u/SpyceRax

Probably a silly question, but I wasn't able to find a definitive answer anywhere. LLMs keep on giving me source-less answers, so I'm still not sure.

Can cracked libraries work with an official copy of Kontakt 8? I've never bought a pricy, branded Kontakt library myself, so I'm not sure of the process of adding a third-party instrument to begin with.

I did use a cracked version of Kontakt 4 before, and I was able to install and use torrented libraries by using "Add Library." I'm assuming the process now is not the same, especially for official Kontakt.

Gonna be replacing a motherboard from one of our PCs since the old one has faulty DIMM slots (basically can't run more than one stick of RAM). Planning to transfer the SSD with the Windows installation without reinstalling Windows. I am aware it is not preferred, but the old SSD contains lots of files, mods, logins, passwords, and licenses that have been difficult to keep a track of, so I'm going with the easy option for now.

Anything I should look out for? I'm assuming Windows will automatically install compatible drivers after an update, but I'm afraid of driver issues just messing things up in unexpected ways that will just lead me to reinstalling.

One of our PCs has been running only one stick of DDR4 RAM for a few months, after it refuses to post with two sticks installed. The system has been able to run with two sticks for a long time, so it baffled me as to what happened. I'm not sure if the issue lies with the CPU, mobo, RAM, or even something else. With expensive memory nowadays, we're trying to check everything we can before potentially buying a fix.

Current setup

• CPU: Ryzen 7 3700X—The CPU has been dropped before, but the pins were successfully realigned and have been working for years on a separate system prior to this one.
• Mobo: B550M Aorus Elite—The mobo's BIOS was updated recently in an attempt to fix the issue, but nothing changed.
• RAM: TEAMGROUP DDR4 Dark Za 8 GB RAM—The RAM kit was used on another computer for a long time, before being transferred to this one. The kit has a history of being finicky with the mobo, but it has worked for months already with no issue.
  • XMP is not turned on
  • The second stick of the set does not work on any systems that we have, so we assume it is now dead.
  • The working RAM stick will only work on slot B1. Before the BIOS update, it only worked on slot B2 for some reason. We tried on other slots; it would not boot.
• The PSU was recently switched to an MSI A650BN, as the old PSU is out of warranty and was thought to be the cause. The issue still persists.
• The system was a hodgepodge of extra parts that we made into a full system. My niece currently uses it for browsing, schoolwork, and modded Minecraft. She isn't complaining, but her system runs slow when she both uses Google and Minecraft in W11 at the same time.

Troubleshooting that we did

• We took a working set of 16 GB of DDR4 HyperX Fury and put them in the system. The system refuses to boot with two sticks but will work if a RAM stick is on slot B1. Weirdly enough, the second stick won't boot at all on any slots. We returned the sticks to their original system, and both sticks worked.
  • Both sets of RAM sticks were on the system for 10 minutes for "memory training" after turning on, but no POST.
  • All slots were cleaned.
• The CMOS battery has drained again and again to reset the BIOS to no avail. Two sticks will not run.
  • All peripherals and cables were removed during this procedure.
• The PC was cleaned and rebuilt to check if there were any shorts or damage. The mobo has no visible damage. The CPU was inspected, and the pins are complete and looked intact. The slot looks okay too.
  • There is a dark yellow spot on the upper left of the CPU, but the pins are intact and are not for memory, if I remember correctly.
  • The CPU cooler was more loose compared to before to check if pressure was the issue. No change.

My own conclusion is that the IMC of the CPU has finally broken. Are there any more troubleshooting we could do? We unfortunately don't have an extra Ryzen processor lying around.

I have a few dead RAM sticks, and I want to know if anybody did the process of availing the limited lifetime warranty of RAM back to the manufacturer. I want to know how the process goes and how long it takes.

So far, I have:

- 8 GB 3200 MT CL 16 TEAM GROUP T-Force Dark Z: Bought last 2020 in Octagon as a pair. Lost the receipt and the packaging, but the stickers on the sticks are intact. Stopped working last May.

- 8 GB 2666 MT CL 16 HyperX Fury: Bought last 2017 as a pair. Packaging and receipt are also lost, but stickers on the sticks are still intact. Was in an unused computer for over a year that was recently turned on last month.

Both sticks are tested on several different configurations and systems before confirming they are dead.

I'm not in a rush to fix the computers, but one of our computers is now running 8 GB of RAM because of the dead TEAM GROUP stick.

Looking for cheap 128 GB (preferably 256 GB) SSDs to revive some old thin client PCs and old laptops for small homelab projects. SATA SSDs specifically for easier compatibility.

I don't want to spend more than 1,500 PHP per SSD, and longevity isn't a big concern since the systems will likely won't be used for the long-term. Maybe half a year of use or so.

I did use Fanxiang SSDs in the past that are still working today, and I might buy from them again. But I'm hoping somebody did try and will suggest other cheap brands.