Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by sharp56

MyBayar PDRM website

sharp56 — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 13:40:52 +0800

I have been issued a saman of RM100 for wrongful parking. I understand that there is a discount for early payment of saman if made within 14 days.

The PDRM Mybayar website/app only show an outstanding RM100 saman for which I can pay by bank transfer but there no option for early payment discount. How do I claim the early payment discount?

High cholesterol & plaque buildup in blood vessels

sharp56 — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:29:24 +0800

I am over 60 years old and having high cholesterol for years. I understand there is a risk of plaque buildup in the blood vessels although I have no symptoms.

Is there a medical check-up for plaque buildup available in the clinics or companies like BP Lab, etc in Penang? What tests should I request and the cost of such a test?

How to better my GPU performance (pic attached)

sharp56 — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 14:47:21 +0800

How to better my GPU performance especially my low dedicated GPU memory usage.

I am converting by enhancing an old 30 minutes video by using Topaz Video AI but it took me 4+ hours to complete. Is that normal?
Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

Recommend a cheap GPU for Video AI Enhancing

sharp56 — Mon, 29 May 2023 13:34:20 +0800

Present:
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 3400G with Radeon Vega Graphics (3.70 GHz)
Installed RAM 8.00 GB (5.94 GB usable)
System type Windows 10 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
MB Gigabyte B450M H

I'm using Topaz video AI enhancing (sharpen, remove noise and upscale resolution) for some of my old videos. For enhancing a short video of 30 minutes, sometimes it takes over 18 hours of processing.

Can someone recommend me a GPU which could cut down the processing time substantially to, say 5-6 hours? I don't use for games.

Best way for Windows 10 update for laptop

sharp56 — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 13:25:38 +0800

I have a spare HP Ryzen 3 laptop which I hardly use. I have not updated the legit windows 10 for more than 3 years.

I could update it but it has to download every updates starting from the last update from 3 years ago. It would involve a lot of updates and uninstalling/re-installing process and would take a very long time to get the job done.

Is there a short-cut method whereby I could just download and install the latest windows version and done with the tedious updating process from the beginning if I wish to retain my current files and apps?

I don't mind a clean windows re-install from latest windows and backup if the updating process takes too long.

Your advice is much appreciated.

Car Insurance on Gearbox and Engine

sharp56 — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 14:22:09 +0800

At end of September 2019 I bought a 2nd hand car from a car dealer and bought insurance from EZCare for the gearbox and engine on September 21, 2019. As the previous owner changed the gear transmission oil at 84000km, I only changed the engine oil using Edge Pro Fully Synthetic, oil filter and service the car a few days later at 91000km.

Due to the MCO I hardly used the car. At around 98000km (July 17, 2020) my car faced transmission gear box problem and I sent it to a workshop for repair whereupon they send a quotation for RM4500 to EZCare Insurance for the cost of repair.

The insurance claim was rejected and they gave the reason that it did not comply with the term of insurance that the car must be serviced at interval 10,000km or 6 months. I told them I hardly use the car during this MCO period and my mileage interval is still under 10,000km. In addition, the gearbox transmission oil change interval hasn't due. They said I should have changed the engine oil (although nothing to do with gearbox) as soon as workshops are opened in May 2020 even though we are still under RMCO as the claim was rejected due to the 6 months interval.

How could they reject the gearbox claim just because of an unrelated oversight (not reading the fine print) on the change of engine oil? Gearbox is gearbox and engine is engine and both hasn't due for oil change. Is there any way I can appeal this unjust rejection by this insurance company?

Unused 3-pin round hole aircon wall outlet.

sharp56 — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 17:20:39 +0800

I have an unused 3-pin round hole aircon wall outlet.

I want to use the outlet for my electric wall clock but it has a 3-pin flat plug.

I went to the electrical hardware shop to ask for an adapter but was told not available. The ones which are available are the slightly smaller 3 multi pin adapter which does not fit into the aircon outlet.

Is there an available adapter for it as I don't want to call in a electrician to change the wall outlet?

Can Netflix movie be downloaded and saved in USB?

sharp56 — Fri, 24 Apr 2020 13:23:23 +0800

I am thinking of subscribing to Netflix.

Can Netflix movies be downloaded into desktop PC/thumb drive and played with VLC or any other video player on my PC, Laptop or TV like a normal MP4?

Reason being portability and convenience in viewing the movies at my leisure.
Thanks.

External 2.5" HD struck by lightning

sharp56 — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 21:27:25 +0800

My 2.5" 1 TB WD Elements external HD was struck by lightning and the power light cannot lit up and recognized by my desktop. Can I open up the enclosure, salvage the HD and replace it into a new 2.5" external HD enclosure?

Scam in process. Ensnared Victim duped.

sharp56 — Tue, 30 Jul 2019 11:32:33 +0800

This happens to one of my family members who is a retiree.

She is being asked to put in money to help a friend who has a big sum of oversea-incoming deposit being held up by Bank Negara. Her friend promised her that she would share with her part of the incoming deposit. Bank Negara officials require payments to clear the oversea deposit. The scam is still in process and the so-called Bank Negara officials are still in contact with her to ask for more money. So far she has dumped in about RM300K.

We all realized that this is a scam and advised her to lodge a police report. But the ensnared victim is adamant that the scheme is real and doesn't want to lodge a police report. She is afraid that she would lose all her money should the police investigate and scold us for wanting her to lose her payments to date.

What are your advice if the victim is still being ensnared and which authorities can help to entrap the scammers?

Recover my deposit through digital currency

sharp56 — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 15:27:48 +0800

I put some deposit into CFD Corporate, an unregulated forex broker situated on an island off Switzerland, some 5 months ago and they refused to refund my deposit even after lodging complaints and police report.

As a last resort to get my money back, I was thinking of asking them to buy some digital currency and withdraw them from an ATM machine in Malaysia.

I don't know anything about digital currency and have never purchased them before. Can you advise me:

1. which suitable digital currency should I ask them to buy which I can easily withdraw in Malaysia? My aim is not for investment but to recover my money.
2. after buying the currency what should I do? Should I buy a wallet or something?
3. how to transfer digital currency to an ATM machine? Do they have an ATM card or something?
4. Which currency is widely used in Malaysia for purchasing items online and offline?

Would appreciate any advice from you guys. Thank you.

Cashlesspaygroup.com and cryptocurrency

sharp56 — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 15:04:45 +0800

I was enticed by a CNBC news posted by someone in Facebook that Singapore has recently adopted digital currency albeit Cryptocurrency in making Singapore a cashless society. It went on to say the news reporter in CNBC tried out by purchasing some units of cryptocurrency to test out how easy it was to purchase the digital currency and she made some gains out of it. There was a link to cashlesspaygroup.com in the facebook. Stupidly in haste relying on the CNBC news, I click on the link and made an investment of RM5,000.

Only later I found out the CNBC news was fake as there were no such news on CNBC website. After making the payment there was no reply and so I checked the website of cashlesspaygroup.com. The website seems to be fake also as the links and contacts were not operateable.

Later, I was emailed and contacted by a company called CFD Corporate (located in some offshore tax haven islands) which I later found out to be a Forex and Crypto broker welcoming me in opening an account with them. They said I had deposited an amount of US$1,200 and asked me to furnish proof of my personal identification and address. I made a search on CFD Corporate and found that the broker was unregulated and not having good reputation. In all these events, I had no choice to choose or review the broker or the recipient of the bank transfer. It just happen out of the blue after my online transfer of fund.

I realised that I had been duped and made a police report as well as lodging a complaint to Maybank in which I made the bank online fund transfer.

CFD Corporate said I can ask for a refund of my deposit. Will I be able to see the return of RM5,000 to me?

I would appreciate on some expert advice how to deal with the problem at hand.

Old computer but fast modem

sharp56 — Wed, 26 Sep 2018 09:59:07 +0800

I have a old 2nd generation core i5 2400 @ 3.10ghz desktop (installed with one SSD with 3 hard disks and 8gb DDR3 ram) which I used mainly for viewing and downloading videos with a little video editing. I don't do gaming.

I have just bought a huawei B618 modem with Digi infinite i150 which is capable of downloading 100 mbps by my handset, tablets and notebook off the wifi from my modem.

My Gigabyte M/B has been struck with lightning and the internet network part is not functioning. I installed a cheap 3rd party network card for my internet. Since I have purchased a good modem I am not satisfied that my desktop is only capable of downloading 20-30 mbps (with LAN cat 5E cable connected to B618) compared to 100 mbps on my other mentioned devices.

I need a desktop which is capable of downloading more than 100 mbps (assuming my B618 modem and Digi are able to support it). If I need a new desktop, I would be able to re-use most of my old computer parts. Budget is an important consideration and the cheaper the better.

Sifus, please recommend me two options:

(i) Option 1. Retain my old computer but recommend me a way to enable it to download 100 mbps. Parts may have to be changed/replaced to achieve it. What parts do I have to change and how much? Is it I only need to change a new M/B and discard the 3rd party network card? Which modern M/B (with many USB 3 ports and good graphics) do you recommend?

(ii) Option 2. Recommend a new computer with fast download and suitable for viewing movies and movie editing. Budget RM1,200 with most parts (SSD, HDs, monitor, CD Rom, keyboard/mouse, etc) reuseable from old computer.

(iii) Question : Where is the bottleneck in my old computer that causes the slow download speed?

Thank you in advance.

D-Link DWA 131 wireless USB adapter

sharp56 — Tue, 05 Jun 2018 16:10:42 +0800

I bought a D-Link wireless N-Nano USB adaptor (DWA 131) recently. It is rated at 300 mbps. I installed the driver CD that comes along with it on my desktop computer

I tether internet hotspot using my Samsung Note 4 phone using DIGI postpaid.

a) When I use speedtest.net running on my phone the ping 33ms, download 28 mbps and upload 23 mbps.

b) However when I use speedtest.net on my computer using the D-Link wireless adaptor using the DIGI hotspot from my samsung phone, the ping 27 ms, download 8.5 mbps and upload 0.5 mbps. I run the speedtest 5-6 times the results are consistently the same.

c) Speedtest.net on my tablet using hotspot is ping 39 ms, download 12 mbps and upload 22 mbps. Other times the speed are better and it fluctuates but mostly lower than my samsung note 4. My handphone has the highest speed of all.

Questions:

1. Why is the speed using the D-Link 300 mbps USB adaptor on my desktop computer so slow compare with my handphone and tablet?

2. Is there any way where I can maximise the D-Link USB adaptor speed by configuration? Where can I configure?

3. I plugged the D-Link adaptor to my USB 3.0 port on my computer. Is there any difference in speed on USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 port?

Please give your feedback and answers. Thanks.

Different brands - aircond outdoor unit and blower

sharp56 — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 20:13:44 +0800

I have a old unit Toshiba blower whose's motherboard is spoiled but the outdoor unit is working fine. I have another old Samsung unit whose outdoor unit is spoiled but the blower is working fine. Both units are 1 horse power and more than 5-10 years old.

Can I pair up the Samsung blower with the Toshiba outdoor unit instead throwing them away?

Thanks.

Wireless CCTV DVR and Sim Card LTE Modem Router

sharp56 — Tue, 29 May 2018 23:39:26 +0800

Presently I have a wireless CCTV DVR connected to my TP Link 4-port router modem with Lan internet cable running on streamyx 8mbps. It works well - I am able to use my computer and view the security video on my phone remotely.

Lately I bought a Tenda 4G680 sim card modem router and purchase Maxis 6G8 Hotlink Red sim card to try out the CCTV connection. I connect the Tenda modem to my computer and wireless CCTV DVR with Lan cables from the Lan ports like in my previous set up. It works well with my computer but not on the CCTV.

Can anyone point to me:

1. Why the CCTV is able to work on my TP Link modem running on streamyx but not on my Tenda modem running on Maxis Sim Card?

2. The steps need to connect the Wireless CCTV DVR to my Tenda Modem running on Maxis hotlink red sim card?

Thanks

Anti Slip for wet bathroom tiles

sharp56 — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 16:48:41 +0800

I want to prepare an anti-slip on my small bathroom tile flooring so that it would not be slippery.

I was thinking of a simple DIY by painting a clear epoxy coating on the surface of my existing bathroom tiles.

Can anyone recommend the materials or alternatives and where to buy them?

fruitjuicevip.com - refurbished laptops

sharp56 — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 14:08:59 +0800

This website http://www.fruitjuicevip.com set up a few weeks ago in US selling refurbished laptops. The website although looked professional but it doesn't have addresses or contact nos and its prices are incredibly cheap.

Is this a scam?

Scam - Buy 1 Free 1 Toshiba External HD at RM280

sharp56 — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 10:28:29 +0800

Unfortunately I was one of the many victims.

Apparently, the seller behind the scam is an Unknown China company setting up a dubious office under the name of TJM Infinity Resources in Batu Pahat, Johore. The facebook advertised a buy 1 free 1 Toshiba 2 TB External HD with pictures and videos. I entered my name and address to register my interest to enquire and buy the products and there were no response. I have forgotten about it and three weeks later DHL turned up at my house asking for payment of RM280 for cash on delivery. After I had paid RM280, I opened the parcel and found :

1. It is not an External Hard Disk but a USB 2.0 IDE Casing with 2 TB HD (untested capacity and no brand)
2. It is not Toshiba but Tushiba printed on the casing
3. Only one unit is recognized by computer. The other unit is not working (presumably there is just casing without HD inside)

Immediately I called up DHL E-Commerce who collected the cash on delivery to ask for a return and refund. DHL refused and asked me to contact their customer service. When I called up their customer service they are already aware of the many complaints and told me that they cannot return the goods as it is a china company. They had tried to reach the china company but didn't receive reply in a "timely manner". I then requested DHL to withhold payment to the china company until the matters have been resolved. DHL said that they are just a courier company and their hands are tied as they are bound by contract to make payments to the china company.

I checked up TJM Infinity Resources on the internet iand t doesn't turn up any result except for an unrelated Singapore company. There are no phone or email contacts. The address stated on the DHL package is 20 Jalan Perdana2/9, Batu Pahat, Johor 83000.

I am opening this thread in the hope that other people facing similar predicament could group together and discuss about the possible actions.

Does all NEW Pineng powerbank comes

sharp56 — Fri, 14 Oct 2016 14:35:16 +0800

Recently I bought a Pineng PN966 10,000mah powerbank in Lelong from this seller

http://www.lelong.com.my/power-bank-pineng...7-01-Sale-I.htm

When I received the item, I noticed that that the original box looks old and a little crumbled. Although the seal in front of the box was intact, the item can still be taken out from the side of the box. The side of the box was a little torn showing someone has opened it from the side.

When I switched on the powerbank, it showed a zero charge instead of a 100% ready charge. There are also some scratches and defect on the LCD screen. I suspected that the powerbank is a used or reject set which the seller tried to sell to me as new.

I PMed the seller and asked how a new set could have an old box, scratches on the LCD screen and showed a zero charge when I first opened it from the box. The seller insisted that the set is new and that not all sets are fully 100% ready charged because "different sets came in different ways". He admitted that he has too many items in his store and because of that the box may look old. I tried to get in contact with the seller to return the set due to the defect on the LCD screen and there has been no response from him since.

Is it true that all NEW Pineng powerbanks come with a 100% ready charge?

I am trying to ask Lelong to arbitrate in the issue.