www.tulok.net : Earlier Entries
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Entry 52 April 13, 2003 12:00 am |
No, I haven't given up on this site. Both of my computers have just been so screwed up that I haven't had the opportunity till now to do an update. And even this one will be just a quick one.
New computer keep freezing up on me. I've had four different versions of Windows on the machine (98SE, ME, 2000 & XP), and it locks up each time, usually within ten minutes of boot-up. Completely wiping the hard drive didn't help (machine even froze during the OS installation process!). Replacing the memory didn't work, either. So that either leaves the motherboard and processor or the hard drive itself. Mailing it back to the internet company I got it from to see if they've got any ideas. (And I've learned my lesson from this: even if it costs a couple of hundred more, I realize now it's better to buy locally, preferably from people you know and trust.)
In the meantime I had to pull the old machine back out of the bedroom. Problem with it is that since it was last in the den the C: partition got severly corrupted. The Windows OS on it was extermely screwed up, so that partition got wiped as well, and a lesser OS reinstalled. The old Win2000 is gone, replaced with ME (for some reason, possibly the corruption, I couldn't get it to upgrade to XP). Still not working as well as it used to, but at least I've got it stabilized enough to do this entry. So far the only time this machine freezes is whenever I try to go to a particular eBay page.
Hoping to get back out and get some new highway photos this coming Friday (last weekend's attempt was cancelled due to my numerous computer problems).
K, one last thing this go-round, a link to a site featuring the wit and witticisms of the (I'm assuming former) Iraqi Information Minister. There's a part of me that's actually hoping he can get away. He provided the one thing this war desperately needed: comic relief! 8:47pm
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Entry 53 April 26, 2003 12:00 am |
OK, here's where we stand: the new computer has been sent back to the company that made it, with strong hopes that they can figure out what's wrong with it. Still using the old computer, but a thorough Scandisk revealed that the hard drive had gotten severely corrupted, to the point that the computer would run Scandisk on every reboot, not just when the machine had been shut off abnormally.
To get around that problem, I bought a new hard drive for the old computer. And as it happened, the very brand, speed, and storage size that I was intending to get just happened to be almost half off after rebates. For once timing was on my side. Got ME running on the machine. Had intended to upgrade to 2000, but for some reason the 2000 installation program can't find the ME OS, so it keeps claiming that there is no version of Windows running on the computer, despite the obvious fact that some version of Windows has to be running just to be able to get that error message.
Dunno if it's the apparently-incomplete ME install or if the corruption from the other hard drive made its way to other components on the machine, but I'm still having a few problems with this old unit. Basically, any attempt to multitask starts causing graphic problems, to the point that a reboot is required. Even went to the expense of doubling the RAM on this unit to 512mb, but the problems persist, so it's not lack of memory. Don't really want to invest much more in repairing this unit, however, for the simple fact that it's supposed to be the old computer. Once the new computer comes back and is up & running like it's supposed to be, this one is going back into the bedroom, with the only planned use to be for weather bulletins that come in while I'm asleep, and a duplicate running of my favorite screen saver (those who know me really well know which screen saver I'm talking about).
These graphic problems are also what's keeping me from thoroughly updating my road pages (perfect example: I got as far as the word 'my' in this paragraph when the graphics got so screwed up I had to reboot again). I have been back out on the road the past two Fridays and got pics of several more state highways, as well as found three that no longer exist. Yesterday's route took me, in a rather indirect way, from Shawnee to Ada, to Pauls Valley, to Chickasha, to El Reno, then back home, a longer outer version of the path I had taken the previous Friday. Although I have none of the pages up yet (heck, I haven't even made any of the pages yet), I now have pictures of every state highway between here and Chickasha.
Quick sidebar: ran across this screen saver by accident. The primary feature is a spinning earth, with any Pacific and Atlantic hurricanes added onto the globe in their current positions. Of course, it's still a little too early for tropical systems to form (we did have the 'A' storm in the Atlantic show up earlier this week, but that was considered a fluke), so I'm not sure how that part of the feature will work. Can't wait to find out.
As it's now obvious to me that I can't even get through one of these rants without having computer problems, updates to this page will still not be as common as they used to. Besides, I'm quite frankly tired of talking about Iraq, the French, and American Airlines. Do enough of that at work. 7:25pm
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