Irregular update - update

[lionkingcmsl]

Some items to note:

1. On Tuesday 6/11 I'm going to head for an appointment to see if I qualify for a position in a study for new "patch" that is supposed to help depression. I've been batling this personal demon for so long, it's not funny. I finally feel its about time I took a proactive stance against this thing, and not let it run or ruin my life any longer.

2. On Sunday 6/09, three other workers (2 workers and a manager) and I are headed to Dover, Delaware to work in a "mimi-McDonald's" at the McDonald's LPGA Classic golf torunament. This is a nice event and something of an honor to get selected to go. From what I'm told, there is only a limited menu served and we will have a blast. ;=3 I'm looking forward to this.

3. Last night, 6/06, a lightening storm took out my modem. :=/ I've had it since 2/99 and it has always worked. One tech had told me that the modem I had, a USRobotics 56K Sportster Faxmodem with X2, was "da bomb" and was basically indestructable. Well a lightening strike, which I believe hit a phone cable, just as I was dialing out, took it out. Here is the wierd part; the diagonistics say its working fine. When I try to dial out, it picks up the line, but there in no dial tone. A USR tech told me a trick to try to see if it will dial out without dial tone. He says if it works that way, great; if not, I might as well throw it in the trash. :={
BTW, if I hook a phone to the other port and pick it up, I get no dial tone through that either. I think there is a trace burnt out somewhere. :=/

4. I upgraded my 'puter with a new mom board and processor. I'm now running a P4 1.6 gig. All Intel, as well as the new internal modem I'm now using (the old modem was external, which I prefer as I can hear what its doing more readily). Problem with the upgrade is, I had to re-install Win98, due to s stupid error on my part, and now the 'puter doesn't always "register" hyper-link clicks right away. Before, it used to jump to the page, now, sometimes, it takes the 'puter about 2 minutes, or a lot of clicking, before it jumps to the new page. I've downloaded the latest patches for IE6, so that's not the prob. Any ideas?

5. I've a month to get ready for a private party. Question remains whether I'll be ready in time.

6. Related to the above is my attendance at AC (AnthroCon) is now in doubt. The new mom board, which I had not intended to buy, had thrown my finicial resources for a loop. The party mentioned in 5 is the week before AC and I don't know if I can do both. The party must happen, as there are people coming from a pretty fair distance to attend. To that end, if you plan to meet me at AC, it may not occur. Check back here to see if whether or not I will attend.

Comments

[katayamma.livejournal.com]

3) Is that a seperate phone line? If so, try plugging your phone directly into the wall. No dialtone? Call SWBell

Re: Seperate Phone line

[lowen-kind.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's a seperate phone line. The one I'm using now. :=3

That was the first thing I checked(my dad worked 30+ years at Bell/AT&T :=3 ).

I'd call SWBell for my phone problems, but I think they would refer me back to Verizon (nee Bell Atlantic nee Bell Telephone of New Jersey). :=3

Thanks anyway though. :=3

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the patch, dude. I'm just about ready to come off of a year of St. John's Wort, myself, and it's made all the difference in the world.

I sure hope to see you at AC, but I can understand if you can't make it. I'll miss ya, tho!

-The Gne ech

[EDIT: I posted this from Frisk's machine first. Sorry about that!)

Re: Seperate Phone line - Update

[lowen-kind.livejournal.com]

I took apart the modem (I have nothing to lose at this point ;=3 ), and studied the circuit board.

From what I can tell, the phone line enters two "chip" diodes before it goes to anything else. If that is true, then hopefully the diodes are what "failed", essentially saving the rest of the modem. I'll have to get a multi-meter to check this theory out. If my hunch is correct, then a trip to my old place of employement, at the radio shop, will correct said problem with diodes. ;=3

It's nice to stay friendly with your old bosses, and to have knowledge of modern circuitry. ;=3

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

Well, if the modem's iondestructible, as the techie says, then they should have no problem replacing it for free. USR, I've found, has always been a reasonable company, though I generally think of Hayes first just because of arbitrary preference.

And it is, of course, sound advice to completely unplug your computer during a lightning storm for exactly that reason. It's not a good time to be using delicate electrical equipment.

Good luck with the Con! One of these years I'll be able to go to one and meet y'all famous furs. :)

[skipai.livejournal.com]

Still got my 3Com/Usr but it's branded 3com over here for some wierd reason. I like my messenger pro one. Can't find the floppies though to get it to turn off that built in answering machine though.

As for upgrading your computer? What was wrong with the old one or did the lightning zap your motherboard and cpu? To be honest I would've gone for a cheaper AMD than Intel but that's just me :)

As for reinstalling windows. Did you go into safe mode and check the system hardware for duplicates? If it was a reinstallation over the last one then I would delete all hardware including the motherboard stuff right down the line and then let windows reboot up and find all the hardware again. Could be something so simple as it thinks there's a ghost hard disk controller or HD to be honest. Make sure you have all of your driver disks though in case windows need 'em.

I have a month to go before I can get to the states and I ain't ready, no cash and well. :) You know the score LOL!!!Already nearly through midway of June and I am like. Um.. Help!!! LOL!!

As for AC I know all about that and I know that my resources were thrown to the lions? *pun. ;)* Due to a stupid hard disk drive dying on me. Arrgh! I hope you can make it to AC and I think that some of your frirends will help out there and if not help out a bit with this party of yours.

I see you in 26 days :)

Arrrggh! 26 days before I am 27. :( You had to remind me of that one. ;)

[lowen-kind.livejournal.com]

TKarrde,

It wasn't a USR tech that told me that my modem was "da bomb", but another computer tech. ;=3

As far as not using the 'puter, especially going on-line, during a thunder storm, I do know better. It's just I had done it before with no probs. ;=3

I prefer USR modems because they are the ones who developed, IIRC, modems in the first place. ;=3

[mooncat.livejournal.com]

I hope you can make it to AC and I think that some of your frirends will help out there and if not help out a bit with this party of yours.

*agrees with the otter* Just say the word, O lion, and we'll be there to lend a paw however we can, whether you like it or not ;).
and, sorry I forgot to call you back, life's been utter chaos here the past week, with job, house hunting and other ...junk. *patpats the lion*

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

I believe you are correct. And as I said, USR and Hayes are equally good. My decision is arbitrary. I think it has to do witht he fact that my Hayes Accura 56k voice/fax/modem was slightly less expensive than was the equivalent from USR. :)

Didn't mean to imply you didn't know better about the lightning. More sort of a friendly reminder. We don't have lightning in WA very often, so it's no big inconvenience to pull the computers from the wall.

Heh. My parents are so paranoid about electrical storms they won't even use a cordless phone during one, for fear the electricity may jump through the phone and shock them. Any guesses where I get it from?

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

Do check the list for hardware conflicts before uninstalling it all, though. It can be a serious pain in the butt to have to re-install everything!

[lowen-kind.livejournal.com]

The reason I upgraded the computer was becuase I got "snookered". ;={

I wanted to buy an upgraded vid card so I could get faster frame rates on some games, most notably MS's "Train Sim". The techhie at the 'puter store said, "No, that's not what you need. You need to up grade the mom board and processor." I was leeery about this, but I upgraded anyhow. Guess what, the frame rates stayed about the same.

Now don't get me wrong, I love having a 1.6 gig P4, but I really didn't need to spend $500+ for a new mom board, power supply, processor, and memory.

So when I can afford it, I have to buy an upgraded vid card anyway. :={

[skipai.livejournal.com]

Sorry to say this but I think that they saw you coming and wanted to make a big sale :(

To be honest your PIII was quite enough to run that game anyways and you didn't have to get a P4 which in my opinion hasn't quite got the processor power for games *shrugs* Should've gone the AMD route for that :)