₦airaland Forum

jonescosmos:
What you needed to do from the beginning was a NAND hard reset, and that's what you ended up doing when you sterved the laptop of power by taking out any sources of power to the mainboard.

Your SSD frying up was due to multiple power interruptions when you were power cycling the system because it was up and running before you went upgrading the firmware.

My Disaster Recovery days and knowledge would have reminded me of removing the SSD at the 3rd failed bootup. Good luck.

Honestly knowledge I have not used since 2010 has become rusty.

That said, my drive (the 1TB) that refuses to boot in 1 laptop (the X240) boots in another laptop (the X250).

All other drives also boot in the problem laptop(X240).

Something I am very curious about, will ask on some forums to understand what actually happened because I am short on time to answer that question for myself.

Summary, I didn't lose any data, and all my SSDs are working albeit in different machines than before this incident

olopan:
This is what I call painstaking troubleshooting, I am not vast in knowledge of computer but I took on myself to know a bit if this and a bit of that when It comes to I.T

I told a friend one time that the quickest way to gather knowledge and experience is by working with the big players, because there are always new toys to play with at one point which you may not be exposed to if working for yourself.

As a rule of thumb, I avoid certain things that would run me into trouble with computers.

BTW have you ever gotten off of a ransomware before?

Too careful to personally experience it. But when I was in the field, I used to encounter trojans. I remember finding a set of files that was responsible for siphoning data from a certain government machine to the outside world via email. Long time ago.

I have since stopped doing that kind of IT so NO, neither have I come across it in a client's establishment.

Is anyone doing this in Nigeria?

Tracking the sun makes solar panels more efficient on land and water


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAvXSDqbwDg

olopan:
Only those with ideas and understanding will appreciate the wealth of knowledge shared in this post and the prerequisite conversation, that alone sef is enough to get you kicked in the right direction.

Speaking of the value of knowing your stuff inside out.

I decided to update the BIOS of my main laptop on Saturday morning. It turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life. I bricked my primary workhorse and had to literally cancel all my schedule for Saturday and Sunday.

I have been updating BIOS all my life. But this one went south. The laptop would not come on again. To be more specific, it would turn on, but only into BIOS. It would not boot into windows. I tried every trick in the world same thing. I downloaded and created a USB based Windows Boot disk, but it would not load. I downloaded recovery ISOs and used them to create a USB stick that can allow me access the system, no luck.

I then assumed I have a bad USB stick and went to a repair man and he gave me a his own, same thing. Guy was stumped, referred me to someone else who was busy. I went home, kept trying all of Saturday and all of Sunday then luck smiled on me towards evening.

Then something occured to me. As a matter of practice and principle, I try to duplicate how enterprise networks are run at home. It means that I standardized on a particular laptop brand (Lenovo), a particular series of that laptop and that I have several of such laptops at home. I have Thinkpads X series several generations. I have more than one of each generation. X240, X250 and X260

So I said, when I bought this laptop, I swapped out the 250gb SSD for the 1TB SSD from my retired laptop. What would happen if I put back that original 250gb SSD. I tried it and the laptop would come on. So, the problem was with the drive and not the motherboard.

I took it out and returned the 1TB SSD same thing.

I then recalled that they said that X240 and X250 are literally the same internally. So I took out my X250 that I rarely use from storage and it would not come on, the power button would blink and make some noises and then go off. I removed the external battery, same thing. I removed the internal battery, same thing. I disconnected the BIOS battery, reconnected it, reinstalled the internal and external batteries and it came to life. I then removed the SSD that came with the X250 and inserted my 1TB SSD and it roared to life.

If I did not know my onions, I would never have resolved this at home and all by myself.

This story also illustrates for those IT guys who have never operated in an enterprise environment why enterprises always standardize infrastructure. It makes troubleshooting a lot easier. It also explains why you must duplicate the enterprise environment if you want to relate well with your peers inside.

In my days as a hardware and software guy. I was not that guy who fixed a bad PC by formatting it. I never did so. I always repaired the OS. I was very adept at those tools. Which guy would you prefer? A guy that does the easy fix or the guy who tried to understand what went wrong and then fixed it. Who knows the technology better? Who would you want in your corner when you got into IT trouble? I did not mind how long it took.

Even before repairing, I would use Antivirus Boot CDs to throughly disinfect the system because the primary cause of those failures was infection from human error. I would even replace the corrupted operating system files.

That quest to understand the underlying technology and understand how things work and fix the problem instead of just refreshing everything made me extremely knowledgeable of operating systems and led me to such tools like Winternals amongst others. Knowledge that I have sadly rarely ever used since I switched camp. Winternals was so good that Microsoft ended up buying the company and absorbing its founders, I can never forget Mark Russinovich. How much sadness I felt when Microsoft said they would discontinue that line of products. How many hardware and software guys knew that such tools existed? Their solution was to get pirated CDs and reinstall Windows. I never did that.

Neither can I forget The PC Upgrade & Maintenance Guide by Mark Minasi.

In the event that that had to be done, I would extract all the license keys from the installed software before ever formatting. So that the user would not lose his or her investments. I invested so much and found out that private individuals cannot pay for the labor that I put in. They were always willing to pay for hardware but never for the brains that did the work.

I would also save the user's data. I would ransack all corners of the hard drive and I would even take notes of where I got what data from so that at the end of the day, when I was done, the PC would be the same as it was before the trouble.

Then I plotted my pivot from that sort of business and thank God I did. Where I am today and where I was then is literally as different as the night is as different from day.

MeineMutter:
It depends on the brand you want and the diameter of the saw and the motor (whether brushed or brushless). Brushless is better but may be expensive.

Also, do you want new or Tokunbo?

I can send you two sites where you can check for either new or used ones. Then you can decide which one you want and from their, we will take it further.

Bosch is good in Africa but it’s not a great brand in Europe when it comes to power tools.
But for the level of job you do, it could still serve you.
I could see you are handling higher projects, from your display. You need to leave job sites faster so that you can go to other projects.

If you want to know more about how powerful and useful many power tools are before you buy, always watch this YouTuber man called PROJECT FARM.

He has nearly 3million subscribers and he tests a lot of power tools for people to see whether they are fit for purpose or not or whether they are worth the price.

Watching his tests would help you make informed decisions on so many work tools you want to buy.

I love to see your (and other people’s companies) grow into household name for better.
Just be transparent enough and invest in tools. Working on site would be like child’s play and you would win most contracts.

Thanks for sharing some of your hard earned experience with me.

I am much wiser from consulting you.

Will revert after I have taken a look at those sites and their pricing and the YouTube channel

MeineMutter:
I know some shops in Isale Eko where you can get it.
If you prefer to import them, I can get them for you at lower cost while you arrange to pay for shipment.

Job site saws lik Hiti too rugged. You can consider buying original Bosch (blue color, not green).

I didn’t see Mitre saw among your display. You need one for crosscuts and bevels because I doubt if those old Flex and Total circular saws can bevel or score.

Mafell and Festool would be too expensive, I would have said you invest in them. They will serve you for decades.

With the level your work is going, precision, efficiency, and higher productivity are key. Your image is most essential.

Good you don’t display these tools for clients to see.

All the best bro.

How much can you get me a Mitre saw and a table saw?
If you were to import instead of buying locally.

I am thinking Bosch Mitre saw but what do you recommend?

I have nearly everything else except those two.

jonescosmos:
I just read a couple of comments where people are asking for where to switch to or concentrate on because it makes you more money. Well I would say that despite the new or modern day nomenclatures that has evolved in computations eg, AI, Coding, CyberSecurity, etc, You must know the basics in any field you are to venture into.

I am where I am today because I have had a practical hands on experience with equipments like: Alcatel, Ericsson, Huawei, TP-Link, DLink, Juniper, NEC, Nokia, Ciena, ZTE, Zycel, Orinoco, Magnums, WAVELAN, Synoptics, Kalpana, Mitsubishi, Meraki, Belkin, Fortinet, Sophos, Cyberoam, SonicWall, Calix, Aruba, Aris, Avaya, Cisco, Motorola, Ubiquiti, CommScope, Control4, EnGenius and the list goes on.

So imaging me and someone without these experiences in a classroom to study CyberSecurity because he has been told that it makes you more money. Or someone who had just graduated from the University and has been told to focus on CyberSecurity because that's where the money is now. I leave you to be the judge.

@litaninja

Let me correct one phrase.

You know networking inside out, should replace the phase that are into networking which I used earlier.


Everything you said up there is valid.

I started by fixing PCs ( hardware) to software to running networks to supplying software to enterprises to architecting complete solutions from scratch incorporating software, hardware and consultancy.

Before I sell a solution, I actually personally play with it and have a working knowledge of the same.

My point is that knowing the basics and knowing them well is non-negotiable.

I use cybersecurity to get in some doors, but I am versed in several aspects of IT and I keep learning. My biggest grossing deal wasn't a cybersecurity deal, but cybersecurity opened the doors for me.

When I started, I bought books on subjects as diverse as open source intelligence techniques, database security, website security, web hacking, networking, windows server administration, computer evidence collection and preservation, Oracle hacking and devoured them, Official Certified Ethical Hacker also.

When these certifications came out, I bought the Official Study Guides books: Certified Wireless Security Professional (CWSP) and Certified Wireless Network Administrator(CWNP).

You need a foundation without which you cannot understand certain concepts. Money does not just appear from nowhere.

QuestionMan016:
What I'm asking,hiring an engineer seem like a waste of money,I plan to pay only the architect,can the brick layers work with the plan of the architect? Or can I pay the architect to monitor the project as an engineer too?

I'm trying to avoid unnecessary waste of money.

With all due respect this argument is flawed.

Every fiber of my being is being restrained from pouring invectives on you.

You have inadvertently given out vibes that you are either uneducated or are educated but care more about money than moral values or doing the right thing

litaninja:
I like to play with fire. Please, proceed with the update

Although I said earlier: "It is a choice between chasing 10,000 clients paying 10,000.00 each on the one side OR say 10 clients paying 10,000,000.00"

It could also be 2 clients paying 50,000,000.00 or 1 client paying 100,000,000.00

Now imagine that 1 of the 2 clients paying 50,000,000.00 decides to drop you when you did nothing wrong. Say the CEO is retiring and decides that he needs to go home with your contract pay as his retirement package, so he substitutes your company with his junior brother's company.

You had no prior knowledge of this coming. What happens to your projections? What happens to everyone else who suffers from this executive action? Your staff? Your family life? Your love/romantic live? Can you handle the emotional toll that comes from things going this way?

If this happens in say September you have barely enough time to find an alternative or alternatives as mega corporate deals are rarely completed in 3 months, a 6 month to 9 month or even 12 month timeframe might be more realistic.

You know that unlike what happens on nairaland, you cannot call him out because if you do, no other person from that company will deal with you again. And if care is not taken, no other person from that industry as a whole will deal with you because you a snitch.

You also know that you cannot take it to court, because then you will put the whole world on notice that you are a fighter which might negatively affect the attraction of future business.

In addition, to the above, there is the stress of always learning, to stay ahead of the curve so you don't become a Nokia and continue to be relevant to your clients both current and future.

It could also be the other way around. You are the favored contractor getting all the juiciest of deals, and when there is a change of the guard, your patronage drops to zero in an instant. You are then relegated from most favored status to persona non grata.

Just a glimpse of stories from the trenches.

Can you really handle the heat?

Trippledots:
Drop update o...

I found out that there is more money in cybersecurity than in pushing networking boxes and installing them.

I also found out that you simply need to find an open door, and once you are inside adapt to whatever the client needs or wants that you can never know as an untrusted outsider.

Easier to grow up the ladder as a trusted insider than an untrusted outsider.

Also, referrals are one of the biggest boosts to business.

So, under promise and overdeliver and play the waiting game and you will grow exponentially.


In the end, information and connections are the real currency, not goods and not certifications.

Hope this helps.

litaninja:
Baba, drop the update na. Abi make everybody no switch?

Second person to ask.

It is a choice between chasing 10,000 clients paying 10,000.00 each on the one side OR say 10 clients paying 10,000,000.00

It is a whole new set of tactics to play in the later and not the former

It is a very risky sport, you can be burnt

hamtabfawaz:
Oops! Just seeing this! But here is my submission.

To your questions:. Binding wire is used most effectively on decking areas /how it is used:. Tornado nails are fastened to the decking with Binding wire securely attached to it, the mixed fillas which is the main holder is then attached to the nails & binding wire and while also connected to pop board Piece by piece (I've got an upcoming pop project soon! I'd post a picture for visual understanding! When we start).

Noggin areas don't actually need Binding wires, The mixed fillas is tied across the wooden beams and then connected with the pop board (it is structurally sound). Another purpose of binding wire for noggin areas is to hold firmly range iron for board setting, which would be eventually removed (range & binding wire)

Yes the pop board is dry after casting before it is mounted, like I have always reiterated on this platform, the Pop gets even dryer & stronger as days passes by.


Polystyrene is used here in Nigeria, usually fitted with these accessories: ceiling profile, angle iron, corner bead, joint tape, edge trim & screws etc (Without fillas or Binding wire).

Thanks for taking the time to educate me.

I truly appreciate your kindness.

Looking forward to the pictures

EgunMogaji2:
I pad N200K early in the year. It’s now N300K.

A planet/joiner is next.

Thanks.

Don't yet have a planer or Jointer but for basic woodworking all the courses I attended said I can start without those.

EgunMogaji2:
I swear by INGCO.

I just added an INGCO table saw amongst other stuff from them.

If you do not mind, how much does this cost? I have nearly every other wood working tool save this.

Edrizz:
Why chatting in parables, if u have any negative review about the seller, why not say it out once n for all.

i can be reached via email at fegeitok at yandex dot com

samir101ng:
I have been reporting and posting this on the thread & DIY Solar Telegram group for a while now. I attended the conference flying in from Abuja for three 3 days. The conference this year was even more massive and had a lot of Vendors in attendance from Fronius, Victron, SMA, Anern, Felicity, TBB Power, Xtra Power, SRNE, etc. I will post some pictures from the event soon. The conference has had maximum exposure as the current minister of power Mr Adelabu was at the event. I have also been seeing their sponsored posts on linkedin, youtube and online.

Please I need a link to the Telegram group.

Thank you very much

Juror:
Don't judge a book by it's covers.

That is why I said I am not holding brief for him.

That said let me say more.

When I want to buy panels, I go to the manufacturer's website and look for distributors in my region, then I call and email everyone of them.

Based on their responses, I determine whether I can buy from the distributor or if the distributor has an approved reseller.

I then deal with the approved reseller.

That way I can guarantee that I am not buying a grey product but peace of mind.

I think you should take this as my final answer, and please @Immanuelar, ignore my earlier responses. Follow this one

Immanuelar:
Meaning his price are cheaper because he's a major retailers?

Very likely.

Read his previous posts.

He moves a lot of products.

Most installers cannot handle match him price for price and quantity for quantity.

As a general rule, the more you can buy or you buy, the cheaper you can buy or buy

Immanuelar:
Hello gurus,
Please I'm about getting some solar materials from justcallmenu.el here. I would like to be sure if anyone has patronised the seller without regrets in terms of quantity. Main concern is that some prices he gave me are much cheaper than what installation engineers quoted. E.g he stated 10kwh felicity lit battery as #1.35m against #1.7m quoted by engineer; felicity 5kva hybrid inverter as 350k against 550k quoted by engineer.
This is nothing personal, just making enquiries before purchasing an expensive item.
Tnx.

Not holding brief but you can't compare third party pricing with pricing of a major retailer or distributor

brightk:
u just brought memories of squid... anyways i havent used it in a long time... internet speeds have improved over time and still improving... but i think i will make out time for NGNIX and see its potentials...... na where de bring money man de face 4 nigeria oo

When the guy you quoted went full throttle, I was almost tempted to disclose that I once into networking. Until I discovered that true money does not lie in that part of IT and changed gears and thank God I did.

I know another guy who has become a billionaire from the switch. Hopefully, I will get there someday.

GloriousGbola:
The other issue is corruption. If you have to pay 15 to 20% of your contract as egunje, most of your profit is already gone.

And the people shaking you down know this and do not care.

True that.

My list wasn't exhaustive.

44chux:
But the thing is, dishonesty is actually part of the business (If you know, you know).

Property/Construction is nearly equivalent to owning a mint.

So many ways to make a killing without necessarily doing quality work.

Very destructive to discover after the fact that quality work wasn't done.

Very easy to give the appearance of quality work even when substandard work was done.

The time it takes before bad quality workmanship is revealed makes it pretty hard to pin it on the builder.

Let me not get started on the ignorance of Tom, Dick and Harry who may have money to contract a builder but not the knowledge to understand when a rip off is occurring right under his or her nose

I also think that construction/building law is still in its infancy in Nigeria. The kind of watertight construction contracts you can get in the West hasn't yet found its way here.

These factors contribute to making it akin to owning a private mint

In the light of recent discussions and the collapse of the national grid in the early hours of this morning, would you rather spend 5 million on RE whose batteries are guaranteed to last 10 years, and panels are guaranteed to last 25 years, or would you prefer to fritter that amount on petrol and diesel to run a generator for 1 year?

There is a concept of five nines (Five nines, commonly taken to mean "99.999%" from the realm of business continuity and disaster recovery such that someone takes into consideration any and everything that could interfere with his or her operations and puts in place mitigating factors to ensure that nothing external can frustrate his operations.

For a lot of companies, it used to be generators, but as the cost of petrol and diesel has skyrocketed, many companies and individuals are turning to RE.

Utility power can never guarantee five nines as the recent grid collapse after 400 days of stability has shown.

End of the California Microgrid story

For those who want to learn, and to make builders here realize that more is possible than what currently obtains in the market locally, let me share the full story.

Some regulars here may recall my posts on the Nigeria Building Energy Efficiency Code (BEEC), if you are not aware, please search for it.

One of the ways to meet that standard is the incorporation of renewable energy.

Now I know that RE is not big in buildings in Nigeria.

What I know is big today is smart homes. A number of players have made a lot of noise about building smart homes.

But in an era where people are complaining about the cost of petrol to drive around time (the number of cars reduced as soon as the new President made the pronouncement that changed the status quo), a lot of people started rationalizing trips that they would have made without thinking twice, and a lot of people have either abandoned gas guzzlers or have bought and now use more often their more fuel efficient vehicles, a lot of people have also converted their generators to run on gas instead of petrol.

Some have also responded to the increase in electricity tariffs by going solar either partially or wholly.

To my mind, we have the perfect circumstances to begin thinking about building more energy efficient homes.

Of course, there is more to building efficiency than RE but RE is a good start.

Here is the full article (in this post and the one the follows)

Ignorance is bliss.

Even in America the hottest property today is property that has an alternative energy (read that to mean renewable component) integrated into the building of the city from the ground up.

Note, I did not say integrated into a particular building, I said integrated into the town or the settlement from the ground up, from inception.

It is so funny to watch people speak on something with so much authority when they know little to nothing about it or next to nothing about it.

Even in America people have issues with utility power going down. Not so much as in Nigeria though. And even in almighty America and the forward thinking California they had to set up this project?

There are people who want 247 electricity but do not believe in fossil fuels.

They are people who want 247 electricity but believe in doing it with the least environment footprint

Why would a place like California launch the first all-electric, solar and battery powered microgrid community?

Why did the US Department of Energy (DOE) get involved in the project?

These guys wanted power even during extreme weather events which is the primary reason for power outages in America.

They also realized that due to climate change those extreme weather events are a more common occurrence hence more power outages.

Why did the DOE invest some $61 million in this kind of projects.

Continue being backwards, we will move into the future.

We will welcome you when you finally catch up with the times

topsy23:
People are using polystyrene here in Nigeria too

I agree.

My issue is that I am not sure that in Nigeria they use screws to connect it to the wood framework, I think they use fibers and binding wire.

Now I am having difficulty understanding how both can hold the polystyrene securely in place.

sonnie10:
Most POP ceilings are anchored with binding wire not just the fiber rope. They always use screw nails to hold them once dry
Unless someone who is out to do a shady job.

Well, thanks for this.

My question is how is the binding wire securely attached to the POP? I understand how the binding wire is securely attached to the wood framework.

Is it structurally sound?

Good to know they use screw nails to hold them.

POP is already dry before it is mounted, it is never mounted wet or is it?

I have read with great concern how people are disparaging renewable energy.

Sad to say they are wrong.

There are people who have solar energy systems that can power an entire estate on just their property installations that cost over 50 million Naira on just one residential property.

People in Nigeria.

A basic solar system has 3 components: solar panels for generation, batteries for storing energy for use when the sun is down and also the wiring between the solar panels and the batteries and your home electrical circuit.

An advanced system will have a lot more components, fail safes/redundancy and protection circuits.

As someone else has rightly pointed out, you need to know what you plan to use so as to size the system appropriately. And you need to prepare for how many days your system can run even in bad weather (aka low sun output)

If you want to do ACs, given the power draw you will need nothing less than 24 solar panels (say 670/550/575 watts x 24) Last I checked that 670watt panels goes for over 200,000.00 a piece

If you want to do SLA batteries that is over 200,000 a piece and you will need at least 24 batteries. If you want to do lithium batteries, it will cost way way more.

Now do the calculations, how much is that going to cost?

I have not included the cost of accessories charge controllers, wiring, etc and professional installations.

I have 24 hours light by the way because I have been running on solar for the last 2 years. So I speak from experience

wineconnoisseur:
Please house I will be glad if anyone can advise me on what to do. I live here in Ikota Lekki in a rented house but I have 1 acre dry land at the back of yotomi estate at ofada/ owode egba side that I bought long time ago and now worth 2.5m per plot. I’m not used to living in an undeveloped area because of security reasons although there are many underdeveloped estates around my land and good road network. My problem now is that I don’t know if I should go develop my land or use that money I was supposed to use to develop my land to buy another land here on island and leave it till I have resources to build it, because the price of this land on island will build a palatable 6 bedroom duplex on my land at ofada. I’m just confused which one to go for because I can’t keep living in a rented house and my work doesn’t stop me from living anywhere because I’m self employed and own my business.

Watch this series on either YouTube or Netflix called "How to Get Rich"

Read the book "I Will Teach You to Be Rich" by Ramit Sethi

Let me summarize what he said (see picture attached). Three key questions you need to answer first

gbadexy:
I have always been curious how pop cement and the fiber alone can hold the ceiling well. There's this fear that guypsum could dry out later and lose strength.
Not to just raise observation but to try to reason possible solution, I think the bond strength and flexibility would improve with addition of acrylic into the mix.
If there's no easy access to acrylic, vinko, top and all the other PVA binder may be used.
I've used this binders with regular cement and gypsum based cement and know for a fact they improve their strength and water resistance.
The more technically inclined may mix it with the gypsum and fillers and do cube crush test in comparison with the regular mix after a week drying.
Regular artisans may mix both on a ceiling with hook and try placing varying bricks tied together to see which withstands more load.
I think a video demonstration of this would convince the clients if successful of difference in total cost.

Is there any other part of the world apart from Africa where ceilings are held by ropes aka filas/fiber?

This is one thing that bothers me about POP and polysterene ceilings?

I have actually seen a video of a guy overseas using polystyrene ceilings but he used screws and washers to bind it to the ceiling woodwork/frame.

Can those fibers withstand vibration if this part of the world was earthquake prone?

Just wondering out aloud.

jonescosmos:
You might want to put up some restrictions on your network.

In my office I used Mikrotik RB1100AHx4 to secure my Network. Using Layer7 Regexp and firewall to block so many things like Windows and Office Updates so they get it from the File Server, Blocking downloads by size and file types, Blocking bittorrents, Blocking Social Media and Streaming services (for some users), etc.
Used Adguard DNS for block explicit contents (porn), adverts, malwares, etc.
Used ARP=reply-only on your Local Network Interface to make sure that VPN and manual IP or DNS users can't use your network, except they use the IP and DNS that your Gateway allocates to them via DHCP, any attempt to alter or use a manual IP or VPN knocks them out of your Network, etc.
You can always have a list of IPs that are exempted from these restrictions though.

The pictures below can guide you further.

Your inputs have been invaluable.

Thank you!