AP at last and I hate computers part MCXIII

[bcarso]

Excerpt from an email I sent to someone describing yesterday's all-day debacle:

"There just didn't seem to be anything that worked for most of the day. Amazing.

At one point I scrounged a floppy from a book as I may have mentioned, (to use it as a last resort to transfer a needed driver file), and the A drive on my main machine (where the file was) said it couldn't read it.

I tried many different ways of using my DVD drive all to no avail. I had D__ coaching over the phone, and he agreed that something was screwed up. I lost count of how many times I rebooted.

After much strange behavior that I need not detail, I tried to read the floppy again. This time it allowed me to look at the contents, and then copy them to the C drive. Then I tried to reformat the disk, finally was successful.

Then I was able to write the driver file to the floppy.

I took it into the other machine. I restarted and got the new hardware prompt, which says If you have a disk insert it now. I did. Then it said it needed that named file. So I tried any number of ways to get it to look at the A drive, all to no avail---it just sat there.

Finally I copied the A drive contents to yet another location on the C drive. I wrote down the path name carefully and restarted the machine yet again. I copied the path and file name. Nothing.

Then D___ (on the phone again) said use Browse. That finally worked and the computer was successful in recognizing the card. After that things went smoothly and the AP came up as expected---I never thought hearing those relays click could sound so good.

Now I have to read the F-ing manual to reaquaint myself with all the means of setting sweeps and graphs etc., but that will be a relative pleasure now that the machine is working.



Time elapsed: about 6 hours. Collateral "damage": I now figure my DVD drive must be very sick, if not more of the computer as well. But it was fine in a previous operation the day before to allow me to transport the main AP 24 MB file via CD-R to the other machine. I suppose it just may be deteriorating.

"
BUT hooray finally have Sys One capability right in my own lab, and high time for it. I still like instruments with knobs though.

As soon as I can afford a dual domain unit...but in the meantime this is usable for a lot of things, and I also have a prototype switchmode amp filter which helps a lot, and some amp samples on the way that are going to require its use.

 

[Svart]

:shock:

 

[keefaz]

Try to freeze the floppy next time!
Seriously, I had this sort of problem a number of time when I worked in windows env, for some reason it has always been a bit difficult for me to give the driver path to the install modal box (I suppose I tested with the browse button, not sure now :grin:, maybe the tip was to type "A:" in the path field, then click on browse button to access the floppy, I can't remember)

 

[bcarso]

And I think what may have happened with the D drive: something wasn't quite finished when I got impatient and ejected (the disk, not my ejection seat :razz: ).

Now when I insert a disk the Sonic DLA program says it wasn't finished "before the writing session was completed". It is now asking for my forbearance while it "mounts" the disk, a process which I hope is good for both of them as it's been going on now for about 45 minutes. I hope at least the disk got dinner and a show out of it...

We shall see.

And we just had a substantial earthquake, currently assessed as a 5.4 centered in Chino Hills. Quite a number of books and CDs came down here but I'm sure I fared better than at the epicenter, where I'll bet it's a huge mess, although no injuries reported as yet.

I don't believe it had anything to do with either my computer problems or the AP, but you know the Butterfly Effect :green:

 

[amorris]

A: drive!! WOW. its been a while.

I have those days where nothing I try works then first thing in the morning the problem is obvious and fixed in literally a minute.

 

[bcarso]

[quote author="amorris"]A: drive!! WOW. its been a while.

I have those days where nothing I try works then first thing in the morning the problem is obvious and fixed in literally a minute.[/quote]

I kind of knew the day was going to be a bear when it started with a too-early phone call that woke me up. Then I went to turn on the water and it was shut off. Unusually, the manager had not posted anything about it, but she said "Well most people just call me---and sometimes I don't know we're going to have a problem". Hmmm. Well, I thought, there's one flush in the toilet at least, the flapper still holding well.

Meanwhile the DVD drive is still "mounting" the disk. We're at about 75% complete on the readout bar. I don't dare do any sims while this is afoot as I have learned well that circuitmaker does not tolerate web browsing or other conflicts when it is churning away.

But that's o.k.---"Don't bother me..." I'm playing with the Ap now, on the other machine. It has nicely confirmed the performance of a novel preamp design already, while showing me a little rise at low frequencies that needs to be understood and addressed. I knew the noise should be low, habe measured it by other means to confirm already, and indeed even with the gain of about 30dB it is below the Ap noise floor, thus requiring some additional low noise gain to show properly.

 

[clintrubber]

Congrats ! (despite the hassle)

[quote author="bcarso"]Now I have to read the F-ing manual to reaquaint myself with all the means of setting sweeps and graphs etc., but that will be a relative pleasure now that the machine is working.[/quote]
You have the AP-Win stuff or the pre-Win look ?
If it's the latter then a half-A4 page (ok, half a Letter-sized piece of paper) can contain all Function-key meanings and that's about most of it.

The multiple windows in the Windows-version can indeed get you sometimes, especially when you've been away from it for a few months. Everything has to be correct to get what you want. Saving a working setup as a test-config will help there of course.

Enjoy,

Peter

 

[bcarso]

It's APWIN, and as you say it is more picky. But I'm not complaining too much.

 

[clintrubber]

[quote author="bcarso"]But I'm not complaining too much.[/quote]
Nice, could imagine :thumb:

As you'll probably be doing already, where possible it's always nice to have some sanity-check running in || (...).

Easy to get a few data-entry fields otherwise than intended, but it's harder to get a lot of controls on an older full-hardware machine all wrong. Once the AP & the older machine agree it's safe to dive deeper/more accurate/...etc etc

Enjoy,

Peter

 

[bcarso]

One of the first things I did after hearing the lovely sound of clicking relays was to compare the readings of my ancient HP 334A and the filtered generator I had contrived. My single-frequency generator/BP filter was reassuringly low-distortion, albeit not in system one territory. The 334A after roughly optimizing grounding and Ap generator options got close to the lowest readings I'd previously seen, some of which may have been lower due to complementary cancellations of analyzer and generator.

So now my floor is around 5 ppm instead of 100ppm, and of course I can do much more, save it, print it, and have the all-powerful cachet of the Ap logo :razz:

Meanwhile back at the ranch: Sonic DLA has suppsedly done all of its mounting, but is now making some other pass at the cow as it has a not-to-be-relegated-to-the-taskbar message that says Please wait while your media is updated. :twisted: This could take another several hours, conceivably.

EDIT: Had a nice meal out with friends (none of whom wanted to mount me, a good thing) and when I got back a few hours later the DVD drive was finally satisfied---the window finally closed. Not sure how soon I'll try using it again, but one learns to roll with the punches.

 

[bcarso]

Early this AM, when I coldn't sleep, I made some more discoveries about the computers. The long and short of it is the DVD-RW drive on the main machine is definitely sick---it reads but can't write well anymore. Evidently the last file it properly stored on a CD-R was the APWIN 24 MB package----after that, it now churns away and does visible change to a disk supposedly formatting it, but the disk thereafter doesn't work. :evil:

An identical drive on the other machine works fine, and disks made on it can be read by the first machine.

I'll be getting a new drive soon along with some USB memory sticks.

 

[bcarso]

Got two LG 8MB USB sticks and they work great. And Fry's even had them on sale through today for 30 bucks. Such a deal.

 

[sonicmook56]

My AP computer finally died. Blank screen, no system beeps, no nothing.
this is with all the devices removed from the mother board.

200Mhz with 64MB of ram running Win98/APWIN

Time to find another new/used $100 PC and a PCI AP interface card.

Hope my disk is OK as there are years of sweeps that were never backed up.
:grin:

 

[bcarso]

[quote author="sonicmook56"]My AP computer finally died. Blank screen, no system beeps, no nothing.
this is with all the devices removed from the mother board.

200Mhz with 64MB of ram running Win98/APWIN

Time to find another new/used $100 PC and a PCI AP interface card.

Hope my disk is OK as there are years of sweeps that were never backed up.
:grin:[/quote]

Good luck with the interface card---pray that the one you had was o.k. and it was just something else wrong with the computer. Ap is getting stingy about selling them I have heard.

 

[sonicmook56]

My interface card is an ISA, probably impossible to find a machine with that slot in it. I know an AP dude in west LA that probably has one to sell me.. Hopefully.

 

[Larrchild]

You can probably find an 800 Mhz mobo that still has an ISA slot.
I put an old AP setup on one of those. The hardest part was transferring the original 5 1/2" install floppies, lol.