New Computer Blues........

[BuffaloBob]

About 5 days ago my laptop computer crashed. Just like that............ unable to detect hard drive. Took it to a computer guy, and yep... lost everything.

Since my first IBM PC, 640kb DOS kit I have gone through this process so many times. And it keeps getting harder to recover any files. My last count was ~ 60,000 various data, text or image files. I do have several backups but of course nothing current.

My new ASUS computer stores 1 terrabyte of data. Of course who would need that much? Right. I've said that about a dozen times. Anyway this new super computer is a 64 bit processor. And I discover that my main printer only works with 32 bit stuff. What's the diff?? Beats me but life is hard without a printer.

And my Paint Shop Pro photo program is also not compatible. That's as far as I've delved in to software. Like painting a room. Then you need a new carpet. Then the furniture looks a little worn. .................. new software, updated USB devices and who knows what next. I use 2 all-in-one printers/scanners, a large format flatbed scanner, camera downloading stuff, bar code scanner, GPS unit, 3 external hard drives for backups etc, USPS postal scale, and dozens of good links that I may not recover and certainly can't remember. I have a 500GB Buffalo hard drive with I think is a fairly complete disk image. I'll see how the restore works as soon as I feel comfortable. I'm getting too old for this stuff. It's a young person's game.

Keep your data backed up........
BB

 

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[Felinepeachy]

I have been there, done that. I feel your pain. :P

 

[piegrande]

>>I'm getting too old for this stuff. It's a young person's game.

Um, thanks, that means me, I guess. I am only 69, and sometimes teach classes to college students on Linux. Maybe when I get old, I will need to slow down.

 

[BuffaloBob]

>>I'm getting too old for this stuff. It's a young person's game.

Um, thanks, that means me, I guess. I am only 69, and sometimes teach classes to college students on Linux. Maybe when I get old, I will need to slow down.

Hey we are the same age. Cool!

Linux.. way to go.
I started on Basic Assembly Language (BAL) on an IBM 360
Report Writer (RPG)
COBOL

First computer job was wiring IBM Unit Record Equipment boards for the 80 column cards.
Fancy IBM machine did four cycles: "Add, subtract, multiply and divide" on every record (card). I can hear the equipment now.

Then the IBM PC with Lotus software plus 9 pin matrix Epson printer for a cool $7,500 each.

Umpteen classes for all the popular PC software, Harvard Graphics, D-Base Plus, plus lot's of DOS apps.
Then Windows 3.0 bloomed (well into 3.1). Then Lotus 1a.

On to many other operating systems and computer code and don't forget to RTFM. (Read the manual).
Even a bit of ADA software used by the military.

And you and I have read so many manuals, program languages, operating systems. Oh don't forget networks.

It has been a long road since I first forgot to set a page advance on the Control Data 1,600 Lpm printer so after the first page printed, a lot of additional paper wa spewed out the top of the printer before I shut it down. Quite a sight. Made me proud in an odd sort of way.

As a manufacturing cost accountant the first spreadsheet applications were a lifesaver. Column and row totals agreed!
BB

 

[piegrande]

Actually, I started in 1966 on analog flight computers, of all things.

1969, I worked on a discrete DME (distance measuring equipment). It was so precise that they had to design new test equipment. And, they kept trying to find out why it gave wrong locations for the local airport, finally repeated the survey and learned the location listed in the FAA pilot's manual was in error.

This box used some of the same chips used all these years in some of the Space Shuttle's computers, SG24 etc.

In 1974, I was one of the first techs on our first microprocessor boxes, an area navigation computer for business jets. My specialty until I retired was the assembly listings. It was stated one could not troubleshoot a microprocessor based box with an oscilloscope. Actually, I could, with the full assembly listing.

In the late 70's, I bought an HP20 pocket calculator, and that is where I learned programming. A lab tech let me play with the HP9830 desktops in his lab. Then, I bought a TRS-80 Model 1 Level 2, and actually entered the computer age.

In my last years, I spent a lot of time training fellow workers on various computer systems. Teaching beats working any day.

When I retired at 55, I took an ICS course in COBOL, just out of curiosity. Then, in 1999, started Linux with Mandrake 6 or 6.5, I forget.

Here in rural Mexico, I once taught Linux to a brilliant woman who was working on a thesis for her diploma. In 4 days, I taught her all she needed for her programming thesis project. It was a great experience teaching someone that smart. Never asked me to repeat anything, got it first time. They had expected to pay a fortune for her classes, since in Mexico no one does that sort of thing for free. And, of course the teacher would have dragged it out to maximize revenue. When we finished, they asked how much, and I told them, I had said nothing. They said in Mexico nothing is free. I laughed and said my classes are. For this, I have two friends for life. Cheap at the price.

Now, she is the local central school directora, not sure if that's principal or superintendent. She does have dual boot computers in the computer lab.

Now, I am mostly working on family history. I have my wife's Palacios family back to before 1793, but the Moctezuma side has some real gaps in it, I may have to wait for a Ph.D. student to access the old records in a library only accessible to government authorized researchers.

The local church records, available from Salt Lake City, of course, show a lot of that family, but there was a horrid period where the local priests did not put surnames on the marriage and baptism records.

I spend a lot of time on my computer.

I run PAF, the LDS genealogy program, in Linux, with WINE.

 

[Smee]

Just say "Thank you microsoft." They purposely write numerous products and software out of their new versions of windows. Why?

Well, if you can still use the old ones, you won't buy the new ones.

Same plan is being taken with your CRT TV, VCR, soon your CD and DVD (in favor of BluRay), and so on and so on.

The new Washers and dryers I sell are now all computer. They do that so they work better . . . for the manufacturers. They can be programmed to die after x number of loads.

We hear about the need to conserve . . . and then look at the "cash for clunkers" deal. All of the new cars can be tracked by GPS, everything computerized and can be shut off by satellite . . . Hmmmmm......

 

[BuffaloBob]

Now, I am mostly working on family history. I have my wife's Palacios family back to before 1793, but the Moctezuma side has some real gaps in it, I may have to wait for a Ph.D. student to access the old records in a library only accessible to government authorized researchers.
The local church records, available from Salt Lake City, of course, show a lot of that family, but there was a horrid period where the local priests did not put surnames on the marriage and baptism records. I spend a lot of time on my computer.
I run PAF, the LDS genealogy program, in Linux, with WINE.

We also do family research and it sure is interesting. Both our family origins were in Scandinavian countries, where the Norse spoke Swedish, the Finns share a very old language with few other people. And due to local regulations it was often easier, when buying a farm, to just change your family name to the former owners. Less red tape. So research, without the benefit of local dialect and access to Church documents depends a lot on family stories on the net.

Most of my ancestors were just folks, farmers, miners etc and never owned much of anything. So no legal documents to check ownership. Not many generations in my family. Father born in 1900, grandmother in 1868 and I can find census records to around 1790 and that's it. The rest are stolen from other distant relatives on Genealogy.com.

My better half has made about six or more photo/story albums for us and family members. That's why I think making hard copies of all that stuff is so important.

Good News! Just an hour ago I was able to restore most of the files and programs to my new computer.

I recommend ACRONIS TRUE IMAGE HOME 2011" /b] as a good program. AAA+
http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/

BB