All Narfed Up photography and words by Bryan Villarin

I’m excited because I just ordered parts for the new computer! (Here’s why.)

• Shuttle SN68SG2 (NVIDIA GeForce 7025 Chipset, AMD Athlon 64) barebones system¹
• AMD Athlon X2 4600 2.4 GHz processor
• Kingston Value RAM DDR2-800 CL6 SDRAM (KVR800D2N6/2G) — 4GB (2 x 2GB)
• Seagate 250GB ST3250410AS SATA2 16MB (cache) 7200RPM hard drive

My current NEC AD-7170A DVD burner will be carried over because it still gets the job done — but I’m not buying a floppy disk drive. *gasp!*

I’ll be driving to will-call at Mwave tomorrow, putting it all together, and everything else that you need to do for a clean Windows install.

Lightroom will be much faster than my current setup, so I’m really stoked for that.

I guess my money won’t go towards paying off debt, buying new tires, getting a tune up, a new lens, more memory for my camera… *trails off*

This morning, I found out that my computer has shut off without me telling it to. I powered it on, checked the BIOS log and saw that the CPU overheated. Then, I realized that the fan wasn’t spinning.

With my notebook, I searched for the part number found the closest part provider.

I need a Dell 9G180 Cooler for my Dell Optiplex GX240 (SFF). I think I’ll be ordering it from CWC Groups, which is located in Ontario, California.

This is inconvenient because tomorrow is a holiday, which means it should ship Tuesday and arrive Wednesday. I would email them to ask if I could just pick it up, but I wouldn’t be able to until Thursday anyway.

So, I can’t process photos from yesterday’s Flickr meetup because they’re already off my memory cards and on my desktop hard drive. I can process photos I take between now and Wednesday at work. I just won’t be as aggressive so I don’t have too many files to transfer later.

Nice way to kick me while I’m swamped at work. At least I’m too busy to notice, right? Meh. Cry me a river.

[Photo by Bryan Villarin - view on Flickr]

Update 5/27/08 11:15am PDT: I finally opened the computer to replace the cooler with one I borrowed from my office (temporarily). However, there were two problems.

1. The screws had no indentations in them to indicate a Philips or flathead screwdriver. I guess I can use small needle-nose pliers, but what the freak? I didn’t have any, so it’ll have to wait for tonight. However…
2. …some motherboard capacitors in the area around the heatsink were oozing.

This is all in vain and I need a new computer.

Looks like I’ll be out of commission for much longer than I anticipated.

I’m really depressed.

Update 5/29/08 1:40pm PDT: I’m back — sort of. The new fan has been running for 40 minutes. But, I’m moving personal data and copying essential program data/settings files off the Windows partition.

When I get the new computer, it should be simple to get my essential applications installed and setup without a hitch. (Specifically, Hamachi, Lightroom, JungleDisk, and µTorrent.)

This isn’t as much of a hassle because the hard drive isn’t messed up. I just need to figure out when I’m going to cut my losses and order the new computer parts. This Saturday?

At least I’m off work today. =/

Don’t choose to divulge which details you think are relevant when you don’t know.

The Story

Our remote office had problems with their T1 connection to us. VOIP phones weren’t connecting, they couldn’t see our server, and so on.

My boss worked on trying to figure out the problem all day yesterday with our T1 provider.

Today, everything “miraculously” worked. He pinged the computers out there and the responded like normal. Then, he called one of our attorneys there through their VOIP phone.

The following is paraphrased.

• Him: Everything okay?
• Atty: Yes. By the way, 20 minutes before our connection went down yesterday morning, there were some people working in the phone closet. Did that matter?
• Him: (sarcasm) No, but thanks for telling us.

What probably happened was that they unplugged our T1 line by accident, but didn’t touch the network between the computers. Our T1 provider probably called to see what was going on, then they plugged it back in.

I’ll stop there.

Moral — Tell your IT staff everything, even if you think that that one detail is minor. It probably isn’t.

The following has been prompted due to a coworker buying a new Sony Vaio laptop with Windows Vista pre-installed.

It’s been almost nine months since I replaced my previous computer. Although it has more power than before, I’m not thinking of upgrading it to Windows Vista.

Why?

The price point and complexity of choosing five different versions turns me off. Plus, I don’t like that you essentially need a new computer with higher-end components that you probably won’t utilize regularly. 2GB of RAM and a video card that has 256MB of video memory for a cool spiffy-looking UI?

I don’t like that driver support is behind.

If I’m going to essentially get a new computer, I might as well invest in something that won’t have me constantly looking over my shoulder. Viruses (virii), spyware, and security flaws are more prevalent in Windows simply because it’s more popular. With the little I do, a Mac looks more and more appealing.

Have you tried it?

You got me. Do I need to, though?

If you’ve been reading here for awhile, I think you can see that I don’t need that much horsepower or features. As long as I can get things done, I’m happy.

That’s where I stand. Got a problem with it? Too bad!

Other tips and opinions

Scot Finnie at ComputerWorld: “A Windows expert opts for a Mac life” (see the other articles linked in that series)

Windows Vista A to Z at ComputerWorld

I’m working on a friend’s computer, which I built at least five years ago. Due to Windows XP giving me the blue screen on start up — even in Safe Mode — I decided to backup his documents and clean install Windows. (I did this for him three years ago, so I think it’s due.)

Unfortunately, that didn’t do the trick.

After the proper drivers were install on a fresh Windows XP foundation, it still froze on me. It wasn’t a blue screen, and I wasn’t even doing anything processor-intensive.

After that, I did the following (within my Ultimate Boot CD):

• Ran the extended test with the Western Digital hard drive diagnostics software
• Ran MemTest86+ v1.07 for two passes, which took about 40 minutes.

He’s ready to buy another computer, so I’m not worried. I just want to exhaust all other options.

Other than the motherboard finally gone bad, what else could it be? How do you test a motherboard?

Today, on the KTLA morning news, Kurt the Cyberguy featured a news story, “Dangerously Dirty Drive“.

“In order to ensure that no data can be retrieved, it does take a number of hours, typically, to go through and erase the drive effectively.” - Joe Gugel, GeekSquad *

“Everybody needs to take it in to a professional, and make sure that this drive [...] is clean and wiped off.” - Cathy Ferrari, home user

“Download the free wiping software, free shredding software you’ll find online. We’ll make a list at our website later this morning. Or, you could take it in. It’s $160, though, if you have them do it.” - Kurt the Cyberguy

I haven’t seen the links yet, so here are the two utilities I’ve been using for years:

• Eraser (freeware) - “an advanced security tool (for Windows), which allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns.”
• Darik’s Boot and Nuke (DBAN) (open source, free) - “a self-contained boot floppy that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction. DBAN is a means of ensuring due diligence in computer recycling, a way of preventing identity theft if you want to sell a computer, and a good way to totally clean a Microsoft Windows installation of viruses and spyware. DBAN prevents or thoroughly hinders all known techniques of hard disk forensic analysis.”

If you’re completely wiping a hard drive with DBAN, the only work you’ll do is downloading the program, burning it to CD (or installing onto a floppy disk), then running the program. That’s it. Sure, it’ll take between 30 minutes to several hours, but you’re not doing anything. Why pay $59 to let your computer sit there? (See “Clean and Remove [Hard Drive Erasure]“)

As for deleting files on your main computer, use Eraser to overwrite the file multiple times. Anybody that tries to recover deleted files will only see gibberish. The program also has an option to wipe “unused” hard drive space, so you can run that overnight periodically.

Lastly, realize that it’s really simple to copy your files off your computer to an external hard drive. If you can drag and drop files from one folder to another, you don’t need to pay [insert company name here] to move your files to an external storage device.

Save your money and do these simple tasks yourself! (I’m glad Kurt said this at the end. Good for him!)

* The amount of time it takes to wipe a hard drive is relational to its capacity. Wiping a 120GB hard drive will take substantially longer than a 10GB hard drive.

I got an email from Robert Bray a few months ago, and got permission to post the following:

I was reading the upgrade article in the PC Magazine you gave me and this link [to CPU-Z] was one that was suggested to test performance. I downloaded it and my CPU speed looked very low.

I started looking though the FAQ and Forums and saw a response that suggested that maybe the AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet was not activated. So I went to AMD and downloaded the AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet Dashboard to double check the first results. Sure enough, the power savings were maxed and the CPU voltage was at minimum. The CPU speed was stuck on 50%. So, not knowing if I already had the AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet software, I read the installation instructions first.

To enable the software, it said to go Start > Control Panel > Power Options, and change the power scheme to “Minimal Power Management”. Eureka! Both dashboards immediately showed the CPU reacting to the demand of the programs and would kick up to 100% to run my video software! Now I’m going to run a test video project to test this new discovery. I’ll [sic] let you know Monday how it worked.

…

Man, I don’t know how I did it, but I must have changed the settings some time ago. I’ve been worried for months that something was wrong with my [computer] because the video processing had slowed so much. I’ve been bugging the guys at work, telling them that everything works great on my computer except that it was slower on the videos. They would give me suggestions; I would run all the virus scan, spyware scans, defrag, everything we could think of. I could never find one thing wrong and I didn’t have any viruses or spyware. And I never even use half of the memory on anything I do, so that wasn’t it.

I just ran a test video and I am back to as fast as it was when new! I just doubled the speed of my CPU for free!

[I] just wanted to tell you of my good fortune in case you ever have to correct a computer that belongs to a “dangerous user” like me. (Someone who knows more than they understand!)

I’m not sure what article he read from PC Magazine. In any case, I hope this helps if you’re trying to troubleshoot speed problems with a fast AMD-based processor. Thanks Robert Bray!

Additional Links

• How to Enable Cool’n'Quiet Technology
• Cool’n'Quiet™ Technology Overview

Feel free to add more notes in the comments section…

I’m not sure what’s up with my computer, but I have reason to believe that it’s in its final stages. This past week, software that’s been stable isn’t anymore. (e.g. Firefox, iTunes 7, Internet Explorer) Then, it’s been throwing random Blue Screens of Death. Today, I even tried formatting and clean installing Windows, but even after that, without any additional software installed yet, the computer continues to crash.

I’ve tried the following:

• Ran MemTest86, twice, and found no errors
• Ran SpinRite 6.0 (Level 4)
• Clean Windows XP SP2 install

I haven’t changed any hardware. So, it’s something on the motherboard. (That narrows it down nicely, huh?)

Hopefully, I’ll get a replacement computer tomorrow night from a relative. (He also works in IT.) I’m not sure about the specifications, but he mentioned that it’s a clamshell Dell Optiplex GX270 with 1GB DDR RAM. Not sure about the processor speed, but I’m running an AMD Athlon 1600+, so it’s likely to be faster than what I have right now.

I’m not sure what to do with the old computer. Who knows if the power supply is starting to go? What if the video card is starting to go bad? I’m glad I backed up my data to the external hard drive, but I’m still uneasy.

For my next computer, I want a small form factor machine. This Antec case is a beast, so I’ll either sell it or store it away towards building a PVR system for home. It’s tough to troubleshoot a large computer because it’s a bit tougher to pickup, turn around, and so on. I’ll have to save for awhile, of course.

Or, should I get a Mac?

Any suggestions on how to troubleshoot further? I’d love to hear it!

Note: I’m on the trouble machine writing this. I booted off an old Knoppix Live CD, writing this. It’s running fine. Any ideas on that? In emergency cases like this, it’s probably a good idea to download and burn a copy of Knoppix. It runs pretty well.

Update 12/12/2006: I got the new system, and installed everything last Thursday. Back to normal? Basically! It’s a Dell Optiplex GX270 (clamshell), so it’s not the most customizable system.

• Pentium 4 2.39 GHz
• 1 GB DDR SDRAM
• 24x CD-RW
• Integrated video
• USB 2.0
• 56K modem

He had a 60GB hard drive installed and ready to go, but it was manufactured in 2001. I was a bit scared, so I replaced it with my current 120GB hard drive, which I bought earlier this year.

For now, I’m going to stick with using USB 2.0 instead of Firewire. I’d have to buy a low profile Firewire PCI card if I really need it. At the moment, my iPod syncs just fine, and I don’t mind if synchronizing my external HD takes a bit longer.

If I want to use my Lite-On 52x CD burner, I’ll need to buy this Bytecc BT-200 USB 2.0 to IDE cable adapter. I’ll probably buy a DVD burner from Newegg, too. In any case, my CD burning speed will stink until then.

So, my system isn’t crashing anymore, and I’m happy!

I’ll still save up for a new system. I don’t love the one I’ve got right now, since I don’t have Firewire capability. I’ll most likely save up to build my own PVR first, then possibly get a Macbook.

For a moment, I hit a brick wall. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

I’ve been “away” since last…Thursday. You know, trying to write and keep up with my news reader. It’s been pretty crazy at work. I’ve had a lot to do, but it probably didn’t take as much brain power as it would to restore a whole system, upgrade software on the server, fend off excessive questions, figure out how to restore Exchange data for 200+ accounts to a newer version of Exchange…you get the idea.

The story

When the building was reconstructed, the contractor thought the server room needed a water pipe (since there was going to be an air conditioner inside). He didn’t know it was going to go to the roof.

Last Wednesday, a coworker was trying to turn on the dishwasher. One of the switches was for that water pipe that went into the server room. He flipped the switch, and water started flowing on top of one of the servers. (Not his fault, it wasn’t marked - it was just there.) Fortunately, the water only affected the Exchange and domain server. We have another one for ProLaw, and the other data and switches were on the rack. Something like that.

On Wednesday, Scot was able to upgrade the rack to the Windows Server 2003 and Exchange 2003. As of Tuesday, I think everything is basically back to normal. Everyone has access to their data, email, calendar, and contacts. The rest is just minor issues here and there, and updating the lesser-used computers to the new domain.

For me, the feeling of crossing off the names of the staff one by one kept me going. Plus, everyone was so nice and understanding. Through it all, Scot didn’t lose his cool. He might have gotten close, but I never saw it - he kept it together.

What can I learn from this?

Some of the staff commented how much they missed everything. The files they were currently working on, plus their calendar, contacts, and email.

• Print your calendar for the upcoming week regularly. You can make changes on this paper by hand, then update the calendar when you get back to your computer.
• Print important email. If it’s really that important, this is a good idea anyway.
• Print your contact list periodically. You put this off, but when you lose it for a period time, you realize how valuable this is.
• Use a PDA. This is fragile, too, so I backup to a SD memory card using BackupBuddyVFS. I sync this to my home and work computer, so I think I have all the angles covered.
• Sync frequently used files to a USB flash drive. Try running PathSync from that drive, too. I love it.

The main one that deserves it’s own section: delete email. Have you read Inbox Zero? I’m happy to say I practice what I preach. (Well, Merlin preaches those articles, but you know what I mean.)

That’s it for now. I’ll be going into work tomorrow as well, with hopefully everything settling back down. Four days this week - amazing!

My boss gave me some good advice that I wish he would’ve given me in the beginning: “Tread lightly.” I’ll be working on a computer problem, and I need to keep this in mind.