computer-problem

(a story before 2012)

A very lengthy story as you will read below still is pending ….here is the story in detail with some background on the start.

First some background

It’s about 5 weeks since I bought a new computer. My older system operated for quite lengthy time in its 6.5 years of age . Due to my fears for a possible hard disk breakdown (a hard disk of 80GB abnd Win XP ), last year I used for less than 1.5 hour daily after some sparking sounds last July. To notice further at the end of 2009 it happened another older disk of 9 years (a 30GB Win 98 disk )to come to its end , and finally to lose some data. The disk ended with a clutch sound and operated much less time …

By the way my bestman and god father of my daughter and his girl proposed us to put a web camera to our computer, because due to their business nature, its difficult to meet us . But the camera I bought was only compatible with Win 7 . This idea was the start-up for designing a new computer!

Now the problem with the modem:

My older modem was not compatible for Win 7 as there are no drivers available. So we checked for a Win 7 in the local store of our ISP/telco for a new model. The seller on the store proposed us a free modem , with the proposal to change our telephone /internet subscription of lower cost . this is what we did , but as per the application ,I had to wait for two days , with temporary internet suspension n order to activate the lower cost subscription . There was no problem for me to wait , as ti could be more joy for my family . But the seller did not notice that my mail is very active , and 3 days after , my connection application was with a new username data for connection and my mailbox blocked ! I continue this story afterwards

And you know that for more than 1 month there were bounces with a [null] The older people in this list will probably know the program ‘holiday’ used in the Linux system that is used during your vacations . This was one of the two options that my ‘blocked’ account could do from the web interface : auto replying email a/o forwarding to a secondary email . The default option was the auto reply

Now the problem with my computer

Because I wanted to use both the older and the newer hard disks I asked the seller to install a system using a motherboard with SATA and IDE together .What I forgot was that IDe acts as secondary (slave) drive .

One week after I took the new computer home, 3 days after I made the new connection application , I installed my previous computer’s hard disk of 80 GB to the new one’s motherboard via the standard IDE connection supplied . Unfortunately the system didn’t boot , from the 80GB disk , neither together from the new 500GB hard disk . The problem was dual: IDE disks cant boot in the new mother boards, and the master jumper on it obstructed the BIOS to boot from the 500 GB disk .

I then unplugged the IDE connection the system booted from the 500GB, as expected , and checked a bit my new Windows 7 operating system .

Mail commenced in the office :

By the way all my radio material has been sent using my older mail address in yahoo from the office , including printing from some radio lists and news clipping (that I do only on the office ). I had to set up the 3 main DX lists via that address

Minor but time consuming damage to the house !

Afterwards I plugged my external 200 GB disk (the older of my two externals) to the main power. Its power adaptor short circuited , caused sparks in the jack with strong popping sound that shocked me and a double shortcut to the house’s electricity ,. The shortcut caused two fuses to pop down . Though one of them was discovered easily the second was not predictable ….

As in result for several days I had in he house : no electricity , no internet connection , no computer !!!

This caused me for several days not to use computer. Instead I connected a cable extension for just my HF radio for some listening

3 days later an electrical engineer identified the problems with the short circuit and corrected it .

MY steps to solve the problem: Computer and HDD/USB

My first step was to returned the computer to the seller to do everything required so that both HDDs could operate properly. The first seller adjusted the BIOS and the 80 GB hard disk in nearly the same day ,but I took it 3 days after from their office .

The external HDD/USB has been given to the seller I bought 4 years ago . After a delay of 1.5 week advised me that the external frame (IDE to USB converter included ) was damaged from the short-circuit and the ‘explosion’, and asked me to find another frame from the market because his suppliers have stopped providing him IDE /USB frames Huuuu ;(( (the reason is that I live now too far from the local market )

I looked into one of the biggest chain stores for computer and related electronics in order to find and they are unsure for availability .

More problems: e-reader kaput!

M y e-reader once connected to the new computer froze after start up without OS booting. It did not work although I did several resets.The original supplier is the chain store I asked for the IDE/USB frame . They corrected the problem and returned it back to me after 10 days

My glasses were broken ! will not comment on this further

The problem with the ISP was the final but more complex.

As previously noticed the seller didn’t care about my very active mailbox.

4 days after the temporary suspension , I made several very lengthy calls to the ISp’s technical support . the first call was more than 45 minutes with a young girl, who helped me quite much and left a notice to the next official to solve the reverting of my mailbox. But the another officer, two days after, called me back and advised that they can’t do as I have to do it myself via the web . I left the subject for later.

I did a try from the office 2 weeks later , , using the web access to change the new login to the older but the server shown a message that the older login was available so access cant be changed. Therefore the 2nd official was wrong !

Don’t forget now my computer is working properly .

With a new call to the ISP , they advised me to send an application via fax to the ISP’s main offices in Athens. The folks in Athens indeed restored the mail account with the expense of deleting all received mails (about 700? But they could not mad a backup)

Then the next day I checked the mailbox from the web mail I the office , It was OK

Different login , different mailbox!!

Hoping that this solved all this situation , I used my older account data to connect to the internet. But connection could be done!

A new phone call to the ISP , and the official advises me that connection must be done with the new login account while I have to receive my mails

And then mails dropped !

The first days after the mailbox commenced I received 40 messages per day. But the day 5 , and now from the house after deleting all the server messages , my account receives only 5-10 messages per day.

More particularly I lost messages from the following mail lists:

-Cumbre dx

-Hard core dx

-Playdx

-Kanto DX

-BCDX

and other lists

I know this because the first 3 lists are also received from my account in yahoo and count for 15-20 per day

And now several other problems with the computer:

1. Its transformer is a good radio noise generator . I can’t listen to shortwaves the time I use my computer

2. Printer HP 1010 and scanner HP3770 are not recognized: A tip from a web page restored printing . Scanner’s compatibility will be solved later , the time I will use it

3. Several programs are compatible, some others aren’t installable, some previously installed programs in the older run properly !

a. Some examples : a old Greek dictionary for 98 runs from its directory .

b. Same condition for a video converter . But the installation program does not install

c. Another dictionary (for 95 I think? With some ocx libraries ) does not install