The brother Multi Function Centre 420 CN software is now installed on the new PC

I downloaded and installed the full set of MFC 420 CN software for my network printer on the new PC.

I am installing a one year one time install version of ESRI's ArcGIS 9.2 student version on the new PC crystal 89.

I was surfing the school's web pages for computer services for students. I was trying to find a copy of Symantic anti virus software. I did download the school provided Windows version of Symantic anti virus software but it is 32 bit and will not work on the new PC. But while exploring software available for students I noticed that the license for ArcView has changed at school and we are now allowed to use the software at home. I was taking a break from work and decided that in my travels on the buses yesterday to go to school and get a copy of ArcView which is now in version 9.2. I had trained in version 3.2 in 2000 at Carleton at the geography department there where I have done many years of part time studies. I have also done an analysis of a conference paper about GIS last winter 2008 as a school term project. I have also read an introduction to ESRI GIS database use this past summer by borrowing a book from my workplace library. I was studying for a job competition but did not get very far with that application so stopped reading the book. So at the moment I am installing ArcView 9.2 with the intent of continuing a project from 2000.

At the moment I have installed the software and plan to open my old term project from the course I took in 2000. Then, by accessing recent census data I will update the ArcView project. I had used spreadsheets containing census 1996 data, entered into Excel from Zypher at the Ottawa Carleton Social Planning Council. There I had been paid to enter the data. I am a proud supporter of the Ottawa Carleton Social Planning Council and give them money every pay cheque through charitable donations. This is my present and first project for ArcView 9.2. I then may also attempt to open GIS files provided by Statistics Canada and Elections Canada, two of the workplaces I have worked.

I did not succeed right away with the new software. I was able too import my project file but could not get a map to appear. I am up over night and do not want to spend my time on a desktop computer working out this problem as I had planned to read books. So I am stopping now with the software successfully installed and registered.

The new PC Crystal 89 is up and running and has been stable now for 2 weeks.

The new PC has mostly been used as a platform to play Eve Online. I have also run a Windows version of Second Life successfully once or twice. I had been using Google's Chrome browser on the other PC I own running Vista. I have managed with the new PC to avoid installing Vista. The new PC has also been used with Eclipse and I have gotten Eclipse to work on the new PC. I need Eclipse for school work in computer programming. For web browsing I am using only FireFox. For email I am only using web based accounts. I have not done any blog work on the new PC.

Much more installing of software needs to be done yet on the new computer.

I did manage to use a USB key on the new computer without issue. I can not open the front USB ports because the little door does not seem to function anymore.

I have also used a USB headset successfully on the new computer.

I need to install printer software. I have used Open Office 3.0 now once on the new computer. I have not needed yet to print anything.

I have a new Internet modem from Bell.

I have a brand new 2wire Internet modem. It is apparently a wireless four port router as well as a gateway. I have not set it up yet but now that my school work is submitted for the week I may set it up on Thursday. I have horror stories warning about changing successful network setups with new parts but I will go ahead with it. I did not want to risk changing it before my critical Internet activities were past for awhile. I no longer have a back up ready Internet service because I no longer have a computer with telephone modem. Although, I do have two telephone Internet services I have not accessed these for a few years now. To correct this I should buy a USB modem for my Macbook.

I found out from Bell that I use about 23 GB in downloads in a month and less than 2 GB of uploads for around 24 GB of traffic. I have now been upgraded to a 60 GB limit from a 30 GB limit. I believed everything the Bell technician told me when she sold me the upgrade.

The new computer is one week old now.

The new computer is still working and is only one week old now. It has not needed any windows updates since the second windows install. It runs as a 2 Ghz processor. There is an error message saying Intel Unlock press F1. I tried to fix this by changing a setting in the BIOS under CPU settings and crashed the machine. I needed to take out the CMOS battery and clear the settings. But that worked, even if I lost the jumper. I am really glad I bought six little bags of screws, jumpers etc. on ebay a few years ago. These have come in handy on this PC build. I have now put both sides back on the case and placed the computer a little more permanently on the floor under the desk.

The new PC is stable for two days and a bit now.

With just enough drivers now installed and a few rounds of windows update I think the Win XP 64 bit is now stable.

The sound was not working on the new PC. But I have it working now

I had spent two hours trying to get the sound working on the new PC but had no luck yet. I just plugged in my Microsoft headphones and those worked. I finally used the setup file in the audio drivers section of the motherboard DVD and now did get the sound working at the same time I got the headphones to work. Luck or persistence.

I played Eve Online in premium mode and it was cool. I chose the upgraded graphics for the new computer based on computer game demands.

I now am installing JAVA 6, then Open Office 3.0 then Eclipse, then Adobe reader and then I will start to install Debian 4.0 r5.

The windows XP is now being updated. It seems stable.

I seem to have Windows XP working fine now. I did learn, being more careful this time, that I need to install a Microsoft HD audio HotFix before installing the the audio drivers from the ASUS motherboard disk. Right now I am not sure how to do that but slowly I am using Windows Update to bring the system up to date

This time I will not be installing any ASUS AI software.

It was just after installing the ASUS AI Nap that the system stopped booting. My theory is that the AI NAP was keeping the computer asleep. This time I will only install the drivers minus the RAID driver and not install any ASUS applications. WinXP should be reinstalled in about 6 minutes.

Reinstalling Windows XP 64 bit.

So with one error I am now reinstalling Win XP 64 bit. I am again waiting for the formating of the harddrive.

Windows XP is now installed on the homebuilt PC and has been updated once with 46 updates. Now I am installing the motherboard drivers.

The Windows XP install worked and I updated the system using Windows Update

Now I am installing the drivers for the motherboard.

These include

• an Intel Chipset Inf Update Program, now at version 7.2.2.1006,
• a high definition audio driver that is a SoundMax ADI1988B Audio Driver version 5.10.2.4580,
• a Marvell 61xx SATA RAID Driver version 1.1.0.43,
• and finally a Marvell Yukon Gigabit Ethernet Driver version 8.56.1.3

Now I am installing motherboard applications. These include

• a Marvell Yukon VCT application version 2.13.2.3
• ASUS AI Gear version 1.00.16
• ASUS AI Nap version

At this point the machine would not start Windows anymore so I am forced to reinstall Windows and this time not install so much stuff from the ASUS disk. This time I will not install the raid driver or applications. Hopefully this time I do not loose windows. I will also install the few drivers that I will install first then do a Windows Update. Strike one to ASUS.

I want to have the system up and running by 9:00 PM when I can play Eve Online again with the new expansion and hopefully in premium mode with advanced graphics.

First boot worked now installing Windows XP 64 bit.

So today on Remembrance day I bought the Intel E8400 Dual core 64 bit Wolfdale processor. It uses 65 watts and is 80 plus power efficient. I installed it in under five minutes. I hooked up a keyboard, ethernet cable, mouse and monitor and booted the machine. The first attempt failed and I investigated the motherboard. In fact, the power cable to the motherboard was not securely attached. After I fixed this the system booted up. I went into the BIOS setup and set the clock. I then saved the configuration and then the system asked for boot media. I turned it off and burned a windows XP 64 bit operating system disk and am now installing it. The next step will be to update windows. Then I will install the motherboard drivers. Then the monitor drivers. I will then start installing software. I will make a list on this blog later today of the software I will install.

I am downloading a current release copy of the Debian net install CD and later today I will install Debian on the second drive.

I have installed the 8 GB of RAM now.

I installed the other 4 GB of Kingston 667 Mhz RAM today so now have 8 GB of RAM in the new project PC. I now only need the CPU but that may not be bought until Christmas. I do now have two copies of Windows XP 64 bit version. I am having trouble downloading the 9 GBs of Vista 64 bit from my school's server.

I found out that the Wolfdale processors are 64 bit processors, so I am downloading Win XP and Win Vista 64 bit versions from the MSDN school site

I had worried that the 8 GB of ram would not work with the computer I am building but if I use 64 bit versions I can access all the RAM. I did learn that the Wolfdale processor is a 64 bit processor so I can use 64 bit versions of Windows for the new machine. Using the Microsoft Developers Network academic alliance web site I am able to get free legal copies of windows. I am downloading Win Vista 64 bit and have already downloaded the Win XP 64 bit version. I will run the Win XP on the new computer and not the Vista.

By the way the CPU is going up in price again probably because of currency changes in the recent markets.

The monitor drivers are installed

I installed the monitor drivers for the new 19" monitor on the windows Vista on the IBM ThinkCentre.

The new monitor needs the driver CD probably. Eve window can be good but takes adjusting.

I have been playing with the EVE Online game settings with regards the window size and number of pixels. So the monitor is wide screen meaning that I might stretch the game a bit on some settings. Right now I can get the monitor to some windows settings but it would be better if I ran the CD that came with the monitor and get some proper settings. The monitor should be at 1440X900 pixels but windows does not have that setting. This has me thinking that a second monitor with a huge screen might be good rather than two identical monitors. Then I would use the large one sparingly because of course it would be power hungry monster. I am really reflecting on the amount of power that we Canadians use these days. It is so much power we are the most power intense country in the world.