Computer Thread?

[Savas]

I'm curious. How many of you out there are computer literate?

I ask partly because I've been trying to wrap my brain around a "phenomena" that is a HUGE minor computer problem. Apparently it's very common, but the solution varies and can require creativity. I've been chatting on and off with some of the folks on the Microsoft tech forum site and it's driving them just as crazy as it is me. (I don't want to go into it in detail unless anyone here is interested).

It's something your computer can work without...but without it your computer isn't "being all it can be".

I'm also wondering how other people handle their computer problems nowadays? Do you have nice cushy extended warranties? Or do you rely on prayer? Perhaps you bang it repeatedly until it works out of fear? Or plain old superstition? (throw some salt over your keyboard! Quick!) :)

I get the impression that computer literacy is much lower than it was 15 years ago. users seem to have very little comprehension of how their machines work.

[PromisedLand]

seriously, it is a lot easier than you might think..just follow the step by step instructions...it's when things to haywire at some point where you run into trouble, but I've found that Linksys tech support is quite helpful.

Jim

[Savas]

Ah...the power that comes with the total control of all information. Soon, we shall rule the world!!! (sharing evil laugh).

Well, if I ever need to set up an at home network I know who to call. I haven't done it since back in the day of ethernet cards and the like. Then it was a journey into a brave no world of software crashes and Irq conflicts. :)

[PromisedLand]

the actual setting up of the network was a breeze (wireless)  I picked up a linksys router and a couple of "access point" boxes for the other computers in the house..followed the directions step by step and in no time I was on the phone with tech support trying to figure out what I did wrong.  An hour or so after that we're off and running and no major problems since, except the occasional computer that forgets it's on the network.

And only I (evil laugh) have access to the control of the thing.  Discovered my youngest daughter (19) was running a file sharing thing which slowed the whole network down to a crawl..was able to access the router from my system and shut her off..

Jim

[PromisedLand]

Actually, the networking thing isn't as bad as it might sound (ha ha)...I actually had us up and running in an hour or so with 4 systems connected to the router and the cable modem.  The problems develop when all of a sudden for some reason somebody in the house can't access the cable modem, and thus the internet and I can never find an explanation for it..I usually unplug their access boxes, reboot, plug 'em in and type in a few things (in the little boxes where such things go) and voila miraculously it works again.  

And for a brief time in history I am once again a hero.

funny thing happened a couple years ago..another daughter was out in calif with her laptop and couldn't understand why she couldn't see our network on it.  I pointed out that the fact that she was 3000+ miles away from the modem and router could have a significant contribution to the situation and she was astounded.."I thought we had a cable modem"..even more astounded when she found she had to pay for access where she was staying.

Jim

[Savas]

You're in the same boat as me. I got my computer at Compusa a year before they announced their closure and left me with a useless 2 year extended warranty. The company that picked up the contract can't find my info in their database so I'm on my own.
I turned off most of the start up programs since I had the same problem as you (took almost five minutes to start up). It helps if you do your restore point to CD, I've had trouble with vista getting the restore point from the partition to be recognized.
(I also shut down junk like the web cam which I never use)

Did you ever run the error check/diagnostics tools to see what's going on in your system? It gives you a step by step and lets you see what's futzing about. i think one problem windows has is it comes loaded with such much advertising **** that if you don't delete most of it off, it slows your system to a standstill when you try to run what you want to.

I've also noticed if you don't keep about a 30% of your hard drive empty with vista, the system seriously slows up. It seems excessive and makes me wonder just what they're suing for file swapping on the system. Plus, the partition seems to shrink and disappear quickly over time, even if you don't touch it.

I'm getting the hang of working with it, since my only other option is to format and start over with XP, which is a different kind of headache (I'm told downgrading just gives you XP with left over vista problems).


One thing I'll say is ever expert I've talked to says if your having vista problems, reset to the original program, and then update the minimum to get it to a decent working state. Things like the system add on packs are just asking for trouble.

I haven't tried any of the networking capabilities myself, Beargizmo, it seems like a huge hassle. you're braver than I am. :)

[PromisedLand]

I had a brief experience with vista a few months ago...my daughter rented a laptop to take with us to California for a few days.  She brings it home and I tried for hours to get it on our home network...could not figure out how to do it.

I'll do all I can to avoid a Vista machine.  New systems coming out at work (for employee use) are now coming with Vista..fortunately I got a new laptop about a week before that happened..so I know I've got xp for
at least another couple years.

Jim

[Decisions]

I have a Vista Computer from Sony.  A VAIO business notebook.  I have come seriously close to tossing out of my car window.  This was a $2,300 notebook I purchases at Comp USA, while they were liquidating their inventory.  Comp USA is out of business, or on the way.  Anyways, at least I got a "deal" on the puter, for $1,200, but it is far from a value, when anything you try to do ~ doesn't work.  The simplest functions such as connecting to a WIFI spot just won't work.  Or coming out of hibernation, and taking up to 20minutes before being able to use it, since so much scheit, is loading in the back ground.  
At this point, I would take XP pro, ANYDAY.  And wait for Vista to get fixed.  Personally, I do NOT think Vista will make it, and will end up just like Millennium Edition.  It will fade away in a dusty desert sunset.
Meanwhile Service Pack 1 for Vista, brought my computer crashing down, and I had to do a system restore, that also woundn't work, until going into safe mode, and carressing it into submission.  
So, I did get it back (no SP1) and have backed up EVERYThing, so when it happens again, I am going to erase Everything and then buy a copy of XP Pro, and then load drivers for it.  Sony won't come out and  admit Vista doesn't work on this computer,
a VGN-SZ460N/C -4gigs ram.
But, they quickly put drivers on their support site to support XP, and this my friend is full admission of a un-fixable problem.  

[Mikeinthesouth]

What I know bout puters in learned from trial and error and I seem to be rather lucky repairing it myself until a couple weeks ago of course which is why I am chained to this desktop as my laptop got smashed and I have it in a friends shop right now getting a new case and whatever else was damaged replaced..... Mike Would have ordred the parts as I found them online but thought it much less stress and remorse to have someone else do the dirty work.......

[Savas]

Cool, I'll check out the diskkeeper. The hardest thing about finding new software is cutting through the trojan horse junk that's just there to mess up your system.

i usually use consumer reports for this kind of thing, but I neglected to renew my subscription. :(

I just went through a huge nightmare with the recent set of vista updates. I left auto update on by accident and the recent update froze the whole bloody system. Of course, I had no back up or previous restore point (long story), as I was in the process of making big system changes and error checking (Murphy's Law).
I did manage to get it working again after two days, but I was sweating bullets the whole time.
The irony is the whole thing started when I upgraded my connection manager because of sudden slow internet speed. The upgrade conflicted with one of the updates...it turned out they were doing work in the area that was causing the slow down.

BUT, I got frustrated and skipped a few steps because I was impatient and ended up causing a two day nightmare (one phone call would have prevented the whole thing; "Hi, why is my internet running slow???") :)

This, is what is called a "gumption trap" in terms of the philosophy of quality. And I walked into it big time..

[Decisions]

Diskeeper did come out with a Vista version. IT works for 30 days, after which  you must purchase, or uninstall , else nag screens at boot time.

[Decisions]

OR memory

[Decisions]

Is the answer to this question...  "it's owner"?

[PromisedLand]

I know enough to fix medium serious problems..if it involves the registry..NO WAY..my entire life as I know it will cease to exist the minute I mess with something in there.  I can usually deal with virus stuff, I set up a home network where we have 4 systems (sometimes 5) on it and manage to solve any problems that come along there.  I haven't had any virus or Blue Screen of Death issues and I have virus scan and malware and all that other stuff set up to run late every night..my youngest daughter can mess hers up to the point it the screen won't budge and I can fix that (most of the time)..

However..sometimes I get some bloody mad at the things I just want to grab them by their powercords and swing them around my head a few times and toss them out in the street and watch them breakinto tiny little pieces and slide down the street.  And then take a sledge hammer to whatever is left.

I work for a computer company, I work with them all day long but I hate 'em...much like I hate cell phones..but that's a different story altogethter.


Jim

[GoingToMakeIt]

They might have a free trial? I don't know. I also don't know if it supports Vista, but I assume so.

[GoingToMakeIt]

Diskeeper 10 professional and yes it is a purchase.

[dominosarah]

Off to the kitchen........that i understand!!!!!!

[Savas]

Disk Pro for defrag, eh? I'll have to try that.  Is it shareware or do you have to shell out plastic money symbols for it online?

So far that's three utilities that Vista has that don't work. i'm hunting for a new back up program since I finally nailed down a microsoft tech who admitted Vista's back up software doesn't really work with CD back up. It's to slow and tends to fail half way through (I had three back ups fail after two hour's work).

And yes, brownies please! bob eats them if you place them in his DVD drive. He enjoys there chocolatey goodness! :)

[dominosarah]

Huh?????  LMAO  could i interest you in some brownies???  

[GoingToMakeIt]

Norton does seem to slow down your system. I have found that Diskeeper Pro helps speed disc access up far better than MS defrag. It can also defrag and speed up the boot drive. And you are still right. A full partition is like a crammed desktop at work. No place to put extra stuff, so it makes it harder to find things.

[Savas]

Ah for those curious, I finally got back an answer on this. the 6TO4 and the ISATAP errors can be ignored. It's for use with WAN only, and designed with the concept in mind that you can upgrade from version IPv4 to version IPv6 infrastructure without costing an arm and a leg for the company.

in other words, it's a piece of lazy programming on microsoft's part.

Now...any of you Guru's having partition problems? I just finally got mine straightened out. i'm assuming the partition is just for restore point and file swapping/sharing (correct me if i'm wrong). For some reason "Bob" had nibbled away all available partition space over time. bad bob! no snacking on the side!

(If its like it was a decade ago, a full partition could slow your computer to about as fast as a pregnant water buffalo in spike heels on ice.)

And finally...I'm trying out ESET NOD32 Antivirus and I REALLY like it better than Norton. It's much faster and seems to slow my system less. Anyone else try it?

[Savas]

Yeah, it does seem to be a vista problem, which I am using (got to get to a VA meeting! (Vista Anonymous!)

What I'd really like to know is should I bother pursuing it. I've lived with it for almost two years (I was out of practice when I got the system, and only recently have bothered joining the 21st century and the "new computer/ Internet age".  But "Bob" (my laptop) does run slower than he should...which is annoying.

(After years of learning Dos, windows 3.0+, pascal, etc...I don't really have the patience for keeping up to speed anymore and only do it when absolutely necessary).

I do miss the old days of actual real tech support and not some schmuck in india with a bad accent and a tech manual he doesn't understand let alone can pronounce the terminology. :)

Ah well. i'm going to dive back into the "oh so helpful internet" and spend five hours getting an answer i could have gotten in ten minutes with a free phone call 15 years ago.

Thank god they improved the internet and technology since then, things are SO much better than before!!! (Dripping sarcasm) :)

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

I picked up a nice user friendly British laptop not too long ago - I don't think one peripheral that I run was compatible with Vista! I know this isnt exactly what you are talking about.....but wtf? Microsoft doesnt have a vested interest in selling new cannon scanners or hp printers do they?

[paul300]

~5m lines of source code for windows. it's a wonder it works at all. ;-)

[GoingToMakeIt]

Well just like with addiction we need to know how long you've been using etc..Lmao
What OS are you using?