maximumpc.com JUN 2019 MAXIMUMPC 95
it, and my 1080p gaming
experience was fine—until
while working on the
machine, I shorted out
and burned up the CPU fan
header. No big deal, I’ll just
pick up another used board
and get on with life—but I
looked and discovered that
gaming-class used Z97
boards (and their higher-
end matching CPUs) are
the same price as buying
a new board. Not wanting
to throw good money at a
five-year-old platform, I
built a new Ryzen box that
should hopefully serve well
for several years.
I realize we’re in the
post-Moore cloud-based
future already, but I can’t
figure out why five-year-
old used parts command
prices equivalent to brand
new gear. –Mike Pepe
EXECUTIVE EDITOR, ALAN
DEXTER, RESPONDS: We see
artificially high prices on
old hardware quite often,
but the problem seems to
be particularly bad when it
comes to gaming hardware.
It’s a seller’s mar ket,
and if you’re looking to
pick up an older machine
on the cheap, including
the words “games,”
“game,” or “gaming” can
double the asking price.
When it comes to a Z97
motherboard, you’re a bit
more limited, and savvy
sellers know who will be
buying. Ultimately, though,
we think you’ve probably
done the right thing, and
ended up with a machine
that should serve you well
for the next five years.
Classic Start
Michael Wiplich wrote in
the March issue that he was
having problems installing
Windows 7 on a new
machine—that does not
support it. His wife hates
Win 10 (as does mine). I
found a neat free program
that can be customized to
suit. Get rid of that horrible
Win 10 desktop, and his
wife might like it. Classic
Shell, 6.9MB, made by
Ivosoft. We have it on two
desktops and one laptop,
and like it a lot. –Bill CookEXECUTIVE EDITOR, ALAN
DEXTER, RESPONDS: We’ve
looked at Classic Shell
a number of times in
Maximum PC, in numerous
features and tutorials,
and we’ve always been
impressed by its simplicity
and intuitive design.
It’s no longer actively
developed, but the source
code has been released on
GitHub, and there’s still
a reasonable amount of
discussion about how to
access various features
using the tool. If anyone
is interested in grabbing
the latest version, you
can download it from
http://www.classicshell.net.Out of Key
After reading the Maximum
PC “Kick Ass 9” review
of the Wooting keyboard,
I decided to buy one. Idon’t like to be negative,
and I do whatever I can to
make something work, but
this was one of the worst
purchases I’ve made in
quite some time: The 1 key
stuttttttters, and the 8 and
= keys don’t work at all. (If
I mash them down and hold
them for a few seconds,
sometimes something will
happen, but usually not.)
There are other personal
preference things that I
don’t like, but those are
subjective. The objective
things (um, the keys just
plain don’t work) are
unacceptable for that kind
of money. I tried moving
switches around, but the
same thing kept happening
at the same locations. I
tried varying the actuation
level; no change. I updated
the Wootility; no change.
The knowledge base:
basically useless. Discord:
That’s a joke. Contacting
Wooting: “We’re very busy
right now.” I really likedthe idea of supporting a
startup with a good idea. I
just wasn’t ready for having
to do their QC and R&D for
them for the money I paid.
I don’t expect you to do
anything, I just wanted
to let you know that not
everyone has had the same
wonderful experience as
Maximum PC has with this
keyboard. –Ken FurmanWe contacted Wooting’s
CEO and founder, Calder
Limmen, and he responded
promptly: “What the reader
is experiencing is difficult
to determine at first, since
there are many elements
that can influence the
result. Especially since
it’s beyond a simple metal
contact switch.
“If a key isn’t responding
at all, it shouldn’t even get
through QC, so we always
suspect software/firmware
first, which is usually fixed
with a simple restore. As
we never stop development
in that department, USB is
complicated, and Windows
doesn’t always play nice,
bugs/glitches are always
a fact with new releases.
That’s why you’re always
notified to update the
firmware at first use. If it’s
hardware, it’s a serious
concern on our side, and I
wish it never happened, but
that’s impossible.
“In the reader’s case,
it seems at first that the
switches are at fault—
hence the recommendation
to swap them for others.
But if a key isn’t responding
at all, and software-wise
everything is in check,
this would be marked as a
hardware defect, and we
can send over a new board.
“In general, (simple)
software-related issues
and getting settled with
the keyboard are solved
on Discord. Otherwise,
we welcome anybody to
contact our support at
[email protected]. On
average, we respond
within three working days,
and come with solutions
not excuses.”[NOW ONLINE]HOW TO BACK UP
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Just as there are many third-party backup utilities that
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something go awry.
Read the full article: https://bit.ly/2UZbqJW