Well it is well past time to provide an update on the blue screen situation. As I have said before, I have been racking my brain trying to come up with a plausible idea as to why the blue screen crashes were occurring and how best to fix the problem. I figured there must be a software compatibility problem somewhere and it was driving me nuts because every time you turn around each of the programs wanted to update the latest and greatest version that was supposed to correct some bug or security patch a vulnerability.
It is amazing that with all the updating that was taking place you think they might have stumbled on a correction with some of the actual problems that this box had been experiencing such as the windows media center’s inability to record and playback live TV as advertised let alone just watch it in real time.
Also surprising is the fact that most all the software programs and especially Microsoft products like to have you plugged into their networks to report any problem areas you may have and constantly provide feedback with which they can make their products better in every way. That is the sales pitch anyway. It seems that they want you to turn over as much control to them as possible and they will take care of all your software problems for you so you won’t have to worry about a thing. At this stage I have almost given in to it completely as I can’t figure out what they are trying to do half the time anymore and they don’t seem to be willing to tell me, unless it is in code.
So round one was to make sure that I had the latest and greatest versions of any software, updates and patches. This included drivers and anything else I could find that seemed like it needed updating. This took a long time and a lot of effort doing searches and researching items to make sure I was getting the right items for my machine and its configuration. Also not easy is working with “high speed” Qwest internet running at a whopping 1.5 Mb on its good days. This is much better than dial up and I shouldn’t complain but at the price they are charging, both Qwest and I should be ashamed.
So after making as many updates as possible and only seeing the situation get worse I decided that the next step was to start a process of elimination, in other words start taking out some of the updates and see if one of them was the problem. My two biggest suspects where Microsoft Internet Explorer and Adobe Acrobat’s Reader/Flash/Shockwave/whatever else they were dumping on me.
Since I had downloaded IE 8 thinking that I would be starting fresh with a new browser and that it would leave the old problem behind, but noting that the new browser did not function well from day one, it was the first to go. I removed the program and then tried to redo IE 7. I say redo because that is exactly what it became. Many of the settings and previous configurations had been lost. This may have been a good thing because since that time we have not had near the problems with crashing.
Next to go was the Adobe add-ons, though I think I might have lost them from the browser when it went through its changes. I have gotten a lot of update request for the Adobe software but have agreed to very little of it for now. That is my typical position by the way in taking on any new updates. When given the choice between letting the program do a ‘typical’ load or a ‘custom’ load, I will generally pick the custom load and look at each of the elements being added. Most times my picks will match the ‘typical’ load but just as often I will find them trying to insert an additional item that I don’t think I really want or need.
I also downloaded the latest security software from McAfee during this period and again ran a thorough scan of the system finding nothing more than a errant cookie. Besides taking significant time to run its scans and downloads I find it a little more comforting than the “One Care” security solution that comes from Qwest.
The other thing I have done is to update and start using Mozilla’s Firefox a lot more. It is almost the preferred browser at the moment though there are still many sites that seem to function better with IE. I hate having to go to more than one source for technical solutions but that is still a fact of life in this high tech world.
So with all this done I have to say, so far so good. I haven’t seen the blue screen in quite some time, but I admit that I still do not push this computer anywhere near where I think the limits ought to be. I still feel like I am treating it with kid gloves. Maybe because I have this need to justify the time and dollars invested, but I still want to get my money’s worth out of this adventure.
The only other side effect of note at this time is the fact that for some reason the computer is closing up and shutting down then restarting at sometime while it sits idle. I know this because I have left some applications open and come back the next day with nothing showing open on the taskbar. This is an important reminder about saving and backing up your work. I have had a pretty good track record and didn’t think these kinds of things would happen to me but it just goes to show that some things really do happen and through no fault of your own. I will probably be a little more sympathetic to other people’s stories now, even if I thought I was before.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
