"Murphy was an optimist!"
Ultimate Boot CD for Windows 3.50 out with 1 error June 26, 2009 8:50 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Hardware, Software, TechnologyIf you ever have to do some serious troubleshooting on a Windows XP machine, you need the Ultimate Boot CD (Linux version) and the Ultimate Boot CD (Windows version) (see also Ben Burrows blog). The windows version recently released version 3.50 and may have an error. If you get the following error message:
Section:SourceDiscsFolders.2600
Cannot find folder: wnt5
Section:SourceDiscsFolders.2600
Cannot find folder: wxp
Then follow these instructions. In summary:
Click the Plugins button.
Select # DriverPacks.net – BASE
Press the EDIT button.
Change: CONFIG=DPs_BASE.exe /API: /settings:
To: CONFIG=DPs_BASE.exe /settings:
[Source, ubcd4win forum, hilander999]
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Ubuntu Accomplishments – Wacom Tablet May 26, 2009 7:07 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Hardware, TechnologyI have two Wacom tablets that I use for my art. My first tablet ever was a Wacom UD-Digitizer II serial tablet. I’m not even sure USB was around back then. This tablet was unbelievable at the time! Felt like I was writing on paper with a real pen or brush. Being able to use an eraser on the computer was remarkable. However, there were certain problems with its size, roughly 5×7, so I bought a Wacom Intuos serial tablet that is more like 12×10 inches. Tablets make computer art fun!
When I set aside a new machine for a replacement Linux server for my in-house development, I decided to actually use Ubuntu Desktop 8.04 and install Apache-MySQL-PHP on it afterwards. I’ve found myself using the Linux Desktop more and I think I can eventually migrate completely from Windows. Unfortunately, the computer I chose to do this with uses a mechanical mouse instead of an optical mouse. You know, one with the mouse ball that constantly needs cleaning. The mechanical mouse holds me back more than anything else from making the switch. Ergo, I decided to pull the Wacom Digitizer II out of the boneyard and see if I could get it to work. It was surprisingly simple.
Two support documents helped make quick work of getting the tablet functioning. 1) The community documentation for Wacom and 2) The community documentation for Wacom troubleshooting. The first gave me this simple line:
sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg-input-wacom wacom-tools
The tablet failed to work. The second explained that I needed to update /usr/bin/dexconf which would then rebuild /etc/X11/xorg.conf with these lines:
Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "stylus"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom" # USB ONLY?
# Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0" # SERIAL ONLY
Option "Type" "stylus"
# Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" # Tablet PC ONLY
Option "USB" "on" # USB ONLY
EndSectionSection "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "eraser"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom" # USB ONLY?
# Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0" # SERIAL ONLY
Option "Type" "eraser"
# Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" # Tablet PC ONLY
Option "USB" "on" # USB ONLY
EndSectionSection "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "cursor"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom" # USB ONLY?
# Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0" # SERIAL ONLY
Option "Type" "cursor"
# Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" # Tablet PC ONLY
Option "USB" "on" # USB ONLY
EndSectionSection "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "pad"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom" # USB ONLY
# Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0" # SERIAL ONLY
Option "Type" "pad"
Option "USB" "on" # USB ONLY
EndSection# Uncomment the following section if you you have a TabletPC that supports touch
# Section "InputDevice"
# Driver "wacom"
# Identifier "touch"
# Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0" # SERIAL ONLY
# Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom" # USB ONLY
# Option "Type" "touch"
# Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" # Serial Tablet PC ONLY
# Option "USB" "on" # USB ONLY
# EndSection
Naturally I would have to comment out the USB references and uncomment the serial references. Then the serverlayout section had to look like:
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default Layout"
Screen "Default Screen"
InputDevice "stylus" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "eraser" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "cursor" "SendCoreEvents" # For non-LCD tablets only
InputDevice "pad" # For Intuos3/CintiqV5/Graphire4/Bamboo tablets
# InputDevice "touch" "SendCoreEvents" # Only a few TabletPCs support this type
EndSection
I rebooted and nothing happened. I realized /usr/bin/dexconf was a script and ran it. Upon rebooting I was stuck in VGA mode. This was looking like a failed experiment. On a whim I decided to make the changes directly to /etc/X11/xorg.conf and surprisingly, the tablet came to life! GIMP is suddenly fun to use!
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Hardware/Software Support March 28, 2009 10:28 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Hardware, Software, TechnologyA service I provide to friends and family is cleaning up their computers when they start reporting, "it’s moving so slow!" or "I keep getting these popups." or error messages or whatever. Usually they are having a virus, spyware or malware issue. I’ve published my trade secret on how to fix this yourself. It takes me roughly 5 hours to clean a machine thoroughly. Granted, I usually do it overnight by sitting the computer beside me and taking breaks between programming tasks to evaluate the problems. You take smoke breaks; I take computer repair or social media breaks. For the service of cleaning a machine, assuring it has adequate virus protections, and making sure all the latest security patches are in place, I charge $135. In addition to software/hardware upgrades, I have replaced keyboards on laptops and even re-soldered a power connector on a laptop to its circuit board.
Yesterday a friend brought her computer and speakers by the house so I’ve added a service…speaker repair (I’d recommend just buying new ones).
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Technologies to come March 4, 2009 5:10 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Gadgets, Hardware, Software, Technology, Touchy SubjectsSomeone titled this "Microsoft’s Vision for 2019" I don’t know if that is true or not. What I do know is that much of what is presented in this video is already in the works. I’ve seen some of it demo’d. I know we have the technology to be deploying some of it today but necessary infrastructure improvements and profit margins stand in the way. For instance, if Nokia has a plan to release version A B C D and E of a phone there is a good chance that while were are using version A that B C D and E are in the works if not already developed. If B and E were developed at the same time Nokia could sell E but would miss out on all the profits by release B then waiting awhile to release C and awhile longer to release D and so forth. It doesn’t make fiscal sense to jump ahead. If money were not the issue and the technology improvements were solely about the advancement of society, you can bet we’d jump from A to E.
2019 is too far away. We need these technologies today! Freeze me and wake me in 100 years.
Update: Take a look at how AT&T envisioned the future back in 1993. Pretty amazingly on the nose!
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Coding Horror Appears To Be Hardware February 2, 2009 8:18 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Hardware, Programming, TechnologyThe other day some bizarreness slipped into my code. It made no sense. The problem could not be reproduced on the production machine but all the recent changes had not been migrated to it. I examined and tested and pulled hair out and pounded head against wall after wall. Finally, I went to the old staging server and cleaned it up, removed all the code, wiped the database, then made an exact copy of the development code and data on the staging server. Surprisingly enough, I could not reproduce the problem. On examining the development server, I noticed that the hard drive was almost out of space. Could this be a swap space problem? Doesn’t matter. This development server has done its time and needs to be retired. I need a new machine! On the positive side, I can quit chasing ghosts and start moving forward on my application again.
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A negative of installing a new motherboard December 20, 2008 11:57 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Hardware, Software, TechnologyI am pleased to have my workstation working again. I miss the portability of working on Tommy’s laptop but nothing compares to having multiple monitors for productivity. When will they make a laptop with a screen that can fold out so that the laptop itself will have 2 or 3 screens? Imagine. Fold up to reveal the keyboard and one screen. Need more real estate? Fold the screen to the left and you now have 2 screens and a keyboard. Need more? A 3rd section folds out to the right and now you have a keyboard and 3 screens and portability! Oh how I dream.
Anyhow, seems my machine is still not up to par. Windows just informed me that I have to install service pack 3, again. (since installing the new motherboard required reinstalling Windows core files)
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Today’s Technical Challenge December 17, 2008 2:20 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Hardware, TechnologyThis one is aside from the normal programming endeavors. Tommy’s laptop, Vista installed, is refusing to logoff the current user. It has been saying "Logging Off.." for hours. Various forums have suggestions about an IE update to fix the problem, driver updates, unsigned drivers, blah blah blah. None of that matters if you cannot get the machine to some kind of command prompt or other useable interface. I’m going to try pulling the battery out and removing all power.
Update: Removing the battery and power cable, then waiting a few minutes before reconnecting power fixed the problem.
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Today’s Technical Challenge – New MB for Existing XP December 16, 2008 9:18 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Hardware, TechnologyMy motherboard died on my computer with all the software required for my consulting efforts. Why did it die? Because the capacitors on the motherboard were manufactured with an incomplete and flawed electrolyte formula that was acquired through some bad industrial espionage. I have since been given a new (old, I mean newly manufactured but we are talking Socket 462) motherboard. After installing it last night, Windows gets to mup.drv in the bootup process and restarts the machine. So today’s challenge (and one necessary to access my invoicing software) is to get Windows repaired so that it, and all the installed software on that hard drive, work with this new motherboard. Of course, I do this in conjunction with pumping out code. Days like this make me wish I had an IT department. I miss Nate.
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Error messages you don’t want to see December 16, 2008 12:06 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Hardware, TechnologyWhen booting your computer for the first time after installing a new motherboard, one should not expect to see 1) CMOS battery low nor 2) CMOS memory wrong size
Update: The CMOS simply needed to be reset. The battery was fine. The computer boots without problem now but Windows gets to mup.drv and the computer restarts without ever reaching the Windows splash screen.
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Computer with early onset Alzeheimer’s November 28, 2008 12:04 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Hardware, TechnologyNothing makes Black Friday blacker than rebooting your development server to see the ever familiar memory test run and instead of completing having the message "Memory Error!" appear on the boot screen. My first game console was an Atari 2600 circa 1978. My first computer was an Atari 400 around 1980 and my father with me helping (looking over his shoulder) upgraded the memory from 8kb to 32kb by soldering a chip to the motherboard. Can you imagine the tech support calls if that was the procedure today? "Yes sir. My name really is Steve. Now, did the soldering iron go all the way through the motherboard or just your CPU?" I have never seen a memory error until today. I made it through a reboot so hopefully it was a fluke.
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LCD Monitor flickers yellow February 16, 2008 8:28 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Hardware, TechnologyIf a MAG Innovision LT565 Model 568 (LCD monitor) has a sharp image then turns yellowish then turns sharp then turns yellow, does that mean the power supply is failing? Worth repairing?
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A peek into my technical life March 23, 2007 6:52 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Hardware, Software, TechnologyI returned from the Okefenokee slightly sunburned and somewhat sore (review to follow later). Yesterday I had the pleasure of dabbling more with Subversion (SVN) including its integration with DreamWeaver via a free plugin and Tortoise SVN. I am digging it! I am not sold on Trac yet but am going ahead with a multiple project Trac installation since it ties into SVN.
Today I have the pleasure of finishing soldering a power plug onto a Toshiba M35X laptop. I should have finished last night! It had to be totally disassembled. Apparently Toshiba lost a class action against them over badly designed power plug. See also, also, and also.
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And the fifth one went wii wii wii all the way home empty handed… November 27, 2006 2:56 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Cool Sites, Games/Puzzles, Hardware, Of Interest, TechnologyLooking for a wii? At the time of this posting, only eBay has them "in stock"
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Offering New Service October 17, 2006 10:57 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Hardware, Software, TechnologyThe Apple Computer Store offers a service for $99 per year you can go into the store for up to an hour a week and get help on your computer. I have many requests to help people on their computers but I charge $135 per visit with a 5 hour time limit (The Geek Squad charges that much just to come see you then upsells a bunch). I want to add the Apple Store’s model to my offerings to Knoxville area computer users.
For $200 for a year’s time I will make myself available to you for up to an hour per week for training, computer help, computer advice, and so forth. That’s less than minimum wage! I am charging more than the Apple Store because 1) I will give advice on both PCs and Macs and 2) instead of you going to a store, I will come to you. You must be in the Knoxville area and appointments must be made at least 48 hours in advance.
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Need my expertise? October 16, 2006 5:21 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Hardware, Software, TechnologyAnyone needing computers services? I can do physical repairs and on-site work in Knoxville, and can develop websites and software applications worldwide. Email: juggler@gmail.com.
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