The latest laptops don't even come with DVD slots

Face it, movie fans: the DVD is destined to be dead as a doornail.

Only a few Blockbuster stores are still open. Netflix's CEO says, “We
expect DVD subscribers to decline steadily every quarter, forever.”
The latest laptops don't even come with DVD slots. So where are film
enthusiasts suppose to rent their flicks? Online, of course.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...g-onine-piracy

Is that true? How are you supposed to load (change) the operating
system on new laptops if something goes wrong?

Metspitzer wrote:
Face it, movie fans: the DVD is destined to be dead as a doornail.

Only a few Blockbuster stores are still open. Netflix's CEO says, “We
expect DVD subscribers to decline steadily every quarter, forever.”
The latest laptops don't even come with DVD slots. So where are film
enthusiasts suppose to rent their flicks? Online, of course.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...g-onine-piracy

Is that true? How are you supposed to load (change) the operating
system on new laptops if something goes wrong?

Use a USB connected DVD or Blu-Ray drive. All the modern Laptops I've
seen support booting from one, once you know the secret, which is in the
help files they now supply on the HD or online instead of a manual. The
advantage is that what is, in my experience, the least reliable part of
a laptop has been done away with and replaced by an easy to change or
upgrade external option.

If you are on the road and a one box option is essential, then modern
laptops have enough HD space to store many films and weeks of music.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

On Tue, 21 Aug 2012 19:58:25 +0100, John Williamson
wrote:

Metspitzer wrote:
Face it, movie fans: the DVD is destined to be dead as a doornail.

Only a few Blockbuster stores are still open. Netflix's CEO says, “We
expect DVD subscribers to decline steadily every quarter, forever.”
The latest laptops don't even come with DVD slots. So where are film
enthusiasts suppose to rent their flicks? Online, of course.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...g-onine-piracy

Is that true? How are you supposed to load (change) the operating
system on new laptops if something goes wrong?

Use a USB connected DVD or Blu-Ray drive. All the modern Laptops I've
seen support booting from one, once you know the secret, which is in the
help files they now supply on the HD or online instead of a manual. The
advantage is that what is, in my experience, the least reliable part of
a laptop has been done away with and replaced by an easy to change or
upgrade external option.

If you are on the road and a one box option is essential, then modern
laptops have enough HD space to store many films and weeks of music.

I bought a netbook two years ago. No CD/DVD slot. But I bought a USB connected
external drive dirt cheap on eBay. I also found that I could copy a DVD onto a
thumb drive using my desktop and then plug it into the netbook and the netbook
read everything fine form the thumb drive. Haven't tried watching movies like
that but it works for installing programs that are originally on DVD.

On Tue, 21 Aug 2012 14:37:52 -0400, Metspitzer wrote:

Face it, movie fans: the DVD is destined to be dead as a doornail.

Only a few Blockbuster stores are still open. Netflix's CEO says, “We
expect DVD subscribers to decline steadily every quarter, forever.” The
latest laptops don't even come with DVD slots. So where are film
enthusiasts suppose to rent their flicks? Online, of course.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...how-hollywood-
encouraging-onine-piracy

Is that true? How are you supposed to load (change) the operating
system on new laptops if something goes wrong?

I've loaded Linux distributions on several netbooks via a bootable USB
flash drive - maybe some day MS will get to that point.

Metspitzer wrote:
Face it, movie fans: the DVD is destined to be dead as a doornail.

Only a few Blockbuster stores are still open. Netflix's CEO says, “We
expect DVD subscribers to decline steadily every quarter, forever.”
The latest laptops don't even come with DVD slots. So where are film
enthusiasts suppose to rent their flicks? Online, of course.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...g-onine-piracy

Is that true? How are you supposed to load (change) the operating
system on new laptops if something goes wrong?

Windows 7 and Windows 8, can be installed from a USB key.

A USB optical drive, will solve a certain number of other problems.

But there will be situations, where you're going to be screwed.

For example, I have a server OS install CD, that only boots from
an internal drive. And I have a Kaspersky AV scanner CD, that also
only boots from an internal drive. Those will cause problems,
in the new computing era.

Changing media on bootable items, is easy in some cases, and hard
to do in others. There are whole web forums, dedicated to solving
some of those problems. My batting average, on attempting some
of those, is close to zero (much time wasted). So if I was
faced with such a situation today, I'd "just say No" :-)

Paul

On 21 Aug 2012 20:15:21 GMT, "ray" wrote in article
...

On Tue, 21 Aug 2012 14:37:52 -0400, Metspitzer wrote:

Face it, movie fans: the DVD is destined to be dead as a doornail.

Only a few Blockbuster stores are still open. Netflix's CEO says, ?We
expect DVD subscribers to decline steadily every quarter, forever.? The
latest laptops don't even come with DVD slots. So where are film
enthusiasts suppose to rent their flicks? Online, of course.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...how-hollywood-
encouraging-onine-piracy

Is that true? How are you supposed to load (change) the operating
system on new laptops if something goes wrong?

I've loaded Linux distributions on several netbooks via a bootable USB
flash drive - maybe some day MS will get to that point.

That someday has already come and gone - Windows 7 and 8 (and I think
Vista, but I'm not sure) can be installed from USB.

--
Zaphod

Adventurer, ex-hippie, good-timer (crook? quite possibly),
manic self-publicist, terrible bad at personal relationships,
often thought to be completely out to lunch.

On Tue, 21 Aug 2012 16:18:35 -0400, Paul wrote:

Metspitzer wrote:
Face it, movie fans: the DVD is destined to be dead as a doornail.

Only a few Blockbuster stores are still open. Netflix's CEO says, “We
expect DVD subscribers to decline steadily every quarter, forever.”
The latest laptops don't even come with DVD slots. So where are film
enthusiasts suppose to rent their flicks? Online, of course.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...g-onine-piracy

Is that true? How are you supposed to load (change) the operating
system on new laptops if something goes wrong?

Windows 7 and Windows 8, can be installed from a USB key.

A USB optical drive, will solve a certain number of other problems.

But there will be situations, where you're going to be screwed.

Not too likely. People used to say the same thing about floppy drives
back in the mid-90's. Time marches on and technology changes. I hung
onto my floppy drives until about 1998-1999, but that was already
several years past the point where I needed them.

For example, I have a server OS install CD, that only boots from
an internal drive. And I have a Kaspersky AV scanner CD, that also
only boots from an internal drive. Those will cause problems,
in the new computing era.

I wonder why it matters to the CD whether it's running from an
internal or external drive. Fortunately, most of us aren't installing
a server OS to a laptop and there are plenty of alternatives to
Kaspersky.

--

Char Jackson

On 8/21/2012 3:45 PM, Zaphod Beeblebrox wrote:
On 21 Aug 2012 20:15:21 GMT, wrote in article
...

On Tue, 21 Aug 2012 14:37:52 -0400, Metspitzer wrote:

Face it, movie fans: the DVD is destined to be dead as a doornail.

Only a few Blockbuster stores are still open. Netflix's CEO says, ?We
expect DVD subscribers to decline steadily every quarter, forever.? The
latest laptops don't even come with DVD slots. So where are film
enthusiasts suppose to rent their flicks? Online, of course.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...how-hollywood-
encouraging-onine-piracy

Is that true? How are you supposed to load (change) the operating
system on new laptops if something goes wrong?

I've loaded Linux distributions on several netbooks via a bootable USB
flash drive - maybe some day MS will get to that point.

That someday has already come and gone - Windows 7 and 8 (and I think
Vista, but I'm not sure) can be installed from USB.

You can install MS-DOS 7, Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2+, Vista, Windows 7,
and Windows 8 from an USB flash drive.

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - Thunderbird v12
Centrino Core2 Duo T7400 2.16 GHz - 4GB - Windows 7 SP1

On Tue, 21 Aug 2012 17:03:21 -0500, Char Jackson wrote:

For example, I have a server OS install CD, that only boots from
an internal drive. And I have a Kaspersky AV scanner CD, that also
only boots from an internal drive. Those will cause problems,
in the new computing era.

I wonder why it matters to the CD whether it's running from an
internal or external drive. Fortunately, most of us aren't installing
a server OS to a laptop and there are plenty of alternatives to
Kaspersky.

He said *boots from* an internal drive. If the CD or DVD doesn't have
appropriate drivers, it won't manage to boot on a USB connection.

--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

On Tue, 21 Aug 2012 15:46:00 -0700, "Gene E. Bloch"
wrote:

On Tue, 21 Aug 2012 17:03:21 -0500, Char Jackson wrote:

For example, I have a server OS install CD, that only boots from
an internal drive. And I have a Kaspersky AV scanner CD, that also
only boots from an internal drive. Those will cause problems,
in the new computing era.

I wonder why it matters to the CD whether it's running from an
internal or external drive. Fortunately, most of us aren't installing
a server OS to a laptop and there are plenty of alternatives to
Kaspersky.

He said *boots from* an internal drive.

Right, but how is that a function of his server OS CD or his Kaspersky
CD? It seems to me it would be a function of the specific PC that he's
working with at the moment, and not the CD's themselves.

If the CD or DVD doesn't have
appropriate drivers, it won't manage to boot on a USB connection.

I don't think I understand that any more than I understand what Paul
was saying.

--

Char Jackson

On Tue, 21 Aug 2012 19:14:34 -0500, Char Jackson wrote:

On Tue, 21 Aug 2012 15:46:00 -0700, "Gene E. Bloch"
wrote:

On Tue, 21 Aug 2012 17:03:21 -0500, Char Jackson wrote:

For example, I have a server OS install CD, that only boots from
an internal drive. And I have a Kaspersky AV scanner CD, that also
only boots from an internal drive. Those will cause problems,
in the new computing era.

I wonder why it matters to the CD whether it's running from an
internal or external drive. Fortunately, most of us aren't installing
a server OS to a laptop and there are plenty of alternatives to
Kaspersky.

He said *boots from* an internal drive.

Right, but how is that a function of his server OS CD or his Kaspersky
CD? It seems to me it would be a function of the specific PC that he's
working with at the moment, and not the CD's themselves.

If the CD or DVD doesn't have
appropriate drivers, it won't manage to boot on a USB connection.

I don't think I understand that any more than I understand what Paul
was saying.

A bootable device or medium contains the software that boots it.

--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

On Tue, 21 Aug 2012 17:26:33 -0700, "Gene E. Bloch"
wrote:

On Tue, 21 Aug 2012 19:14:34 -0500, Char Jackson wrote:

On Tue, 21 Aug 2012 15:46:00 -0700, "Gene E. Bloch"
wrote:

On Tue, 21 Aug 2012 17:03:21 -0500, Char Jackson wrote:

For example, I have a server OS install CD, that only boots from
an internal drive. And I have a Kaspersky AV scanner CD, that also
only boots from an internal drive. Those will cause problems,
in the new computing era.

I wonder why it matters to the CD whether it's running from an
internal or external drive. Fortunately, most of us aren't installing
a server OS to a laptop and there are plenty of alternatives to
Kaspersky.

He said *boots from* an internal drive.

Right, but how is that a function of his server OS CD or his Kaspersky
CD? It seems to me it would be a function of the specific PC that he's
working with at the moment, and not the CD's themselves.

If the CD or DVD doesn't have
appropriate drivers, it won't manage to boot on a USB connection.

I don't think I understand that any more than I understand what Paul
was saying.

A bootable device or medium contains the software that boots it.

Hmm, well, that certainly sounds impossible to me, but I suppose I'm
overlooking something.

I still don't understand Paul's examples, above, of two CD's that only
boot from an internal drive. I don't think the CD has any say in the
matter, so I hope he'll revisit this thread and explain what he means.

--

Char Jackson

Char Jackson wrote:


I still don't understand Paul's examples, above, of two CD's that only
boot from an internal drive. I don't think the CD has any say in the
matter, so I hope he'll revisit this thread and explain what he means.


USB plays a part in it.

If the USB subsystem does "resets" during the boot process,
an external optical can be "disconnected" while the boot process
is reading files off it. Then the boot process dies.

I didn't waste time figuring out how I could bypass the issue.
On the Kaspersky CD, it would be a waste of time, as the
environment in there is too minimal for me to repair. If
it was a full OS, I could rebuild a kernel for it. But
lots of things were removed from that CD, so it's not
a lot of fun to hack.

I used to see the same sort of behavior, years ago, in
another OS. And frankly, I was shocked, to be seeing
behaviors like this in software released in the last
couple of years. It raises the question "doesn't anybody
test this stuff ?". It's not like USB optical drives
are that obscure.

I don't keep an internal optical on that machine, because
it frees up a cable for other storage devices. The other
day, I had a total of six disks connected, but I don't
do stuff like that very often. The extra cable, came in
handy. And if I need an optical, while the six disks
are connected, I use the USB optical.

Paul

On 21/08/2012 19:37, Metspitzer wrote:
Face it, movie fans: the DVD is destined to be dead as a doornail.

Only a few Blockbuster stores are still open. Netflix's CEO says, “We
expect DVD subscribers to decline steadily every quarter, forever.”
The latest laptops don't even come with DVD slots. So where are film
enthusiasts suppose to rent their flicks? Online, of course.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...g-onine-piracy

Is that true? How are you supposed to load (change) the operating
system on new laptops if something goes wrong?


Actually CD/DVDs are becoming obsolete because they are limited in terms
of amount of data they can store. Also, they get damaged very easily.

USB flash drives (more than 128 GB storage space) are the technology for
the future. Microsoft will provide its operating system by way of
download links and the user need to make a flash drive to make backups
and to install on the system.

Microsoft's free tool for Windows 7 is he

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool

Also, TV programs are recorded on hard disk these days so there is no
need for the dvd player these days.

Good luck.

--
Good Guy
Website: http://mytaxsite.co.uk
Website: http://html-css.co.uk
Email: http://mytaxsite.co.uk/contact-us

On 22/08/2012 04:59, Good Guy wrote:
On 21/08/2012 19:37, Metspitzer wrote:
Face it, movie fans: the DVD is destined to be dead as a doornail.

Only a few Blockbuster stores are still open. Netflix's CEO says, “We
expect DVD subscribers to decline steadily every quarter, forever.”
The latest laptops don't even come with DVD slots. So where are film
enthusiasts suppose to rent their flicks? Online, of course.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...g-onine-piracy


Is that true? How are you supposed to load (change) the operating
system on new laptops if something goes wrong?


Actually CD/DVDs are becoming obsolete because they are limited in terms
of amount of data they can store. Also, they get damaged very easily.

USB flash drives (more than 128 GB storage space) are the technology for
the future.

Yes, flash drives are the technology of the future BUT CDs and DVDs,
despite being slow, *do* provide cheap storage. I mean one can't grumble
at 10 to 15 pence or cents for nearly 5GB of storage. Where can you buy
flash sticks for that price?

BUT the main advantage of non-rewritable CDs and DVDs is the fact that
the data is non-erasable which isn't true of flashsticks.

And please don't tell me that they can be locked. For if something can
be locked it can also be unlocked... as reliable as chastity belts of
medieval times. The wives could screw at night during the knight's
absence and still be wearing her chastity belt intact (!) on her
knight's return.--
choro
*****

Microsoft will provide its operating system by way of
download links and the user need to make a flash drive to make backups
and to install on the system.

Microsoft's free tool for Windows 7 is he

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool


Also, TV programs are recorded on hard disk these days so there is no
need for the dvd player these days.

Good luck.