I can’t thank you enough.
Lots of possibilities I’ve got to check out. I’m only now sitting down to consider them.
I spent most of the day getting the OCR and scanner working on my laptop and doing some nice mindless scanning, since I have no brain anyway. when I put the OmniPage (OCR software) on the laptop, I thought I might be onto something, because it (the laptop) couldn’t find the scanner. Since the variables were now reduced, I thought about the possibility of 64bit capable program having problem with legacy, 98 compat software (the scanner software) S0 I uninstalled the scanner software and, bingo! there was the scanner. So I went up and found a newer software for the scanner, loaded it, and all went beautifully. Carolyn had gone horizontal for a bit and when she got up, I was able to turn a working system over to her and head back into the office with some optimism.
Thinking I was on to something, I began uninstalling the HP software, restarting and checking for USB function between each deletion. A very time consuming process. Gave me time to get some much needed filing done. Then I nixed the OCR software. Still nothing. Then, I thought…System files. Of course, finding out how to check system files in XP is exciting. You have to give a run command. Lessee…what was it… oh yeah:
sfc[space]/scannow
Of course, to do this, you have to have your original WinXP install disk available. Could I find mine? Of course not. Back when I set up the desktop, I filed it. I was sure I filed it. And I couldn’t find it. I looked in every file drawer we have…ten times! Well, at least three. And couldn’t find it. When Carolyn finally figured I was going nuts over something in a file folder…she found it in five minutes.
ARGH! Well, I did the sys file check. Nothing changed.
Bios. I’d never updated it. Okay. Let’s go check out the Bios. I found a PnP toggle that sure seemed to me like it should be on. It says if the software is able to do plug and play, turn it on, otherwise, let the Bios take care of PnP. I always thought Windows was PnP…so I turned it on. Rebooted…
And got a really scary screen of death that said, basically, Windows has terminated to keep your computer from blowing up. Oh, joy. If this is the first time, restart. I restarted, got up with no problem, got down the bios update, performed the update…and got the blue screen again. Double joy. Then, it wanted me to come up in safe mode…and then demanded that I activate an already activated install, which it wouldn’t do in that mode, and then just terminated…program and hardware.
The upshot is, I tried repairing Windows, booting from the CD. The first try went haywire, because I punched a wrong button. The second one…repaired a mostly gone now, old backup on a different disk. I tell you, I’m getting seriously punchy. I got up a workable installation, and am now busily moving everything over onto the Free Agent drive the way I’d been meaning to for a month, using my Dell and the network, since the USB ports are still hosed.
I came in to watch Bones thinking that I was just going to do a format and complete reinstall, but I really like this notion of a Linux disk that can at least tell me if the problem is in the hardware. Some other good ideas, too.
I can’t thank you all enough. I think, I’m going to watch Chef Ramsey yell at people for a while, then take my fried brain to bed and see if I can’t get some solid answers tomorrow.
Jane,
Glad ou got so much help earlier already. But I second the notion of a Linux live disk. It can make a huge difference in determining the source of a problem – hardware or soft, and tends to make itself known as a tool in the pocket of most desktop and IT support personnel.
If you run into problems with it, don’t hesitate to shout out to the community either. Ubuntu’s forums, as well as tons of others, are pretty heavily populated with helpfuls. Not to mention all those helpfuls already in your circle!
One thing to note with burning a live CD from a disk is you do need an ISO-burning program, and you really want to burn at a lower speed to reduce the chance of a ‘bad’ live CD – an experience I endured the hard way, unfortunately.
Once you get a Linux up and running, you’ll want to head for command line, unless you immediately see responses/activity from your USB devices.
Favorite commands are: lsusb
It’ll dump out a bunch of listings like these, hopefully:
Bus 006 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 005 Device 003: ID 046d:c526 Logitech, Inc.
Alternate methods to finding USB’s active/inactive will be found someplace like: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=107650 though it is mainly about ‘path’ to a USB, there are some alternate tricks to it.
But most importantly, enjoy Hell’s Kitchen and well deserved sleep!
Great! I’ve been tempted by Linux before. This is going to push me over the edge. And thanks for the tip/warning on burning. I’d have just blithely used Nero.
I wasn’t sure what you meant by an ISO burning software. Went out (briefly) and looked and…found lots of freeware available. Do you have a suggestion for which to use?
I say again…thanks.
Jane, Roxio Basic does a decent job and is frequently found in the shovelware. I second Tech’s suggestion of forcing a slower-than-max burn speed to improve disk quality.
Jeff
I’ve used Ubuntu to a limited extent and found it quite easy to install and picked up the old funky hardware on the PC I used (canon scanner, cheap-o ebay wireless card, etc). Updates seem to work very well (just did in-place upgrade to the latest version)
Not as good or easy as my Mac, but great on an older system, and both of them beat the heck out of Windows in every way.
I was hoping the Linux option would work – with the kind o’ problem you’re facing, I default to “Try another OS”, just as I default to “You have another computer? Try it!” when someone calls up and can’t get on the internet. It just eliminates a host of possibilities and narrows things down directly to software or hardware.
I hope you took a break, regained an even keel, and resisted the urge to ‘troubleshoot with a hammer’.
Sorry, have limited access to inter-webs @ work and couldn’t reply. Lots of freeware, a lot of it decent -Roxio as Jcrow9 mentioned, and there’s Nero, which I’ve used before successfully, though I’ve run into occasional issues. I know the PC-madness is super painful. I hope you get up, walk away, and do some relaxing when you need to. It makes a huge difference, when you hit that tech-induced headache wall.
No problem! And when Ubuntu couldn’t find the printer last night, that did pretty much seal the deal, as they say. I’m really glad to have that alternate OS as an option. I didn’t realize how easy it was to have it. As you say, narrows the options dramatically.
I never seriously consider the hammer option. :D Though there are a few programs I’d happily fry! :D Nero worked fine. I’m going to try Felicia when I find where the download went! That was very strange. I’m sure I downloaded it…I have the manual right where I thought the file was…oh, well. If that’s the only thing I’ve lost, I’m doing pretty good! :D
Whoops! Phone rang. OSGuy had come to pick up our bridge span planks to cut them with his father’s band saw. Better scoot!
I admit that seeing the link to ubuntu did it for me: i’ve now downloaded and plan to install on one of the “spare” computers. I wonder how well it would work on a Dell laptop? I have three high powered Dell laptops sitting in a drawer at work that need a workout!
THREEEE!!!! Color me green!!!
I know what you mean. I didn’t know it would be so simple! just don’t have time to play with it right now. Darn it. :D But it’s really a nice set of basic computing elements. I’m probably going to have to wait until fall, but it was certainly useful for this problem.
I still want to try that German program. We’re trying to get some things done before we go to MisCon this weekend, but I might commandeer Carolyn to do some translation for me when we get back…just because. :D
Yes, three, but each heavy as, well my son’s cat Bea :) No way I lug one of those around in a computer bag – it’s definitely backpack time.
Of course, with typical corporate shortsightedness, they got me a total of five of the highest quality laptops and five of the highest desktops from Dell 18 months ago, but can’t seem to come up with some of the middleware (messaging software) and graphics packages that I need for the demo these were purchased to produce :(.
BTW, younger son loved the Bamboo and made a Mother’s day card using it. Lesson there – Paint is definitely a tool for frustration. Since it only has the single layer, any text is immediately applied to the bitmapped image and can’t be edited. Poor kid had to go back and add in a couple missing letters by hand. We’ll be trying one of the programs you recommended pretty soon, Jane. Thanks again for the advice.
- S
Carolyn says: people studying dinosaurs should look at the nervous system of corporations! :D I can’t top that!
I take it Bea is rather like my Efanor. Twenty pounds of fuzzy love. Can’t beat it. :D
Poor little guy! How frustrating! Sometimes, not even layers are proof against that (witness my public humiliation on the Faery cover! :D) So glad the Bamboo worked out. I have to admit, I’ve never used Paint. I do believe that Sketcher supports layers, though I haven’t used them. It’s kind of a funky interface, though. Not a bad thing to learn, as it’s a lot like Corel Painter and is designed to be used with the boards, but if he’s used to the standard menu style, he might be happier with another program.
If I were getting him one, I think I’d get Paint Shop Pro. The new CS4 just has too many options. Paint Shop Pro is much cheaper (under $100) and darned near as powerful. Maybe even PSP7, if I could find it. PSP 7 (or 8) supports layers and textures and transformations, but is just a bit simpler in some of the options. The newest version is, like CS4, a bit funky about the settings on the brushes. I’m not sure about some of those in between. I’ve usually got PSP 5 available as well. I love the program.