Not So Famous…

Chris, computer guru, here with a tip for all you aspiring computer geeks: Take up music…or sports…or anything having little to nothing to do with computers, especially anything dealing with troubleshooting the innards of said demonic devices.

Do I really mean this? Not really…I still like computers, and the fact that they pose a challenge to me only adds to my enjoyment. However, I am frustrated. Allow me to elaborate.

I have a computer that timeshifts and records television for me. Essentially, it’s a TiVo box. I don’t recommend such an undertaking to those who don’t want to spend a lot of time performing maintenance on their TiVo computers. There’s a lot that can go wrong, and for most people, purchasing a TiVo-brand box or other plug-n-play DVR would be just fine. However, I enjoy the challenge.

The other day, I was sitting in my living room with a friend when we heard the unmistakable sound of a computer shutting down. The only computer in the living room is the TiVo box. So here’s the conversation that ensued.

Friend: “So, you still have that TiVo computer?”
Me: “Uh…yeah.”
Friend: “How’s that working for you?”
Me: “Erm…I don’t know, actually.”

Kim turned on the TV, and lo and behold…nothing. This freaked me out, and suddenly, we smelled the wonderful smell that strikes fear into the hearts of computer people…ozone. Something blew up in my computer. When I restarted the computer, my fears were borne out, as I got error after error. I couldn’t boot into Safe Mode…nothing. Ok…I can fix this.

I thought about it and thought about it…I determined the motherboard blew up, so I put the processor and RAM on another motherboard (mobo) I had laying around. (How much of a computer geek am I? Most people don’t even know their computer HAS a mobo in it, and I’ve just got a spare one sitting around not being used…yeesh.) Anyway, I tried to run the computer with the new motherboard, and the motherboard wouldn’t even POST! (Power On Self Test…POSTing is the first thing your computer does when it turns on…before Windows loads up.) Anyway, I determined that either my Processor, RAM, or mobo was bad. I slept on it.

The next day, I talked it over with Kim and she agreed that the best thing for me to do was to buy all of the components. This way, I could get some stuff upgraded, and ensure that the part(s) that were bad are gone. I do this. Friday, the stuff came. I was seriously excited, because the new motherboard had some capabilities I was planning on using, etc. etc. I couldn’t wait to get the stuff home to set it all up.

To make a long story boring, I get the stuff home, plug it in, and nothing works. SON OF A…

Basically, I am returning the mobo to get a replacement that works, and to eliminate all variables, I’m going to replace the power supply (which could have caused the whole darn mess) with an older one I have sitting around. (Again, I say…how geeky can you get.)

In all, I could have the darn thing replaced in the next week. I’m tired of messing with it for now, but I’m interested in the additional functionality that this new mobo will get me. Specifically, I’ve got my eye on a set of speakers that will give us surround sound at a VERY reasonable price. The mobo will work with them out of the box. I’m happy…or would be if it were all working.

I’m currently drinking: Nothing, actually. Last night I had another Chrisbeer after the abovementioned activities. :) Today, I’m actually working in Davis on a server we’re trying to rebuild. For lunch, I had a beer called DunkleWeizen from a brewery called Sudwerk. Apparently, this beer is based off the HefeWeizen style of beer, which is a wheat beer. However, in German, “dunkles” means “dark”, and it is. This is interesting, because by their very nature, wheat beers are not dark. They must have roasted the wheat or something to get the darkness. The aroma was very malty…almost like a Scotch Ale…surprising in a beer that is supposedly wheat-brewed. Roasty flavors were very subdued, and the fruitiness I usually associate with a lighter beer was very much present. A very nice beer to have with a meal, which I did. :)