Text 28885, 64 rader
Skriven 2012-08-29 09:25:00 av NANCY BACKUS (1:261/1381)
     Kommentar till en text av MICHAEL LOO
Ärende: Re:nat/unnat disasters182
=================================
-=> Quoting Michael Loo to Nancy Backus on 08-27-12  09:55 <=-

 NB>> Well, I opened up the notebook, turned it on, and it started to boot
 NB>> up,  but in checking the checksum it got confused, and spewed a bunch
 NB>> of messages ending with thinking I needed to boot from a boot disk in
 NB>> drive A:\.  Which of course, not only did I not have with me, but it
 NB>> doesn't exist at home either.

 ML> I've heard tell of rescue CDs that one can make to remedy
 ML> this situation; in fact I think I made one for this box
 ML> once, but it's all packed up someplace, worse than useless
 ML> as the memory of it will mock me if I need it.

I know that Richard has made such, for use whenever...  and I believe he
has passed some along to people in need of such.  Even though the
computer thought it needed it, I'm not sure that it would have solved
anything in this instance.  And, I'll amend my previous statement to "I
don't have one of those at home either".  It may well exist in Richard's
bag of tricks.

 NB>> As it turned out, the answer was there in the set-up, in the first
 NB>> choice of things to deal with.  Somehow, the computer had forgotten
 NB>> the information that told it what sort of a hard drive it had, so it
 NB>> couldn't find it, or the info on it.

 ML> How many of us have that information ready? Do we need it,
 ML> or can a failure-recovery procedure regenerate it for us?

A Wizard can find it and replace it in the computer.  I don't know about
a failure-recovery procedure... In my case, the info is "hidden" on the
case of the computer, so even I should be able to do the fix.
 
 NB>> Apparently CMOS is where the computer
 NB>> remembers the information about itself?

 ML> I was under the impression that it's in a more stable
 ML> place, called a BIOS, which I thought was no longer reliant
 ML> on battery backup power, being burned into a firmware or
 ML> something. Could be wrong, though.

It all spins about in my head...  (G)  Once in a while, the Wizard
explains it so that it makes sense for a few minutes..  ;)  I think that
BIOS is software, CMOS is (closer to?) firmware... 

 ML>> I installed something called a Lastbat in my first
 ML>> Windows computer, a Gateway 486; this was guaranteed never to
 ML>> fail (I believe the company failed, though).
 NB>> Hmmm...  I suppose failure of the company wouldn't necessarily mean
 NB>> that the guarantee was no good... the battery might still keep running
 NB>> forever...  (G)

 ML> That company carrying within itself the seeds of its own
 ML> destruction - as if the batteries lived forever, there
 ML> would be no need for the company to keep making them.

Except to supply the ever-burgeoning glut of computers being sold...?

ttyl         neb

... Computers can't cook omelettes, even if asked.

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