My luck with Windows this year has been about as bad as Pangor's run in with the phone company.  Five times I've had to load windows.

Now in all fairness, the first two were upgrades to a couple of old computers so I could use Adobe's Creative Suite which requires XP.  I then decided that I wanted something a little newer.  I usually buy new components whose technology is about two years old.  Tried and true and no bugs left in them.  So the third load was to set up my "newest" build.  Nice little homemade machine.  Worked really well for 6 months.  No problems.  Then a hardware failure.

For years computers have hummed merrily along with little internal maintenance.  About the time you were ready for a new card or extra memory,  blow the dust out and button it back up.  About once a year I would use a can of compressed air and "dust" the insides.

Not anymore      These teeny tiny fans that are used on graphics cards and motherboards  can become unbalanced in as little as 6 months!  I learned the hard way.  I should have seen it coming(I did hear it).

About the time I discovered Daz Studio, and started learning about Poser, that little fan started vibrating whenever I started the computer.  I thought it was just a loose screw or something, because the vibration would shortly go away and all would be fine.  Let this go one for a month, even though I knew better.

One day the noise is getting worse, so I decide to open of the side panel.  Surprised by the amount of dirt buildup on the fans, I get my trusty can of compressed air and start shooting.  Cover back on, power back on, computer sounds like a jackhammer pounding on granite    Computer dead.  No Boot   Out to the kitchen table, clean completely.  Hook everything back up.  Nothing.  Motherboard won't boot.   My fault.  Lesson re-learned don't take shortcuts with computers.

Well, after sorting out that the vibrating fan could have damaged more than the motherboard, I decided to build another machine.  Since the discovery of all this neat 3D art and stuff, I bit the bullet (and my poor wallet) and got some state of the art hardware.  First time in at least 10 years.  

Everything went perfectly.  All software back on, nothing lost in the crash due to a backup strategy, and back to learning and hunting for content on the web.  Everything was fine for a couple months.  I have windows configured for maximum performance, and use several utilities that I have found to keep the registry cleaned out, and generally running well. I decided for no real reason, to run Windows Checkdisk utility as the last step in some routine maintenance.

Big mistake! Windows chewed up my hard drive and spit it out violently against the wall. Could not boot into windows.  Tried to repair off the Windows CD. Nope. Can't find the hard drive.  

  It is a good thing I learned DOS back in the pre-windows days, so I invoked the recovery console went in, did some magic, and got the computer back up.  A bit unstable, but well enough to back up the few critical files that weren't on the backup drive.  In searching the Microsoft Knowledge Base for why checkdisk may have corrupted the directory structure, I did learn one key item that warrants mentioning.

Windows XP will not properly recognize a hard drive that has a capacity larger than about 120 GB until after Service Pack 2 is installed.  Now here is the Catch 22.  Windows installer will partition and format any size drive you want to put it on.  HOWEVER, until Windows XP with SP2 is fully installed, it may not properly recognize the drive as time goes on.  So Windows happily installs itself onto a drive it can't properly use and at some point in the future, well, this may be an over simplification, but... crash.

I rush to reload everything again (I'm getting pretty good at this by now ).  Back up and running.  Get Poser.  Start learning the program.  Working on a calendar submission.  Decide to make a simple wall prop in my CAD program that I can import in.  CAD program won't open.   Use a 3D floor plan program to create the prop.  Later a couple of other minor software glitches.  I'm thinking that in my haste to reload windows I may have misconfigured something deep in the forbidden depths of windows.  So, I plan to take the computer down, do a clean install, keep a log, and get everything just right.

I get everything loaded except all the Poser content.  Save loading the CAD program for last.  IT WON'T OPEN!       I reloaded Windows in vain     

Now what?  Every program works except one.  It hangs on startup.  Roll back a restore point.  Step back take a breath.  Rant a bit with some friends who will hopefully understand and sympatize.  Calm down and try again.  

What irks me is that I have some new ideas for models that I would need the precision of CAD that could be imported into bryce, and tweaked in Poser.  Well, I'll figure it out.  

Thanks for listening.  I'm ready to browse the gallery for a little while, then back at it.  

melamkish

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Too many projects, too little time.

The details are different but the situation is similar to mine.  I hae built most of my computers.  Only two are functional at the moment, because of hardware failures and the difficulty in finding replacment items compatible to the older machines.  My newest machine is one I built almost a decade ago with a few upgrade after that time.  I like using field proven companents rather than the latest bleeding edge items.

In my setup, Windows is for some games and some graphics software only.  All else I use Linux or when appropriate, BSD.  Dos either direcly or via an emulator for other games.

Pangor

I've built myself all my recent machines buying new parts or used parts from ebay etc. My last graphic card broke the fan too and i sticked a normal size fan with hot glue and it's working normally on the pc I use as a "media center" under the TV. Also I use to keep my PC opened and use the air compressore every 2 months, or however when I see the dust raising too much. I've also a fan pointed directly on the hd which remains cooled. However i don't think to use a HD more than 2 or 3 years, after that period I think you can face a crash even because I use to keep the PC on all the day and rarely I switch it off (it's the reason why I'm online even if I'm sleeping...lol). About CAD, it's used by my bro for university, I use to give him Poser models like cars for his architectural project that he can import in dxf format if I'm not wrong, never done the contrary, however the program is working since two years ago with no failures. I have a teory on how to make the comemrcial software run smoothly and perfectly without crashes but I can't write it here     ...

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Cooler heads and calm minds prevail.  After a good night's sleep and a fresh pot of coffee, a more detailed and analytical approach.  

Mind you now, I'm not prone to fits of real anger.  I've been accused of being more Vulcan like than Mr. Spock. But on occasion, even I get hot under the collar and have to vent some steam.  A little virtual anger helped to clear the mind.

At about the time a couple of programs started acting up, I had done several things.  Windows Update, loaded new graphics drivers, loaded some miscellaneous utilities (by the way, multi-pipe download managers are awesome), and I loaded Poser.  

After this last failed re-load of windows, it occured to me that I have had several failed windows loads before.  Now I've lost real count, but yesterday I let the windows installation cd partition and format the hard drive.  That was the main problem.  And again, this has happened before.  Although I don't know if I can prove it, even if windows formats the drive it appears as if the installer reads some of the settings from the registry and holds them in memory.  I noticed some issues after installation that should have clued me to dirty installation.  To ensure a clean installation, I formatted the drive with the hard drive installation cd, then let windows installer format and then install windows.  Now I have a working, clean installation and my CAD program is working.

Before I go on, a couple of technical corrections.  XP prior to the installation of Service Pack 1 will only recognize drives as large as 137GB.  I thought the Microsoft Knowledge base on checkdisk issues mentioned SP2.  I could be wrong here, and will research later.  But the Catch 22 mentioned earlier can get you.

During the above process, I broke updating windows into little chunks and tested and did backups.  All the updates are installed and no problems.  Now to complete loading and testing.

Whew.  That's about it.  Thinking back, now, in my rush to get up after the checkdisk crash, I did not ensure a real clean installation.    Self-inflicted injury is the worst kind.

Thanks for listening.  Onward and upward! May the Force be with you!  The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, and oh, yes, Live long and Prosper!

Pangor, when things on your end calm down and return to normal, PM me with your hardware needs.  I have an old P233 sitting in the basement collecting dust.  Recently cleaned it up and tested.  Still works with Dos 6.2 loaded.  Would be willing to let it or parts of it go for the cost of shipping (after reciept and inspection, of course)

Tormie, I relate.  All my hard drives are new this year.  I recently bought an UPS because I've had a power outage corrupt everything.  In fact, this morning power almost went out, but recovered before the computer lost it.  Gotta get the UPS back on line.

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Too many projects, too little time.

Problem found and corrected!!    Seems the latest nVida Forceware graphics drivers for my Asus EN6800GT and my CAD program do not like each other. Roll back and all is well. Now to reload everything else and start rendering.

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Too many projects, too little time.

Try the omega drivers:

http://www.omegadrivers.net

!

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Thanks, Tormie. I had read about them but never got around to looking for them.  Bookmarked for future use!

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Too many projects, too little time.

Melamkish I bought a new PC in September and by now it has come an go from home to service about 10 times I had such a bad luck with it that I think when I will be able to use it normaly it will be old and need another one. Now I'm using my old Duron 700 five years old that had to go to service just once and because of that I decided to buy my new one. Maybe it's the revenge of my Duron 700   but I want my new one, and must wait until January 16 when service come back from vacations      

rayera, I can relate very well.  My last little machine was rock stable till it shook apart.  I notice you are on an AMD machine.  Your new machine wouldn't happen to be an AMD also, would it?  If it is an ASUS AN8-SLI Deluxe, these boards are very touchy with the bios settings.

I just got done reloading everything on this machine testing every step of the way.  Good clean installation.  Installed Poser, tested it. Moved on.  Finally get my content loaded, open Poser, two or three mouse clicks and wham.  Just shuts down.  Try several times, same thing.      Uninstall, reinstall, same problem.  I'm beginning to think that my year old hard drive may be showing problems.  I've defraged this drive so many times it may not have any surface left.  Hate to run chkdsk again, but gotta start some hardline diagnostics.    Thank goodness I have backups on the other drives.

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Too many projects, too little time.

Well, I may be onto something.  Changed graphic drivers to a version somewhere between my OEM and the ones that cause my initial problem.  Now, at least, Poser is working without crashing!  And it appears that every thing else works.     A little more tweeeeeking and finish loading content and maybe I can start some rendering.

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Too many projects, too little time.

I'm sorry for your new PC rayera   , when it was the time to upgrade my old one I tried an AMD 3000 with its motherboard and noticed little problems. I'm not saying that it was the fault of the CPU, but I didn't know what it was: Cpu, motherboard or compatibility with windows. I knew only that sometimes it freezed or rebooted so I decided to go classic even if I would have preferred to try AMD  

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Back up and running again.  Turned out I had a hard drive failing as well as some driver issues.  Put the new hard drive in one of those hard drive coolers with fans and temperature sensors.  I was amazed how hot the old drive was running

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Too many projects, too little time.

You could use it to cook eggs !

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This might seem a stupid question, but what do you recommend for hardware when building a new computer that will make Poser 5&6 and all of it's helper programs/ utilities run fastest?

eheh, simple: the last CPU, a lot of memory, a very fast HD and an expensive graphic card !

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