My DSL went out a few days ago, just got it fixed today (I hope). Unfortunately, my hardware died last night! The same one that crashed in June and had to be replaced. I’m running on the backup external drive for the moment but will probably have to take the computer into the shop and most likely will be several days, at best, before I get it back. Last time took a month!
Shoot it!
Ray Dunakin said:I've been having intermittant connection problems with Comcast Internet for way too many months now and if they don't fix it this time when they come out this afternoon I'm either going to have to start paying their bill intermittantly or switch to DSL with the phone company. I must be the only fool on the Monterey Peninsula that has Comcast Internet problems.
My DSL went out a few days ago, just got it fixed today (I hope). Unfortunately, my hardware died last night! The same one that crashed in June and had to be replaced. I'm running on the backup external drive for the moment but will probably have to take the computer into the shop and most likely will be several days, at best, before I get it back. Last time took a month!
Ray Dunakin said:Ray, Many hardware failures are related to heat. Unless you buy a "gamer" computer, most "off the shelf" computers have inadequate cooling. If you have space available in the case, try adding another fan. Also make sure to keep the inside of the case clean and free of dust. Ralph
My DSL went out a few days ago, just got it fixed today (I hope). Unfortunately, my hardware died last night! The same one that crashed in June and had to be replaced. I'm running on the backup external drive for the moment but will probably have to take the computer into the shop and most likely will be several days, at best, before I get it back. Last time took a month!
Rudolf, you may be the ONLY one on Comcast. I have my struggles with Verizon here on the desert but the DSL works most of the time.
Are you getting the “cooling trend” too?
Doug Arnold said:Doug:
Rudolf, you may be the ONLY one on Comcast. I have my struggles with Verizon here on the desert but the DSL works most of the time. Are you getting the "cooling trend" too?
I’ve got a dedicated fan blowing onto my comcast modem along with another one blowing under my computer (laptop) to the area that tends to get hot.
Yeah–it has cooled down a bit the last few days up here but I can’t get down on my knees and run my trains because I had a belly button hernia operation done on wednesday and they really botched it up. My bloated stomach looks like I was in a gun fight and lost 
Get well fast so you can get back to what’s important – Trains!
I’m going back to DOS. Worked fine for me. Was fast and never crashed 
Jon Radder said:I remember DOS. I liked it and it took me forever to get into Windows because I understood the DOS commands and stuff. I also remember that none of the online services like AOL, Prodigy, Compuserve and the other ones had any way of getting email from one service to another. Also a bunch of what were called bulletin boards were all over the place for dialing into. You had to buy commo software to do the bulletin boards and you could use the floppy disks from the services to set up your accounts with them. Then all of a sudden the internet became available and we have not been the same since. Also I remember the modem speeds back then. They were even slower than 56k dial up. It just dawned on me that I started computing over 20 years ago :(
I'm going back to DOS. Worked fine for me. Was fast and never crashed :D
Jon Radder said:I type slow. Was not so fast for me :D
I'm going back to DOS. Worked fine for me. Was fast and never crashed :D
There are people today using Linux with no GUI. I don’t want to work that hard or remember that much.
I have better things to clutter my mind with.
Sometimes I’ll have to use the command line in Windows. Don’t enjoy it and wouldn’t do it if I didn’t have to.
Ralph
All,
If heat is your problem, as was mentioned, add a fan. However, add the fan on the OUTSIDE of the case blowing into the case. Filter this fan well and you will solve both the heating issue and the dust issue by additional air flow for the heat, and pressurizing the inside of the case for the dust.
Ralph,
The new releases of Linux come with more than one GUI, and they are quite Windows like. There are differences, but most are not noticeable. My recommendation, if you are interested in trying, would be the UBUNTU distribution. Most of the web servers we surf on are Linux because it is MUCH more secure than Windows. The MAC OS/xx operating systems are core Linux, as are most of the networking hubs and routers for stability reasons. If you only need web surfing, email, and basic office stuff (not interchanging files with Microsoft products), Linux is a good alternative to Windows. I run Linux machine that serves as my Firewall, Internet gateway for my home network. My ISP hates it because my firewall blocks all the backdoors Windows based stuff has built in.
Good luck.
Bob C.
Bob,
I’ve run Linux on and off for years.
Like you, I have a firewall running Linux.
The two major GUI’s available for Linux are indeed, very “Windows” like.
But there are a number of fanatics who run Linux without a GUI, by choice.
There are still a bunch of people out there running Unix.
Ralph
I still maintain a Unix box at work. Most all of the applications it was running have been replaced on a Windows server, but we keep it around for legacy data look-up. We also have a text based Linux server, but I have no idea why! I’ve been there over 5 years and have only needed to log on to it recently to use a C-Complier script to print some checks. I’m embarrassed to say we are still running Win 2000 server. I just phased out the last of the Win 95 clients in the spring. Only the owner runs Vista and then only on his laptop / home office systems. We run XP clients in the office.
Jon Radder said:Up until the time I retired back in April the Naval Postgraduate School had not yet gone to Vista on their system. Too many problems as they put it. I used XP at work and Vista at home and now it's kind of strange as on my home lap top I start off booting up with Vista and then it kicks over into XP. I'm not arguing though--I like it like that :) It might have come about from the transfer program that I used to transfer all my stuff from one laptop to another laptop. Laptop 1 was going under fast and Laptop 2 I got second hand so something in the eight hour transfer must have perked.
I still maintain a Unix box at work. Most all of the applications it was running have been replaced on a Windows server, but we keep it around for legacy data look-up. We also have a text based Linux server, but I have no idea why! I've been there over 5 years and have only needed to log on to it recently to use a C-Complier script to print some checks. I'm embarrassed to say we are still running Win 2000 server. I just phased out the last of the Win 95 clients in the spring. Only the owner runs Vista and then only on his laptop / home office systems. We run XP clients in the office.
I have an old HP Netserver with four 500MHz Pentiums, 2Gb memory, four 50Gb SCSI drives…and three power supplies.
It runs Windows 2000 Enterprise Server.
I don’t really use it. But it is too big and heavy to sell on eBay, if there was any interest in it.
I could part it out and probably make a few bucks. But I hate to take apart something that works.
Ralph
Doug Arnold said:Doug:
Get well fast so you can get back to what's important -- Trains!
Thank you.
I’m starting to go into withdrawels and I’m not sure if it’s from a lack of train running or because I quit taking the pain meds they put me on. Strange meds to say the least. When I’m taking them I keep on dreaming that I died, am dying or have to do something important on line or die.
I’m no stranger to vicodins as I use them as needed for torn rotator cuffs and bone spurs but these babies need to be locked up. My buddy that drove me to the surgery center and home from there could only get the meds on a hard copy prescription at the pharmacy along with my driver’s license in his possession.
Jon Radder said:Hmmmm, is that related to LINUX? :P :D :P
I'm going back to DOS. Worked fine for me. Was fast and never crashed :D
Ray,
you have my sympathies. The other morning my daughter fired up her laptop (five years old) and it failed to boot. At the time the wife’s computer was up and running. She shut it down and went to work. Upon returning from work several hours later, she fired up her laptop (one year old) and it also failed to boot up, stating a crucial file was corrupt or missing. Two laptops failed to boot up on the same day. I took the latter computer to my tech guy and he rang back that the hard drive was dead, possibly due a power spike. Fortunately, it is covered by warranty, so, apart from the loss of many, many gigabytes of data, cost should be minimal. He suggested that the other, older computer may have also suffered a power spike and suspects that the hard drive may be terminal, also. This will cost money to replace. Of the four expensive laptops purchased five years ago (more than $12,000), all four are now terminally failed.
Tim Brien said:Reminds me of the HP desktop that I purchased at Staples a few years ago.....went belly up one week after the extended warranty expired. Talk about built in screw the consumer technology.
Ray, you have my sympathies. The other morning my daughter fired up her laptop (five years old) and it failed to boot. At the time the wife's computer was up and running. She shut it down and went to work. Upon returning from work several hours later, she fired up her laptop (one year old) and it also failed to boot up, stating a crucial file was corrupt or missing. Two laptops failed to boot up on the same day. I took the latter computer to my tech guy and he rang back that the hard drive was dead, possibly due a power spike. Fortunately, it is covered by warranty, so, apart from the loss of many, many gigabytes of data, cost should be minimal. He suggested that the other, older computer may have also suffered a power spike and suspects that the hard drive may be terminal, also. This will cost money to replace. Of the four expensive laptops purchased five years ago (more than $12,000), all four are now terminally failed.
Ray Dunakin said:Reading about these computer problems people were having , I had my fingers X'ed that it wouldn't happen to me. Guess they weren't Xed hard enough as mine crashed and burned yesterday. Funeral services will be posted shortly........;)
My DSL went out a few days ago, just got it fixed today (I hope). Unfortunately, my hardware died last night! The same one that crashed in June and had to be replaced. I'm running on the backup external drive for the moment but will probably have to take the computer into the shop and most likely will be several days, at best, before I get it back. Last time took a month!