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PS4 Error Code (CE-34878-0)

Grrrrrr Playstation Grrrrrrr !!

I was 80% through Tomb Raider (Definitive Edition) when I was prevented from loading the game. An error code of CE-34878-0 came up and I tried everything to fix it – including all of the numerous fixes suggested on line.

But nothing worked.

In the end I had to do a factory reset (Initialization) AND, even though I first moved my saved games to an external drive, I still lost all of my saves. After the reset, which I might add took a couple of hours, I moved the saved games back to the PS4 hard drive. The error had been fixed and Tomb Raider loaded without a problem, but it would not pick up where I had left it at 80%. I will have to start over – GRRRRRR !!

This is the first time I have had a problem with the PS4 – but I am still complaining.

As stated in previous posts, to keep occupied during lockdown, I have been replaying video games. So far I have completed the Far Cry series (X Box) and Uncharted (PS4) and, although lockdown is all but lifted in Queensland, I have enjoyed replaying these games so much that I have continued working through them.

I have “Tomb Raider (Definitive Edition)” on PS4 and the subsequent games, “Rise of the Tomb Raider” and “Shadow of the Tomb Raider”, on X Box.

So it is back to the beginning for Lara Croft. To make matters worse, I had been obsessive in fully completing each section before moving on, (not counting the items you can’t get at until you unlock the shotgun & rope pulley etc.), and some of those GPS things are hard to find!

I suppose it is not the end of the world but I had a bit of trouble with the part where Lara falls out of a crashed plane on a cliff and she grabs a parachute. Naturally the main chute fails and you have to guide her through the tops of trees with her reserve chute. One misjudgement and she clips a tree and gets impaled – it took me about 4 or 5 goes to get it. Poor Lara looks so bad when she gets impaled and I feel guilty for causing it.

CARE! Further comments on this subject at https://whysun.com/ps4/ps4-error-code-ce-34878-0-continued/

RING DOORBELL

REFER UPDATE and Update No 2 – Problems appear to be fixed RING DOORBELL UPDATE No 2 – Whycal’s Blog (whysun.com)

A few months ago, I bought a Ring Doorbell 2. The main reason for buying one was the superseded model (Ring Doorbell 2) was on sale at about a 50% discount. The latest model has better Wi-Fi, video, and motion detection BUT not that much better – an upgrade rather than a significant improvement.

Therefore, I went ahead and bought a Ring Doorbell 2, a Chime Pro to amplify the ring and improve the Wi-Fi reception plus a spare battery (see below for why I recommend a spare battery); AND I also paid AUD$40 for an annual subscription.

SUBSCRIPTION

NOTE for RING devices to be of real use you do need the subscription that provides storage, downloading and sharing of video. The subscription is cheap – AUD$4 per month OR AUD$40 per year to save video for 60 days for 1 video recording device (not including non-video devices like the Chime – a ringer extender – or the Chime Pro that includes a Wi-Fi extender as well).

At AUD$40 per year it is well worthwhile. If you have more than one video recording device, it jumps to $150 per year. However, most people only have one eligible device. This means you have 60 days, to download and save any particular video to your computer.

PROS

Excellent Video quality (Doorbell 2 that is – The 3 is said to be even better)
Excellent night vision video
Starts recording in about 1 or 2 seconds of detecting movement
Field of detection is good and adjustable
Spare second battery is cheap and easy to swap
Easy to set up via the App
Even if you are not at home, you can talk to people at the door via the App.

CONS

Battery life
App Response time – It takes about 6/7 seconds for the App on a phone or computer to respond. (NOTE – it starts recording the video almost immediately) CARE SEE UPDATE

FURTHER COMMENT ON CONS

Battery Life.

The advertised battery life is variable, but 6 months is what you will mostly see in adds. However, my experience is about 3 months.

PLEASE NOTE that any problem with battery life can be easily mitigated by purchase of a cheap second (spare) re-chargeable battery. SO, THIS IS NOT REALLY AN ISSUE. Swapping the battery is easy and, with a spare, you don’t have to wait several hours to charge it. Just charge the spare first and swap it in seconds.

Battery life can vary depending on the number of notifications the doorbell sends, strength of the Wi-Fi connection and cold temperatures. (Cold weather is not an issue where I live.) The number of notifications can be reduced by changing the detection range and field and, if the Wi-Fi signal is weak, you can buy a Chime Pro which not only amplifies the ring but acts as a Wi-Fi extender.

At first, I had mine adjusted to detect cars going past in our quiet street. It turned me into a “sticky beak” – but I lost interest quickly and adjusted it back to my letter box so I can be notified when the postman comes. I get most of my mail electronically so visits from the postman are infrequent.

As stated, the battery life issue is easily remedied by the second spare battery and you get an email when it is time to charge the battery (at 20% level).

App Response time. SEE UPDATE

I assume the delay of about 7 seconds is because it sends to a server and the server sends back notifications to the App and Chimes. The doorbell connects to the internet via your Wi-Fi, but it does not connect directly to other devices on the network. In fact, I have it on a separate network on a different subnet IP address. I have a good internet connection (always at or near my plan of 50/20 Mbps) and the Health Widget on the App reports that the Wi-Fi signal to the doorbell is good.

Seven seconds is not long BUT some of those parcel delivery people move like greased lightning. However, if you get to the door quickly, you can usually get them before they escape to the truck.

Even though the video starts recording almost immediately, the delay for the App and the Chimes to respond, while not a deal breaker, is an issue. When I look at the video later, you can see some people start to look around and contemplate leaving but as soon as they hear the chime go off, they relax. I want to say that the Australia Post people must be aware of the delay as you can tell from the video that they expect to wait a few seconds after they press the doorbell.

SUMMARY

I am glad I bought it and recommend it particularly if you work and are not at home during the day. Both the doorbell and the Chime (with Wi-Fi extender) were easy to install and set up via the App.

Definitely factor in the cost of the subscription but AUD$40 per year (AUD $0.76c a week) is nothing and well worth it.

Overall, I am happy with my Ring Doorbell. Although, now you will probably have to pay full price for the latest model (Ring Doorbell 3) as, after a quick search, I can’t see any cheap version 2 models still for sale.

NUC – PROBLEMS WITH HD TV AS MONITOR – NO PICTURE

I have been very happy with my first NUC and have been using it for almost a year without any issues. See prior post.

I liked it so much so that I decided to replace my HTPC with a NUC to save space and make room for a PlayStation 5.

The new X Box Series X will fit (on its side) in the same space occupied by my X Box One X but the PS5 is a lot larger than the PS4. As a result, I thought I would replace my HTPC with a NUC to open up more space for a PS5.

I bought a “bare bones” NUC with a 10th generation Core i5 and inserted 32 GB RAM and 2 X 1 TB hard drives. (The models with “H” in the model number have space for an additional 2.5 inch SATA SSD as well as the main M.2 drive.)

My existing HTPC has a reasonable graphics card plus a TV Tuner card and a sound card. However, with nothing on FTA (Free to Air) TV, I rarely, if ever, use the TV Tuner card. I play Blue Ray discs on the X Box One X using my Denon AV Receiver so I now use the HTPC for watching Netflix, YouTube and iTunes videos.

Therefore, I reasoned, a NUC would fulfil these requirements and I went ahead and purchased another NUC and attached it to one of the four HDMI inputs on my Sony 4K HDR TV

PROBLEM – POWERS ON BUT NO PICTURE

All went well for about a week. Then one morning when I turned it on there was power but no picture on the screen.

I tried everything in terms of the Intel troubleshooting wizard – with no success:-

This is the link to the Australian version of the Intel NUC no boot troubleshooting wizard

https://www.intel.com.au/content/www/au/en/support/topics/wizard-nuc.html

OR just search for – Intel NUC troubleshooting wizard.

After searching the internet, I ran across posts that suggested the problem may be with using a HD TV as a monitor. There are various NUC models with varying integrated graphics capabilities. As a result, some models have problems with some HD TVs. So, I then connected my NUC to a computer monitor and it operated normally.

On the TV, I discovered that the input being used for the NUC had an “Enhanced Format” setting that was turned on. When I turned off this setting or used another HDMI input without this feature, the picture was OK. However I still occasionally had a problem on getting the video to display after sleep and had to use this solution:

Unplug your Intel NUC from the AC outlet and wait for about 10 seconds. Press the power button on the front panel of your NUC a couple of times. Do this with no power source connected to make sure the NUC discharged completely. Connect your NUC to the AC outlet and try to turn it on.

I did further research and Intel does sell NUC models with higher end graphics. My NUC is not one of those.

My NUC does come with an “Intel Graphics Command Centre” App. I opened this App and set it at 3840 X 2160 with 60p Refresh rate.

Hopefully this will fix the problem. I will add to this post with the results. I don’t want to even consider an External GPU (eGPU) as they are bigger and more expensive than a NUC.

UPDATE

It has been a couple of days now and the problem appears to have been resolved. (I hope / touch wood).

Setting the output via the Intel Graphics Command Centre to 3840 X 2160 with a refresh rate of 60 Hz P seems to have fixed the issue.

After installing the hard drives and RAM, I immediately attached the NUC to the TV to install the OS and complete the setting up. The integrated graphics on the NUC detected the TV as the monitor and, by default, set the output to 3840 / 2160 / 59P.

Therefore, I can only conclude that the refresh rate of 59Hz was the cause. The TV manual shows refresh rate specifications for the HDMI inputs of 50 & 60 Hz with additional refresh rates of 24,25 & 30 on 2 of the HDMI inputs.

I know very little about this subject but changing the output from the NUC to the TV from 59Hz to 60Hz seems to have fixed the problem.

I did a lot of reading on the internet about this. CNET has an article that suggests that I should use 50Hz in Australia (and UK) See https://www.cnet.com/news/ultra-hd-4k-tv-refresh-rates/

This article states that, refresh rates of 50 and 60 work the same, as do 100 and 120. In countries that have 50Hz electricity like the UK and Australia, refresh rates of 50 and 100 should be used.

However it is working at 60Hz so I think I “will leave well enough alone”. Also, I don’t think it matters much as I don’t have the Premium Netflix subscription and both Netflix and iTunes video looks OK to me.

UPDATE No 2

I have come up with a couple of options as a final solution to the issue covered above.

OPTIONS

No 1, Change the Intel Graphics to an output of 1920/1080 60P (which is on the list of “Supported Modes” in the App)

No 2, Set at 3840/2160 50P with All Settings / System / Power & Sleep / Power set to “never” for both screen and PC. (NOT on the list of “Supported Modes” in the App and only works if you set the power for the screen never to go to sleep.)

Previously I was having occasional problems with the screen waking from sleep but, with either of these settings, I have had no issues for many days.

DETAILS

I discovered that the Intel Graphics Command Centre has a section that displays all supported outputs for the attached monitor. (Yes, I know – I should have looked!)

As can be seen, it can display 4K resolutions but only at lower refresh rates. However, set at 4K but at lower refresh rates, the difference is noticeable.

A setting of 1920X1080 60P (or 50P) is very good and I can’t see any difference between Options 1& 2.

As a result, I will use Option 1 as it is on the “Supported Modes” list while Option 2 is not and I don’t have any video on or via the NUC that is in 4K. Option 2 is handy to know in case I get a Blue Ray Drive or upgrade Netflix etc..

Surface Pro 7 – Win 10 Version 2004 – New REGRESSED Cortana

At long last, my Surface Pro 7 has received the update to Win 10 Version 20 04.

My other computers received it weeks ago.

AND, as expected, my last fully functional Cortana is gone and I have the new “regressed” Cortana.

Also, Cortana is now a store App and no longer appears in “All Settings”.

New “regressed” Cortana is like a petulant teenager – Ask her to open Excel and you get told “Sorry, I can’t help with that”. I suppose that I should be grateful that she at least says “sorry” and she can still tell me the time and temperature in London.

FYI in London it is 6 am – Temperature is 18c – Mostly Clear ( 23c to 17c) – SUMMER

Here in South East Queensland it is 3 pm – Temperature 22c – Sunny (22c – 15c) – (our brutal) WINTER

Interesting I am sure – but I would prefer a Cortana that opens an App when asked – and, almost forgot – Cortana no longer responds to “Hey Cortana”. You have to open the App and click on the microphone icon to talk to her.

Surface Pro 7–Wi-Fi failing to turn on after sleep–FIXED

Please refer to my previous post https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/surface-pro-7-wi-fi-fails-to-turn-on-after-wake-from-sleep/

I have still not yet received updated Win 10 version 20 04 on my Surface Pro 7 so I have been checking Windows Update every morning.

This morning I noticed a number of system updates involving various Intel components. After installation, I checked on the Intel Wi-Fi Network Adaptor and it has been updated to driver 21.80.2.1 (dated 25/2/20).

Therefore, I changed All Settings / System / Power & Sleep so that the computers goes to sleep after 10 minutes on both battery and when plugged in. Then I waited for about 30 minutes and on waking the computer the Wi-Fi was connected and worked correctly. I repeated this a couple of times throughout the day and it appears that the issue has been fixed.

The new driver number (21.80.2.1) is different from the one on the Intel site (21.90.3) so I am glad I had second thoughts about updating from the Intel site and waited for an update via Windows Update.

WINDOWS 10 MAIL APP – GMAIL PROBLEMS – FIXED

Refer previous posts regarding problems with Gmail on the Windows 10 Mail App.

https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/windows-10-mail-app-problems/

https://whysun.com/computers-the-internet/windows-10-mail-app-problems-update/

https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/windows-10-mail-app-problems-confirmation/

There was an update (issued via Store Updates) that seems to have fixed the issues with Gmail.

The update is dated 17^th July 2020 and I noticed it about a day later and re-installed my Gmail to the Mail/Calendar App. Since then, I have not had problems with Gmail.

Occasionally, I still have formatting issues with all Email accounts. The most common is when the text in the Email appears in a single one letter wide vertical line.

The quickest way to fix it is :

· Click “Forward” so that you get access to the “Format” Menu;

· Place curser in the body of the email and click Ctrl/A to select all;

· Then go to Format Menu – Drop Down and click the bottom “eraser” icon to remove the formatting.

You will then be able to read the Email. After, click “Discard” to delete the Forwarded copy of the email (or insert addresses and send it).

Surface Pro 7 – Wi-Fi fails to turn on after wake from sleep

This is a problem that I have only noticed recently and, as detailed later, it might be caused by a driver for the Wi Fi network Adaptor. (Although the current driver is over a year old and the ‘Wi-Fi drop out after sleep’ has only been a recent occurrence for me.)

After the SP7 has gone into sleep mode, the Wi-Fi fails to re-connect when the computer is activated.

The “no Internet” icon appears in the Task Bar when the SP7 is woken from sleep.

Initially, I ran Troubleshoot Problems (right mouse on the icon) and this fixed the problem. However, after I realised that it was an on-going issue, I looked for a better remedy. At first I thought that I would go to Network and Sharing Centre / Change Adaptor Settings / WiFi adaptor / properties / Power Management and turn off “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power”. However, the “Power Management” tab is no longer there.

So, I found an alternative by going to All Settings / Network and Internet / Wi-Fi and turning off the Wi-Fi, waiting a couple of seconds and turning it back on.

Although turning the Wi-Fi off then back on worked, I was curious to find a better answer and this article on the Windows Central site has another explanation.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-10-1803-and-above-why-wifi-disabled-after/36323a4b-050a-45a0-a32e-92a34dca8ddb

According to this article, it is a driver issue with the Intel AX201 Wi-Fi adaptor – driver version 21.40.1.3 – and hopefully it will be fixed soon.

I checked the date of driver 21.40.1.3 installed on my SP7, and it is dated May 2019 . However, in my case the problems have only become apparent recently (last month or so).

The Intel site has a newer driver 21.90.3 issued in May this year, but I am inclined to wait for a new driver via Windows Update particularly as the article advises against installing a non Windows Update driver.

In the meantime I have tested the suggested work around:

Hardware manager -> network adaptor -> Intel AX201 -> Advanced -> MIMO power save mode -> Change “Auto SMPS” to “No SMPS”.

This worked most of the time but was not 100% successful, particularly if the computer has been asleep for a lengthy period.

I then changed the power setting (All Settings/System/Power and Sleep) so that the computer “never” goes into sleep mode when plugged in and this seems to be working. Before, with Sleep mode activated, the Wi-Fi disconnected on sleep but turned back on after about 1 second delay in most cases but failed after long periods asleep.

I suppose setting “Sleep” to “Never” defeats the purpose of my tests, but I have downloaded driver 21.90.3 and I am thinking about installing it. In the meantime, I will continue to experiment and add to this post in a few days.

UPDATE – 13 Jul

The suggested work around of disabling MIMO power save mode is not working for me.

I have changed it back to Auto SMPS and altered Power and Sleep to never allow sleep when the SP7 is plugged in. Now I will wait to see what happens next Patch Tuesday. After Patch Tuesday, (Wednesday in Australia), I will check the network adaptor driver to see if it has been updated and, if not, will probably manually update the driver from the Intel site.

CARE – NOW FIXED VIA WINDOWS UPDATE OF DRIVER See my post https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/surface-pro-7-wi-fi-failing-to-turn-on-after-sleep-fixed/

WINDOWS 10 Mail App Problems–Confirmation

Please refer to two previous posts:

Windows 10 Mail App–Problems Update

and

Windows 10 Mail App–PROBLEMS

I looks like it was not just me – See https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2020/06/28/google-gmail-serious-problem-deleted-emails-spam/#54bf33f2447c

(Thanks Greg for letting me know).

This is exactly what was happening with me – When forwarding Emails sent to my Gmail and dealt with in the Win 10 Mail App, the sent item “disappears and cannot be found anywhere including in Sent, Drafts, Outbox, Spam, nor on any folder in Gmail on the web (via Chrome Browser).” It just disappears and has obviously been erased from the server.

Gmail in the App is unusable and I deal with emails to that address either in the Chrome Browser and/or in the Outlook Mail program.

Outlook (mail program) is a great program, but it is “overkill” for a simple personal email user like me AND, I don’t like the browser Gmail client at all. I have retained the Win 10 mail App, as it is the default mail client, is simple to set up and operate and works OK with other types of Email (Microsoft, Yahoo, Bigpond and my own Domain) – APART from the occasional formatting issue that I can live with!!.

The obvious alternative is Mozilla Thunderbird and I was about to set up Thunderbird, but I will wait to see if the Win 10 Mail App gets fixed.

In the meantime, I have removed Gmail from the App and will access it via a browser or on my iPad.

A work around found online involves going into Gmail Settings / Filters and Blocked Addresses and creating a new filter to stop emails to your address being put into Spam. DON’T DO THIS. I tried and I don’t even know if it works. I had to immediately delete the filter as spam was ending up in my Inbox.

LOCKDOWN – DOOMSDAY PREPPERS (NETFLIX)

Like many other people, I have spent a lot of time under lockdown watching Netflix.

I had watched Season 1 of Doomsday Preppers previously, but I noted that the second season is now on Netflix Australia and I am up to the last episode of this season.

I know many people tend to dismiss and ridicule preppers, but I don’t.

There is nothing wrong in being prepared. Moreover, relying on other people and/or governments in a crisis is not wise.

I have been through natural disasters (cyclones) that resulted in large scale destruction of buildings with food, water and other shortages as well as power outages for extended periods, so it is common sense to be prepared.

Whilst I have neither the capability nor the money to have a “bug out” location and facility, it does not hurt to have arrangements in place to deal with emergencies.

In other words, be a prepper.

The recent panic buying that caused shortages of some essentials has reminded me to always be prepared and, to borrow from the TV series, I am prepping for events that result in temporary shortages of essential supplies and moderate periods without electricity.

Because of prior experiences, I usually have reserves of some essentials. For example, I did not run out of toilet paper during the big TP drought of early 2020 as, out of habit, I keep plenty in reserve.

Therefore, I am going to work on a formal plan to set up a system of reserves using oldest first and replacing with new so that I always have enough for 3 to 4 months on hand. This will apply to everything apart from fresh food.

Before I can consider reserves of fresh food, I will have to explore purchase of a generator to run a small fridge / freezer. The generator will need to run on unleaded petrol like the car, mower etc.

I already have a portable solar charger for my phone.

One thing that many people forget about is cash. We have become very reliant on electronic payments that fail completely when the power goes down. Many businesses cannot even accept non-electronic credit card payments. It is almost all “chip and pin” and/or “tap and pay”.

A moderate amount of cash (and a safe to store it in), ought to be part of any plan. The cash should be in small denominations as, even in the best of times, small businesses can’t change a $100 note.

This, therefore, is my prepper plan. It might not be much but is practicable and reasonable. The “experts” on the TV show would probably only give my plan a low score, but at least it is better than nothing. (Comment – the experts who score the preppers on the show can be hard markers, and I sympathise with some of the participants who complain about their scores.)

I am not one to gloat (cough), BUT a person I know, who had ridiculed me for saying that I liked and watched “Doomsday Preppers”, had to ask me for toilet paper during the big TP drought. I wish that I were man enough to report that I did not say ‘I told you so’ – but I cannot!

Lockdown Video Games–Far Cry 3

Please refer to my previous two posts about how I am spending my time under lockdown replaying old favourite video games.

I have completed Far Cry 3 – or at least climbed all the radio towers, captured all the outposts and finished the campaign. I did not do many of the side missions as, from this weekend, the lockdown is being partially lifted in Queensland and I want to get onto Far Cry 4 and 5.

I had forgotten what a great game Far Cry 3 is! Although it is an X Box 360 game, it plays very well on X Box One.

There are no fortresses in Far Cry 3 but the outposts get more difficult to capture as you explore the map, particularly the ones on the second island with multiple alarms and “Heavies” among the defenders. Also, unlike the subsequent games, you don’t get told how many alarms there are and the difficulty rating of an outpost.

My method is to find an observation position and tag as many defenders as I can see and note the number of alarms and the positions of the alarm boxes. My next task is to shoot out the alarm boxes with a silenced sniper rifle so that they cannot call for back up. Then, still with the silenced sniper rifle, I pick off as many defenders as I can before they become aware that they are under attack. Although, in cases where it is not possible to get a clear shot at each alarm box, I resort to the easier method of sneaking in and disabling all the alarms at once via interaction with one box.

But it is now onto Far Cry 4 with one of the best villains in any game – Pagan Min.