 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Editorial Ash Nallawalla ash@melbpc.org.au |
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This month's theme is Assembling a Computer. It is very easy to assemble a computer, of course, when you know how. Few of us are likely to assemble a PC these days - I built my first kit computer in 1982, a Microbee, and that meant identifying and soldering every resistor, capacitor, diode, key, chip, and so on.
These days you will not need to use a soldering iron. Computer cases nowadays need fewer screws to be removed and often all you need are two screwdrivers. Most people who open their computer case are likely to be installing or replacing a drive or a card. Over the years I have changed or added numerous floppy drives, hard drives, CD-ROM drives, memory, assorted cards, cables and so on.
If you have never done this before, I suggest that you go to one of the branch meetings in the outer suburbs or the Hardware SIG in our Dorcas St premises. You can ask someone who has done it before and sometimes you will see a presentation that involves "looking under the bonnet". Once you have seen it done once or twice and understand the precautions and principles, you can do it at home without fear.
Windows XP Update
Here is an update to a comment I made in my last editorial about Microsoft Windows XP. I said that the popular ftp program WS_FTP LE refused to work properly for me. The culprit was Zone Alarm, whose settings were unchanged from the default after I installed Windows XP. I unchecked the security setting "Block Internet Servers" and all was fine with the ftp program. I apologise for maligning the operating system.
Nevertheless, as time goes by, I cannot help thinking that Windows XP is a mixed blessing as its innovations are matched by a growing list of frustrations. I reinstalled Roxio's Easy CD Creator 5 Platinum after writing the review, to be told that the data protection tool, Take Two, would not work in spite of the XP patch. The advice was to reinstall the program minus Take Two before applying the patch. I dislike reinstallations because I don't trust uninstallers to clean out the registry fully and fear that it will accumulate such "debris".
I had mentioned in my review that a clean installation is always a good idea when installing an operating system, but I had overwritten the previous one just to see how it went. As it turned out, not one of my applications was migrated, even though the data was safe. Well, another frustration that has emerged is that my year-old HP 3150 does not have a Windows ME driver that I can install so that a Networked PC can share this printer. Perhaps there is an update at the HP Web site, but that spells more time.
I don't use this PC to watch a DVD-based movie, as the Pioneer DVD drive is mainly intended for large data files that use the DVD medium. The other day, when I tried to watch a movie, I realised that I had not reinstalled DVDExpress. The six-month-old program is worthless with XP. It will not even install. Of course, the vendor has a patch but no, I cannot install it without an existing successful installation. As the software vendor only deals with the drive makers, I will need to chase Pioneer to see what they can say.
Another nasty bug deserves mention. I would try to open a Word document and would get an error message that I did not have access privileges. What? I am the Administrator but have my own user name, so perhaps it is a matter of changing file ownership. The newsgroups all suggested that one should boot in Safe mode, change ownership, and Bob's your uncle. Can I boot in Safe mode? Of course not. Yes, some people have had that problem too - the same people who did not do a clean install!
I have a Firewire card in another PC. I saw a discussion in a newsgroup to the effect that adding such a card will require me to reactivate the operating system, which means calling the Microsoft call centre and pleading my innocence.
Where is all this leading me? A clean install means a wasted weekend at the
least. I have not reinstalled a few other minor programs after getting Windows XP and shudder to think what
surprises are in store. At this point, reverting to Windows 98SE or Windows 2000 Professional appears to be a
safer proposition.
Reprinted from the March 2002 issue of PC Update, the
magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
