Planetfurry BBS

[AmigaDragon]

Same here, I use Trillian, but may look into Gaim.

[Nameless]

I don't use IM much, but Trillian worked fine and it lets you connect to several IM networks at the same time.

If you don't have used this yet, I would REALLY suggest getting a disk image program (like Drive Image). You make a complete copy of your whole C partition every now and then so when your setup gets really screwed up, you can simply go back to a known good point with all the drivers installed and configured (kind of like a savepoint in a console game).

A good setup is to have a second partition on the drive to make the backups to and then an external drive for a second copy in case the disk dies (or burn the image to CD/DVD).

This has saved me several times already.

[anthony]

I just wish you had asked us before you followed any advice from the 'Dill' support... (That's what I call Dell, anyway. The word has a meaning in Norwegian... )

There are countless ways to overcome the problem, or just to save all the data. Worst case; you could have shipped the disk to me and I'd have copied out all your files for you. (I often have to recover files from crashed laptop HDDs at the office)

As for waiting for the CD...
I believe that most of that crap is available online at Dell, and usually as newer versions, too.

I have run into worse support, though...
I once had a Packard Bell Easynote A1245 laptop, and a few weeks after I got it, WinXP chewed up the partition information.
(Bad enough that none of my tools could fix it.)
The restore partition was also hosed, and as I hadn't burned it out on CDs, I had to deliver it to the shop ('Elkjøp', a large chain in Norway) for a reinstall.
I told them that there were no files that needed to be saved, so all they needed to do was to run a restore...

Unfortunately, the shop didn't have the CDs, either, and had to contact PB for them...
It took over a month for them to get hold of them, even if PB Norway promised to send them the same day(A letter or CD-mailer sent as first-class mail should be able to reach anywhere in Norway by the next day...)
I now usually call them Packard Hell...

And the techs?
They screwed up and didn't recreate the restore partition.
(I didn't notice that until later)
Didn't give me the CDs, either.
And for one annoying reason or another, they had installed Symantec AV on it. (It came as an optional install, and with a 3month trial license)

It's currently 'Resting in Pieces' after I learned that the DC-in connector didn't have reverse voltage protection...

Edit: Never save documents to C:
Do as Nameless says and create a D: partition and use that.
(not for backups, but for working files)
NEVER ever have the backup on the same physical disk.

[Aslaug]

Well, thank you all for all the good advice.

Right now, the machine seems to work. I have to avoid anything involving Yahoo products and ICQ, however...I've learned my lesson in that regard. At the moment, the only problem I have is when I try to patch World of Warcraft, I get a blue screen with a lot of writing on it, starting with the message that I have an error called

Driver_IRQL_not_less_or_equal

whatever the HELL that means. I'll ask the repair-folks about it tomorrow.

I'd also have loved to ask the rest of you, Anthony, but the problem was that I was barred from the internet in almost all forms. I had no way of contacting anyone. In any case, once this last problem is fixed (I'll ask the repair-person tomorrow once the store reopens, since they told me to come back if there were any problems of any kind with the various drivers), and that should hopefully solve it all.

I have also learned that from now on I am taking no-one's suggestions as to 'this little, nifty program that will make your life so much easier'. In the past, I've often had people do that, with the result that my computer usually ended up cluttered with useless junk after a week or two, and I never, ever used any of it. No more. My machine. Mine only. People can install stuff on their own, but not on mine.

Regarding my work, I was fortunate in that I -do- take regular copies of all my writings to my USB-keys. I have two of them, just in case. It meant I only lost a single chapter of T2, and Valaina had it in her in-box and returned it to me. So I didn't lose most of what was really important. Right now I just wonder why the hell I can't patch my favorite game. But that, admittedly, is a minor problem which I am certain can be solved.

And before anyone starts making suggestions for mirror sites, the patch I need is called 1.10.2 and it cannot be downloaded anywhere. It's a small, background patch that is unavailable anywhere on the net. Bottom line is I may have to buy a new copy of the game...*grumble*

Nevertheless, I'm back and ready to work...

[anthony]

Usually when you get that error message it means you either are low on RAM(running XP on a machine with 64MB would probably trigger it pretty soon, but I believe that you have a bit more than that...), or that you need to update one or more of your drivers.

Usually, it's the 'system' drivers, but it can also be IDE or Network drivers.

Take a look at http://support.euro.dell.com/support/downloads/

Select Product type, then model and click on the search button.
You'll then be asked about language and which OS.
My suggestion is to download and install anything with System, IDE, Network, Audio, Video or Firmware.

Also make certain to update to the latest version of DirectX