and the fear continues

Well, that didn't fix it. I was starting up in safe mode to uninstall and reinstall my video driver when my cousin called. I mentioned I'd noticed on the worst occasions that I had extra beeps when the computer turned on. She told me to do a search on the beeps. They mean something - mainly hardware wise. Fancy that.

Ok, one search later when the computer chose to turn on and one long beep followed by three short beeps means I either have a problem with my video ram or I don't have a video card.

So, Is my Nvidia 8800GT card frying after 15months? Its working intermittantly. Does this mean its a connection problem? You'd think a hardware problem would happen the same every time. Though every problem I've ever had with computers has been intermittant. Except when my battery leaked all over my motherboard that time. That was pretty terminal.

I also found the forums for my motherboard - ASUS has a forum just for P5K-SE motherboards, Well, well, I learn so much when my computer plays up. Their first suggestion is always to clear the CMOS. They suggest this EVERY time you install ANY hardware. Including those people who had exactly the same video card as me. So, I looked this up. I need to open the case for this and move some pins (or take the battery out for 1/2 an hour). The computer apparently then resets all the hardware so your BIOS and CMOS match - I think. One site had a bunch of "manually reset all your hardware settings after this" instructions - but the others seemed to just say reset, turn back on.

Oh, they also said that ASUS motherboards don't always have the best relationship with NVidia cards, and an ATI card might be better if you want to change.

So, here's my plan.
1. Open up the box, look at it dubiously for a while, prod the video card, looking for physical - jarred out of place issues
2. Turn on the computer and try to get it to freeze (basically by internetting and LOTROing at the same time - high demand as possible)
If I can get it to do it, continue by;
3. Read my motherboard book re resetting CMOS & try this
.....assuming this doesn't cause more issues
4. Go to 2
If 2 still shows issues,

Research good non Nvidia cards & do a forum search on LOTRO with my preferred cards (so I don't buy something that causes LOTRO to crash)

5. Buy and install new card
6. Goto 2.
If 2 still happens,
7. talk to my friendly computer guy and spend more money

Anyone see anything that makes them want to scream "NOOO! Don't do that!" while running forward in slow motion to prevent the disaster?

As an aside, my computer is running at 39 degrees C. If it were human, it would be running a considerable fever. I love my probe software.

Approach the computer with fear and trembling

Lately my computer has been freezing up...requiring a hard boot. I defragged, cleaned my drive, ran a virus check on the whole system. Nada. It started in LOTRO and then moved to when I was trying to do more than one thing even when not playing. Then I got the dreaded BSOD, with a video driver error.
I updated my video driver and its seemed to go away - or not. Crap.
I did some reading and the errors seemed to be identical to some that happened when the video card was new out (way back in 2007). Updating the driver worked then. It also seemed identical to an issue someone else on LOTRO was having earlier this month - so it could have been LOTRO related, but the issue for both of us also happened outside of LOTRO. The suggestion was a corrupted file in LOTRO, requiring an uninstall and complete reinstall of LOTRO (Think 24 hours and a blown out download limit given I don't have the DVDs). The last suggestion was a BIOS issue - out of date for driver or corrupt file. Solution - update the BIOS of the motherboard.
I didn't want to reinstall LOTRO for a guess, so I started reading up on BIOS updating. They tell you how to do it with many dire "unless you know what you are doing don't do this or you'll turn your computer into a brick" warnings. I still preferred this to reinstalling LOTRO.
So this morning I pulled out my files to identify exactly what my motherboard was - go to your manufacturer and get the updated bios for exactly your board, do not try to get it anywhere else or computer death will ensue etc etc.
My motherboard book pointed out I have software on my CD to A - update the bios and B - monitor voltage and core temperature (which I've always wanted to do). Utilities now downloaded I got the update software to save a copy of the current BIOS to a CD and then got it to find the company site, select the available BIOS's and then I picked the most recent one and told the software to flash install - so no effort on my part. Apparently theres also instructions for laborious, careful DOS installing if it doesn't work.
Then the software told me to reboot...ok....why isn't anything turning up on the screen. Crap.
Hard reboot. Now something pops up Checksum error press 1 to fix - takes me to bios altering zone. Crap some more.
Decided to make no changes and just reboot again. Turned on fine. The cold sweat of fear starts to dry. So far no freezes, but I haven't done anything intensive yet. I have a vague suspicion that when I made no changes, the BIOS may have reverted to the previous default state and my computer will continue to crash and burn when Bindy fights a boss.
BTW Sorry about the other week guys - the guardian abandoning everyone just at the start of the "OK, I'll hold off the big boss with 26 000 HP" fight.

some pics

On the way up to the tablelands we stopped at Paronella Park and took pictures of crumbling ruins and turtles...the Ulysses butterflies were too fast for me though.


Skipping everything else for now, here is the blurry, grainy shot of the elusive platypus...as well as probably the best shot of a Ulysses butterfly from the trip. I think the professional shots have probably been doen with dead butterflies. It'd be the only way to get them to stop moving.

had a week off

I've had a week off and have been putting off writing anything till I brought in the pictures of my first live platypus sighting. But then I saw this comic and it reminded me of every time I've taken Berry into a fellowship. And I do believe we were discussing this very idea at one point. Did one of you read it then?

Aprils Blog

Life is still hectic. Summary as follows

I have 130 pracs to mark before Easter.
2 more lectures before Easter plus one practical
exam quesiotn need to be written and submitted - not all lectures written yet, less given.
Biosafety applications need looking at

Should know soon about job. Waiting on interview of last (and absolutely fantastic) applicant. Doom, doom de doom.

Week off at lake Eacham after Easter followed by writing a weeks lectures for a subject I've never done before, plus 11 2nd year (done last time in 2006) and 4 3rd year lectures to update

Research in there somewhere, I hope. I have a good idea but no money or students to do it.

Misc lab things to repair/supervise, Food lab to get up to scratch.

Long term - lecturing a whole subject next semester that I haven't done before.

Bindy now has a Facebook page. There are even pictures.

Hmm, thats enough bloggin in point form...work now.

talking part 1 is done

I've given my seminar - I'm told it went well. The HOS said he understood it which is a good sign. I felt I blathered at certain points, but I kept it mainly to time...phew.
Now I have to wait for an interview at 5pm.

Biggest 2 weeks ever

I'm about 2/3 of the way through a monstrously busy 2 weeks. Masses of lectures and practicals which means I've had to work around them. A grant application went in and I'm preparing for a presentation and interview for a job on this Friday. Samples are coming into the testing lab for something we've never done, so I had to design a protocol for them and make up new and interesting media. I've also been going to a series of presentations by other people for various jobs they are applying for (one a day all week). Then the PC3 lab air flow started to play up...so its been shut down and we are setting up to sterilise it on Monday-Tuesday prior to technicians doing repairs. Oh, I also did a lot of phone calling regarding a complicated order for pipettes. I'm now taking a breath and a coffee before pouring agar plates and tightening up my presentation...must also find out the type of questions that get asked at interviews before Friday morning. This afternoon I will be running a food quality practical and then going to aquarobics.

there's this new toy I'd like

..but I can't justify it.

The smart pen. I don't take enough notes to need one. You buy this fat notebook and pen (replacement notebooks abt $20) and you write your notes with the pen. When you go back over your notes and wonder what they all actually meant, you can tap on a line of notes and the pen plays back audio of what the lecturer was saying when you were writing the illegible scribble that is in the book. As a novelty, you can also draw a keyboard in the book and play notes by tapping it with the pen. My cousin bought one for when she's marking verbal work for her prep/grade 1 students.


Here's an instructional video

On another note, its pouring here again.

cough cough cough

My cold continues on schedule. I have a standard order of
1. sore throat (if I have betadeine I can nip it in the bud here - I didn't have any on Sunday night :( )
2. slight cough and slight runny nose, plus fever & fatigue
3. Heavier runny nose and sneezing, fever is fading
4. heavy runny nose, blocked sinuses, coughing again but chesty this time
5. sinuses clear, runny nose mainly dries up, cough turns dry and hacking
6. recovery

I'm usually feeling at my worst at 2 and 3.
I'm now at 4...should be right for getting online tonight - but I'll sound awful

Shooting myself in the foot

I've said for some time now, that there's no point in me doing longer days and working weekends. All that happens is my brain switches off and I make mistakes or I get sick. If I try to do the longer hours, I pay for it in just as many hours lost later to inefficiency, mistakes and illness. So, I have these really short deadlines for papers/grants/lecture writing & end up spending all weekend working on the paper. Sunday night I get a sore throat and I've lost 2 days of work with brain capacity falling to about 5% of normal, a desperate desire to sleep and feeling generally like crap. I actually feel a bit better today and the woman in the office across from me says I look terrible and wan. My eyes are very bleary. I really should learn and stop paying attention to people who say I should work the weekend/after hours if something has to be done.

spam spam spam spam

I was thinking monty python while I wrote that. I just got my first spam comment. All about power levelling in RPGs. I must remember to write more boring things that don't attract them.

Gah again

So there I was, using my creative time (till 1pm) sorting through data in papers for the purposes of writing a streamlined introduction that supports me doing the work I've already done and am writing the paper for. Suddenly, an email pops up telling em I have until 4:30 to mark the supplementary exams and and have them at examinations. These are the papers I was given 2 days ago, for a subject I didn't teach last year but am going to take over next semester, without a deadline given to me. So of course I put them aside because I knew they'd require much thought to figure out what was actually taught & what should be included in a complete answer. I have now used up the last of my creative energy for today for exam marking. So much for getting my paper written. I need a nap.

GAH!!!!!

Hate writing papers, hate writing papers, hate, hate, hate writing papers.

I feel the more I have to work at them, the more they churn unto mud....and the less the point I was tryign to make gets put across.

Cold up here

The fan is off, I'm considering jumpers for the office (several have already given in). I haven't seen the sun in...hmm when did I last see the sun? Still enjoying the rain though, for two reasons. Firstly, if the sun was out it would be stinky and humid and probably as hot as it is down south, you poor shmucks. Secondly, when it stops raining I have to start thinking about mowing the calf length grass again.

hmm, timing is everything

I'm currently figuring out if I can add anthrax to a vet lecture, as well as public health food poisoning issues without blowing the top off my hour to discuss tetanus and botulism. 18 slides so far without having either in there. Both of these are requests from other lecturers who think my lecture would be a good place to put this in so that its covered.

back to the grind

I did a total of two things today at work...and I finished neither of them. I do not expect to improve tomorrow.

On an up note, I did level Bindy to 50 before my holiday was up :)

On a weird note,
I took my car in to be rustproofed this morning & they rang me before lunch time to say it was ready. I went in & picked it up at lunch because the guy said I was his last customer of the day. When I got there, he was asleep with his feet up. The music was on louder than I could speak and I couldn't find the volume dial. I even poked him and he didn't wake up. His feet were twitching, so I assume he was dreaming. Since my keys were beside him and I'd already paid, I left a note telling him I couldn't wake him, I'd taken my car & to ring me if he needed to tell me anything or I needed to do anything more. He hasn't rung. Everyone at work asked whether I'd checked if he was still breathing.

Blech

I started work yesterday at 8:30am and finished at 8:30pm - all food lab sample processing. Now I'm back at work at 8:30am again. Todays stuff shouldn't take as long in the lab, so for the rest of the day I'm doing all the admin crap I haven't got to. My office is a pigsty and I have a bunch of ordering and number crunching that needs to be done. Biosafety forms updated, new students forms examined, course redesigned to run next month, filing, rubbish to throw...I'm not even going to look at the papers and lectures I need to write :( 14 lectures in 2 weeks at the start of semester, ick!
Edit : also set up old computer and try to rescue data before chucking....I'm stopping now to have a percolated coffee (Red Back Mareeba Arabica coffee)

I love writing lectures

I get carried away, I spend far too much time on it. I wrote my first lecture for this year yesterday. It took 8 hours of work....Given I have 7 lectures and 14 hours of pracs in week one, I might have to pick up my pace a little

woops missed a few

well, so much for holiday resolutions. after the 1st of January, I forgot to comment.

Hmm, what did I do for these three days...grind welds, paint welds, a little bit of LOTRO (none at all yesterday, though Andrea has tempted me with Moria superior crafting benches), read novels (one Pern novel and two Tamora Pierce novels. I'd given her novels a rest when they seemed to get a bit samey, but obviously I've been away from them for long enough that I could enjoy them again). Thats about it really, oh and I bought some cleaning stuff for my new car - now I have to find some time to use it. I go back to work tomorrow :( I think I work too hard doing too many non-satisfying things, since I don't look forward to going back. Even though I have a lot of fun things I could be doing, I don't get round to most of them because of other peoples priorities. Now, off to play some LOTRO before going over to Dot's for afternoon tea.

more grinding

Spent some of the morning and some of the afternoon grinding. Had nephews over in the middle of the day, watched stardust on DVD. Played LOTRO this evening and got Bindy 1/2 way through lvl46. One level a day wont get me to 50 before I go back to work...thats assuming i could get a level a day...oh, and they got my hopes up with a superior workbench in suri-kyla, but it only works if I get to ally status...I only managed that with the mathom society because bindy is a cook & they have cook quests etc.