Hurlshort

It was a Western Digital 160 gb. SATA drive. My old one was a Western Digital 80 gb., but it wasn't SATA - or at least it wasn't connected to the SATA ports on my motherboard. That's probably because I didn't hook it up correctly way back when I built the computer. It seems to have made quite a performance difference.

I can't really speak for Krook's skills, but one of the guys I played with in High School actually went on to make our local RHI team (San Jose Rhinos). He basically spent two years gaining enough weight and training every day to make the team (rumor was he also slept with someone connected to the team). Unfortunately the RHI collapsed right after he made the team. He managed to play in one game. He was an awesome player, and he could dominate most league games, but he struggled against these professionals. Most of these RHI guys played in the pro Ice leagues in Europe. They had experience at an international level that you just can't teach. I lost track of him after the league collapsed, but I hope he found a place to keep playing at a high level. I'm not sur where Krook is in terms of skill, but I'm guessing he's got a bit of seasoning to do before he pwns the Portuguese Roller Hockey squad.

I went and bought a new drive for security, and I plugged it in. It actually came with software that allowed me to transfer all the information off the old drive onto the new drive and designate it as the master. Once the info was copied, I changed the boot order in my BIOS and formatted the old drive. Now I have a backup drive that's a bit unreliable, but I can always pull it out if need be.

This is a quickie: Would it be a problem to plug in my new hard drive with the old one, and transfer all the files from one to the other? Will that mess up XP in any way?

I've had a bit off oddness that I'm assuming is the hardrive of late. I have an 80 gb. SATA drive that's about 6 years old. It came in a Compaq boutique type PC, but I transferred it into my new rig. a few years back when I built it. I reformatted the drive back then as well. Lately it's making a clicking noise and slowing down tremendously. It's not very common, and it doesn't seem to have a specific pattern. I've recently defragmented the hard drive, and I ran chkdsk last night. It didn't seem to come up with any errors. But last night when it locked up, I restarted it and then it kept asking for a boot disk. I had to power down completely to get the OS back up. Anyways, I don't have a problem buying a new one, but I want to make sure that I'm diagnosing the problem correctly. I'm also not looking forward to installing my old copy of XP and having to go through the whole SP installation hassle. Is there an easier way to do that, like making a CD with SP2 on it or something? Oh yeah, ever since I flashed my BIOS a year ago, my computer won't enter hibernation mode. I get some compliance error. I assumed that was a motherboard issue, but I wonder if it's a hard drive issue as well.

It's really simply a hub for the other computers, but it does have important files on it as well. Stability and reliability are definitely my goals here.

Ok, I need some expert advice, and y'all are the smartest folks I know. My mother-in-law runs a small business, and she's got about 5 computers networked together. The server computer is actually the oldest of the bunch (6-7 years old), and it's really running like crap. I don't know what the specs are, but I know she needs a new one asap. So I'm planning on building her a new one with a budget of about $1,000. Is there anything special I need to keep in mind for building a server? I've built rigs before, but I'm not sure if there is anything really unique about a server if it's only expected to network a handful of computers. They are all running on XP. My second question is a bit harder. Right now she has two computers on a 56k dial up connection The problem is she is a bit out in the boondocks and she can't get DSL or cable. She tried to go through DishNetwork for a satellite connection, but for some reason it was super slow and kept dropping out. The Dishnetwork tech. guy actually told her he couldn't fix it, pulled all his wiring out, and took off. So are there any other good alternatives to Cable and DSL? It's a serious problem not having these computers hooked up to the internet, as it makes simple updating an incredible chore.

I read a great article in Games for Windows (CGW) about an interviewer that went with the lead developer to Chernoble. They had a tour guide with a gieger counter, and when it started beeping wildly, they had to turn back. That's not really a tour I'm dying to take.

Krookie is only 13 or 14, so he has a couple years before he is eligible for the draft. I fully believe he will be the first Obsidian forumite to break into the NHL. I'm only very good at hockey, not at the ultra level. I also started ice too late in life, otherwise I'd be going to the ASG. Oh yeah, grats go to Volourn for being the first one to respond negatively to someone's post in this thread. You're a winner Volo.

SP2 is pretty awesome, actually. The first time I tried to install it, I had to reformat my hard drive, but after they worked the bugs out it installed easily. It makes network setup a complete breeze, and I've had better connectivity to my wireless router for some reason. I'd highly recommend you upgrade to SP2 ASAP.

Still playing Vanguard. If anyone is planning on playing at release, PM me, I'm looking for a guild or group to play with. The game reminds of the original Asheron's Call with its epic world and ability to travel anywhere.

I play hockey once a week in an adult league. That's an excellent workout, and now that our teamis down to 8 players, I get a ton of ice time. I recently got a $175 hockey stick for Christmas and it's made a huge difference, 6 goals in two games I've also been rock climbing in a gym since the summer. It's just awesome, it's a great way to build muscle mass without the boredom of lifting weights. I've been excited to get to the gym after work and climb with friends. That may come to an end for a bit when my wife and I have our first child in May ;-) I've also been thinking about turning my rock climbing hobby into a bit of mountaineering. I'm thinking of trying to summit something like Mt. Shasta to see if I like it. I plan on checking out what type of guide programs they have, as I have nil experience, but I think it'd be a great accomplishment. I've been reading a book called "No Shortcuts to the Top" that has been totally manipulating me into wanting to climb a mountain. Although it is a bit disturbing that half of the people the writer climbed with seem to die.

Yeah, sounds like Legace played well. San Jose outshot the Blues 31-13 and still lost. I feel bad for Nabakov, he has a good GAA and Save percentage, but he doesn't seem to get the goals support to translate into wins.

Ah, the days of guided missiles in Xcom. The island terror missions in 2 were awesome because you always had a few buildings burning down the entire mission. I remember fighting aliens in the upper floors and then having to jump out before I passed out from the smoke. I also remember being able to pick up unconcious guys and carry them out of the burning houses, which was ultra cool. Still playing Vanguard, I've basically run through every starter area and decided on a couple possibilities for retail characters. Did I mention you can build, own, and sail your own boats in this game? They look awesome too, tons of variety in them.

Is anyone else worried about Eddo going on a school rampage? I just want you to know that you are my best friend on this forum Eddo. Remember that when the shooting starts. Your BEST friend!

So is that an actual cap? Or is it just not reporting the 4 gigs but making use of it when needed?

The only thing about SPECIAL for me is the perks, like bloody mess. Any cool perk system is enjoyable for me. Arcanum was another game where I really enjoyed a cool perk system. I'd imagine it would be possible to do it in Fallout 3, but we'll have to wait on more details.

My guess is it's the Mage's tower add-on.

Uh, that article says absolutely nothing about the game being on the Xbox360. It's completely baseless speculation. The only thing they know is that the game is using the same game engine as Oblivion. Now clearly we won't have turn based combat in 2D, but I don't need that to make a game Fallout. I need excellent characters and storylines, an awesome post-apocalyptic world, and the SPECIAL character creation system. I think Bethesda is a decent enough company, so I'll reserve judgement until I actually play the game.

It's pretty odd how well guys like Shanahan and Selanne have managed to do, and now even Owen Nolan is looking like his old self! I guess the new rules really have had an impact on how long people can play at a high level in the NHL.

Guild Wars is really not a MMORPG. It's a large visually stunning chat room where you meet people and go off on small instanced adventures. The key difference is that when you are out killing stuff or exploring dungeons, there is no chance that you will run into other players doing the same thing. This may seem minor, but the best groups I've ever had have come from people I met while killing stuff in the wilderness. It just tends to create a stronger bond when you are watching a player struggle with the same creatures, and you decide to team up. Of course, that's my opinion of MMO, but it's a rather vague term that too many games use. I also don't see Dungeons & Dragons Online as a MMO, even though they have a monthly fee.

After almost 2 and a half years, I cancelled my WoW account. It was a good run, and I'd be happy if every game gave me even a 1/10th of the enjoyment I got out of it. I'm cancelling because I'm pretty sold on Vanguard, and I've just had enough of WoW. The expansion also just didn't excite me enough. I do still pay for my wife's account though, so I can always jump on that one and play for a bit if I'm jonesin'

After further research, namely people with almost my exact setup playing it fine, I've come to the conclusion the game is just not optimized yet. It's a bit concerning that they want to release it in two weeks, but it's nice that the pre-order folks basically get a three day test run before having to pay for the box. I'll be using that to see if it's worth buying.

Personally I think cigarettes are way worse than pot. They are a major health concern and the effects of second hand smoke are widely known to be dangerous, although people love to argue all day as to exactly how dangerous. It's also extremely addicting. I believe both should be limited in where they can be used. The fact is I should not have to breathe that crap in if I'm not a smoker. That means if I can smell it, you shouldn't be able to smoke it. I also think their are too many stupid people who smoke in front of their kids. Total douchebags in my eyes, they are crippling their child's growing lungs.

I decided against installing Burning Crusade. I'm giving my pre-order to my wife and playing the Vanguard beta until it's released.