Tech

This is just too cool. I finally got the Windows XP environment setup to run the software I’m documented. And Parallels worked smoothly, beautifully even. A self-contained environment for Windows. With Windows running using Parallels, the beta software even recognized the USB dongle that authenticates the software (and allows it to run). The dongle was plugged into a port in a daisy-chained hub. Amazing. The dongle never worked on the real desktop if...

I’m doing a big experiment tonight. I’m actually installing software I need to document on a virtual machine running Windows XP. All of this on a poor little mac Mini. It is getting maxed out pretty hard. It’s getting another RAM upgarde tomorrow, which will help. Lots of externl storage available too, so that can’t hurt. I’m running Parallels with a VM with XP Pro. So far, so good. Even running a VM...

Here is some good news: first set of upgrades are complete. The portable has a new hard drive and 1 gig of ram. Boy is it much faster now! Updated the hard drive from a 4200 to a 5400 and from 512 to 1 gig of RAM. Cracked the case on the Mac mini. The pictures I had and instructions were from the prior model. The memory slots now are underneath the plastic...

It is really on it’s last legs. The drive is clicking every time it boots. It is throwing error messages (no hard drive found and PXE error on the ethernet card — says to check the cable because it’s not working properly). Since I bought the Mac Mini, which has been stable and rock solid. Amazing, really. Much faster than the old machine. I’ve upraded the RAM to 1 gig (from 512) and...

One of my clients emailed me two products to update. I have to run their software on either the portable (ha! not without some MAJOR upgrades) or on the Mac Mini. The Mini is almost out of hard drive space and would definitely need more RAM to run Parallels (virtual machine for Windows) and the software I would be testing. I can either upgrade the portable’s OS (needs XP Pro instead of XP...

This portable is SLOW. Not just slightly slow, but right-click-wait-15-seconds-to-redraw-menu slow. It is painful to use. The hard drive clicks whenever the machine boots, and about 50% of the time it won’t even load Windows. It throws a hard drive and ethernet card error message (boot disk not found and PXE error on ethernet recheck cable). I keep hoping that it can last just a little while. Just a few more months. Of...

Did you ever use a BBS (bulletin board system)? When I was in high school, I got hooked on BBSes. I started BBSing prior to the move to Tennessee after my freshman college year. In Tennessee when I met Mary Lou — she and her husband ran a BBS called Shadow Keep. It was a WWIV board. I used to talk to people all over the U.S. on that system. ‘Emails’ were sent...

The desktop is dead. I bought new ram. It booted once when I took the bad and put in the new sim. I shut it down to reconnect everything. Went to the kitchen for a drink, came back and could smell something burning. Now it won’t boot at all. Have tried everything I can think of–every combination of simms, both the one that I knew was working and the old one. I have...

The Hoover (desktop — CPU fan sounds like a vaccuum cleaner) is sick. Very sick. Can’t get it to boot using BartPE, Windows XP Pro installation CD, or Linux Live CDs. This is serious. The Mutagenix Linux Live CD barely got started booting when it threw serious error: Kernel panic – not syncing: Attempted to kill init! I found a good explanation on Linux Questions and Linux Tutorial. Apparently the kernel panic error...

I’m receiving an error message right now. It appears to be pretty bad on the system. Might not be the Windows install. miht be something else. I load the LinuxLive CD for Mutagenix. Burned from an iso. Should be fine, as far as I can tell. CD starts the boot process and gives the following error: Kernel panic — not syning: Attempted to kill init! Searching on what this might mean… mean while...

Okay. I hate Windows. I hate it with a passion, especially now that Vista is coming out. My desktop is having issues (think it’s a memory problem). On Thursday evening I was trying to get my desktop to behave. I had a book layout due on Friday and desperately needed to get some work done. Hoover did not want to. I updated some drivers and windows and rebooted… machine wouldn’t get past the...

The Reg has an article on 10 reasons to purchase a Mac from Apple. I’m pretty much hooked. I refuse to go to Vista with all of it’s let me help you attitude problems. I hate operating systems that will not let you do what you need to do on a computer. That puts the power in the OSes hands and not the user’s. That’s just philosophically wrong. So here is the article...