So, have I learned anything?

[Guest]

You are just so cute, I like to think of it as a lolly pop!

Phil, that's what your AV looks like, the cutest little lollydick.

Lick, lick,

Perdita

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Yeah, yeah, yeah... nice save.

 

[MathGirl]

No! That's a broomstick! And we're standing in front of the moon! Isn't it OBVIOUS?

Dear Perdita,
Ummm...... I hate to be the one to tell you this, but ....... Last time I looked, the moon didn't have a little teat at one end and what is obviously a knot at the other.
MG

 

[Guest]

Dear Perdita,

? ? ?

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Dear Perdita,
Ummm...... I hate to be the one to tell you this, but ....... Last time I looked, the moon didn't have a little teat at one end and what is obviously a knot at the other.
MG

I have no idea what you're talking about.

And this time, it's NOT because English is my second language.

 

[oggbashan]

Welcome back, beautiful Svenskaflicka.

Have you sorted your operating systems out yet?

I can, but don't try. I take my machine to my local expert who is doing OS changes daily. Even so, his language becomes blue frequently.

Og

 

[Svenskaflicka]

The ones who put my computer together has installed some kind of block, that makes it impossible for me to erase the harddrive. I'm going to call for help from my friend and her elite programmer husband.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

OK, the elite-programmer-husband that M has, said that since I bought the computer as a package deal, they have probably "locked" it, so that I won't be able to erase the harddrive, neither by mistake nor on purpose. I'm downloading Partition Magic, to see if I can force the sucker (the computer, that is, not M's husband) to erase the harddrive.
BUT, this experiment will have to wait until Monday, when the stores open again, because I need to talk to them about how come my Product Key doesn't work.
If I manage to split the harddrive up into two partitions, and then I can't install Windows... Well, that would mean a night of playing Scrabble with the cat, instead of having fun with the computer. (That bloody cat cheats! I still claim that MWEQRWYZXS isn't a correctly spelled word... )
I'll wait until I have a sucker-proof way of installing Windows, before I'll try the erasing-thing.

If THAT doesn't work - I'm calling my teacher in Hardware Theory, to ask if he might help me fix this!

 

[ffreak]

Sorry I didn't get back to you earlier. The 'lock' can be removed one of two ways:
1) boot the machine and go into system setup mode (you probably have to press the Delete key, or one on the function keys - F10, F2, F8, etc.) Look through all the settings for a lock setting to prevent reformatting the hard drive. Make sure you record the settings, especially those related to plug and play, and your hard drive in case you have to try option 2.
2) remove the cmos battery and replace it on the motherboard while shut down. When you reboot, you may get some complaints since the settings have all disappeared and have to be redetermined. Check the hard-drive settings to see if they match what you had before.

Have fun-

-FF (there is no such thing as a secure computer as long as you have access to the hardware)

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Thanks, ffreak!

Will try that.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Microsoft may hire expensive programmers to make advanced yet user-friendly programs, but they will just be wasting their money until they figure out how to make a program user-friendly even for blondes.

It turned out that I had mistaken the porduct key for WinXP with the one for Microsoft Works Suit...

 

[Svenskaflicka]

OK. I've erased the harddrive, and partitioned it into two almost equal parts. I've formatted them both, and installed WinXP on drive C. Now I need to figure out how to install Linux on drive D. These instruction manuals only describes how to install it from a disquette, not from a CD.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Hey, I'm getting closer!

 

[snooper]

Re: Re: Good grief!

As I said on 24th:-

Usually three to five days, but sometimes even a week if the load goes badly.

MG's answer is always right.