I may be absent for a while....
#11
  Re: (...)
My computer has been acting up for a while. It would go to a blue screen and part of the message would say it was dumping physical memory. I managed to turn off the thing and salvage the situation, then I created a backup file and saved that to an external drive immediately. This has happened a couple of times, but evidently, it occurred this AM between when William was on and when I woke up. And it obviously dumped the memory. NOW I have no idea how to retrieve the backup from the external drive. It's a nightmare.

ANYWAY, I have limited access to OS's laptop for a short time, and I won't be able to buy a new one for a few more days. That's fine, though. I now have the chore to decide whether to buy a PC or laptop and what brand and where. The point of all this is, I may not be on that much. And if anybody has advice, let me know. (I've been using XP on a Dell.) Meanwhile, I'm off to do more troubleshooting and research.

SHOOT! I just realized that if I don't get that backup working, I will have lost all my MC files! I haven't saved them separately in a while. AND, I'm not sure all my pictures saved the last time I tried to save them!!!!!! AARRRRRRRGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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#12
  Re: I may be absent for a while.... by Gourmet_Mom (My computer has been...)
Oh Daphne, computers are wonderful in a perfect world, aren't they????? Good luck!

my word of advice is - go to an expert and have them collect all your data and put it on the new one for you.
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#13
  Re: Re: I may be absent for a while.... by cjs (Oh Daphne, computers...)
LAPTOP. Thats all I have to say.
Theresa

Everything tastes better Alfresco!
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#14
  Re: Re: I may be absent for a while.... by chef_Tab (LAPTOP. Thats all I ...)
GOOD NEWS! I just talked to William, and his employee (this is the smart one) just told him the Toshiba laptop he bought for her to draw maps at home only needs a charger! AND she knows of a place where she may be able to get a charger for 15-20 bucks! AND she thinks my backup file that I saved on an external drive can be used on the Toshiba (same OS), thus saving almost ALL my files, programs, etc.!!!!! AND she knows a guy who works pretty cheap who could either fix the dead machine OR retrieve anything I didn't get in my last backup!!!!!

This is very good news, because I had decided the only way I could justify the expense of a new computer was to give up my decision to compromise on which deck furniture to get. We have never gotten anything, because we couldn't find anything we really loved. So I had decided to get something just OK...it's been almost 5 years...LOL! Now I can get back to searching for that and not computers!
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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#15
  Re: Re: I may be absent for a while.... by Gourmet_Mom (GOOD NEWS! I just t...)
Unless you really NEED a laptop for the portability, don't get one just to use instead of a desktop. Because of differences between them and desktops, they tend to have additional difficulties.

If you MUST get a laptop, do NOT get a Dell. I've just seen too many troubles with them. Get a Sony Vaio or a Toshiba, instead.

If you get a desktop, get a clone or an HP.

Whatever you get, try to buy it somewhere that is NOT going to preload all kinds of garbage onto it. If you buy Dell, Gateway, HP, or just about any other major brand at a big store, it will, almost certainly, come with preinstalled software that wants to "phone home." For example: a friend of mine got a very nice Lenovo mini-laptop when he was in the States, and had me get it set up the way he wanted. As I had it connected to the Internet, and was installing some other software he wanted, a window popped up, advertising another Lenovo product, and even had a "buy now" button. Needless to say, I found where that program was and uninstalled it right away. Some such preinstalled software is more pernicious that that, though, since the ads they pop up are sent to you because the program first sent a list of all your recent search-engine searches (especially if you use Internet Explorer instead of Firefox) to an advertising server. Thus, while serious computer-repair personnel are trying to help you avoid and eliminate spyware, some otherwise-reputable computer companies - including Dell, Gateway, HP and Lenovo - are already installing spyware as part of what they ***** out.

Also, your MC files may NOT be lost. Before you have anything drastic done to your computer, take it to a computer-repair place and have them hook up your computer's hard drive to another machine and copy your MC (and other personal files) to a CD so you may then restore them to wherever you wind up.

The Blue Screen of Death (as we call it in the industry) could be from any number of causes, including viruses, so it's not something I could easily diagnose long distance. The first thing I would suggest, though, is to do the following the next time your start up your machine:
  • Turn it on.
  • Just after the initial start-up screen appears, but BEFORE any Windows screens appear, start hitting the F8 key, and keep hitting it until you get a screen with a bunch of information about "Safe Mode."
  • On that screen, select the option (somewhere in the middle) to start up using the last known good settings.
  • Let it start up from there, and see how things go.
If that helps, voila! you're all set. If not, that's still not the end of the world, but before you tell me any more, at that point, try to remember when the problem starting happening - an actual date. As long as your system has "restore points" turned on (and it probably does), we can try to set the system back to BEFORE the date when the problem started. Since that is another whole set of steps, and this message is already pretty long, I'll wait to see what happens with what I have told you so far.

Good luck.
If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?
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#16
  Re: Re: I may be absent for a while.... by labradors (Unless you really NE...)
I've had the "blue screen of death" many times on one or another of my computers. Hubby says it's dumping memory not the hard drive so Labs is right on about rebooting in safe mode and check it all out before throwing it in the lake.

You only live once . . . but if you do it right once should be enough!
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#17
  Re: Re: I may be absent for a while.... by Harborwitch (I've had the "blue s...)
Okay, I'll give it a try and see where I get.

I had my misgivings about a laptop for the very reasons you are probably referring to...but I may wind up with one...see above post on the office Toshiba. But that's okay, it's paid for...LOL! And, William got it because it had a full size keypad WITH a separate number pad...surveying/mapping work made that mandatory. It's heavy and HOT though. If I can get the desktop working, it will be nice to have two...We don't share well...LOL!

I'm glad to know I made the right choice for the kids with the Sony Viao. They've had them for 3 years with few problems...and that's lugging them around campus and banging around in apartment and college dorms!
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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#18
  Re: Re: I may be absent for a while.... by Gourmet_Mom (Okay, I'll give it a...)
Yep. The biggest problems with the Sony Vaio or Toshiba laptops, nowadays, is that they come with Windows Vista installed, instead of XP (or, better yet - for some people - Linux ).
If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?
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#19
  Re: Re: I may be absent for a while.... by Gourmet_Mom (Okay, I'll give it a...)
Nope, I get:

"Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
<Windows root>\system32\hal.dll.
Please re-install a copy of the above file."

This is the same message I got this AM. I even tried going into the system menu and setting it to go back to the factory settings. (I figured this was safe since I have my backup on an external drive...got the same message.) At this point, I'll have to tear up my house to find my disks. I know, that should be something I should be able to find, but I've had this computer for about 5 years and there's been a lot of remodeling done in the interim.

BTW, am I presuming too much to think I can use that backup on the Toshiba? It uses the same OS (XP).

Unless you have some other advice, I'll wait and let you know when I find it and we'll go from there.
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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#20
  Re: Re: I may be absent for a while.... by Gourmet_Mom (Nope, I get:[br][br]...)
You know it's funny, Ashley has had no trouble with Vista and MC on her Sony. I had already decided to get whatever I could with XP...if possible. I've just heard too much grief about Vista.

Will, OS, has Ubunto (?) on this one...he's into partitioning and stuff. It drives me crazy sometimes, but I don't have to live with it full time...him or the computer...LOL! A combination of a mild case of Tourettes and/or Aspergers and a near genius is challenging sometimes...LOL!
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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