The kind of update I don't like to give.

User avatar
Fel
Weavespinner
Posts: 2004
Joined: Mon Sep 22, 2003 6:04 pm

The kind of update I don't like to give.

Post by Fel »

Well, my computer is totally screwed up, and I have to take it into the shop tomorrow. The hard drive cable came loose during a boot, from the looks of it, and now Windows is totally fubared. I have no idea where to even begin trying to repair it, and since I have too much on my hard drive to back up to risk a reinstall, I'm going to take it to the shop. It's still under warranty, and besides, they'll be able to mirror my stuff and put it back on after they fix it.

However, I'm almost finished with the next Kit, and I'll be working on it from my laptop, so expect to see it sometime early next week.
Just another guy from the shallow end of the gene pool.
User avatar
Hearly
Speed Racer!
Posts: 1077
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2004 5:06 am

Re: The kind of update I don't like to give.

Post by Hearly »

Fel wrote:Well, my computer is totally screwed up, and I have to take it into the shop tomorrow. The hard drive cable came loose during a boot, from the looks of it, and now Windows is totally fubared. I have no idea where to even begin trying to repair it, and since I have too much on my hard drive to back up to risk a reinstall, I'm going to take it to the shop. It's still under warranty, and besides, they'll be able to mirror my stuff and put it back on after they fix it.

However, I'm almost finished with the next Kit, and I'll be working on it from my laptop, so expect to see it sometime early next week.

Sorry to hear about your desktop, hopefully they won't charge you much and you'll get everything back.
User avatar
Bartokian
Novice
Posts: 24
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2007 5:50 pm
Location: Belgium - Leuven

Re: The kind of update I don't like to give.

Post by Bartokian »

Oops... Sorry to hear that Fel - but it just makes the point I tried to make at work: backup, Backup, BACK_UP.

I may sound crazy when I tell you that my systems get backed up daily on 2 different and independent safety-systems (Both in RAID5), but it would not be the first system or scheduler that failed on me. And crazy as it is, my colleagues are starting to ask me for more and more details after several of them had unfortunate accidents of their own and came to the conclusion that a single backup once in a while is not worth the agony of discovering all the stuff you now have the miss and re-create from notes (you probably/hopefully did not yet throw them out...).

Anyway, hope they can still read the hard drive on another computer and rescue your data - a loosened cable should not prove detrimental for that (unless it broke off the connector of course). The withdrawal symptoms have been postponed by just a little now :mrgreen:
Spec8472
Weavespinner
Posts: 1536
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2003 12:00 am

Re: The kind of update I don't like to give.

Post by Spec8472 »

Fel wrote:I have no idea where to even begin trying to repair it, and since I have too much on my hard drive to back up to risk a reinstall, I'm going to take it to the shop.
I was thinking we should get you a Windows home Server... it'd backup your laptop and desktop nicely. Completely automated. Plug it in, install the connector software and then forget about it until it throws a warning at you of some kind (i.e when a backup fails).

Computer blows up? Drop the Connector CD into the new / fixed PC and tell it to restore from backup -- an hour or so later and you're back to where you were the night before. Magic.

Edit:

HP MediaSmart w/ 500GB HDD -- add a second 500GB hdd for redundancy for a little extra. USD$518 w/ free shipping, etc.
http://www.buy.com/prod/hp-ex470-hewlet ... 66508.html

C'mon folks - we can do this :D
boballab
Sui'Kun
Posts: 497
Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2007 6:41 pm
Location: Ocean City Maryland

Re: The kind of update I don't like to give.

Post by boballab »

Hmm I think there might be a conspiracy against online writers I like to read. First Monbade has computer problems, then yesterday Siath sends out that his Computer died and he doesn't have the money to replace yet and now Fel
The Mizriath Jihad is on hold.....for the moment
User avatar
GBLW
Mi'Shara
Posts: 615
Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2008 2:31 am

Re: The kind of update I don't like to give.

Post by GBLW »

You can add another writer to that list - ME!

I'm down to two operational computers from the four I normally maintain and have a hard drive that's started 'singing' in one of those. My suspicion is that my 'power conditioner / battery backup' has screwed up and caused the whole thing. At least I've learned to maintain full daily backups to everything I'm working on.

I just checked my records for the last five years and I've had computer problems every February for FIVE years, but this is the worst set of problems ever!
K Pelle aka GBLW
My recent stories are available at: http://www.grynenbayritpublications.com/
User avatar
dellstart
Child of Niami
Posts: 1062
Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2007 10:20 pm
Location: The Holy SCG

Re: The kind of update I don't like to give.

Post by dellstart »

yeah its a conspiracy by Microsoft, I tell you!!!!

I install a new ROM / DVD driver and lo and behold , XP doesn't have a (or read )driver for it. I check a round on the web , and yep heaps of folks have the same problem.No hardware issues purely software , Bill Gates you evil bastard!
User avatar
Cougar2k2
Sui'Kun
Posts: 315
Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2008 1:02 am
Location: Ohio

Re: The kind of update I don't like to give.

Post by Cougar2k2 »

It really sucks to hear that about your comp. Fel. Hopefully you wont loose anything if they have to wipe the HD and if you do loose anything hope its not anything important. My HD crashed about a year ago now and I lost A LOT of pictures from Iraq and some other military training I hadn't backed up. Oh and thanks for the heads up about the next chapter.
"I can control my destiny, but not my fate. Destiny means there are opportunities to turn right or left, but fate is a one-way street. I believe we all have the choice as to whether we fulfil our destiny, but our fate is sealed."
--Paulo Coelho
Drivr
Novice
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2006 11:03 pm

Re: The kind of update I don't like to give.

Post by Drivr »

I know its not going to help Fel at this point but there is a great online automatic backup program that you can use for free (up to 2 gb) or for $4.95 a month unlimited amount of data on one machine. you load a client on your machine tell it what to backup and when you want it to run then forget about it. If your machine crashes you can retrieve your files via a web page or by reloading the client on a new machine. I recommend this to all our field service techs and anyone who asks about backup for home use.

check it out at www.mozy.com

its not a fly by night company its owned by EMC.

If this post is inappropriate please delete it. I don't know if there is any rules against recommending a product.
User avatar
wildph
Katzh-dashi
Posts: 102
Joined: Sun May 08, 2005 5:13 pm
Location: GB
Contact:

Re: The kind of update I don't like to give.

Post by wildph »

Well,

Pardon me for saying I told you so, but micro$hite is just more trouble than it's worth. I stay as far away from that mess as I can,

Apple, or even Ubuntu all the way.. woot!.

XW
User avatar
Mac The Knife
Sorcerer
Posts: 77
Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2008 10:18 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: The kind of update I don't like to give.

Post by Mac The Knife »

Do they even make a version of autocad for apple?
www.gearrings.weebly.com
User avatar
GBLW
Mi'Shara
Posts: 615
Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2008 2:31 am

Re: The kind of update I don't like to give.

Post by GBLW »

Mac The Knife wrote:Do they even make a version of autocad for apple?
No, they've got something called "Bootcamp" that acts as a PC emulator for the Mac and supposedly you can run Autocad with it.

I tried it for one job because i had a Mac available, but I use Autocad for some fairly 'heavy' stuff and I was completely dissatisfied . Of course I'm extremely fussy- and so are my customers. Then the combination just didn't work the same for me, so for me, it was a waste of time and money! I did sell the setup though, to a guy who designed kitchen cabinets, which isn't exactly engineering!
K Pelle aka GBLW
My recent stories are available at: http://www.grynenbayritpublications.com/
Spec8472
Weavespinner
Posts: 1536
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2003 12:00 am

Re: The kind of update I don't like to give.

Post by Spec8472 »

GBLW wrote: No, they've got something called "Bootcamp" that acts as a PC emulator for the Mac and supposedly you can run Autocad with it.
It's not a PC Emulator, it's just a piece of software that lets you install Windows.

Since Apple went to Intel based hardware, they've been just PCs with a different OS.

That OSX installation DVD could just as easily install on a regular old whitebox PC were it not for Apple's DRM software checking to see if it was running on Apple branded hardware.

wildph wrote:Pardon me for saying I told you so, but micro$hite is just more trouble than it's worth.
Of course, because it was Windows that caused the IDE/SATA cable to come loose. Ubuntu is just as likely to go and completely bollocks a drive should a cable come loose.

When it comes to hardware issues - weird. shit. happens. Mechanical issues are responsible for huge numbers of faults, and neither St Jobs or St Torvalds are going to save you from that.

Please, grow up.
User avatar
GBLW
Mi'Shara
Posts: 615
Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2008 2:31 am

Re: The kind of update I don't like to give.

Post by GBLW »

Since Apple went to Intel based hardware, they've been just PCs with a different OS.
Well, I'd say from my experience that the 'side step' through the Apple OS does something, because Autocad was certainly a lot slower and clumsier on the Mac than on a PC with just Windows aboard (both machines were relatively similar with the same amount of ram etc.) Please remember, I use Autocad professionally. I design equipment - often for mechanical oddities to be manufactured on CadCam machines and Autocad is just the first step. However if the first step is slow or inaccurate it costs bucks - and I dislike wasting time and money.

I'm an engineer first and a writer second, but to me, in both cases, a computer is just a tool. I like my handtools sharp and my computers fast, but I also like both of them neat, clean and easy to use.
K Pelle aka GBLW
My recent stories are available at: http://www.grynenbayritpublications.com/
Spec8472
Weavespinner
Posts: 1536
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2003 12:00 am

Re: The kind of update I don't like to give.

Post by Spec8472 »

GBLW wrote:the 'side step' through the Apple OS does something, because Autocad was certainly a lot slower and clumsier on the Mac than on a PC with just Windows aboard (both machines were relatively similar with the same amount of ram etc.)
Using bootcamp, it's directly booting Windows -- you can't switch over to OSX without shutting down Windows. It's litterally the same as if you'd installed Windows on an identically configured Dell or whatever.

If the Mac laptop was slower than a Windows laptop or desktop, then I'm betting it was because of hardware configuration differences, however minor.

From memory - The newer versions of Autocad make use of some hardware acceleration in the video card, so if the laptop had a slower video card - that could make a difference.
The next major thing could be by using 7200rpm vs 5400rpm hard drives - seek differences can make a difference if you're hitting the disk for a pagefile, or scratch/undo file all the time.
Locked