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Computers Defy Logic.
16 years ago
General
Before I get into this, a little disclaimer: I am in NO WAY a techie. When it comes to working on computers, or even remembering what half of the specs mean, All you'll get outta me is a good laugh at the sheer level of stupid I can cram into my frame. That said...
I got Omega's computer parts! 1.5 gigs of memory, 2 hard drives, rockin' sound card, and a nice shiny new video card. Took it all outta the box and shut my computer down so I could get to the upgrading goodness, courtesy of Tim. :)
First thing I notice? I'm missing screws. There were missing space plates in the back of the tower I'm using, and, while the Video card was big enough to cover one of those holes, I still needed a crew just to affix the sound card in place. Luckily my father is a pack rat in the construction industry. Electrical, no less, so he comes across the right size screws near-constantly. The down side? They are all in one big ass coffee can. So I had to spend about 2 hours sifting through this big can of screws, nuts, bolts, washers, and god-only-knows-what-else before I found my screws. Back to the task at hand!
So I get the memory changed out no problem. This is the one thing I am confident in my ability to do, and it goes smoothly. I fandangle the new video card in place and screw it down. Then I put in the sound card and screw it down as well. Put the tower back together and hook it all back up. Turn it on. Found New Hardware box pops up. Normal, right? So I have it scan the sound card and it auto-installs some drivers. While it's doing this, one of the little gaming services I never use pops up and starts updating itself. -.- Ctrl+Alt+Delete to open the task manager and close that, since it has NO way of stopping it otherwise. Add/Remove programs and get rid of Raptr. Back to business.
This is when I realize that the sound card came with it's own software disk. So I put it in and install it. Open the Program it puts on...and it's messed up. o.O There is like...3 inches of space around the bottom and right side of the screen, cutting off everything the program SHOULD have there...My start bar is GONE. I have no way of closing this program DOWN now. >.< Ctrl+Alt+Delete again...but...what? A little box pops up saying that they task manager has been disabled by the administrator. But...wasn't I just in it? o.O
So I do a system restore to get back my Task Manager. This also means my sound driver is gone again. >.< And Raptr is back. So I first re-un-install Raptr. Good Riddence! Then I decide it's a good time to fix my AVG free so I can do a virus scan and see what's the deal with my Task Manager getting locked out in the first place. But...Now I can't find the disk with the install file on it! Argh! I search for about a half hour for that before I finally give up. Steal a CD-R from my dad and go to my MOM'S laptop to grab the file, so as not to take the chance surfing the 'net for it with no protection. Finally get AVG uninstalled and reinstalled. Updated. And now it gives me a new little error box saying there is a power problem with my new vid card and it's auto-setting all the setting down to safe levels. I just turned the PC back on...it had only been on for like...15 minutes, max. So I, naturally, assume I need a new power...supply...pack...source...thingy...YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, DAMMIT! D=
So I take my tower apart, AGAIN, and take out the shiny new vid card (which is almost too hot to touch. I guess I know now that the fan it comes with was NOT running...) and re-rig the fan I had to the fins on the old card so I can put IT back in. Put the computer together and turn it back on. When it gets to the desktop, it just....goes black. >_> And then start booting up agian. It Auto-reset. And then I get this little box pop up...AGAIN...that says the system just recovered from a major crash. No shit, Microsoft...no fuckin' shit...>_>
So I start manually closing down all the frivilous little programs that start up automatically upon start-up because I never figured out where in the hell to go to stop them from starting up in the first place. And I misclick. I hit the NVIDIA controls on accident. For the new vid card...that I just had to take out. AUTO-RESTART!! Hmmm...I guess I should get rid of that, so I don't do it agian.....so when my system reboots, I open the Control Panel. Add/Remove Programs again. NVIDIA Drivers is in the list! So I select it. Tell it to remove all but the basic video driver. And it restarts, as it is supposed to do when there is a registry/driver change, so that the change will take effect. Reboots...Desktop again! Found New Hardware? Oh yea! I still don't have my Sound driver installed...No bi--............Huh? o.O? Other PCI Bridge Device and SM Bus Controller have no driver now? How the hell did THAT happen?! >.<
It was at that point that I decided to give up. Ran my full system scan, which came up clean, save for the usual tracking cookies, and decided that I needed to rant. Maybe you guys need a good laugh. >_> I have a friend who is a computer technician. He is going to fix this for me. I have his word. :3 Or...I'll end up throwing this damn computer out the nearest window........and it sits right in front of one! Either way....
This, my friends....is why I HATE working on computers. With a PASSION!! >.<
I got Omega's computer parts! 1.5 gigs of memory, 2 hard drives, rockin' sound card, and a nice shiny new video card. Took it all outta the box and shut my computer down so I could get to the upgrading goodness, courtesy of Tim. :)
First thing I notice? I'm missing screws. There were missing space plates in the back of the tower I'm using, and, while the Video card was big enough to cover one of those holes, I still needed a crew just to affix the sound card in place. Luckily my father is a pack rat in the construction industry. Electrical, no less, so he comes across the right size screws near-constantly. The down side? They are all in one big ass coffee can. So I had to spend about 2 hours sifting through this big can of screws, nuts, bolts, washers, and god-only-knows-what-else before I found my screws. Back to the task at hand!
So I get the memory changed out no problem. This is the one thing I am confident in my ability to do, and it goes smoothly. I fandangle the new video card in place and screw it down. Then I put in the sound card and screw it down as well. Put the tower back together and hook it all back up. Turn it on. Found New Hardware box pops up. Normal, right? So I have it scan the sound card and it auto-installs some drivers. While it's doing this, one of the little gaming services I never use pops up and starts updating itself. -.- Ctrl+Alt+Delete to open the task manager and close that, since it has NO way of stopping it otherwise. Add/Remove programs and get rid of Raptr. Back to business.
This is when I realize that the sound card came with it's own software disk. So I put it in and install it. Open the Program it puts on...and it's messed up. o.O There is like...3 inches of space around the bottom and right side of the screen, cutting off everything the program SHOULD have there...My start bar is GONE. I have no way of closing this program DOWN now. >.< Ctrl+Alt+Delete again...but...what? A little box pops up saying that they task manager has been disabled by the administrator. But...wasn't I just in it? o.O
So I do a system restore to get back my Task Manager. This also means my sound driver is gone again. >.< And Raptr is back. So I first re-un-install Raptr. Good Riddence! Then I decide it's a good time to fix my AVG free so I can do a virus scan and see what's the deal with my Task Manager getting locked out in the first place. But...Now I can't find the disk with the install file on it! Argh! I search for about a half hour for that before I finally give up. Steal a CD-R from my dad and go to my MOM'S laptop to grab the file, so as not to take the chance surfing the 'net for it with no protection. Finally get AVG uninstalled and reinstalled. Updated. And now it gives me a new little error box saying there is a power problem with my new vid card and it's auto-setting all the setting down to safe levels. I just turned the PC back on...it had only been on for like...15 minutes, max. So I, naturally, assume I need a new power...supply...pack...source...thingy...YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, DAMMIT! D=
So I take my tower apart, AGAIN, and take out the shiny new vid card (which is almost too hot to touch. I guess I know now that the fan it comes with was NOT running...) and re-rig the fan I had to the fins on the old card so I can put IT back in. Put the computer together and turn it back on. When it gets to the desktop, it just....goes black. >_> And then start booting up agian. It Auto-reset. And then I get this little box pop up...AGAIN...that says the system just recovered from a major crash. No shit, Microsoft...no fuckin' shit...>_>
So I start manually closing down all the frivilous little programs that start up automatically upon start-up because I never figured out where in the hell to go to stop them from starting up in the first place. And I misclick. I hit the NVIDIA controls on accident. For the new vid card...that I just had to take out. AUTO-RESTART!! Hmmm...I guess I should get rid of that, so I don't do it agian.....so when my system reboots, I open the Control Panel. Add/Remove Programs again. NVIDIA Drivers is in the list! So I select it. Tell it to remove all but the basic video driver. And it restarts, as it is supposed to do when there is a registry/driver change, so that the change will take effect. Reboots...Desktop again! Found New Hardware? Oh yea! I still don't have my Sound driver installed...No bi--............Huh? o.O? Other PCI Bridge Device and SM Bus Controller have no driver now? How the hell did THAT happen?! >.<
It was at that point that I decided to give up. Ran my full system scan, which came up clean, save for the usual tracking cookies, and decided that I needed to rant. Maybe you guys need a good laugh. >_> I have a friend who is a computer technician. He is going to fix this for me. I have his word. :3 Or...I'll end up throwing this damn computer out the nearest window........and it sits right in front of one! Either way....
This, my friends....is why I HATE working on computers. With a PASSION!! >.<
