Thursday, May 07, 2009

The Modern Cartooning Office.

I have a Fujitsu Siemens ScaleoP PC and a Fujitsu Siemens Laptop. The Scaleo is linked up with Broadband and an HP Scanner and a printer, but I became a little quirky while I was ill and decided I wasn't keen on the fact that I had to leave my drawing table to go to it; so instead I started using the Laptop with a Cannon scanner and printer nearer my comfort zone. The trouble is, I don't keep all my programmes and plugins on the Laptop. The Scaleo, which is my main computer really, has all my art programmes, Photoshop, PSP, Manga Studio on it, and my good DVD burning software and my FTP progs, essential for shifting large graphic files over the internet, and a lot of scanned and stored artwork. The Laptop is faster, but the wireless connection to the Internet is insecure, so you don't want to be discussing financial details on it.

Well, the Scaleo stopped booting, at least it stopped at the Windows logo at first, and then it just stopped completely, so I had to do everything by Laptop; except that Lisbeth is now using it for her work. Kim came to my rescue, and loaned me her Laptop (which is covered with skull and crossbone stickers) on which I had to create a new profile, for me, and add some software to use it with the printer and the like, and it has been a real spaghetti junction of wires over where I draw.

My neighbour, kind soul that she is, offered me a replacement monitor, but I told her I'd better make sure that I have a monitor problem first, as it could actually be more complicated. So, finding some spare time, I brought the Scaleo through and hooked it up to my TV, although it was quite a struggle finding space between the Wii and the cable TV box and the DVD player. Anyway, I managed to squeeze it in and because the TV, an Orion, can also be used as a monitor without any fancy adaptors and extra leads so I wasn't adding much to the tangle, and booted it into "safe mode".

I couldn't find the problem I'm afraid, and System Restore wouldn't work, so I decided I would export the registry, and save my docs and illos and files, onto a removable disk drive, and then clean install Windows, and then add all my old info. Before doing so, I opened my Device Manager and uninstalled my Radeon Display Adaptor, as a last resort, and then rebooted and blow me if the thing didn't boot up just fine. Now, of course, I have to bring my monitor through, unplug the computer from the TV, try it with its own monitor, and if it works, move the whole shebang back through to where it usually sits.

You know, not so very long ago, it seems, I just needed a pad of paper and a pen and ink.

4 comments:

Mike Lynch said...

My secret shame is that I have some cartoons that are essentially locked up in a 10 year old CPU that, from time to time, I have to try to start up and import via email to myself. I always feel like Woody Allen in SLEEPER: happily amazed that the Jurassic PC still can be fired up after all these years.

Yes, Rod, I miss the paper & pencil days!

My secret word verification for this post: retchiol

Rod McKie said...

I think we'll have to start illustrating the word verifications Mike. Retchiol has to be some sort of craeture, or a dry heave.

Mine is ewedow, it has to be something you yell when an apendage gets caught in a pasta machine.

Greg said...

I bought an external HD a few months ago, so now I keep all my cartoons on there. Whenever I change locations (from school to home, from home to school, etc.) I just take the HD with me and no issues.

Mike, I know what you mean... My personal computer is a 6-year-old HP desktop, and it's still running so well that I'm hesitant to replace it. The key, I have found, is to add additional memory and other components, and to not allow anyone else to use it.

Rod McKie said...

Oh I've got back-ups Greg, but I'm loathe to dig them out on account of my filing system which might have 25 discs with "stuff" written on them.

What surprised me was how little I could lay my hands on instantly. With the main computer down and all the back-up discs badly labelled, I figured I must have a lot of scanned work on the laptop, but nope.

What I'm going to do, without fail now, is burn the artwork to disc every 2 to 4 weeks and label it by date.

My word verification is FOCKOP; you can't make this stuff up.