Category Archives: Gadgets and Tech

Adding a 3rd hard drive (or SSD + HDD + HDD) and RAID1 on Dell M6500

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NOTE: via mSATA it is possible to have FOUR drives in a M6500!!! Complete tutorial to be published soon (with photos). Here are some links in the meantime. More resources:   2nd HDD / SSD Caddy – DELL Precision M6400, M6500, M4600, M6600 [OBHD9-SATA-SATA-B] – $42.00 : NewmodeUS, Hard Drive Caddys for Notebookshttp://www.newmodeus.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=269Notebook Hard Drive Caddys Drive Cloning Drive Adapters Cables Backup Software External Enclosures Desktop Brackets AC Adapters Other Products   Dell M6500 Service Manual – Documentation for removing

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ACPI\TOS620A Unknown Device driver download [solved]

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Question. from Laptop Lover: Hello, I have a Toshiba Tecra R10 laptop and I recently installed Windows 7. Almost everything is good, however, after running Windows update I still have ONE unknown device in device manager. It is called ACPI/TOS620A and I do not know what it is or how to get it working. The only other info I have listed is 2&daba3ff&0.  Where can I find the correct driver? Answer. That is the hard drive shock protection feature of your

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TOP 10 eBay selling tips updated for 2019

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2019.Jan.17 UPDATED! If you are like me, you have some stuff that you never use and that it would be nice to get rid of. If so, then eBay can be a great place to sell your unused stuff so you get some extra cash and someone else gets some productive use out of the item(s)! So, without further ado, here are my top eBay selling tips: #1 Make sure the item is worth selling Not just worth it money wise, but

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PV photovoltaic skylights: energy production & UV reduction together

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Image source: OnyxSolar, please visit their site below… My long time buddy, and most excellent architect, John Odom forwarded me an interesting email about PV skylights. He tries to keep me abreast of the latest architectural trends and while “BIPV” or Building-integrated photovoltaics has been around for a while, it is DEFINITELY a popular topic today! Here’s a brief intro to the subject of BIPV and its components: Skylights – an integral feature of modern architecture We are probably all familiar with skylights

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Antique secretary laptop desk and cool retro PC mod!

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I routinely use my laptop setup in my grandma’s vintage secretary. It is a gorgeous piece of furniture. Every time I sit down at it I think fondly of her. The secretary is very functional with its fold out desktop surface. I would eventually like to build (or have built) a slightly larger version that could accommodate a full PC but keep the old-school antique look. 🙂 Curious about what exactly a secretary desk is?! Secretary desk – Wikipedia, the

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Difference between SATA (II) 3Gbs & SATA (III) 6gbps CABLES? [solved]

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UPDATE #2: I now have a definitive answer to this question (whether you need new cables for 6GB/s SATA)… see below. UPDATE #1: make sure to checkout the first comment to this post, as John posted some great additional info! Q. Hello, I just got a super fast new Intel 510 SSD drive (and I have a C300 too). I’ve got a bunch of old SATA cables (back when SATA I/II 1.5 gbs 3 gbs was the max) and now

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Dell laptop keyboard backlight control & timer [solved – ControlPoint download]

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Q. I recently did a clean install of Windows 7 on my Dell laptop. I love the fresh and clean feel, but I can’t find where to adjust the duration on my keyboard backlight. Can you help?! A. Sure! Backlit keyboards are one of  my favorite options on Dell laptops. My previous Dell M4400 had a nice one and now my Dell M6500 (pictured has one too). I will hardly purchase a laptop unless it has a backlit keyboard, they

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Dell M6500 USB 3.0 drivers download: Windows 7 x64 & 32-bit x86

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Recently I purchased a Dell M6500 from the Dell Outlet for an astoundingly reasonable price. One of the nicest perks, which I did not expect, was that I received one of the upgraded M6500 systems with two USB 3.0 ports on the left hand side. They are the USB ports with blue on the inside connector portion. However,  Windows 7 x64 Ultimate Edition did not have the drivers for the NEC USB 3.0 controller. Download USB 3.0 Drivers for Dell

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