Michael Louis Scott June 1997 to Date

Note: <888> 08/02/04  Monday 12:15 P.M.:  I went outside, and I picked up my mail.  I received my Verizon, Cablevision, and Optimum Online bills, which I will make out checks for later on today, after I sleep.  I called General Electric Service Protection Plus out in South Dakota at 1-800-626-2224 www.GEAppliances.com/spp , and they told me they had sent me a new bill for $80.35 to cover my maintenance contract on my General Electric Profile 15,500 BTU air conditioner with remote control that I bought in June of 2000.  I should receive the bill soon, and I will pay it when I receive it to keep the maintenance contract in force.  My current contract expires September 11, 2004.  I put the stamps and my rent receipt on the bedroom desk.  CIO

Note: <888> 08/02/04  Monday 11:25 A.M.:  I went outside after the last message, and I met up with the building custodian as he was arriving for work.  He gave me a new florescent circular bulb for the kitchen light fixture, and I installed it myself.  I did not throw out the old fixture right away until I was sure the new one worked when the fixture was off for a while.  I next drove over to the Arnold bread outlet, and I bought two 5.5 ounce boxes of Arnold Italian regular cut croutons for .99 and two 5.5 ounce boxes of Arnold Garlic and Herb large cut croutons for .99 each and a fresh loaf of Arnold 12 grain bread for $2.19 for $6.15 total.  I then went by Gateway Automotive, and I bought four one inch tire valve extenders for .25 each for a $1 total.  I put them on my tires, and I put the three valve caps in the glove compartment.  I next drove down by the waterfront.  I then went by the Greenwich Hospital Thrift Shop.  Everything is 50% off.  I next went by Putnam Trust Bank of New York on Mason Street.  I then went by the Wachovia Bank on Benedict Place, and I paid my rent.  I then went downtown, and I went by the central Greenwich Post Office, and I bought 20 U.S.A flag stamps for .37 each for $7.40 total.  I next went by the Stop and Shop, and I bought fresh broccoli crowns at $1.69 a pound for $1.34, two Stop and Shop 3 ounce Parmesan and Romano grated cheese for .99 each, buy one get one free of 12 ounce Stop and Shop dry roasted peanuts for $2.29 both, a 8 ounce bar of Heluva a Good Muenster cheese for $1.99, and a 16 ounce bag of baby carrots for $1.50 for $9.10 total.  I then returned home, and I put away my groceries.  The kitchen light worked, so I threw out the old circular florescent light bulb.  I put $10 on my laundry card, and I now have $19.55 on my laundry card.  I drank some iced tea.  CIO

Note: <888> 08/02/04  Monday 7:10 A.M.:  I chatted with a friend.  I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  Instead of tuna fish, I used a tin of sardines that I chopped.  For the cheddar cheese portion, I used Stop and Shop cheddar cheese.  I used all of the other regular ingredients.  I had the salad with a glass of iced tea.  Remember to keep track of www.geocities.com/mikelscott/weather.htm .  Tropical Storm Alex is still out there.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will clean up.  I will then go out for a brief spell and do some errands.  CIO

Note: <888> 08/02/04  Monday 5:55 A.M.:  I tried the Windows XP Professional Upgrade update install option, but on reboot the computer still froze.  I returned the system to way it was before I tried it.  CIO

Note: <888> 08/02/04  Monday 5:25 A.M.:  I ran the Add New Hardware wizard, and it installed Advanced Power Management APM on my computer, which I enabled.  I changed some power management settings in the CMOS, but the Standby feature still is greyed out, when one goes to Turn Off the computer.  CIO

Note: <888> 08/02/04  Monday 5:05 A.M.:  I just fixed something major on the computer.  Under Device Manager, my computer was listed as a MPS Uniprocessor PC, and I was able to change it to Standard PC.  When I rebooted the setting was installed plug and play, and when I was prompted to reboot again, I also enabled the onboard motherboard USB ports in the CMOS, and when the computer booted it no longer had the option for MPS Uniprocessor PC, but only Standard PC, which is the desired option.  Also I tested my front USB 2.0 ports with the removable pin drive, and my onboard USB ports now work too.  I put the pin drive back on the right rear of the Sony monitor.  I guess this is because the computer is setup as a Standard PC.  Well, I now have a surplus of USB ports besides my three four port hubs, I have four USB 1.0 ports in back of the CPU case and two USB 2.0 ports on the front of the case.  However, I could remove the PCI USB card and install the LAN card, but since the onboard USB ports use power from the motherboard, I will continue to use my D-Link independently powered USB LAN hub.  Since the computer works fine as is, I will not change the current setup.  I do not think the Standard PC setting would make a different in trying to upgrade Windows XP by the upgrade method, since I think the install procedure takes that hardware setting into account.  Still, it is nice to have the onboard motherboard USB ports working and to have the right computer CPU setting.  It should make the computer more reliable.  CIO 

Note: <888> 08/02/04  Monday 3:45 A.M.:  I went outside briefly.  On this page towards the bottom http://forums.viaarena.com/messageview.cfm?catid=13&threadid=56161 , there is a procedure list for installing Windows XP on a VIA 266M system, which is basically the procedure I went through a few weeks ago, when I installed the operating system.  There was one other suggestion that suggested if one has a second hard drive on the first IDE cable, one should disable it.  Since at the moment, I have my system configured and it is running fine, I do not want to go through the hassle of pulling all of the cards and reinstalling the Windows XP operating system via the upgrade method and then having to reconfigure my system again.  I will make a copy of the step by step list linked above.  CIO

Note: <888> 08/02/04  Monday 3:20 A.M.:  I tried copying my Windows XP Professional Upgrade CD to the C: drive, and I then tried an upgrade installation from the copy on the C: drive, but it still does not reboot setup.  I returned the system back to its previous state.  The only way that I can think the installation might work is if I disabled the multiple monitor feature in Windows XP, and then tried an installation with either AGP or PCI only working, but I recall trying this before, and it did not work.  Still since the computer is running fine, I will not worry about it.  I really do not feel like putting anymore money into a 20 month old computer, particularly since a better upgrade motherboard and case that would hold a motherboard with more PCI slots would cost about 2/3 of the price of what a new system with everything installed would cost.  Since it has worked just fine for this long, I will not worry about it.  I guess I will not be trying to install Windows XP SP2, since I do not want to risk having my system crash.  Basically, my Syntax SV266M motherboard is an inexpensive but reliable motherboard, and if I just upgraded the case and motherboard, I would still have other old parts in my system, which would need to be replaced sooner or later.  Still for now, it is all working just fine.  CIO

Note: <888> 08/02/04  Monday 1:25 A.M.:  Reuters Latest Financial News Full News Coverage NASA Satellite set for Mercury .  CIO

Note: <888> 08/02/04  Monday 1:15 A.M.:  MSNBC - Alaska volcano stirs after 12-year lull .  CIO

Note: <888> 08/02/04  Monday 12:50 A.M.:  I uninstalled and reinstalled the Plantronics DSP500 program.  When I installed it before, it prompted me to install parsedrv.exe, and when I did that all my sound setting were set at default maximum which is a bit loud.  With that setting, when one listens to it, it automatically reduces the volume except it does not automatically reduce the volume with Net2Phone.  Thus by not installing parsedrv.exe and just installing the Plantronics program, one is able to set one's own preferences for the sound settings.  Also some times the speaker icon shows up in the tray and sometimes it does not.  I have a Sounds and Audio Devices icon on the desktop, so one can restore the speaker icon, if it happens not to show up.  Also sometimes the Norton Internet Security 2004 Firewall icon does not show up in the tray too.  One can get around this after rebooting, if they do not show up, by logging off and then logging back on, and they seem to show up the second time around.  Also Microsoft Messenger, sometimes wants to log on twice.  Basically the computer is running just fine.  Although, I can not reinstall Windows XP via the upgrade method the way I use to do, and I can not figure out why not.  Also the onboard motherboard USB ports do not recognize USB devices, so I disabled them, and I am using a PCI USB card.  Also the Standby mode does not work, since Advanced Power Management does not show up in the power settings, but I hardly ever used Standby.  Power saving features do seem to work though.  Thus after a month the computer is completely restored back to a better state, and it works just fine too.  I also noticed that with the Network Bridge enabled connecting the three network connections to the cable modem, one can not turn off the cable modem and the Siemens router from the control panel, and then have them work, when one turns them back on. If one wants to run the computer without the cable modem for utility maintenance, one needs to boot the computer with the cable modem and Siemens router turned off.  If one turns off the Cable modem and Siemens router while they are working with the Network Bridge and the three Network connections to the cable modem, one has to shut down, reset the cable modem by turning it on and off with the Siemens router turned off, and then boot the computer with the cable modem and the Siemens router turned on.  I would not have this problem, if I just used the onboard motherboard LAN, but I like having the three Network connections to the cable modem.  By connecting them all together with the Network Bridge feature in Networking, it keeps all three networks alive simultaneously, and they do not need to be restored or enabled.  Thus it is a more stable system.  CIO

Note: <888> 08/02/04  Monday 12:10 A.M.:  After I did the C: drive to D: drive backup in seven parts, I ran Norton Speed Disk on the C: drive.  I watched some television, while running Norton Speed Disk.  I went outside briefly.  CIO

Note: <888> 08/01/04  Sunday 10:15 P.M.:  I woke up while sleeping, and I ate a dozen triscuts.  I was finally awake at 9 P.M..  I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I will now do a seven part C: drive to D: drive backup.  CIO

Note: <888> 08/01/04  Sunday 12:10 P.M.:  Well, I am a bit tired, so I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed soon.  CIO

Note: <888> 08/01/04  Sunday 11:20 A.M.:  I looked at my Windows Update history, and I reinstalled three Windows Updates that failed to install.  I just ran Norton Win Doctor.  CIO

Note: <888> 08/01/04  Sunday 10:35 A.M.:  I succeeded in doing a full system scan with Norton AntiVirus 2004 by selecting the option to Scan Files Using SmartScan.  It did not report any problems.  I watched some television while doing the scan.  I microwaved and ate a bag of Fat Free ACT II popcorn, which I ate with a glass of iced tea.  CIO

Note: <888> 08/01/04  Sunday 9:00 A.M.:  First storm of the season CNN.com - Tropical storm warning issued for Carolinas - Jul 31, 2004 and www.geocities.com/mikelscott/weather.htm .  CIO

Note: <888> 08/01/04  Sunday 8:55 A.M.:  I ran Norton AntiVirus 2004 a few times, and I analyzed the fact that it freezes.  I turned off the power saving features in the CMOS and the power saving features in Windows XP, and it did not freeze.  However, it kept freezing towards the end of the scan at "C:\Windows\Driver Cache\i386" probably on the 72 meg file driver.zip .  I turned off scanning of compressed files, and it still froze at the same location.  However, since at that point which is most of the hard drive, it did not find any viruses, I assume my hard drive is virus free.  Since I can not delete the file, although it is a compressed file, I will just have to live with it as it is.  I returned my power saving settings to their usual state.  I watched some television while Norton AntiVirus 2004 was running.  CIO 

Note: <888> 08/01/04  Sunday 6:50 A.M.:  I tried running Norton AntiVirus 2004 before I went out, but it froze again.  I will have to study the Symantec web site to see if I can find the fix, or I guess I can reinstall or repair it.  I went out after the last message, and I walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue, and I sat out at various locations.  I chatted with another morning walker and a town employee.  I next drove down by the waterfront and two other of the regular fishermen were there.  I just now returned home, and I chatted with a couple of neighbors.  I drank some iced tea.  CIO

Note: <888> 08/01/04  Sunday 3:40 A.M.:  I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  Instead of tuna fish, I used the remaining half inch wide strips of cold eye round of beef.  For the cheddar cheese portion, I use Stop and Shop Swiss cheese.  I used all of the other ingredients.  I had the salad with a glass of iced tea.  For the last two days, when I woke up the kitchen ceiling florescent light would not turn on, when I tried to turn it on, and I had to remove the fixture cover, and adjust the wire harness into the circular tubular florescent bulb get it to turn on.  Possibly it needs a new circular tubular bulb, which the building custodian provides.  I will leave it on all the time for now, so I do not have to go through the hassle of getting to turn on.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will clean up.  I will go out for a walk after that.  It is suppose to shower at 7 A.M. this morning, so I am going out earlier.  CIO

Note: <888> 08/01/04  Sunday 2:25 A.M.:  I finished configuring the Gateway backup computer.  I just shut down the Gateway backup computer.  CIO

Note: <888> 08/01/04  Sunday 1:45 A.M.:  I went through my email.  CIO

Note: <888> 08/01/04  Sunday 1:05 A.M.:  I put the ice tea in the refrigerator.  I have the backup Gateway computer all configured.  I am running a maintenance utility on it now.  It has about 5 gigabytes of free space on the 8 gigabyte hard drive.  Its inboard telephone modem works too, and I downloaded the Juno free dialer on it, but I did not install it, however it would be available for use if the cable modem did not work.  I also have the Juno free dialer download saved on my primary computer and installed on the Dell backup computer.  The Gateway has onboard sound, but I do not have speakers or a headset plugged into it. The sound jacks are on the rear of the Gateway.  It also has two USB ports on the rear.  It seems to be running just fine, and like all five backup computers they are online with the cable modem and configured for use along with the primary computer.  I still have the old IBM Cyrix which is configured but not connected up.  Thus I have seven desktop computers in the apartment and two old laptops for a total of nine computers along with all of their devices and monitors.  CIO

Note: <888> 09/30/04  Thursday 11:00 P.M.:  CNN.com - Scientist: Mount St. Helens likely to erupt - Sep 30, 2004 .  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed soon.  CIO

Note: <888> 09/30/04  Thursday 10:40 P.M.:  I watched the U.S.A. presidential debate.  I finished going through the paper work for going to the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles in Danbury, Connecticut tomorrow http://www.ct.gov/dmv/site/default.asp .  CIO 

Note: <888> 09/28/04  Tuesday 11:15 P.M.:  I will now shut down the computer, until I return with the 1995 Volvo 850 green turbo station wagon with 95,000 miles on this Thursday afternoon, which will be my new car.  I will watch some television before going to bed soon.  For Vero Beach, Florida hurricane damage information try http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/press_journal .  I have two relatives that live in Vero Beach, Florida during the winter, so it is a matter of concern to me and many other Greenwich, Connecticut people and from this area also live there.  CIO