Digital Impulses

Dual Monitor install Nightmare - PART III

So. After trying multiple sound cards in all available PCI slots, all indicators seem to point to an issue with the MB.  Dead Motherboard.  Replace Motherboard. NO POST.

I am done. 

Pack PC in car. Take it to local PC Repair shop. They are backed up and will take 4 to 5 days before they willl even look at the PC. $69.95 Diagnostic Fee. Upon that we will add the cost of the part that is causing the problem.

All of this because I added a 2nd Video Card to connect a 2nd Flat Screen LCD.  This shit is just supposed to work folks, really. It is.

Christ.

Dual Monitor install Nightmare - PART II

Dual Monitor install NIGHTMARE
Part II

On a mission to rid myself of this problem once and for all, I backed up my data, DL’ed the latest drivers for my Intel MB (D875PBZ), and booted with my trusty Windows XP CD.  Of course, I immediately realized that I needed the SATA RAID Driver diskette for Xp to “see” my RAID 0 Hard Drive Setup. 

*sigh*.  Stop the install. Reboot. Go to Intel’s web site. DL the Raid Drivers diskette image. Run the program. Create the diskette. Reboot. Boot from XP CD. Press F6 when prompted to load additional storage drivers. XP begins install. This time it “sees” the SATA RAID 0 Hard Drives. Loads files, reboots.  Loads some more files. Reboot into graphical setup. Prompts for localized info (country, language, time zone, etc).  Loads Network bits. Prompts for a computer name. Prompts for an administrator password.

Rebbot into a fresh XP Desktop.  the Driver Dance for the attached peripherals begins. Go to Device Manager. NO SOUND CARD listed.  Attempt to update the drivers for one of the Video Cards.

Blue Mother Fucking Screen of Mother Fucking DEATH.

I picl up my wallet, my keys and my cell phone and I walk away from the office, before I decide to let my self be guided by my RAGE and pick up the stupid peioce of shit computer and throw it into the middle of my street.

GOD DAMN MY LIFE.

NEW DELL PC in PV acts up

Tuesday, December 27, 2005
So, in the midst of the balls-up with the install of the new LCD monitors and the dead sound card, Bert calls me up and states that the NEW DELL is acting up with error messages and pop-up boxes of software that wants to go out to the Internet and grab files, etc.

He pleaded for my assistance and offered Dinner as recompense.  I agreed to go and take a look at the box and managed to get over there a little after 5:30 P.M after having taken the kids for a little day-after-Christmas shopping at Plaza Mexico in Lynwood.

Initially diagnostics showed that there was indeed some software popping up that was trying to access the Internet to update itself.  Nothing we could do would cause the software to stop reaching out for files it could not find

Time for a re-image.  We did that and the PC seemed to return to normal.  After dinner at Marmalade’s in PV, I left his house after having configured the PC for the family’s use and having set up his wife’s email once again.

I warned him against getting a name-brand, retail PC stuffed to the gills with bloated, trial craplets.  He didn’t listen.  These are the results.

Sometimes I *HATE* computers. I really and truly do.

DUAL LCD Panels install KILLS my sound card.

What the holy Christ would installing two flat panel monitors have to do with a sound card.  WHY, WHY, WHY (oh god, why) would a perfectly functioning computer decide, out of the blue, to become MUTE and refuse to output NARY a peep?

The cause is still under investigation.  Suffice it to say, that now, after new speakers, a new sound card and an additional video card to support the 2nd LCD Panel, my computer obstinately *refuses* to recognize, acknowledge, work with, or otherwise detect my sound card.  My Device Manager dose not list the card and the software (naturally) says there “is no supported hardware detected” when I attempt to install the software that came with the sound card.

I will spend today and probably the rest of this week, completely dis-assembling the PC and performing YAXPI on my production machine, trying to get my sound card to play nice with my new dual monitors.

This on top of all the shit that I had on my to-do list in preparation for getting to ring in 2006.

Damn.  *sigh*

Christmas 2005

Weird.  I called friends and they didn’t call me back.  I called one of them again and managed to speak to him at home (Rigo).

Christmas was good.  The 24th was split for a little while at my sister’s house in the afternoon and later in the evening at home with my family. We had dinner around 8:00 P.M. and I then ended up crashing around 10:00 P.M. after semi-preparing my office for the eventual install of my new monitors.

Christmas Morning
Strangest of all, The Bakery did NOT open and my wife actually spent the 25th with us in the morning.  I roused myself out of bed for a little while a few minutes before 9:00 A.M. and then lounged around until it was time to  go to my Mom’s house at 11:00 A.M.

Brunch and Christmas gift opening at Mom’s was very nice.  I got a bunch of cool books from my mom on rare words and how to use them, the 1st season of The West Wing on DVD, and most special of all, a glass case with four money clips in it , one each with the Crest of each House of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (From the Harry Potter series of books).

Christmas Evening
After the Brunch at Mom’s, we came back to the house to open our own gifts.  I got the  (2) Viewsonic 20” flat screen panels that I was hoping for.  The install of those is a horror story that deserves it’s own post, to follow shortly.  After we all opened our gifts, me and Mom watched T.V. until 9:00 when Mom decided to call it a night and head on back home.  I crashed pretty much after that, after a tiring, but very nice Christmas day.

BooYa! My son just got his Driver's Permit!

*dances*
My son JUST NOW called me from the local DMV office where he went this morning to take the test to get his Driver’s Permit. He only got 6 wrong and PASSED his vision and written tests on his first attempt.

You go, Boy!  I am SO DAMN proud of you!

Sis's B-Day dinner at Buca De Pepo

Tonight we celebrated my sister’s B-B-Day at a nice Italian Restaurant in Redondo Beach called BUCA di BEPPO. 

Although it was a little boisterous and the food took *FOREVER* to come to the table, (we arrived at 7:30 P.M.and the main courses did not arrive at the table until well after 9:00 P.M.), the food was delicious and we had a very, very good time.

The Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms was incredible.  I will be returning there at the 1st chance I get.

Wave Washout: A High Tide Bust

So.  All day today, there were HUGE WAVES all over the Southern California beaches from San Diego county all the way up north to Zuma Beach. I really like to see the big waves when they come around to Southern California, so I called my mom and we set out to Manhattan Beach Pier to see some of the action, arriving at around 5:45 P.m. or so.

NOTHING.  CRAP.  ZIP.  NADA. ZILCH. ZIPPO.

Fuck.  Stupid, little 4 to 5 foot waves, crashing limply against the far-away Pier, since the city had decided to CLOSE IT, due to the force of the waves, earlier in the day.  With nothing to see there, we drove over to the Redondo Beach Pier, hoping against hope that the tide there would provide a better show.

Yeah, right.

Completely crestfallen, we walked around the Pier and ended up at Tony’s Fish Market and had a bowl of their to-die-for Smoked Clam Chowder.  That more than made up for the busted waves/high tide show, as the clam chowder was at it’s usual excellence and the atmosphere was just about perfect.  After dinner, we drove back home and I came inside watch a little TV before calling it an evening.

Posada 2005

Well, the 2005 edition of a Mexican Posada at my house took place tonight and it was a success by the looks of it.

We had a lot of people over, there was good food and drink and losts of good natured conversation.  Towards the end of the night, there was the traditional gift exchange and that went over very well also.

In the end,      the wife as the one who orchestrated the whole thing and she seemed very happy with the results, so that’s what counts.  I am happy she had a good time.

A Rite of Passage: Working towards a Driving Permit...

Wow.

I just got a phone call from my wife who just got back from enrolling our 16–year old son in a local Driving School.  He has 4 days of in-classroom book and rules-of-the-road training followed by 3 2–hour behind-the-wheel driving sessions.

Upon completion of this class, he can go to DMV and apply for a driver’s license. 

*sigh*.  I’m getting old