A Boring Tale of Computer Troubles—Windows Geeks only

DouginUtah · June 17, 2005, 06:44:40 PM

If it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all! :D

My old 466 Celeron computer finally died a couple of months ago. Fortunately, it was something other than the hard disk, so I was able to get everything off it. 8)

My new one is called "The Computer from Hell"--three motherboards, three hard disks, and two video cards later and it is finally running.

Originally I set it up with a 8 GB HD (Maxtor) but I wanted to put a 160 GB Western Digital in it. (Bought it last month for $29.95 at CompUSA, but I needed to find software to do a disk image.)

I thought of using DriveImage/Ghost or Acronis DiskImage. First though, I ended up spending about four hours using MaxBlast (Maxtor) to create a disk image but I could never get the new, larger drive to boot--testing on a 60 GB Western Digital drive. BIOS would not recognize it.

Then I tried Western Digital Data Lifeguard Tools. Didn't work. Then I tried reading the cryptic instructions. Ah, ha! Source disk must be Master and destination must be Slave, and jumpers must be as described. Finally, success. Instead of paying $40 for a Disk Imaging program all you need is WD Data Lifeguard Tools (free with the drive).

Couldn't find a driver for my old WinModem so I had to buy a new modem and it is giving me a whopping 38.6 Kbps. Old one was 45.333 Kbps. Sure wish I could get DSL or Utopia (Fiber optics to every house coming to Utah cities which have signed up to get it.)

The three motherboards are another story. First one (ASUS) from Newegg would not support Standby mode. Sent it back. Decided to buy locally because I insist that Standby be workable. Tried an MSI board. It did not support Standby so I took it back and tried another one. It did support Standby but it didn't shut everything down—the fans continued to run. I contacted MSI tech support and got a reply back that this is how Standby is supposed to work. Wrong! (Don't you just hate it when you get an idiot when you contact tech support! >:( ) So I dug deeper into the BIOS and found that if I set the ACPI to S3 instead of the default S1 the fans would shut down. Unfortunately, the optical mouse stays lit, but that is not a big deal.

Now when I hit the power-on button, my desktop is displayed in 8 seconds. I use Wizmo to go into standby—which takes 4 seconds to save my settings and shut completely down.

The video cards were something else. A new MSI 5200 would randomly take a break and blank the screen for about three seconds then come back as though nothing had happened. I took it back and exchanged it for one out of their floor model demo computer. It works fine in my computer and mine works fine in their computer. Go figure!

I finally figured out how to transfer Favorites from Windows 98 to XP. A lot of information on the newsgroups is just plain wrong or misleading. What it boils down to is just copy the directory and ignore the Import/Export options.

Next step is shutting down a bunch of Services that aren't necessary.

-Doug

Gilman · June 17, 2005, 10:34:48 PM

Doug,
You might want to try my tactic. I get the parts for a new computer, put it together, 50% chance it works the first time. If it doesn't work, I read some more, double check settings and try again. After two days of this, I put it in my living room and use it as a foot rest. From there I wait until a friend of mine can't stand it anymore and takes it home with him and fixes it for me. Then I buy some steaks and invite him and the working computer over for dinner (I don't feed the computer though). ;D

SwampDonkey · June 24, 2005, 02:32:55 PM

On the hard drive issue I was automatically thinking master/slave issue and as far as the video card, I was thinking it wasn't seated properlly. Glad you got it worked out. I'm still on my 600 mhz Celeron Toshiba lappy top. I keep everything backed up on CD's (UDF and CDR formats). Make sure the UDF writer software is on CDR format so you can install the UDF software onto a new Hard drive if the old one fails. ;D

I've never priced a 80 + gig hard drive for a laptop. I just figured I'de wait to upgrade to a new lappy some day before buying a new HD. Cd's are cheap and so am I. :D

Furby · June 24, 2005, 05:51:40 PM

If you have a USB port SD, they have 80 gig plug ins for something like $100. Don't know how that carries to C$.

SwampDonkey · June 24, 2005, 05:56:06 PM

Furb, mine's USB-1, I think those external HD's require USB-2. I'de prefer firewire, if I got an external. ;) But, as I mentioned I'de rather wait and upgrade sometime down the road to a new laptop.

cheerio

Furby · June 24, 2005, 06:02:46 PM

Can't blame ya for waiting.................but for how long ???
I think there are a couple that will work with the USB 1, but it's been a while so I could be wrong.

SwampDonkey · June 24, 2005, 06:17:11 PM

Well, the way I see it, as long as this old one functions and continues to run my existing software there is no need to buy a new one. ;) :D

Furby · June 24, 2005, 10:37:50 PM

Yeah, but were you not having trouble with MrSid downloads?
A new lappy would handle it even on dial up, I know because I downloaded a couple last week.
Don't have the software to open them though. :

Oh, and yes it does take a while for the downloads, but it's doable!
Any way you can get a tax write off on a new lappy?

SwampDonkey · June 25, 2005, 06:10:03 AM

I was having trouble with downloading MrSID, not handling them. The server would timeout on the other end. I've downloaded 90 megabyte files before on dialup. ;)

I have the Photoshop plugin for MrSID if you wish to have it. It's a free download. But, it does not save to MrSID format.

Yes, a new laptop can be written off with Capitol Cost Allowance of 33%/year. I could get a decent one for $1200 CDN, but I'de rather not at this time. ;)

I'll have to try another download later today, maybe they finally listened to my complaining and fixed their server for dialup users. :-\

cheers

SwampDonkey · June 25, 2005, 08:41:51 AM

Well, just tried downloading a MrSID and it gets 95% d/l'd from my dialup connection and the remote server goes boom. Same ole, same ole on dialup. :D

Furby · June 25, 2005, 01:25:10 PM

See I've learned that the download problems can be linked to the problems already on an older/slower puter. ;)
Worse on dial-up. Learned the hard way though. ($$$)

I really don't know anything about MrSID, other then what you all have talked about here. But I was looking for some info last week and could only get it in MrSID, so I thought I'd atleast try.

iain · June 25, 2005, 01:38:16 PM

Man your right about geeks only :

:D

iain

SwampDonkey · June 25, 2005, 01:51:55 PM

Furb, have you tried to download a MrSID off the same site I am on dialup???

Try snaggon this MrSID (2.5 meg zipped) from the table, if you don't see a table with three rows, hit refresh.

Click Here

I've had people on broad band tell me the server acts a little flakey at times. ;)

good luck

Get the MrSID plug-in for Photoshop here

Just drop it into the plug-in directory.

SwampDonkey · June 25, 2005, 01:56:06 PM

@ Iain

smiley_nananana ;D

iain · June 26, 2005, 02:54:12 AM

The case for the defence rests your honorship ;D

iain

Furby · June 26, 2005, 04:51:09 AM

No problemo SD, what do you want me to do with it ???
2.28mb 13min 40 seconds, downloaded while bouncing around the forum on dial-up!
It was the only MrSID file on that page so I hope I have the right one. ;)

SwampDonkey · June 26, 2005, 06:14:33 AM

Furby :D Nothing :-\

I was just wondering if you had tried retrieving the file from the same site, since you said you had retrieved a couple of MrSID. Wasn't sure that we were talking about the same site. It don't work for me, just 95 % complete and boom. :

I didn't recall giving you the site url before, but I'm having flash backs of Steve sending me a file off there so I must be losing it. ;)

Gary_C · June 26, 2005, 12:09:20 PM

iain

You have to remember that it is not about the money or time. It's really about the self-persecution or suffering that is important with these computer problems. :D :D :D :D

Furby · June 26, 2005, 03:57:22 PM

Nope, I don't recall seeing that site before.
All of the counties around here have/had GIS. Now rather then each controll thier own, they are all listed at one place under MrSID, based on what I've found anyways.

I'm thinking newer puter really would help ya, but I do get what you were saying about waiting.

tnlogger · June 26, 2005, 04:31:09 PM

furby now ya gots me thunking i just need to take this p4 i gots put it up and get my old compaq p133 and use it i would have whole lots less problemo's :D :D :D

SwampDonkey · June 26, 2005, 04:50:27 PM

Furb, that's the way it is here too. Service New Brunswick maintains the sight (gov) and it displays a base-map of the province with map tiles that cover approx 15 x 15 km . Each of those tiles contain sub-tiles of MrSID, shapefiles and GEOTiffs. If you explore that sight from here You'll see a number of options. Clicking on one of the options (1st and 5th specifically) you'll go to a page of the base map with numbered tiles. I have the same map in paper form and I also have the numbered tiles (maps also) in paper form (1:250,000 scale) in a map book. It shows even woodlot and forest roads, and farm field roads, also silviculture is green, public lands are orange-yellow. But, anyway, by clicking on a numbered tile you have the option to download it in segments in the form of MrSID aerial photos, shapefiles (lines, points,areas) and GEOTIFF's (larger sized (ram-wise) aerials). The thing with MrSID is that it's proprietary compression by Lizardtech who don't allow you to change the image unless you have a license (megabytes of data manipulation) and their software. There are programs that can read the image format, but you have to save to another format. In this case Tiff would be prefered because it has the best image integrity. ;)

Furby · June 26, 2005, 05:25:39 PM

Here's a link to my county's free GIS.
Link

Click the free mapping line in the upper left coner.
They just updated the info a few months ago to include the photos taken in 2004.
It's nice because I can see my house just before I started the addition.

This free site, provides me with everything I need to know about a parcel and can see what it really looks like. I wish all areas had something this simple to use and not have to mess with the downloads and such.

SwampDonkey · June 27, 2005, 05:51:10 AM

Furb, I get the following error messages on a new screen in Firefox

QuoteRequest object error 'ASP 0102 : 80004005'

Expecting string input

/ottawa/mapapp/main/index.asp, line 102

The function expects a string as input.

:-\ :'(

Success with IE 6.x though ;)

That's a handy little tool Furby, but are you able to read the ownership info at the bottom ??? It's cut off on my screen. Maybe that gets displayed if you have a subscription or something. Couldn't seem to display the Orthoimages, kept defaulting to the Parcels layer. :-\

Thanks for the link

Furby · June 28, 2005, 01:44:57 AM

Yeah, I can see the info at the bottom, but it don't show actual ownership.
The old site they had did show the actual ownership.
I like to use it for checking on property for sale and such.
It does show my parcel at 1.39 acres when my legal papers show 1.25 acres, so something is a bit off. :

SwampDonkey · June 28, 2005, 05:45:41 AM

You'll get that discrepancy in area because the maps where hand digitized on the GIS. At Service NB they have the ownership, area (deed), tax assessment, address, any tranfer of deed (dates), mortgage status, etc. The area on the GIS never matches the deed description area.