Sunday: 22.February.2004

Newly inserted CD not recognized by Windows

A friend got a new laptop: the Dell 600m. Nice balance between the power of a desktop replacement & the lightweight portability of a road warrior. I have since retired from installing & configuring computers for friends, but this impressive piece of wireless (Centrino) technology was too sweet to pass up.

Spent the last day & a half configuring it. Re-partitioned the 40-gig hard drive into: 16+12+12. The last partition (FAT32) is dedicated solely for Ghost images. Installed Windows XP Pro & all the programs to the first partition. The middle partition is dedicated for downloads, drivers, audio, video, graphics and non-program-related stuff.

Seems like I'm coming out of a digital fog now. Only had one problem, where Windows wouldn't see/recognize a newly inserted CD. Racked my brain on that one. Finally found a fix here (after finding a clue here), which led me to edit a registry value (change from 0 to 1) for the Autorun key:

••• continued •••

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom

Description:
Determines whether the system sends a Media Change Notification (MCN) message to the Windows interface when it detects that a CD-ROM is inserted in the drive. The MCN message triggers media-related features, such as Autoplay.

I hate giving someone their computer and saying, "Here it is. It's all set up .. except for this one problem that I can't seem to fix." Soon as I finished installing the wireless network adapter, the laptop detected a stray signal, and asked me if I wanted to log-on to the mystery network. So I guess one of the neighbors has a wireless network installed.

On a less geeky note, everyone here is excited about tonight's final episode of Sex and the City. We're going to a party where you dress as your favorite character. (I'm going as Aidan.)

Sex and the City is *not* about sex. Rather it's about the idea that it's okay to be a single, professional woman, and the (comic) trials involved in trying to find love. Maybe not here in SoCal or NYC, but in many parts of the country, single women, who don't breed, are viewed as a waste of good oxygen and other environmental resources. This validation is why Sex and the City is such a hit with single, professional women.





Posted by Rad at February 22, 2004 04:00 PM

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What about Motherboard Monitor? Were you able to configure MBM with the Dell? I wasn't able to. I don't think it has the necessary sensor chip.

Posted by: Alex at February 23, 2004 06:46 PM

I am planning to get a 600m. What options would you recommend?

Posted by: Doc Bill at February 24, 2004 02:44 AM

what's that crap with 'sex & the city'

Posted by: at October 3, 2004 03:32 PM