Monthly Archives: November 2021

Adding a second internal SSD drive to a system

Having done a memory upgrade to my HP EliteDesk 705 G2 SFF system, it was time to add more storage. It came with a 256GB SSD, and I added the 512GB that I had taken from an old laptop. Since I was leaving the original drive in place and simply adding a drive, the process was much simpler than in the drive replacements I have done. The whole thing would have been trivial if I had put the new drive in an external USB 3 adapter. USB 3 is fast, but imposing the USB/SATA conversion would add some overhead, so I decided to open up the machine and make another SATA connection. There was a free SATA power connector inside, but I had to add an extension cable to reach any plausible place to put a new drive. Fortunately, there was a free SATA data cable already present. I put the new drive into a 2.5″/3.5″ mount, but there were no holes to screw it into the obvious place. This is a problem I have faced before, and I used the same remedy: Duct tape.
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Downsizing a disk

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I have an old laptop which I do not use often. I had installed a 512GB SSD on it, but decided to replace it with a 256GB SSD so I could use the larger drive on a more modern system. Once again, I planned to used Macrium Reflect Free to clone the drive. This is a lot harder when you want to clone a larger drive to a smaller one. I had to delete my Linux partitions and shrink the Windows one with gparted on my Linux boot repair disk. My total space in use was well under 256GB but Macrium still objected. Examination revealed that I had forgotten to shrink the extended partition in which my Linux partitions had resided. So I fixed that. Still no joy. There was a big (>256GB) gap between the end of the extended partition and the last Windows partition. So I moved that partition inward to leave all the free space at the end. This finally satisfied Macrium Reflect Free and it was able to clone the drive.

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Rang Gaeilge, 17ú lá Mí na Samhna 2021

Duinnín i Ráth Maonais

Also Duinnín i Ráth Maonais

Fairim … I watch, guard; notice, perceive; spy (with ar); I wake or hold a wake on; I keep a thing from (ar); Tá sé ag faire na taoide ar an dtráigh, he is endeavoring to keep the tide away from the strand, attempting to do the impossible (Con.); ag faire an chait ar an mbainne … sean-duine ‘na chodladh agus seana-bhean ag faire uirthe féin … d’fhaireas go bhfaca é …. [the cat watching for milk…an old person asleep and an old woman watching herself … I watched him see it.]

Ní raibh an tAthair Pádraig O Duinnín rócheanúil ar Miss
Charlotte Lehane a raibh cónaí uirthi i Lána na Sceach, Ráth
Maonais. Mar sin féin, shuíodh sé ina parlús – seomra tosaigh
dorcha, troscánshactha – uair sa ráithe, nó mar sin, agus
thugadh sé deis di sceitheadh uirthi féin. Lig sí uirthi riamh
nach raibh ach gannchuid Gaelainne aici
‘Mummy, and Daddy didn’t speak Irish but the servant girl did…’

Father Patrick Dineen was not too fond of Miss Charlotte Lehane
who lived in Thornbush Lane, Rathmines. Even so, he used to sit in her parlor –
a dark front room, stuffed furniture -once a quarter, or so,
he gave her a chance to express/explode herself. She always pretended to
speak only a little bit of Irish.

‘Mummy and Daddy didn’t speak Irish but the servant girl did…’

ceanúil Loving, affectionate

Sceach Thorn-bush f

Mar sin féin Even so

troscán furniture m

ráithe Three-month period, quarter, season f

Gaelainn = gaeilge

ceanúil	Loving, affectionate
Sceach	Thorn-bush	f
Mar sin féin	Even so
troscán	furniture	m
ráithe	Three-month period, quarter, season	f
Gaelainn = gaeilge

Léigh tuilleadh

Getting home from Chicagoland

Return to St. Luke’s

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My wife Mia and I left Windycon about 9AM Sunday, missing the con events of that day. It took nearly an hour, in perfect traffic conditions, to reach the east side of Evanston. Our objective there was St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. We were members of it from 1977 until 1997, and were married there in 1978. The church went through a difficult period in the late 1990’s, but has since recovered and seems to be thriving again. The liturgy is still excellent. Some people from our day are still members, and we were able to talk to a couple of them, including our old EFM mentor. There was quite a crowd for an ordinary Sunday in November, especially in the age of Covid. We introduced ourselves to the new Rector and told her how happy we were at how the parish is doing under her leadership.

Windycon 2021

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My wife Mia and I spend the past weekend in Chicagoland. Friday and Saturday we were at Windycon, a science fiction convention that we have frequently attended since the 1970s. This was first SF con we have been to since the world shut down for Covid-19. There was no Windycon in 2020. Covid, of course, has not gone away, but this year Windycon was back, with changes. There were very strict and detailed Covid policies. Proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid test were required for admission. Masks were required everywhere except “while … actively consuming food or drink in the consuite or green room” or for performers while performing and at least 6 feet from anyone else. Bill Roper has a positive con report, with which I completely agree.