by Matt | May 17, 2003 | Imported Entry
First off, we saw the Matrix this afternoon. Not bad, not fantastic either. Believe it or not, I think playing the video game is helping to fill in some of the “what the fuck?” kinds of questions. There were a few bothersome things in this flick which I will address tomorrow in a full on review. For the moment let’s just say that since I stuck around to see the Matrix:Revolution trailer at the end of the credits, I’m more excited about that movie then the movie I just saw. More later.
Anyway, after the movie we came home and I started putting Brittney’s computer together… again. If you’ll remember, a while ago I was putting it together for her but we ran into some extreme difficulty with the motherboard. Can I just say that I’m now completely impressed with Abit. Asus can kiss my ass, my next board will be an Abit. After our failed attempt with the A7N8X-Deluxe, we decided to give the Abit NF7-S a shot. Not only did it boot on the first try, but it was the easiest motherboard I’ve ever worked with. Everything was labeled on the board, I didn’t even have to look at the manual, but if I had needed to it was well over 100 pages. It documented everything. Every single jumper had a complete diagram and full page explanation of what it did or would/wouldn’t do if set in any combination of ways. It even has wonderful little features that don’t become apparent until you really take a look. For example, everyone has those little “eject clips” on their RAM slots, but how about one for your AGP slot? Cool hun. It also doubles as an anti-movement card saver in case you’re moving your rig all over the place (*cough* lan parties *cough*). The BIOS was also the most friendly, non-pain-in-my-ass system I’ve ever seen. It’s an over-clockers dream as well. Complete explanations for every setting and a “smart” CPU menu that helps out and recommends FSB and multiplier settings based on what your changing.
So, now that I’ve sung the praises of that motherboard, back to the install. At the moment, everything is back in and assembled. At this point, it boots to the XP loading screen, blue-screens and give an 0x07b STOP error. When you look it up in the MS knowledge base, this is what you get:
“SYMPTOMS:
After you move the system (boot) disk to a backup computer, you may receive the following Stop error when you try to start the Windows-based backup computer:
STOP: 0x0000007B (0xF741B84C,0xC0000034,0x00000000,0x00000000)
INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE”
Yup, that’s what I got…
“CAUSE
This error can occur if the registry entries and drivers for the mass storage controller hardware in the backup computer are not installed in Windows.
For integrated device electronics (IDE) controllers, there are several different chip sets available, such as Intel, VIA, and Promise. Each chip set has a different Plug-n-Play identifier (PnP-ID).
The PnP-ID information of mass storage controllers for the backup computer must be in the registry before startup so that Windows can initialize the correct drivers”
Ok, that’s what I figured the problem was… so now what genius, how do I fix it?
“RESOLUTION
To resolve this error, follow these steps for system recovery:
-Use identical hardware for the backup computer.
-Replace the problem hardware components in the backup computer with components of the same manufacturer, make, and model as the components in the computer that you are backing up.
-If the system disk is a SCSI disk, use the same make and model of SCSI controller in the new computer.
-If the system disk is an IDE disk, use the same kind of motherboard in the new computer, a motherboard that has the same kind of IDE chip set and the same PnP-ID as the motherboard in the computer that you are backing up.”
Ummm… what kind of advice is that? Sure, I just happen to have a spare computer with the exact same parts in it sitting right over here. If it’s IDE, use the same motherboard? What if I’m upgrading you numb-nuts? I didn’t figure that this advice was really intended for an upgrader. More likely it’s for someone trying to recover after a meltdown. At least it’s pointing me in a good direction. I figure I good solid reformat should do the trick. That’ll be on tomorrow’s agenda. After I find a boot-floppy that is. Oh well. At least it’s booting, which is more that it was doing last time.
And with that, I retire for the evening.
by Matt | May 14, 2003 | Imported Entry
Lets see, what to talk about… well, classes are going ok so I suppose that’s good. I had a reasonably good critique in Personal Vision on Monday and I’ll have a Fashion critique next Tuesday. I have one shoot semi-planned for this weekend and I hope to have another (possibly two) as well.
As always, I’m not quite settled on a new webpage design. I was so close to liking my new design then I come across pages that blow it away design wise and I get envious and go back and redesign mine again. It’s a never ending cycle.
The Matrix opens here tonight (although it’s not really supposed to). Technically it opens the 15th (tomorrow) so a 12:01am showing is completely legit but the theater here is showing it at 10pm. Something tells me they’re not supposed to do that. I would go except I’m in Savannah and going to an opening night movie here is retarded. Everyone that could possibly ruin a movie for someone else will be there tonight. “That guy” that’s talking on his cell phone, or “that girl” that won’t shut the hell up. I’m sure you know the type. Yeah, well, there’s an over-abundance of them here. Instead, we’re going to go to an early-afternoon matinée on Friday. I’m not sure how much better that will be but we’ll avoid everyone who’s at work and/or school that way.
Started really looking for work too. I’ve got a few places to look in New England and Lauren’s mom sent along a list of places near Houston. That should be a start. This is also the reason I want to spruce up the webpage as well. I’d like to make a good impression in that category and I don’t feel like the current page does that. Especially not with the way it’s split and more or less un-updated, with the exception of this page obviously.
News Item: Copy protection results in unplayable disk… umm, duh.
Lastly, this weeks desktop.
Screenshot.
Icons: a mixture of Dirceu Veiga’s Comics and Everaldo’s Crystal.
Theme: Classix 10k Update
Wallpaper: ??? Can’t remember
by Matt | May 11, 2003 | Imported Entry
Well, that photo shoot didn’t really happen. Originally we had set a time of 6pm but I asked if we could move it back a little to 7 just to make sure everyone had enough time to prepare and get there. I got there at 6:30, set up lights and a table-top set-up and waited. At 7:45 I was fed up and packed my things to leave. The girl who was supposed to be there at 7:00 walked in a little before 8:00. I had told my friends who were in the studio to say that I had gone home angry if anyone asked. She asked where I was and Matt Ferral said I had gone home really pissed off (which I was). I stepped forward and added that it was very unprofessional, turned my back to them, grabbed my things and left. They shut the door behind them and left on their own.
I simply don’t understand people. I was treating this professionally and I expected others to do the same. I was there when I needed to be. I was ready to go. They walk in an hour late like everything is fine. I had shit to do. I had photos I needed to be taking on my own. I was doing this out of the kindness of my heart. I wasn’t getting paid, I didn’t even know this girl. All I was trying to do was help out Sean, my friend.
I apologize to him if he’s reading this, I know this complicates your graphic design work and I’m sorry. But seriously, if I was a paid, professional photographer and she had hired me to do this job I would have walked away. I would have said “find yourself another photographer because my time isn’t free.” I know that sounds harsh but it’s the real world. If she was going for a job interview or was meeting with a client of her own and she was an hour late, she would have just lost that client.
15 minutes I could understand, that would have been fine. Half an hour and I would have been a little angry but would have dealt with it. But letting me sit there for an hour, without even calling my cell phone is pretty damn rude. I think she had the number and if she didn’t she certainly had my home phone number and my roommate was here all night, he would have given it to her. Still, to this very minute, it’s 11:00pm and still nothing from her. Not “I’m sorry, my car broke down” or “I’m sorry, I couldn’t leave work.” Nothing.
I know it’s mean, but it’s finals and I’ve got lots of stuff on my mind and not a lot of time left. Find yourself another photographer, cause this one doesn’t put up with that shit.
by Matt | May 11, 2003 | Imported Entry
Last night was our first official wedding shower. Actually, Lauren had a lingerie shower last week but this was “our” first shower. Sula and Wayne, a very nice couple from church, put it on for us. It was actually a double-header and it was for Josh and Liisa as well (yes, thats the correct spelling of her name). It was a “tool and gadget” themed shower and we were given some wonderful gifts by our friends. A big thanks to everyone that came. I think Lauren is going to have an additional shower once she’s back in TX as well as her bachelorette party later in the summer. I get to look forward to my own bachelor party toward the end of the summer as well. There were all sorts of delicious snacks and some good friends so it was a pretty fun time. We even got a “hand truck”, also know as a dolly, for help with moving which I thought was a rather ingenious and back-pain-saving gift.
Today Lauren is working on a project on CAD and I have a shoot scheduled for 7pm. Sean’s friend, a jewelery major, has some pieces that she made that she’d like to have pictures of. I’m not getting paid but I am going to use them in my own portfolio if they turn out well. That should be interesting.
In the meantime I’m taking some pictures for personal vision since I have a critique on Monday. I’ve been really slacking in that class, not giving it my full 110%. Actually, at this point, its probably somewhere around 75%, so that’s not good. It’s not that I don’t want to do work, I’m just tired of school in general and I don’t really want to force creative ideas out of my head at the moment. Call it spring fever or senior-itis if you will, or call it the hockey playoffs, whichever works best for you.
That’s about it. Later.
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