dbminter

Just got this interesting message from my boot time routine. CMOS Checksum Error 3 I have an idea what is possibly is, but, I wanted to run it past anyone who might know as I tried Googling my board ID and the CMOS Checksum Error 3 and got nothing. My guess is I need to replace the CMOS battery. Does that sound like a possible line of repair to anyone's guess? It should be interesting to fix as the battery is only $3 but, I've never done a CMOS battery replacement before. Thanks!

Why, thank you! IMO, it's never too late.

I just now realized. No one wished me a happy birthday on my birthday this year. Oh, well, too late to complain about it now.

I wanted some 24x Ultra Speed CD-RW's but locally all I ever saw on the shelves was at Office Depot. To top that off, it was Memorex branded CD-RW's. I had tried some of those before but got skipping playback on the Playstation 2. Which I would have expected from Memorex, one of the bottom of the barrel choices. But, it was my only one. So, imagine my surprise when I got 5 more Memorex Ultra Speed CD-RW's from Office Depot and found out they were MCC Manufacturer ID'ed! Which I believe is Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation. I also believe MCC is the same kind of manufacturer used for Verbatim's DVD-R's. Which means that they should be pretty good. I had only thought of DVD+R as being any kind of media that had any value from Memorex, save for their earliest brand of CD-RW's from like the early 2000's.

Oh, dear. I just got one of these drives. I had a Sony DRU-700a that went tits up after a month. Then, many months later, when I put it in again to test it, it was working. Go figure.

I believe my NEC/Optiarc drives did the same thing as well.

Only 8 left! I really went through the last few pretty fast.

I just now tried ConvertXToDVD and it works. No need to go through my lengthy process of restoring my factory default partition and installing Nero.

I have ConvertXToDVD but never knew it could do that. I'll have to give it a throw and see if it works better than my method of restoring down my factory default partition so I can keep installing the 30 day trial of Nero whenever I need to.

I seem to recall using Maxell media with MXL in the MID years ago and they worked fine, playing their content even years later. Sometimes, though, Maxell uses RITEK media, like the Maxell discs bought from Office Depot. They can have a few skipping problems when using those. I stopped using Maxell for that reason.

Funny enough, I just tried the IFOEdit method last night. It didn't work for me. The VOB output would not load in DVDShrink and when I made an actual disc out of it with ImgBurn, the screen only displayed a solid black screen. My method is to use Nero Vision in Nero. You can get a 30 day trial of it. Yes, believe it or not, I actually found a use for Nero's software.

Was there a postal workers strike in the UK anytime (or still going in) in January? I ordered something from the UK and the e-mail I received told of some possible impending postal strike action that might delay my order. So, I was wondering if anyone could enlighten me. Thanks!

I'm in the US and I get my burners from Newegg. Have for the last 2 or 3 NEC drives I've gotten from them.

I've got to put in my 2 cents on TrueImage. The last two versions, 12 and 13, that I tried the 30 day free install for had a very serious bug in both versions. The rescue media that boots from CD would forget that the USB drive was there when it tried to open an image from a USB HD. Thus, it was impossible to restore without first reinstalling Windows, then installing TrueImage, then restoring the image from within Windows and letting it reboot and do the restore. Version 11 is the last version I have come across that "worked." Another problem with the newer versions is they can't restore older backups that are split into multiple parts. Norton Ghost is another option to go with. I've not tried it since they bought up Drive Image, my all time favorite and first disk partition imaging software. However, Norton Ghost is software you can usually find in a store like Staples. I've never seen TrueImage in a store so I'd think you'd have to buy it online. You'd have a better chance to get store credit from a brick and mortar store, I'd say, should it not be what you want.

Man, that even Verbatim chooses CMC Magnetics stuns me. At least they offer a better alternative quality media. For now, anyway. Hopefully, they won't become another Optodisc for me where I stopped getting Optodisc media after they switched over to CMC's which wouldn't finish burning, etc.

I got to thinking. Installing DT may completely defeat the purpose I would install it for. I would guess DT would want to install SPTD 1.62 or it may not work. At the very least, it would want to install it. It may install it without asking me if I want to. But, it's an option I can try sometime after taking a daily partition image so I can restore back should something go wrong.

The problem with using the installer is it tells you what version it will install on its splash screen but goes ahead and installs it without telling you what current version is installed. At least, that's what I remember when I installed 1.62 before. I remember it asks to disable the service and then restart and rerun the installer. Which would mean I'd have to update to 1.62 then reinstall Alcohol again, which I've already done once before so I'm not going to repeat it just to have it do what I think it already does.

You think it would be in the About box for Alcohol but nay. I wanted to see because I don't think Alcohol's current version works with 1.62. I installed 1.62 and its virtual drives disappeared. So, I reinstalled the app and I think it installed an older version of SPTD over 1.62 to get it working. But, I wanted to be sure. I know the Alcohol installer SAID it was installing 1.58, I think. But, I was wondering a way to do it easily to see what version I would have in the future if an update was necessary after they released a new one.

I don't have DT installed. I have Alcohol. I guess I could install it, check the version, then uninstall it.

Is there a way to check what version number your SPTD is if it is installed? It is on my machine and I'd like to check the version number, but, I couldn't find anything with a Google and can't think of a way to do it myself. Thanks!

I cleaned out Big Lots of their remaining CD's/cases and got 30 more. So, now, there's only 70 left.

That time of year again! Time for me to copy and paste some lyrics of a more cynical view of Christmas. This year, I've chosen Tom Lehrer's A Christmas Carol, with included prologue and epilogue. One very familiar type of song is the Christmas carol. Although it is perhaps a bit out of season at this time. However, I'm informed by my "disk jockey" friends - of whom I have none, that in order to get a song popular by Christmas time, you have to start plugging it well in advance. So here goes. It has always seemed to me after all. That Christmas, with its spirit of giving, offers us all a wonderful opportunity each year to reflect on what we all most sincerely and deeply believe in. I refer of course, to money. And yet none of the Christmas carols that you hear on the radio or in the street, even attempt to capture the true spirit of Christmas as we celebrate it in the United States. That is to say the commercial spirit. So I should like to offer the following Christmas carol for next year, as being perhaps a bit more appropriate. Christmas time is here, by golly, Disapproval would be folly, Deck the halls with hunks of holly, Fill the cup and don't say "when." Kill the turkeys, ducks and chickens, Mix the punch, drag out the Dickens, Even though the prospect sickens, Brother, here we go again. On Christmas Day you can't get sore, Your fellow man you must adore, There's time to rob him all the more The other three hundred and sixty-four. Relations, sparing no expense'll Send some useless old utensil, Or a matching pen and pencil. "Just the thing I need! How nice!" It doesn't matter how sincere it Is, nor how heartfelt the spirit, Sentiment will not endear it, What's important is the price. Hark the Herald Tribune sings, Advertising wondrous things. God rest ye merry, merchants, May you make the Yuletide pay. Angels we have heard on high Tell us to go out and buy! So let the raucous sleigh bells jingle, Hail our dear old friend Kris Kringle, Driving his reindeer across the sky. Don't stand underneath when they fly by. Actually I did rather well myself, this last Christmas. The nicest present I received was a gift certificate "good at any hospital for a lobotomy". Rather thoughtful.

Only 40 left! Get them while you can't!

Recently, my favorite brand of dual slim CD jewel cases from Office Depot were discontinued. But, yesterday, I discovered CD-R's being sold in these cases cheaply at Big Lots. $4 USD for 10 of them. So, I bought 5 of them to get 25 total jewel cases. However, the CD-R's that were inside were junk CMC Magnetics discs. Totally useless. So, I figured, if anyone wanted these 48 CD-R's, I'll give them to you for free. Yes, I said 48. I already destroyed 2 of them. All I'd ask for is the shipping to be paid back to me. After all, I don't want to come out on the losing end of this. The discs are branded Philips 700 MB/80 Min 52x CD-R's. I make absolutely no guarantees of any kind with these as they're CMC Magnetics. Not even that you'll be able to complete a full burn with them nor how long they will last before the data on them becomes unreadable. Yes, CMC Magnetics media is THAT bad. Which is why Memorex is so bad. They too often use CMC Magnetics media and slap their label on them. So, speak up if you want this "deal." Otherwise, I'll just end up throwing them away.