On Mon, 26 Sep 2005 19:32:42 +0100, Keith (Southend)
wrote:

Brian Wakem wrote:

You could install linux (no blue screens) and use a journalled
filesystem
like ext3 (default on most installs) which will avoid those issues and
does
not require defragging.


If I knew what I was doing better, I'd go along with you on this one.
Would all my Windows software work with it, Word, Excel etc and other
windows applications?

Have you considered an Apple Mac?
No seriously...

I have two and OS X is very stable *and* it can run Microsoft Office apps
such as Word, Excel etc.
What other Windows apps do you need to run?

Users of Macs don't switch to Windows, but it does happen the other way.
Don't dismiss Apple out of hand, it could be the best thing you ever
decide to do.

Gareth
--
"Stupid Gravity!"
Homer Simpson falling from a treehouse

Keith (Southend) wrote:

Brian Wakem wrote:


You could install linux (no blue screens) and use a journalled filesystem
like ext3 (default on most installs) which will avoid those issues and
does not require defragging.



If I knew what I was doing better, I'd go along with you on this one.
Would all my Windows software work with it, Word, Excel etc and other
windows applications?


OpenOffice (free) will read/write word and excel files. It also works on
windows so you could try it on there first http://www.openoffice.org/

If you have any corrupted word docs, openoffice is actually capable of
recovering word documents that word itself cannot.

Word and Excel can actually be made to run on Linux, but I wouldn't bother.

My advice would be go to a newsagent and find a linux mag with a free copy
of Mandriva. WH Smith currently have a special mag for £10 which is all
about installing and using Mandriva, and Mandriva comes with the mag. You
can't miss it, it has a giant penguin on the front. It'll walk you though
dual booting too, so you can still use windows if you need to.



--
Brian Wakem
Email: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/b.wakem/myemail.png

Keith (Southend) wrote:
Brian Wakem wrote:


You could install linux (no blue screens) and use a journalled filesystem
like ext3 (default on most installs) which will avoid those issues and
does
not require defragging.



If I knew what I was doing better, I'd go along with you on this one.
Would all my Windows software work with it, Word, Excel etc and other
windows applications?

If you don't know Linux and are reluctant to install it then get
yourself a copy of knoppix which runs from the cdrom.

I know quite a few that run the Mandrake (Mandriva?) dialect of the
stuffed penguin too and they seem quite happy with it.

Les

--
Les Crossan,
Wallsend, Tyne & Wear
54.95N 1.5W
Home of the Wallsend StormCam and the Backup USW FAQ -
www.uksevereweather.org.uk

GBH wrote:

--
Les Crossan,
Wallsend, Tyne & Wear
54.95N 1.5W
Home of the Wallsend StormCam and the Backup USW FAQ -
www.uksevereweather.org.uk


Your wallpaper makes mine look tame!
Geoff


The Joy of, erm, Photoshop! Full image and some others like it on
request - PG rated.

(:

Les
--
Les Crossan,
Wallsend, Tyne & Wear
54.95N 1.5W
Home of the Wallsend StormCam and the Backup USW FAQ -
www.uksevereweather.org.uk

XP ~ thanks for that, I try to avoid doing such things until it becomes
necessary, but of course when the time comes around I've forgotten what I
did.

I know the more times it crashes the more likely it is to do more damage
to either the OS or the hardware. I doubt it's overheating of the CPU as I
have a 120mm Heatsink on the Athlon 3400 which looking at 'Motherboard
Monitor' rarely gets hotter than 50°c, atm is 45°c

I ran Scandisk (Check disk) for my 'C' drive, as this is the main one with
the operating system on, it didn't appear to throw up any errors, unless
it corrected them in the background, it often does a quick Scan when it
reboots after a crash and does find error and currupt files everytime it
runs. I'll see how it goes for now.

I don't think I've installed anything apart from Firefox 1.0.7 upgrade,
which I find quite often crashes. I sometimes get the blue screen/reboot
when I try to attach a file or grab something from my 'slave' disk. I read
about the blue screen/driver issue, the next step if it happens again is
to put the XP disk in and do a install/repair as it maybe possible some
files have got corrupted. It was a thought that there maybe some bad
clusters whre the swap files are which prompted me to run a scan disk.

Again thanks for your help
--
Keith (Southend)

'Weather Home & Abroad'
http://www.southendweather.net


The most probable cause of sporadic blue screens, lockups etc is a buggy
device driver. Windows XP has a Driver Verifier Manager utility. To use this
type verifier at the command prompt and select create standard settings. In
the next dialog box select the type of driver you want to verify - unsigner
drivers are almost certainly the problem. If your computer stops with ablue
screen on the next start up you will see which is the offending driver
together with an error code.

To resolve the problem boot into safe mode (press F8) and disable or
uninstall the offender.

To disable the verifier run verifier and select delete existing settings or
type verifier/reset at the command prompt. If you haven't got rid of the
driver then this will have to be done in safe mode.

This information has been taken from Windows XP inside out which is a
Microsoft publication. More information is available at the Microsoft
website so if you feel like running this utility it might be worth going
there first at http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/DevToo.../Verifier.mspx.

Your problem may be elsewhere but this will at least eliminate any buggy
drivers if they exist.

Alan


Alan

Alan Gardiner wrote:

The most probable cause of sporadic blue screens, lockups etc is a buggy
device driver. Windows XP has a Driver Verifier Manager utility. To use this
type verifier at the command prompt and select create standard settings. In
the next dialog box select the type of driver you want to verify - unsigner
drivers are almost certainly the problem. If your computer stops with ablue
screen on the next start up you will see which is the offending driver
together with an error code.

To resolve the problem boot into safe mode (press F8) and disable or
uninstall the offender.

To disable the verifier run verifier and select delete existing settings or
type verifier/reset at the command prompt. If you haven't got rid of the
driver then this will have to be done in safe mode.

This information has been taken from Windows XP inside out which is a
Microsoft publication. More information is available at the Microsoft
website so if you feel like running this utility it might be worth going
there first at http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/DevToo.../Verifier.mspx.

Your problem may be elsewhere but this will at least eliminate any buggy
drivers if they exist.

Alan


Alan



Thankyou Alan, I've saved your post for reference.

Early days yet, but since I ran Scandisk, I've not encountered the
problem. I've set the computer not to restart, so the blue screen should
reveal all. Fingers crosssed this won't be necessary.

Thanks
--
Keith (Southend)

'Weather Home & Abroad'
http://www.southendweather.net