Trouble of the Day

A Former User

A minor one today, but this might be a generic question.

Still with Windows XP, checking my saved live stream files.
In a folder, checked and deleted all the files. Then went to delete the folder. The system wouldn't do it: says it's "busy with" something.
I closed the containing folder and reopened it - no avail. Deleted some playlists from a player - still the same.
Might it be some saved playlists referring to the deleted files there?
And how on earth could I find with WHAT it is "busy" there?
I guess it'll be let to remove if I reboot the system, but still...

Yes, and it can't be renamed either - same prompt.

A Former User

A health issue today.

Yesterday, I woke up early, decided to go out jogging - again. Long period of not doing that.
So, I jogged. Felt quite all right, I knew my calves were gonna ache later.
So they do now. It hurts when I walk.
It is now, does anybody know what should one apply to ease this condition?
Well, I have some "fastum gel" down here, but I'm not sure if it's an overkill for this matter. Maybe some oil? I have some mint one...

A Former User

My left Ctrl broke. Nothing different palpates, it could get some water/moisture recently though.
Can it go away?

A Former User

Seen a mouse tonight.
Morning, but dark time, early morning.
We call it night here in Russia though.
Couldn't detect any new holes by now. Except that they could be coming other ways. Like vent, window, some holes not near the floor? Should investigate.

The mouse was small and dark(dirty)-grey. Kinda ugly colour, but I guess the feature allows them to pass at night and in dark places undetected.

My primary concern is that such vermin can carry infection, let alone lice and such. :yuck:

blackbird71

blackbird71

I've run into that as well over the years, as autumn arrives. I think they look for someplace warmer as cold weather starts to appear. One thing I've found is that they have an ability to slip in at the bottom of a doorway just as the door is being closed - I once saw one do exactly that.

Another thing to keep in mind is that they can climb almost anything vertical that isn't absolutely slippery. Consequently, any opening anywhere in an outside wall (including the overhanging soffits) can be fair game for their gaining entry into the attic area or into a crawl-space under a floor. Likewise, any opening in a vertical wall or ceiling near the walls in an attached garage are fair game for mice entry. Once inside the horizontal spaces of an attic or crawl-space, they can and do follow cables/wires/pipes down or up into the interior wall spaces and can then emerge anywhere there's a slight opening around any service cable or pipe entries and such into the living area.

I once found one in a toilet which had its cover lid down and hadn't been used for a week or so. It apparently came down the roof vent stack into the sewer line and up through the water trap into the stool, whereupon it perished since it couldn't get out of there. Because the house was on a septic tank system, there was no way it could have come up from a public sewer.

If nothing else, the critters are persistent. That's why you creatively, carefully seek out and plug every hole in sight, then keep a stock of mouse traps just in case.

A Former User

It's a block here.
I'm on the first floor. The English speaking would say "ground", but I see it fair to call it first because it's elevated quite a while.

We had rats at a time. It was rude. They gnawed quite a few holes along the floor large enoung to park a lorry. Then I had to sweep and use wood and other stuff to close it. Some might have not got closed enough to allow for mice to come though.

You say they can come through the window?
We have our central heating on: it's still above zero C, so we have to keep our windows open. I have it against mosquitoes, but one in the room is not fully attached at the edges.
There's a vent in the kitchen barred but rather widely put bars. Can it get there? I've some - what is English for metal spaghetti?

blackbird71

blackbird71

The smaller mice can get through a hole the typical size of a man's thumbnail. If it's close in size but too small, they'll gnaw around it to enlarge it - all they have to do is get their snout into the hole to chew at the edges. Since they can climb any vertical surface on which their little claws can get a grip (wood, brick, rope, wires, textured concrete, etc), they can probably reach a window.

The general rule I follow is that metal is my friend when it comes to blocking out mice. When I block off openings (especially ones they've used before), depending on where and what it is, I generally use either sheet-stock aluminum (a small roll of roof 'flashing' cut to size works nicely for this) or galvanized steel 'hardware' mesh cut from a roll (the kind here called 'half-inch' or smaller). My intention is to use something they can't or won't readily chew away. Because they can follow a scent trail, if they've gotten in by some path once, they or another one will eventually make a repeat try at the same place later.

I've also used expansion foam from a spray can to plug up certain openings that intrude deeply into a space between bricks or through concrete, tunnel-like, but it has to be a deep enough patch that they can't readily chew away - and it's best to then cover the outside face with something metallic. In places like wall holes or pipe/wire entries that are awkward to do any other way, I've found that a fair-sized wad of crumpled, shaped aluminum foil can be worked into the openings and made to block them up. Mice can chew soft metal, but they don't like the metallic taste effect, so they tend to leave it alone.

A Former User

The smaller mice can get through a hole the typical size of a man's thumbnail.

Which man are we talking about?
A Schwarzennegger or an Owen Wilson?

Yesterday night same or a similar mouse promenaded the exact same way as previously. It wasn't rushing - I mean as if it strided quite lazily. A teenage mouse messing around with me?

a small roll of roof 'flashing'
the kind here called 'half-inch' or smaller

Are there some proper terms to that?

Chew metal?

I'm still to find out where it's coming in through. Flat's of a mess, frankly, need some digging through to clean it out.
Well, legit openings - internet cable tube I poked a bottle in there but I'll check it out if it's still possible, electrics don't seem to, water pipes to check.
Tried reinforcing some "drop" in my kitchen yesterday, used small bottles, crashed some -- well, it needs concrete there, I know...

Can they try making a nest in my sofa? I couldn't see where it went when it strode towards it.
So far, the thing is, I couldn't notice any particular damage to my food stocks. Hence the mystery is what's the purpose? Transit??

blackbird71

blackbird71

Well, whichever man has a thumbnail roughly 1/2 to 3/4 inch minimum in diameter (you'll have to render that into metric )

I'm not sure what it might be called there, but here 'flashing' is the thin metal used by roofers to trim around chimneys and such before applying shingles. It usually comes in rolls of thin material (either aluminum or galvanized steel) and can be bought at hardware or builder-supply stores. I've seen roll widths of 9, 12, or 18 inches and lengths as long as one needs (up to many feet). I just use tin-snips or metal shears to cut out a patch the size I need and nail and/or glue it in place over openings in wood, plaster, or drywall. For openings in concrete, I use the spray-can expansion foam and glue a metal cover patch to the outside opening using either the fresh foam or some glue.

Here, the hardware mesh (also called 'hardware cloth') is made up of small wires welded together in a grid of small squares, available in a variety of wire spacings. I usually use 1/2-inch spacing, though 1/4-inch spacing works just as well. The key is to use something with small enough openings that the critters can't squeeze through. Window screening is usually too soft and the wires too small, so that the mice can (and will) chew through it in out-of-the-way places. The hardware mesh is made of galvanized steel wire which makes it stiffer and too tough for the critters to ordinarily chew through it.

If you have wires coming out of a wall or floor that have gaps around them of 3/4-inches or so, you can definitely have mice coming in that way from the interior of the walls/floors/ceilings. I've had exactly that happen with an antenna feedline (I saw the critter pop out one evening), and I had to pack the gap with a big wad of crumpled up aluminum foil until I could install a proper wall-plate over the opening.

Once you have mice living in the house, the only thing you can do is trap them out or poison them with mice bait (though that results in an unpleasant odor eventually). But you have to block up the entry ways first, or you'll just be trying to drain the ocean with a teaspoon. Mice will nest in anything where they're out of sight; they build nests from chewed up cloth or paper in furniture, cupboard drawers, boxes, mattresses, or whatever is at hand. As cold weather sets in, they will find your food eventually when their other sources dry up. They'll chew right through boxes and plastic bags to get into it, so if that starts to happen, you'll have to put all your food items in sealed plastic or metal containers until you get control of the critters.

Deleted User

Deleted User

My computer freezing up.

imreszendroi

imreszendroi

Google play auto-updating my apps, and the new opera ui being like.. fifty shades of gray, it hurts my eyes so much...