Dave's Garage - Videos
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Why I Deleted printf() from Windows COM in 1994!
When I was a Windows developer in 1994, I discovered a routine that was called continually but written very inefficiently; this is the story of how I fixed it!
What do CPUs do when there's nothing to do?
Dave explains what happens to unused cycles on your PC and why Task Manager can only display an approximation of the CPU used!
Making a 1990s Phone Work Again! Hacking, Firmware, and What's Inside!
Find out what's inside a 1990s payphone and how to make one work in your own home or office. Full working example and no unethical hacking! Check out Shop Talk on Dave's Attic! Post a question h...
Inside a Massive 1980s Hard Drive: 14 Inches of Fury!
Dave takes you on a POV tour of his 1979 DEC PDP-11/44, including a look at the CPU complex, inside the massive 14" hard drives, and more!
The AI Model TOO POWERFUL to be Released to the Public...
Dave Plummer explains everything you should know about Mythos from Anthropic and the implications for cybersecurity and software!
Task Manager is LYING About Your CPU Usage (Here's the Truth)
Ever wonder why Task Manager shows a CPU value that doesn't "feel" right? Dave explains why Task Manager shows you the values it does and how they are determined. Comments with question marks get...
Wargames Movie Magic: Where it Cheats - IMSAI & WOPR!
Dave takes you through the computers behind the scenes in the movie WarGames! Comments with question marks get answered on our weekly ShopTalk!: https://youtu.be/iT0T52OV9B8
Terminator: The Story of the 6502 Code You See Onscreen
What are the origins of the 6502 assembly code that you see onscreen through the Terminator's vision? Dave traces its origins and explains its purpose. Comments with question marks get answered o...
EXPOSED: The Dirty Little Secret of AI (On a 1979 PDP-11)
Dave uses a PDP-11 to train a real Neural Network complete with Transformers and Attention so you can see them at their most basic. Don't forget: if you have a good question about this episode, pl...
Why the Original Task Manager Was Under 80K and Insanely Fast – By Its Creator
Dave explains the techniques and principles that made the original Windows Task Manager so small and lean, and what modern programmers can learn from it. Get the shirt: https://amzn.to/4vjtjQY Epi...
Why your NEW computer is SLOWER than your OLD computer! By a Retired Microsoft Engineer.
Dave explains why your new computer feels slower today than your old one did back then, and what can be done about it! Get the shirt! https://amzn.to/4dtdiS9
ABS (Anti-Lock Brakes) - How They Work and Why You Care!
From the history of early ABS systems to the latest complex vehicle stability controls, Dave takes you on a journey from 1970 to the present, covering how and why ABS brakes work.
Breaking News: Axios Hacked, Anthropic Leaked!
Tech News for Smart People - The whole week in seven minutes! That's like a minute per day... but can you absorb it all that fast? Find out! Check out full episodes on the ShopTalk Channel! http...
LOCATED! I Hired a Private Investigator to Track Down This Insane 12k-Mile 1970 Continental Mark III
When rumors of a 12,000 mile survivor Lincoln Mark III surfaced on the Internet, Dave jumped into action to find the car.
Robotron Was Supposed to Be Humanly Impossible. So I Built an AI to Break It.
After teaching an AI to dominate Tempest, I pointed it at Robotron: 2084… and things got gloriously out of control. Robotron isn’t just another classic arcade game. It’s one of the most chaotic, p...
My Custom AI Went Superhuman Yesterday...
I spent a year building an AI to master the hardest version of Tempest ever made… and yesterday it beat my official world record. What started as a stubborn engineering experiment turned into a ful...
What can you DO with 1TB of RAM?
Dave installs 1TB of RAM in our 45Drives Storinator and uses it to explain how virtualization works, and what the difference between hypervisors, virtual machines, and docker containers are using r...
WarGames Screens: I Bought Them! Let's get them working and drawing!
Dave details the HP1345A display used to make the famous scens in the movie War Games.
Connect to ANY Computer from ANYwhere! The Comet Pro Remote KVM
Dave reviews and explains the GL.iNet Comet Pro Remote KVM which allows you to remotely connect to any PC or device that has HDMI and USB. Comet Pro: https://link.gl-inet.com/rm10-davesgarage-260...
Too Far for WiFi? The Ultimate 600ft PoE Camera Setup!
Curious how to run ethernet more than 100 yards? Find out!
A full Petaflop in the Palm of Your Hand - The Dell Pro Max with GB10
An Edge Supercomputer... So I did what I always do: I tried to make one actually earn its keep. On the bench today is Dell’s GB10 — a compact Grace-Blackwell system that claims petaflop-class AI p...
What happens if you plug a 40-year-old computer into the Internet?
Dave adds virtual networking to the Ubibone project, enabling a 1980s PDP-11/44 to connect to the Internet for the first time in 40 years!
The BIG Outage: The One System That Can Take Down Everything
Dave explains how the Cloud exposes us to aggregated, correlated risks rather than the types of failures we have become accustomed to in the PC age. Free Sample of my Book on the Spectrum: https:/...
Uber Freight Dropped my Mainframe... Let's Fix it!
Dave chronicles the destruction and restoration of a rare PDP-11/44 system. Free Sample of my Book on the Spectrum: https://amzn.to/3zBinWM Rapid Fix: https://amzn.to/48WkG4x Affiliate Links!! Sa...
Let's Create a Commodore C64 BASIC Interpreter in VSCode!
Dave uses OpenAI Codex to create a complete implementation of Microsoft's CBM BASIC v2 for the Commodore 64. Free Sample of my Book on the Spectrum: https://amzn.to/3zBinWM The code: https://gith...
I've Had The Same Car for 50 Years - Here's Why!
The amazing story behind the hunt for the only known 1969 Pontiac 2+2 convertible to leave the factory with a Corvette-spec 427 and a four-speed—born in Canada, hiding Chevy bones under Pontiac ski...
Microsoft “Improved” Notepad. I Un-Improved It.
Dave uses GPT Codex Max 5.1 in Extra High mode to generate a perfect clone of Notepad that brings back everything you missed about it. Free Sample of my Book on the Spectrum: https://amzn.to/3zBin...
Why You Need a Pocket Router and How To Use One for Travel - Hotels/Airports/AirBNB/Cruises/More
Stuck on awful hotel Wi-Fi? Watching ads just to check your email? In this episode, I show you how a pocket travel router can completely change the way you connect on the road – including how I acc...
Task Manager — 30 Years Later, the Secrets You Never Knew
Task Manager turns 30 years old today! A look behind the scenes at its development, secrets, easter eggs, and more by its original author, Dave Plummer. Free Sample of my Book on the Spectrum: ht...
Windows "SUCKS": How I'd Fix it by a retired Microsoft Windows engineer
"Windows Sucks" is the most frequent comment I get - here's what I really think and how I would address the most common Windows annoyances: a love letter to Windows wrapped in a rant. Free Sample ...
SD Cards are LAME! Watch a 200 Pound, 14" Drive from the 80s Boot UNIX!
Dave installs, configures, and boots a vintage DEC RA82 massive drive in a PDP-11/73 rack system - featuring the full sights and sounds! Lift Cart: https://amzn.to/4oQrwPs Free Sample of my Book ...
Why the Web was Down - Explained by a Retired Microsoft Engineer
Dave explains the Amazon Web Services outage, what happened, and what the future implications are. Free Sample of my Book on the Spectrum: https://amzn.to/3zBinWM Check out my new merch store at:...
Don't Tell My Wife! I bought ANOTHER $100K VAX on eBay!
Follow as I take an eBay find of a VAX4000-500, restore it, configure it, set it up and install UNIX on it! You can buy the VAX on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/336237047572 Free Sample of my Bo...
You Can't Buy This... Yet! The NVIDIA GB10 from Dell - The New Superchip that Terrifies the Cloud!
Dave gives you breaking information on the new GB10-based system from Dell, the Dell Pro Max GB10, featuring a Grace Blackwell CPU/GPU Combo and 128GB of AI RAM. Free Sample of my Book on the Spec...
How AMD Stole Intel’s Future: The Untold x86-64 Story
Dave explains X64 and how AMD was able to beat Intel at its own game with its own instruction set! AMD didn’t beat Intel by breaking x86—they won by perfecting it. This episode tells the inside st...
Best Mini PC Yet? Cheap Ultrawide & Magnetic Typing Revolution Unveiled!
Join Dave in his shop for an epic hardware show-and-tell! We dive into the GEEKOM A9 Max AI mini PC with desktop-class power, a budget 40-inch 5K2K ultrawide that rivals Dell, magnetic Hall-effect ...
Are YOU the Product? Your ISP Is Selling You Out — Fix This One DNS Setting Now!
Dave explains how ISPs can resell your info on what sites you visit based on your DNS queries, and he shows how to protect yourself!
Why Multitasking on Windows Was So Hard (and How It Finally Worked)
Dave explains the evolution of multitasking from batch processing to time sharing and cooperative multitasking up to today's multiprocessor, multicore pre-emptive systems!
Two PCs, One Stereo: How to connect multiple PCs to a single audio source
Dave explains a range of options for connecting mulitple computers to a single audio system. Free Sample of my Book on the Spectrum: https://amzn.to/3zBinWM Check out my new merch store at: http...
128GB AI PC Showdown: HP vs Framework vs GMKTek! Ryzen AI 395+ PRO MAX
Dave explains and compares three of the newest Ryzen AI 395+ MAX systems for desktop AI and other compute-heavy tasks! Free Sample of my Book on the Spectrum: https://amzn.to/3zBinWM Check out my...
I'm Bringing Serial Back (with Captions) - Dave's Garage
[Verse] I'm bringin' serial back (yeah) Those other protocols don't know how to act (yeah) I think you're special what's behind your stack (yeah) So send me all your data I'll unpack [Chorus] (yea...
Do this NOW: Use Disposable Windows for Maximum Security!
Make your PC experience radically cleaner and safer by enabling this little-known but important Windows feature! Free Sample of my Book on the Spectrum: https://amzn.to/3zBinWM Check out my new m...
Live CPU System Stats in Your Browser: Dasblinkenlights are BACK!
Dave shows you how to add virtual CPU panel displays to retro hardware like a PDP-11, VAX, or even modern Linux or NetBSD x64 system! Free Sample of my Book on the Spectrum: https://amzn.to/3zBinW...
Windows SharePoint Hacked Worldwide: Ex-Microsoft Engineer's Urgent Warning & Fix!
Retires Microsoft engineer Dave Plummer explains the Windows SharePoint hacks, how they may impact you, and how to protect yourself. Free Sample of my Book on the Spectrum: https://amzn.to/3zBinWM...
I Bought a $200K VAX on eBay – Now It Runs My Smart Lights!
Meet the VAX 4000-705A SuperComputer from the 1990s! Check out my new merch store at: http://davesgaragemerch.com/ Free Sample of my Book on the Spectrum: https://amzn.to/3zBinWM Check out ShopT...
Microsoft Layoffs: 9000 workers let go, 14000 H1B visas requested
Dave considers the fact that 9000 people have been let go from Microsoft while it also is requesting 14000 H1B visas (including renewals) for foreign workers.
I Tried Every AI So You Don’t Have To — Here are the Best of 2025
Dave compares and contrasts ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Grok to reveal of their strengths and weaknesses by testing them with four common AI scenarios. Check out my new merch store at: http://dav...
Top 5 Windows Mistakes: Avoid These Traps!
Dave discusses the Top 5 Windows mistakes, how they impact users, and the concrete steps you need to take. Please check out the NEW Merchandise Store: http://davesgaragemerch.com Windows 10 ISO D...
UNIX Cold Boot: Sights and Sounds of a PDP-11/83 from 1983 Booting!
Dave boots his PDP-11/83 for your amusement.
Nested Simulations: How Deep Are You?
Dave explores simulation theory by way of the PDP-11, NetBSD, VAX, and an Epyc Storinator. Please check out the NEW Merchandise Store: http://davesgaragemerch.com Free Sample of my Book on the Spe...