but today will have to suffer
But today's article will be addressed to the rest of the public - to everyone who is not satisfied with the wording “buy a better model more expensive” and gun shooting at sparrows instead of the obvious and necessary modernization of the device. We can do, however, without ultrahardcore: our task today is to remind possible maneuvers, and specifics is an individual question, which is usually accompanied by duty phrases, they say, "we are not responsible, all at your own risk."
When the memory cards in smartphones skipped MMC to RS-MMC, then miniSD, and finally microSD — that was the evolution everyone liked. When the SIM cards were minimized to the Nano-format, the conservatives grumbled, but the rearmament on 4G-SIM soon equaled everyone. But then, so that the life of honey does not seem, the manufacturers brought the so-called combo slot into the cell phones. Perhaps the unification promised super-profits, or the customers were going to make "bad, and then as before." In short, nowadays most smartphones have to choose from two SIM-cards, or one SIM + microSD.
Here we have to go to such perversions because of the arrogance of smartphone manufacturers.
The more you save, the more they hate you. Users of the flagships with 64 and 128 GB of memory of tragedy in innovations do not see at close range, but only smartphones of the budget and middle classes do not have such an impressive drive. Such models are content with 16 GB of internal memory, of which 14.7 GB is actually available due to unfriendly rounding, and after installing Android - about 10 gigabytes. And this is in a device that shoots video in Full HD and accompanies the owner on all trips.
If you still need a memory card - be kind, give up the second SIM, with which you called abroad or shared a service and personal number. And get a second shovel, in which you also have to install a memory card and a Nano-SIM.
There is a way out, though not for the faint of heart. All you need is to save the second SIM from plastic, that is, to uproot the chip and stick it on the memory card. Thus, the SIM card and memory card will turn into one “sandwich”. But nothing can be done - marasmus today has reached such a level that even 7-inch smartphones are allegedly unable to accommodate separate slots for SIM and memory cards. And, if little is known about the durability of the cut-off by the most un-indulgent SIM, then Kingston memory cards are the best choice for its “foundation” - reliability and speed will suffice with a margin, it is unlikely that you will be able to “shred” the long-suffering combo slot.
A hybrid SIM and microSD slot is used today even in 7-inch smartphones!
However, when the smartphone is equipped with at least some slot - this is an achievement. But the owners of Nexus devices, which Google, under a false pretext, deprived of support for memory cards, are engaged in modding more often than any other owners of android phones. For example, Yury Nazarenko from Kiev introduced the eMMC 5.0 chip into an old Nexus 5 chip, made memory re-markup and ennobled the smartphone with a copper plate to dissipate heat. After that - additional overclocking of the 400 cores in Snapdragon 800. A serious approach, which I would like to mention once again.
Smartphones Google Nexus deprived of a slot for a memory card, but do not reject third-party NAND modules after installation
In mobile computers with innovations, a similar, but much more diverse circus is going on.
An amazing thing - over the past three years, budget laptops have not become thinner, but have lost removable processors (after all, at the time of Intel Ivy Bridge, many models could be upgraded within very wide limits), received low-voltage CPUs (in huge cases and without prospects for hiking) , and there was still no space for a second 2.5 ”drive.
But the manufacturers are firmly convinced that 14 years after the debut in laptops, the DVD drive is our everything. Therefore, the refinement recipe is obvious - we send the “twist of disks” to the scrap and put the secondary drive in its place. The boot disk is best identified in place of an archaic HDD, so that the system starts with it. As for drives in general, even in the smallest and young laptops, these components are upgradeable. However, sometimes you have to disconnect a huge number of cables and dismantle a pack of screws to replace one printed circuit board with a second one (with an obsolete mSATA connector, a new-fashioned M.2, or an “Apple-made” Apple SSD connector).
We throw away the useless drive, put the HDD "on the dancer" and set the fast SSD as the main drive
But the slots of RAM in budget laptops, while no one touches (pah-pah-pah), and expanding the memory to at least 16 GB is possible even on the vast majority of models.
In ultrabooks, the situation is sad - to increase the amount of RAM in skinny computers in the usual way will not work. The memory chips are decoupled on the motherboard of a mobile PC, and in theory they can be replaced, but the notorious reballing is not done in very artisanal conditions. Even if we assume that the BIOS will see more memory than was installed in a specific modification, it’s not any cheaper, but donor one, to look for the memory, from the older version of the similar ultrabook. Already it seriously hits the wallet, and the jeweler's exact ration - and even more so. Without high-end equipment or “cronyism” at a factory it is cheaper to put up with it than to arrange an upgrade for the price of another laptop.
Reballing - Expensive & Sad
You can’t deny yourself the pleasure of stabbing Apple for fighting the lovers of modernization (and repair, for which they can sue ), but on the part of the “genius” of the design, the manufacturers of Designed for Windows laptops make stupid things cooler than all Apple’s tricks to the enthusiasts taken. Especially in this field, the old Acer, HP and Dell laptops excelled. Moreover, in the models of the corporate class, the same manufacturers of missteps did not allow - because the guys in suits are ready to punish the unsuccessful design with theruble in dollars. Just take a look at which perversions sometimes have to go to the owner of a full-sized spacious laptop to replace the RAM or drive.
After such difficulties, it is not even an hour, you will believe that it is fundamentally impossible to make laptops repairable in modern realities. In this case, take a look at the Toshiba Portege Z30 upgrade method. It was released in 2014 and could boast a comparable thickness to the MacBook Air 13 with less weight. Iron was also not flawed - typical for thin models Core i5 and SSD format mSATA.
To access the components in a miniature model, it was enough ... to unscrew the standard screws for a Phillips screwdriver and remove the cover. Two slots for RAM, SSD, wireless communication module, cooling system - everything was immediately visible! May because when they want!
In 2014, manufacturers of ultrabooks produced full-fledged and thin models. And then the guys overcame laziness
And if you pay attention to retro laptops - the main idea should be called a drive upgrade. Because even getting rarity RAM is still possible, but SSD with IDE interface is very rare. There are two ways out of this situation.
And you do not laugh, do not laugh! In old laptops there are no other ways to get out.
Surprising subtitle? And the fact is that tablets designed for home use are always supplied turnkey, without the possibility of official processing. Enthusiasts, of course, tried to dissect their favorite iPad and even sometimes achieved success. That is, in the presence of a “dead” donor tablet, it was necessary to solder the memory blocks to a similar (or platform-based, if we are talking about SoC) model. It was necessary to transfer memory in bulk in order to properly allocate the master and slave modules, and for 3G / 4G-enabled tablets, to drag the modem after the memory. Because by comparing IMEI in the modem and the serial number in the drive, the iPad determines whether unauthorized interference with hardware has occurred or not.
With tablets running Android, the upgrades didn’t work at all - mainly because there are no problems with the expansion of memory due to microSD. At the same time, the obviously compatible eMMC modules or, especially UFS, do not roll on the road, the reballing of tablet-smartphone SoCs is even more troublesome, and almost nobody succeeded in digging up the core to full operation of the new hardware (most often, RAM + ROM).
Therefore, Windows-based tablets have become promising in terms of upgrading devices (this is embarrassing to say with live UNIX-based OS competitors). Some manufacturers took half measures for hybrid devices - take at least an additional drive in the keyboard (read docking stations) of the numerous ASUS Transformer. However, there were also “honest” computer-like tablets in such a class of devices. For example, Dell Venue models with a removable back cover and the ability to upgrade the drive, Wi-Fi / 4G module, or simply change the worn out battery to a new one. Always be so!
Fit for upgrade drive, battery and wireless modules tablet. Nothing special, right?
Contrary to popular myths, the operating system can be transferred from the hard drive to the SSD without any harmful effects without additional settings. And even without losing activation, as is the case with OEM versions of Windows after replacing the motherboard.
Of course, if the system partition has grown beyond the capacity of the purchased SSD, it would be good to remove large-sized junk and disable hibernation (it is much more sensible to use solid-state drives in sleep mode), but no more preparation procedures are required. Further, there are several options (as the decay decreases):
Conclusions from the current situation in the industry everyone is free to make himself. And let someone already relaxed and get pleasure - enthusiasts still have enough loopholes to equip the equipment to your liking. Long live the fight against degrading gadgets and reliable components to support the "army of survivors"!
Thank you for your attention and stay with Kingston on Hiktatimes!
And besides, we have prepared for all readers of our blog special geekpromo promotional codes for the purchase of the MobileLite Wireless G3 wireless mobile device, Kingston UV400 solid-state drives and DDR4 HyperX Savage memory modules in the Yulmart network with a 10% discount. You can use the promotional code until July 24, 2016, share information with friends!
For more information about Kingston and HyperX products, visit the company's official website . In choosing your kit HyperX help page with visual aids .
Shurik, maybe not necessary?
Maybe so. Today, not everyone wants to use “undocumented functions” and go against the incomprehensible plan of the device creator. Some buyers sincerely do not understand why digital technology should be amenable to improvements. They are happy to be guided by recipes in the style of "two gigabytes, two cores, game graphics card" for their hard earned money. More importantly, exactly the same skepticism reigns in the ranks of wealthy children. Only they, on the contrary, lay out large sums of money for the “full stuffing” in the technique, so that after a couple of years to repeat this operation again.
')
This is not your method, but today will have to suffer
But today's article will be addressed to the rest of the public - to everyone who is not satisfied with the wording “buy a better model more expensive” and gun shooting at sparrows instead of the obvious and necessary modernization of the device. We can do, however, without ultrahardcore: our task today is to remind possible maneuvers, and specifics is an individual question, which is usually accompanied by duty phrases, they say, "we are not responsible, all at your own risk."
"Do you have tea without sugar or without tea leaves?" Taming the hybrid slot in smartphones
When the memory cards in smartphones skipped MMC to RS-MMC, then miniSD, and finally microSD — that was the evolution everyone liked. When the SIM cards were minimized to the Nano-format, the conservatives grumbled, but the rearmament on 4G-SIM soon equaled everyone. But then, so that the life of honey does not seem, the manufacturers brought the so-called combo slot into the cell phones. Perhaps the unification promised super-profits, or the customers were going to make "bad, and then as before." In short, nowadays most smartphones have to choose from two SIM-cards, or one SIM + microSD.
Here we have to go to such perversions because of the arrogance of smartphone manufacturers.
The more you save, the more they hate you. Users of the flagships with 64 and 128 GB of memory of tragedy in innovations do not see at close range, but only smartphones of the budget and middle classes do not have such an impressive drive. Such models are content with 16 GB of internal memory, of which 14.7 GB is actually available due to unfriendly rounding, and after installing Android - about 10 gigabytes. And this is in a device that shoots video in Full HD and accompanies the owner on all trips.
If you still need a memory card - be kind, give up the second SIM, with which you called abroad or shared a service and personal number. And get a second shovel, in which you also have to install a memory card and a Nano-SIM.
There is a way out, though not for the faint of heart. All you need is to save the second SIM from plastic, that is, to uproot the chip and stick it on the memory card. Thus, the SIM card and memory card will turn into one “sandwich”. But nothing can be done - marasmus today has reached such a level that even 7-inch smartphones are allegedly unable to accommodate separate slots for SIM and memory cards. And, if little is known about the durability of the cut-off by the most un-indulgent SIM, then Kingston memory cards are the best choice for its “foundation” - reliability and speed will suffice with a margin, it is unlikely that you will be able to “shred” the long-suffering combo slot.
A hybrid SIM and microSD slot is used today even in 7-inch smartphones!
However, when the smartphone is equipped with at least some slot - this is an achievement. But the owners of Nexus devices, which Google, under a false pretext, deprived of support for memory cards, are engaged in modding more often than any other owners of android phones. For example, Yury Nazarenko from Kiev introduced the eMMC 5.0 chip into an old Nexus 5 chip, made memory re-markup and ennobled the smartphone with a copper plate to dissipate heat. After that - additional overclocking of the 400 cores in Snapdragon 800. A serious approach, which I would like to mention once again.
Smartphones Google Nexus deprived of a slot for a memory card, but do not reject third-party NAND modules after installation
Do not dive in unfamiliar places! Features of the modernization of laptops
In mobile computers with innovations, a similar, but much more diverse circus is going on.
An amazing thing - over the past three years, budget laptops have not become thinner, but have lost removable processors (after all, at the time of Intel Ivy Bridge, many models could be upgraded within very wide limits), received low-voltage CPUs (in huge cases and without prospects for hiking) , and there was still no space for a second 2.5 ”drive.
But the manufacturers are firmly convinced that 14 years after the debut in laptops, the DVD drive is our everything. Therefore, the refinement recipe is obvious - we send the “twist of disks” to the scrap and put the secondary drive in its place. The boot disk is best identified in place of an archaic HDD, so that the system starts with it. As for drives in general, even in the smallest and young laptops, these components are upgradeable. However, sometimes you have to disconnect a huge number of cables and dismantle a pack of screws to replace one printed circuit board with a second one (with an obsolete mSATA connector, a new-fashioned M.2, or an “Apple-made” Apple SSD connector).
We throw away the useless drive, put the HDD "on the dancer" and set the fast SSD as the main drive
But the slots of RAM in budget laptops, while no one touches (pah-pah-pah), and expanding the memory to at least 16 GB is possible even on the vast majority of models.
In ultrabooks, the situation is sad - to increase the amount of RAM in skinny computers in the usual way will not work. The memory chips are decoupled on the motherboard of a mobile PC, and in theory they can be replaced, but the notorious reballing is not done in very artisanal conditions. Even if we assume that the BIOS will see more memory than was installed in a specific modification, it’s not any cheaper, but donor one, to look for the memory, from the older version of the similar ultrabook. Already it seriously hits the wallet, and the jeweler's exact ration - and even more so. Without high-end equipment or “cronyism” at a factory it is cheaper to put up with it than to arrange an upgrade for the price of another laptop.
Reballing - Expensive & Sad
You can’t deny yourself the pleasure of stabbing Apple for fighting the lovers of modernization (and repair, for which they can sue ), but on the part of the “genius” of the design, the manufacturers of Designed for Windows laptops make stupid things cooler than all Apple’s tricks to the enthusiasts taken. Especially in this field, the old Acer, HP and Dell laptops excelled. Moreover, in the models of the corporate class, the same manufacturers of missteps did not allow - because the guys in suits are ready to punish the unsuccessful design with the
After such difficulties, it is not even an hour, you will believe that it is fundamentally impossible to make laptops repairable in modern realities. In this case, take a look at the Toshiba Portege Z30 upgrade method. It was released in 2014 and could boast a comparable thickness to the MacBook Air 13 with less weight. Iron was also not flawed - typical for thin models Core i5 and SSD format mSATA.
To access the components in a miniature model, it was enough ... to unscrew the standard screws for a Phillips screwdriver and remove the cover. Two slots for RAM, SSD, wireless communication module, cooling system - everything was immediately visible! May because when they want!
In 2014, manufacturers of ultrabooks produced full-fledged and thin models. And then the guys overcame laziness
And if you pay attention to retro laptops - the main idea should be called a drive upgrade. Because even getting rarity RAM is still possible, but SSD with IDE interface is very rare. There are two ways out of this situation.
- Install the drive in a card reader (SD or CF) and use ReadyBoost caching technology if the computer is running Windows. Trifle, and helps.
- Get a Chinese adapter from M.2 / mSATA to IDE and install an inexpensive SSD. Take a word - even in the narrow speed limits of PATA, the speed gain will be noticeable, because the response time and work with a large queue depth will look much more advantageous than in a hard disk.
And you do not laugh, do not laugh! In old laptops there are no other ways to get out.
Tablets: business only, nothing personal
Surprising subtitle? And the fact is that tablets designed for home use are always supplied turnkey, without the possibility of official processing. Enthusiasts, of course, tried to dissect their favorite iPad and even sometimes achieved success. That is, in the presence of a “dead” donor tablet, it was necessary to solder the memory blocks to a similar (or platform-based, if we are talking about SoC) model. It was necessary to transfer memory in bulk in order to properly allocate the master and slave modules, and for 3G / 4G-enabled tablets, to drag the modem after the memory. Because by comparing IMEI in the modem and the serial number in the drive, the iPad determines whether unauthorized interference with hardware has occurred or not.
With tablets running Android, the upgrades didn’t work at all - mainly because there are no problems with the expansion of memory due to microSD. At the same time, the obviously compatible eMMC modules or, especially UFS, do not roll on the road, the reballing of tablet-smartphone SoCs is even more troublesome, and almost nobody succeeded in digging up the core to full operation of the new hardware (most often, RAM + ROM).
Therefore, Windows-based tablets have become promising in terms of upgrading devices (this is embarrassing to say with live UNIX-based OS competitors). Some manufacturers took half measures for hybrid devices - take at least an additional drive in the keyboard (read docking stations) of the numerous ASUS Transformer. However, there were also “honest” computer-like tablets in such a class of devices. For example, Dell Venue models with a removable back cover and the ability to upgrade the drive, Wi-Fi / 4G module, or simply change the worn out battery to a new one. Always be so!
Fit for upgrade drive, battery and wireless modules tablet. Nothing special, right?
Consciousness transfer to another body: we clone the OS to a new drive
Contrary to popular myths, the operating system can be transferred from the hard drive to the SSD without any harmful effects without additional settings. And even without losing activation, as is the case with OEM versions of Windows after replacing the motherboard.
Of course, if the system partition has grown beyond the capacity of the purchased SSD, it would be good to remove large-sized junk and disable hibernation (it is much more sensible to use solid-state drives in sleep mode), but no more preparation procedures are required. Further, there are several options (as the decay decreases):
- A Microsoft- recommended way to migrate a system using Sysprep.
- With the free Clonezilla utility
- Using Acronis True Image or Paragon Migrate OS to SSD paid utilities
We have the right!
Conclusions from the current situation in the industry everyone is free to make himself. And let someone already relaxed and get pleasure - enthusiasts still have enough loopholes to equip the equipment to your liking. Long live the fight against degrading gadgets and reliable components to support the "army of survivors"!
Thank you for your attention and stay with Kingston on Hiktatimes!
And besides, we have prepared for all readers of our blog special geekpromo promotional codes for the purchase of the MobileLite Wireless G3 wireless mobile device, Kingston UV400 solid-state drives and DDR4 HyperX Savage memory modules in the Yulmart network with a 10% discount. You can use the promotional code until July 24, 2016, share information with friends!
For more information about Kingston and HyperX products, visit the company's official website . In choosing your kit HyperX help page with visual aids .
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/396049/
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