My computer

joy, it's possible to hook cable between the two computers to copy files,
but you may need the tech support folks to do that. another low-tech way is
to email the files to yourself from old computer and then read the mail on
your new computer... there are other ways, but these are readily
accessible. a CD drive with write capability is an option, but I don't know
if your CD was writable...

and, if you need the CD drive fixed, it's usually a tweak of the registry.
tech support folks may be able to do quickly, if they've encountered the
problem before. this happened to me last year (lost CD ROM drive) and I
twiddled with registry and got it back, but i don't recall what i did...

Chakolate...

You are a brave man to twiddle with the registry. One of my personal
commandments is 'Thou shalt not twiddle with the registry.'

david...

Joy...

david...

the good news, joy, is that WinXP has the same internet tools that you've
been using with WinME... OE6 and IE6. at least that part should be very
familiar to you. and, once your WinXP settles down after initial
installation jitters, it mostly looks and acts like other versions. there
are many differences, but most are subtle and not obvious.... security is
tighter, but I like it...

one of the first things you may notice is that within a few hours of
operation, it will want to 'call home' to Microsoft to 'activate' the
system. This is a transparent internet connection that registers your
computer and software to Microsoft to prevent piracy. sounds scary, but
happens in a second or two... :)

Thanks, david. I'm hoping to do a direct transfer once I get the new one

Joy...

Thanks for the warning, david. It came a little while ago, and I'll be
starting (or attempting ) to set it up shortly.

and get it set up.

My old (current) computer has two CD drives. One just runs them and the
other plays audios and writes. Unfortunately, it's the one that doesn't
work. If I can't manage the direct transfer, I'll call tech support and see
if I can get help. The problem is, I don't know who to call. I have
Windows ME.

Email would work for some things, likeven though it would be rather
cumbersome. I may try that when I get the chance.

not too difficult (most of the time... )... just be careful and backup
when nervous... :) I first noticed the missing CD problem when I once had
Roxio Easy CD Creator 5 installed. It worked ok, but when you uninstalled
it, the CD was trashed. roxio did create a fix, but many people never
realized the cause and effect.

Of course, I often break my personal commandments, but not without
trepidation, and not without the realization that I might be consigning
myself to computer hell.

The bad news is that my computer has suddenly stopped recognizing the D
drive, which is the CD writer and audio player. Yesterday I played a CD in
it, then turned it off. Later when I wanted to play, the drive was no
longer recognized. I hadn't removed anything in the meantime.

The good news is that my new computer was shipped on Friday. It will take a
while to get it set up, and longer to transfer information. I just hope I
can get everything moved before the old one self-destructs completely, since
it seems to be headed in that direction.

Joy...

david...

well, one easy item, assuming you keep your email addresses in Outlook
Express, is to click the addressbook toolbar item and then click File>
Export>WAB... this lets you create a separate copy of your email
addresses... you can mail to yourself or to a trusted friend or to a
second email account and then with new computer you can repeat the process
with the File>Import option.

Joy...

Thanks, david. I'm interested to know whether the new computer comes with

Joy...

comes

Joy...

with

OE, and what I'll do if it doesn't. I guess I'll find out soon. They tried
to deliver it while I was at the cardiologist this afternoon. I hope I'm
home when they come next time.

********************************************

Joy...

david...

i always dislike dealing with new computers... getting all the settings the
way you want, eliminating any 'try now, pay later' demos... :) good luck.

Chakolate...

Me, too. And somehow it's never quite the same setup as you had before,
and you always lose something. Well, at least, I do.

But it will be faster and there will be some things Joy likes better, so
it's probably all for the good.

Jean B....

But one could use Ghost (or whatever--I don't think that's the
whole name) to make a clone.

Chakolate...

You interest me strangely. ;-) What is this 'Ghost' you speak of?

Whence is it downloaded?

david...

well, it ain't free... but it's a great program that lets you back up your
hard drive while you're using windows.... kewl! I use Acronis TrueImage,

Chakolate...

Ah, thank you. I don't go in for paid software these days, not because
people shouldn't be paid for their efforts, but because I have no money.

Is Acronis TrueImage also paid software?

I think, but I'm not sure, that there is one free one that lets you
backup Windows from inside, but I can't for the life of me remember what

david...

yes, acronis has a fee, too. however, I did locate two that may have
possibilities: they're both free to use. I don't know if they will make
a full harddrive backup, but the Copy +1 (second URL) seems to indicate
it.

if you do try one, I'd be interested in your feedback.. :)

it is.

which is similar.

Joy...

Thanks, david. I'm sure I'll need it. I hope I can do all this myself.

Joy...

This computer came with it, but I haven't figured out how to use it yet.

I've always had my son set it up for me, but I'm going to try doing this one
on my own.

Jean B....

That's exciting (the almost delivery part). I assume the dr
visit was routine?

Joy...

david...

well, if it's Ghost version 9 or newer, that's terrif. It's a great way
to backup parts of your hard drive or all of it. It can backup to
multiple CDs, or to a separate harddrive. can be really priceless if your
computer crashes shortly after doing a backup. it can give some piece of
mind if you spend weeks setting up all your software and settings... :)

Joy...

I just checked. It's 10.0. After I have something on the new hard drive
that's worth saving, I'll probably ask your advice a about setting it up.

Yes, it was routine, more or less. When I last saw him, a month ago, I'd
been having some spells of feeling pressure in my chest. No pain, just
pressure. That's why he told me to come back in a month. I haven't had any
of those since the last visit, so I don't have to see him again until
October, unless I have more of the pressure.

************************************************
We must be! ; -)

Joy...

*****************************************************
Actually, the main reason I prefer to use the computer is that I have too
much clutter around the computer already. The only time I listen to my CD's
is when I'm at the computer.

Joy...

**********************************************
I've been working on eliminating some of that clutter, because I want to
have both computers up and running for a while, and I needed to make room.
I hope I'll keep the clutter down when I finally eliminate the old one, but
knowing me, I'm not betting on it. (I have a TV tray next to my computer
chair, which is piled high) ;-)

The only other CD player I have is a portable, which uses batteries. Lots
of batteries.

Lou...

Tried re-booting the old one?

Joy...

Jean B....

Joy...

I'd

Joy...

any

I'm glad to hear that, Joy. Now I hope that computer is

Lou...

Ask that doc or another one about GERD (acid reflux). Can cause many things
that feel like heart issues and are not. OTOH do _not_ assume pains are GERD.

Joy...

I've been under the care of a gastroenterologist for GERD for several years.
After two visits to the ER, I found that the severe chest pain I was having,
which went down my arm and/or up into the jaw, were caused by the GERD.
More recently, I had a couple of episodes of severe pain that felt more
squeezing than burning. More trips to ER. Eventually this was determined
to be esophageal spasms, and I now carry sublingual tablets to treat them.
The latest squeezing feeling was different yet, which is why I mentioned it
to the cardiologist.

Thanks for the suggestion, though. It is good advice.

delivered and you get to play with it tomorrow.

Yup. Yesterday it didn't do a thing. I couldn't even get the drawer to
come out so I could remove the CD that was in there. This morning when I
booted up I was able to do that, but the computer still didn't recognize the
drive.

david...

glad to help. I have a copy of version 9 that I put on Dalin's computer,
so I imagine it's similar. I try to make a backup of my computer monthly
and hers less often (not because she's unworthy.. , but because she
seldom changes anything -- which is why her computer is always more
reliable than mine... )