One Cheap Suit

So they sold their stuff because they wouldn't need it anymore, some lady whack job slit her kids throats rather than go through the "tribulation", and that idiot Camping apparently is the only one who got raptured because he's disappeared. Oy. Well, at least this guy is still around, I guess we need more examples of how not to be a Christian.

I am a big fan of "if it ain't broke", so yeah, I reuse everything I can Regarding your questions/comments about Windows: Vista/Windows 7 performance: You should see a significant speed increase on 7, why haven't you upgraded the laptop to it yet? It's pretty much imperative (to me) unless for some reason the laptop won't run it. It's an upgrade install and very easy. Windows XP mode: Runs older software, even software that's much older than XP. If Windows 7 can't run an application or program in "compatibility mode", XP Mode is the next step to try. And if it can't run in XP mode, you can also install your copy of Windows 2000 in its own virtual machine using Virtual PC (which is what XP mode runs under, and is free) and run anything you like. For maximum silliness, you could image your hard drive to a disk image, convert it to a virtual machine, and run it in a window in Windows 7. Here are copies of XP, Windows 2000, and Windows 7 all running in their own windows. All it takes is horsepower. USB Fax modem: It should be external because many new mainboards come with only one, or possibly two, compatible PCI slots. You may need that for something more important, like a RAID controller (you are running hardware RAID, right?). Also, Windows 7 64 bit drivers are hard to find for older fax cards, but are relatively easy to find for USB modems. A USB modem gets power either from the the phone line or from the USB port, therefore a power adapter isn't needed, AND you're only adding one cable. If you need more USB ports, you can always add a hub (which will be powered). Batch jobs, old programs, etc: Windows 7 still has the command prompt, don't worry. Most older DOS commands work, with the exception of some that are obsolete. However, for batch jobs, spend the effort and learn Powershell, it's built in and is batch jobs on steroids. However, your existing batch jobs will probably work with some minor tweaking (i.e. robocopy command line switches are pretty much the same as xcopy). For the archiver example you mention/ask about, this is a perfect case for a powershell script using Robocopy, which is the replacement for xcopy. There are thousands of powershell scripts available here. As far as older games and the like, I run Age of Empires 3, Call of Duty (the original), Medal of Honor (the original), and Homeworld 2. There may be some command line switches to get the things to run, but once they're set up it's seamless. I'm making all this sound easy by not going into a lot of the details here, we can PM if you like to get more detail, but you are certainly smart and competent enough to set yourself up with a new Windows 7 box without a lot of the pain you're expecting. If you decide to spec out a new machine, consider that XP mode and virtual machines require horsepower. A minimum of 4 cores, 4 GB of RAM, and two separate hard disks or disk arrays (you want to separate virtual machines from your system partition to prevent high disk use) are a base requirement. Work your way up from there.

(4th freakin edit - sheesh) FIRST: Your system is old. It's time to replace it. It's now a Honda CRV with 300,000 miles on it, it's going to nickel and dime you to death. BUT if you must fix it: 1st: As you suspect, it's heat related. I'd reapply the thermal transfer paste (don't use much!). If you brace the mainboard so that it can't flex when you're pulling on the cooler clamp, all will be well. Or, most small PC repair places will pull the CPU for you for nothing if you're nervous. 2nd: If new thermal paste doesn't solve it, look for weak points on the solder points or a bent pin in the CPU slot. 3rd: RAM: Running memtest is a really good idea. 4th: Power supply. If the PSU is going it won't fail the CPU, it just won't power up or it will spin the fan and then die again. I realize you don't want to hear about reinstalling software, but Windows 7 running XP mode - (you need Windows Professional or Ultimate, not the Home editions) can run any XP-compatible app by running XP "in a window" - i.e. as a virtual machine - and if you want to go earlier than XP, I'd beef up the RAM in the system, install full-boat Microsoft Virtual PC, and install any other OS as a virtual machine rather than dual booting. So much faster (and easier to manage). If you're looking for a new system, you must go 64 bit on the operating system if you want to run 8 GB, Windows 32 bit will simply ignore anything over 3.5 GB. And lets get you up to date: A modern fax modem should be external, using USB. They're 30 bucks and eliminate the need for a slot. I run dual 22" HP monitors, it's quite a thing. For some ideas, go look here: http://www.reddit.com/r/battlestations

A flamethrower is also essential. As are brains. For bait.

Eh. I made one of those deathbed promises to my dad that I'd pay for my mom's health insurance until she qualifies for Medicare, which happens in November. No one in my family will end up in a nursing home unless it's medically necessary, and certainly not because it would be inconvenient to move them to one of our houses. My sister built her house with an in-law apartment on the ground floor specifically for this reason. No one in my family will end up broke, on the street, or abandoned unless they choose to live that way. That's how my family is. Regardless of financial conditions, if I can afford to help a family member, I will. I'm glad I have family that will help me when the time comes.

Yeah but have you seen some of these government run nursing homes? I did IT support for some a few years ago, and it was like Nova Prospekt in there. If any of my tax dollars are going there, it's not many of them

Do you want to put them in a government run nursing home instead? Put em out on the street? What are the alternatives? Should we be put them down like an old dog?

I take off my pants. Doesn't everyone?

Here's to 48 years of clean country living, a chicken in every pot, and a dildo in every "rec room". Happy birthday!

Don't know when "young" gets turned to "not young" - haven't hit it yet

Time to change it up, get in front of it instead of feeling like you're behind it. Make your lists: things you need to do before the move, during the move and after the move. Take the last two lists and put them away, you don't worry about those until days 0 and -0. Do something, at least one thing, on the list every day, until its done or you move. Lists don't work for you? Then take good care of yourself every day: - On meds? Are they working? If not, change them up. - Are you exercising every day? You should. Repeat after me: I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

Not doing well in high school, I coulda been a contender

Things I use my ipad for - reading books - time and billing for computer repair work I do - connecting to my computer at work - genealogy - great for field work - writing and accounting with quickoffice - projecting powerpoint presentations - email - internet Things I use my nook for - reading books in the sun

The straights, they're always ruining it for everyone o_O

Nope gay is gay, lesbian is lesbian, bi is bi, straight is straight, trans is trans. There's a continuum and people fall along it, but for the most part those are the big 4

Nope

i was just pulling your chain about all the double negatives, really. I hope you find some good compatible Christians to date.

You gave up = you are no longer not dating guys (You are no longer not dating = you are dating) who are not Christians and into Jesus You are dating non-Christians? Or you are not dating non-Christians? Are you not dating atheists, or dating atheists? what is this I don't even

21. They will get high on a balcony or deck, and still have coherent conversations and not raid the kitchen. ...what?

The mental image I have of this doesn't have any people in it.

Climbing towers? Meh. These guys make climbing a tower look wimpy. o_O

I use Stanza to read ePub format. On an iPad. I have found Sigil - it's open source - to be a great little after- publication ePub editor. It's like dreamweaver for ebooks basically. Good luck & have fun.

And they overlook the fact that lending a paper book to a friend is actually piracy too. We need to move away from big publishing houses that eat up lots of the cost of a book, and move toward lower cost books that compensate the authors directly and more fairly. E-books are a perfect medium for this, imho. Also, it sickens me to pay more for an ebook than a paperback, because I know the publisher is getting the lions share of profit on a lesser cost. I'd rather pay the author directly.

Potential causes: - Fans not running - Bad battery - Fans jammed up with something - see #1 - Clogged vents - i.e something is covering them Diagnosing: - Give a make and a model and if you aren't sure, take a picture of it - including the bottom - and post them here. - When a laptop is hot the fans should run. The hotter it gets, the louder the fans are. You should feel hot air coming from side or top vents, if you don't, look for somethng clogging them and clear the obstruction. If you don't hear fans, you need to call the manufacturer/make a warranty call. - If the fans are running and you feel hot air coming from the vents, then look at the battery. Shut it down and pull the battery. Is it hot, I mean, HOT? Warm is okay, HOT = BAD and you should not, not not run the laptop with a bad battery - it could catch fire. Contact the laptop maker for a replacement. - If it is a Mac, cooling happens through the keyboard and a vent located just under the display. Check to see there's nothing blocking those areas. Macs run hot by nature and yeah, you can get a burn from them. - Make sure the laptop's vents are clear. They vent heat actively from side vents and passively through vent holes in the case and keyboard. Don't leave a laptop running on a bed, for example. With the machine off, put that edge extension on the vacuum cleaner and give it a good suck. Then reverse the vacuum cleaner and give it a good blow. Make sure you serve it ice cream afterward. If your video card is overheating, you'll have a hotspot near the video card, which is probably dead-center or off to the left under your keyboard. An overheated video card will probably flake out and crash before it burns you, BUT it can cause heat build up in the case even though it's running fine. Most video cards have fans, you should hear them running, and they have a high-pitched whine compared to laptop case fans. An overheating video card is probably bad and needs to be replaced, it's a warranty item. TL;DR: Look for air from the vents and make sure they are clear. Check the temperature of the battery. If it's a Mac, don't use it (j/k).

A coming out story in two parts