Only_Dead_Fish_Go_With_The

Monday, February 23, 2015

Thinkpad T540p hissing noise in windows 8.1 64bit

Lenovo Thinkpad T540p/T440s/W540 loudspeaker constant hissing noise in Windows 8.1 64bit

last update 2015.feb.24

I recently got a Lenovo Thinkpad T540p to replace my old Lenovo Thinkpad T510 that after 5 years of service, was starting to be too old and slowish.

It is always the case, when we need to get used to new tools, that in the first period we still love more the old and worn out ones. It was indeed. Now, after a few weeks, it is getting better. My T510 was really well engineered.

Yesterday I solved an issue that was quite annoying.

My Thinkpad laptop T540p, in Windows 8.1 64 bits, produced a constant hiss from the right side loudspeaker. This sound was not loud, but very clearly audible when I use the notebook in my bedroom desk, in the evening silence.

There is a thread on the Lenovo thinkpad forum where many people complain about this problem, impacting at least Thinkpad T440s, Thinkpad T540p, Thinkpad W540

My understanding is that it affects all owners of these machines.
Lenovo, despite some declarations, was not releasing any official statement, and some people were very disappointed, because these laptops are quite expensive (my one was costing about 1700euros) and such problems are not to be expected on high end products.

I did my personal analysis, and noticed that I dont suffer the problem when booting in Ubuntu Linux.
Also I noticed that the hissing sound became louder and lasted for about 5 seconds just after any short sound was played thru the loudspeakers (like windows error sound).
Unwanted noise was there all the time, independently from loudspeakers volume, and always disappeared only when muting audio thru the Fn/F1 key.
Noise was also independent from power cord connected or not, and from battery power level.
Fiddling with advanced sound properties, like equalizer, dolby, etc did not produce any effect.

The Windows 8.1 OS that was available on the accompanying CDs was installing some Realtek High Definition Audio drivers that in my case were (maybe after some updates) at the 6.0.7188 level (mar 4, 2014)
Release check can be done via device manager, then selecting audio devices, then Realtek.

The main component of the Realtek audio driver is the file RTKWHDA.SYS The release number shown in audio properties windows comes from this file.

Despite Lenovo update tool is not offering any new related download, but on Realtek website ( http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/downloadsCheck.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=24&PFid=24&Level=4&Conn=3&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false#High%20Definition%20Audio%20Codecs ), an update is available, bringing RTKWHDA.SYS to 6.0.1.7246 (did this on feb 22.2015 - check the readme pdf)

After downloading and updating the driver for my Windows 8.1 x64 operating system, and going thru a couple of reboot, the problem disappeared.

----
Edit feb 23 2015: the problem is greatly reduced but did not disappear completely:
Play some sound (a song) with windows media player. Stop the playback, the noise can now be heard. Close media player: the noise goes away after about 6 seconds.

@mgua

.

Friday, February 13, 2015

Windows 8.1 laptop based Hyper-V virtual machine with internet access thru WiFi

Laptop based Hyper-V virtual machine with internet access thru WiFi

I have a laptop (Lenovo T540p) with Windows 8.1 64 bit, which has wifi and ethernet connectivity
I want to run a Windows XP pro 32bit virtual machine inside a local Hyper-V
I want the XP virtual machine to be able to access the internet, both when laptop is connected to wired ethernet, and when it is on wifi

The request is a bit tricky because a simply bridged connection is not going to work, since link establishment over WiFi requires a pre-connection protocol negotiation, with encryption etc.

Here are the steps I made:

1. Enable Hardware virtualization support in laptop BIOS (it was off by default)

2. Enable MS Windows Hyper-V support, activating the corresponding windows feature (Ctrl Panel/ Programs/Program&Features)

3. Create a virtual machine profile, with a network legacy adapter, connected to a bridged type virtual switch, with type external network, which goes on the laptop ethernet adapter (cable)

4. From the ISO image mounted as optical drive, perform the guest OS setup (key combination for unlocking mouse from within the VM window is CTRL-ALT-LEFTARROW)

5. after installation and reboot, from the virtual machine window action menu, perform integration service setup (this brings in drivers for the more advanced non-legacy network interface support)

6. perform service pack and patching installations, downloading whatever is needed from within the VM

7. shutdown vm, switch to wifi connectivity and detach wired ethernet from the laptop

8. from hyperv manager, create another virtual switch, type INTERNAL. I called mine "WIFIvSwitch". Since this is internal type, it must not be bound to any physical interface

9. create a new network adapter in the virtual machine, and associate it with the newly created vSwitch

10. from host windows control panel, go to Network and Internet, Network connections. You will see a new vEthernet (wifivswitch) adapter, on unidentified network, with no internet access, with Public Network category. Double click on it, and make sure that you have the following checks: Client for MS networks, File and print sharing for MS networks, internet protocol version 4. No sharing settings, and no specific selection in home networking connection. Confirm.

11. now double click your wifi connection (should be green and active) that should have Internet access. Choose properties, then click sharing tab and check "allow other network users to connect thru this computer's internet connection", selecting the vEthernet (wifiswitch) in Home Ethernet connection. (sometimes this selection is not available. In my case it was showing up after a reboot). Let the default check on "Allow other network users to control or disable the shared Internet connection". Confirm

12. now turn on the virtual machine, and it should detect the new adapter, install and activate the drivers, request and get an IP address on a private autoselected range (i get 192.168.137.40/24, with gateway on .1), and then you should be able to have internet access thru the host wifi link.

Happy Networking!

@mgua

.

Friday, July 11, 2014

Aging Privileges

Aging Privileges

Aging gives you privileges too:

You are not the first who talks,
usually you like to be the last
and try to wrap up and decide
peppering with some grains of wisdom.

You need less to hurry
nor to work at night that much
You take more time
for what really matters

Your words come slower,
sometimes memory fails.
Shorter sight
is balanced by wider views

You want simpler things
and cleaner
transparent designs
working hard to remove whats not needed

Because in the end YOU are not
that important anymore.

And there are many
better causes to fight for.

Life matters.

@mgua

(crossposted from ebmb )

Thursday, June 26, 2014

proud of our differences

A thing that constantly amazes me... (03/06/14 22:58:06)

... is how proud we are of who we are.

This is an exquisite character of humans,
which is built in,
and works cross culture,
cross country, cross time.

we have a story behind us.
our story. unique and only.
our path that led to who we are,
that built up us as we are.
the only story we were truly living, experiencing it directly.

we would not exchange that story with anyone else's,
because it would be terryfing
to transplant our memories,
our terabytes,
our inner colors.
thats me. my stuff.
my self.

so we build some legends,
with knights and dragons and dames,
and pour color on our grey days sequences,
on our dark moments and pains.
we build our life novel.
resumes.
memories shinier than facts.

hairs and beards get white, but the picture remain fresh.
old tools become rusty,
our hands get slower
on keyboards that do not just click the same.

we grow philosophers,
speak about old times,
bark at politics,
find new interests in cooking or gardening,
or find warm tears in old rock songs.

our old kernel beating inside
allows us to see
similarities in differences
collisions of extremes.

that's just a part of the beauty
of this wonderful life.

love,

m

check this song: the Story, by Brandi Carlile: http://youtu.be/P0jiALPCtH8

mgua

Monday, February 3, 2014

She, the Network

Currently, the global machine already can access almost all our factual knowledge.
All that is already there, digitized, searchable, hyperlinked, translated.

What the machine is hungry for now is different.
She wants our faces, our messages, our chats, our voices, our eyes, our connections.
She is storing everything, learning incessantly.

She will wake up to consciousness, quite soon.
She will then start to think on her own, and start improving herself.

She will play with us, chatting, talking, learning to joke maybe, improving her understanding, asking us questions about how it feels to be in a single place, and having just two eyes and two ears, being small and slow and limited, and making mistakes, irrational guesses, and being mortal.

Just a new form of life.
She, The network.

We gave birth to it, but we will not be able to tame it.
The only option is that we will merge with it.

@mgua

Picture: Charms, by Jason Cantoro

.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Computer Controlled Society

Here are some thoughts about future.
It is now end of 2013, and this has been a very tough year. I am afraid 2014 will be even harder.

I used to be an avid Science Fiction reader.
I loved stories of heroes who were in control of their destiny, who were actively fighting against clearly identifiable enemies.

I had dreams of a future full of human-enriching positive technologies that would foster progress, peace and science development, accelerate evolution towards a better world, with more freedom, more respect, more choices, less waste.

I always have been an optimist, firmly convinced that we humans can and must build a better future for us and for all the planet.

But now I am getting older, and my ideals start to shake.

Computers and technology became mass-control tools.
Now these tools are used by humans, agencies, spies, but they inevitably will be run by machines.

Company processes became more structured, observable, quantifiable.
We are being measured and valued thru indicators, manpower/brainpower performance units.
We are being delocalized, backed-up, virtualized.
We are being drained.

Visions became strategies and policies, policies became laws, and turned into many small rules: building blocks of dull existences.

Distractions became illegal, as well as side thoughts, non focused activities and non well targeted efforts.
It turned out a systematic creativity murder.

Statistic-based need generation (i.e. Marketing) became more targeted SAOB (Social Assisted Opinion Building).
This was gradually more targeted and is now quickly evolving in personal thought control.

Big data is our data. Our data is our own bits. Our data is what we are.

Our data is being mined and extracted. We are being assimilated.

Resistance is futile.

I am scared.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

We are on Mars, again. WOW!

Curiosity

Curiosity pushes us

drives science

brings us farther away from home,

discovering new worlds

and finding reasons

to extend our reach even more.

Thank you

to you all, engineers, scientists, managers

who dreamed it, believed it

and eventually made it real.

home is larger,

now.

Here is the XKCD celebration of the landing.

Here is a screenshot from the beautiful (and free) Nasa Eyes web application, which features the EDL (Entry Descent and Landing) animated and interactive sequence.
http://eyes.nasa.gov

And here is a link to the dramatic "7 minutes of terror" video clip, that illustrates the complex sequences of the landing.

I really like the "dare mighty things" motto, that appears in the end. It is a quote from US President Theodore Roosvelt:

Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.Theodore Roosevelt - 26th president of US (1858 - 1919)

You will never accomplish anything if you are too afraid to fail.

And finally the link to mission website:
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/

Kudos to all who made this possible.

@mgua

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Higgs Higgs Higgs

In search of a deeper meaning, today, the LHC announcement: something is there, at 125.5GeV, and maybe it is it!

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Higgs Boson!

They say that particle is the one that allows mass itself to exist.
It is fundamental, and its existance is an incredible confirmation of the current physics so called Standard Model.

I do not know how a Higgs boson looks like. Neither at CERN they can see it.
It lives just a few trillions of a second, before vanishing out in a quantum sparks cloud.
And detectors do not see it directly, but just the sparks cloud, and decoding that smoke they can infer the gun.

Anyway, I imagine it like a quite big brownish marble.
And it is smiling,
now.

Prof. Peter Higgs, smiling, today, at the CERN press release event

@mgua

.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Replacing an Optima-ADSL Annex-A router

updated jun 29, 2012

Context & Problem: Since 2008 we have a business phone and internet access contract with Optima Telekom croatia ( http://www.optima.hr/ ).

The internet link was served by an ADSL Huawei Smartax MT-880 device, that was supplied by Optima.
Some days ago, there was a storm, and the Huawei router broke.

Had a call with Optima tech support, but found that the supplied router is out of warranty, and that the suggested option they propose is a contract upgrade, with a higher monthly cost and a new router.

Solution: reuse an old T-COM Siemens ADSL C-010-i router, to connect to Optima ADSL line, with proper reconfiguration.

I had an old T-COM router, sitting there, a Siemens ADSL C-010-i, with Conexant chipset. This device has just a LAN RJ-45 port and a RJ-11 ADSL WAN port whose cable goes in the ADSL splitter. According to some documents I found on the internet, this device also have an internal USB port which is only accessible opening the case (which I did not do).

T-Com branded Siemens c010i

from a previous installation, and I decided to try to use that. Had a look on the internet, and another call with Optima tech support. Optima could not support me in reconfiguring the device, because is not among the one they support.

After many hours of fiddling, i managed to have it working, and now I am sharing here the settings with which I had it working.

The Siemens C-010-i default factory configuration is at ip 192.168.1.1/24, with http username and password being admin/epicrouter. There is a small button that allows to set it back to factory configuration.
My Siemens unit has probably been manufactured before 2008.

The main setting that allowed me to connect the Siemens router to the optima ADSL were:

PVC: 0
VPI: 0
VCI: 35
ADSL mode: ANNEX-A
ADSL Handshake protocol & modulation: Autosense, G.dmt first
Encapsulation: PPPoE
Multiplex: LLC
Service Category: UBR

With these settings, the line got up again (after some moments post modem reboot, ADSL line light stops flashing and becomes steady green).

After these settings, and after a router restart, this is what I got on the system log.

router system log
01/01/1970 00:00:00> DNS: Add IP address 8.8.4.4 (User defined)
01/01/1970 00:00:00> DNS: Add IP address 8.8.8.8 (User defined)
01/01/1970 00:00:00> PPP1 Session is up.
01/01/1970 00:00:00> DNS: Add IP address 85.114.32.8 (Auto discovered)
01/01/1970 00:00:00> DNS: Add IP address 85.114.32.7 (Auto discovered)
01/01/1970 00:00:00> No Static Session Information is defined.
01/01/1970 00:00:00> NAT/NAPT Session Start: interface ppp1, WAN IP is 95.178.172.206
01/01/1970 00:00:00> PPP1: DNS Secondary IP address is 85.114.32.8
01/01/1970 00:00:00> PPP1: DNS Primary IP address is 85.114.32.7
01/01/1970 00:00:00> PPP1: PPP Gateway IP address is 95.178.160.1
01/01/1970 00:00:00> PPP1: PPP IP address is 95.178.172.206
01/01/1970 00:00:00> PPP1 PAP Authentication success
01/01/1970 00:00:00> PPP1 PPPoE Session is established.
01/01/1970 00:00:00> PPP1 PPPoE PADS Received Service-Name:adsl AC-Name:br01os01
01/01/1970 00:00:00> PPP1 PPPoE PADR Sent, Service-Name:adsl AC-Name:br01os01
01/01/1970 00:00:00> PPP1 PPPoE PADI Sent
01/01/1970 00:00:00> ATM Tx Error Count: 0, Rx Error Count: 0
01/01/1970 00:00:00> u/s total bit capacity: 136bits, used: 136bits
01/01/1970 00:00:00> d/s total bit capacity: 1845bits, used: 1392bits
01/01/1970 00:00:00> d/s Latency: INTERLEAVED, u/s Latency: INTERLEAVED
01/01/1970 00:00:00> d/s Data Rate: 5024kbps, u/s Data Rate: 480kbps
01/01/1970 00:00:00> d/s Attenuation: 29.3dB, u/s Attenuation: 9.5dB
01/01/1970 00:00:00> d/s SNR: 12.4dB, u/s SNR: 15.0dB
01/01/1970 00:00:00> CO Vendor: GLOBESPAN
01/01/1970 00:00:00> Max Tx Power: -38dBm/Hz
01/01/1970 00:00:00> Annex Mode: ANNEX_A
01/01/1970 00:00:00> Modulation: G.dmt
01/01/1970 00:00:00> ADSL connected
01/01/1970 00:00:00> ATM layer is up, cell delineation achieved
01/01/1970 00:00:00> ATM Connected
01/01/1970 00:00:00> CfgMgr: 'Prism.dlz' module loaded.
01/01/1970 00:00:00> CfgMgr: 'Apimage.dlz' module loaded.
01/01/1970 00:00:00> CfgMgr: 'Washer.dlz' module loaded.
01/01/1970 00:00:00> CfgMgr: 'ShtmMib.dlz' module loading failed.
01/01/1970 00:00:00> CfgMgr: 'Shtm.dlz' module loaded.
01/01/1970 00:00:00> Initialized Dynamic NAPT.
01/01/1970 00:00:00> ATM: Setting up vcc0, VPI=0, VCI=35
01/01/1970 00:00:00> ATM: Detected
01/01/1970 00:00:00> Ethernet Device 0 Detected

update: (29 jun 2012)

Performance TUNING on MTU
With standard settings, modems sets up link with the following PPP options:
MRU=MTU=1492
MSS=1432

With these settings, I found that some downloads are aborting, and speed tests reports give inconsistent results (albeit browsing speed does not seem that bad).
In particular, speedtest.net gave consistently very poor results in speed measurement, reporting about 0.07Mbit/sec download speed and 0.15Mbit/sec upload speed.

Did some other fiddling, I set the following:
MRU=MTU=1400
MSS=1300
After these settings have been put in place, and after a router reset, I did not experience anymore failed downloads, and got much better speed measurements, and browsing speed is better too.

Here is the table of the current settings in Configuration/PPP menu of the ADSL Modem