CONTACTS 
0201 - Pacific Gas & Electric Company               415 973 1014 fax 8426
020101 - Mr. Bill DeHart, PMP
020102 - Project Manager  =415 973 1014
020103 - bdehart@attbi.com
020104 - Project Management

SUBJECTS
DeHart, Bill PG&E Install SDS to Learn and Use for More SDS Records on
Schedule for 021214

0504 -    ..
0505 - Summary/Objective
0506 -
050601 - Follow up ref SDS 17 0000, ref SDS 16 0000.
050602 -
050603 - Bill is running Windows XP on his home computer, and he is using W2K
050604 - on his notebook.
050605 -
050606 - His home computer is configured with drives c - h, and maybe more,
050607 - since when he connected another 80 GB drive it shows up as s.
050608 -
050609 - This suggested we could network c12 which is running w2k to Bill's
050610 - computer and transfer the development set of SDS, which makes
050611 - maintenance easier.
050612 -
050613 - Bill disconnected his computer, and plugged the network cable from the
050614 - desktop into the network connection on c12.
050615 -
050616 - Both computers recognized a connection.
050617 -
050618 -
050619 -  ..
050620 - Networking XP to W2K Failed, Tried Using External Hard Drive
050621 -
050622 - We were unable to get the computers to recognize each other.
050623 -
050624 - When \\c12 is run on Bill's desktop computer, there is an error
050625 - message saying that c12 cannot be found on the network. Similarly,
050626 - running \\bill'scomputer from c12 returns same message.
050627 -
050628 - Worked on this for 20 - 40 minutes.
050629 -
050630 - Bill related that he had difficulty getting his home computer with XP
050631 - to connect to his notebook, which aligns with our experience.  He
050632 - reported having done research which yielded information showing that
050633 - connecting XP to a w98 system is a lot easier than connecting to w2k.
050634 -
050635 -  ..
050636 - On 010202 there was a similar problem that required setting the
050637 - workgroup the same, ref SDS 3 7945, however, at this time we did not
050638 - think to check the record for similar problems.
050639 -
050640 -  ..
050641 - Assuming the problem is not as simple as setting a common workgroup,
050642 - this record is unexpected since XP is reported to have been an
050643 - extension of w2k, so compatibility should be stronger than for w98
050644 - because XP and w2k are significant departures from the design for w98
050645 - and w95.  The key issue is how to quickly accomplish a connection
050646 - using Microsoft menus, when these menus are not ordinarily used
050647 - frequently enough for navigation to be familiar, as related by Bill
050648 - Gates on 021108. ref SDS 9 EFBE
050649 -
050650 -  ..
050651 - Since we could not network directly from c12 to Bill's desktop, Bill
050652 - suggested removing the network card in c12 and using a different card
050653 - which he uses to connect his notebook computer to an external hard
050654 - drive that has 80 GB.  We wanted to transfer the data from c12 to the
050655 - external drive, then from the external drive to the desktop.
050656 -
050657 -  ..
050658 - Bill made the connections, and this seemed to work.
050659 -
050660 -
050661 -  ..
050662 - SDS Development Code Installed on Bill's Home Computer
050663 -
050664 - Copied all of the files needed for SDS to the external drive, about
050665 - 400 MB, including...
050666 -
050667 -      c: 01 04............................. SDS development files
050668 -      c: sd 01............................. SDS program files
050669 -      c: sd 03............................. SDS macros
050670 -      c: sd wl............................. SDS web files
050671 -      d: sd 08 00101....................... Rod's SDS records
050672 -                     00....................... Current Files
050673 -                     01....................... Subject Pointers
050674 -                     02....................... Records
050675 -                     03....................... Reference Pointers
050676 -                     04....................... Descriptions
050677 -                     05....................... Contact Pointers
050678 -      f: 03................................ Documents for projects
050679 -      f: 04................................ Documents for small jobs
050680 -      h: sd 04............................. SDS Menus
050681 -      h: sd 05............................. SDS Help
050682 -      h: sd 06 00101....................... Rod Subject Index Files
050683 -      h: sd 09............................. Welch Contacts
050684 -
050685 - ..
050686 - While these files were being transferred, Bill demonstrated and
050687 - explained how he uses the Palm Pilot to schedule tasks and look up
050688 - phone numbers.
050689 -
050690 -  ..
050691 - Palm Pilot can synchronize new information entered on his notebook
050692 - computer, so when he works on his desktop at home, all of his
050693 - information is available.  When he leaves home with his notebook
050694 - computer, he can synchronize again so that the notebook computer has
050695 - the new information he entered on the desktop since the prior
050696 - transfer.
050697 -
050698 - We reviewed the SDS program that is similarly configured to conform
050699 - the current work computer to the current state of the record from the
050700 - previous work computer.  When traveling, all files on all drives that
050701 - have been changed from the date and time of the last transfer are
050702 - zipped.  These are transferred to the notebook and unzipped, so the
050703 - notebook has exactly the same work files as the desktop.  Before
050704 - leaving to visit Bill this afternoon, I used this procedure.
050705 - ..
050706 - Work can then proceed using the notebook computer.  If I am
050707 - going to the City, when I arrive the same procedure is used to conform
050708 - c13 so it has the same work files as the desktop in Concord, plus
050709 - whatever work was done while traveling.
050710 -
050711 -
050712 -
050713 -  ..
050714 - Backup for Daily Work Files Added to SDS
050715 -
050716 - Bill asked about backup.  He asked if I still backup everyday?
050717 -
050718 - Explained the interim tape backup op has essentially crashed. Too many
050719 - problems using the tape backup system for the purpose it is designed
050720 - and sold to support, as reported on 021012. ref SDS 8 NQWY  Monthly
050721 - full file backups seem to work, so that is still a procedure.
050722 -
050723 - On 021012 developed an SDS backup support utility for daily working
050724 - files that runs once a day when SDS is started for the first time.
050725 - ref SDS 8 NR3H  Interim backup files are stored in a directory...
050726 -
050727 -                    e: backup
050728 -
050729 - ...and are themselves backed up once a month with the full file backup
050730 - using the Exabyte tape drive that still seems to do this.  We can
050731 - maintain interim backups for a few months, and remove anything over
050732 - that period, since the files can be obtained from the full file
050733 - backups if needed.
050734 -
050735 -  ..
050736 - Bill advised that when he is home, he often connects the monitor and
050737 - keyboard for his desktop computer directly to his notebook computer to
050738 - perform company business, so a lot of time is not required to find and
050739 - transfer files that have been changed.
050740 -
050741 - Morris Jones related a similar procedure.  He works at home on
050742 - notebook computer, rather than maintain work files on his home
050743 - computer.  This avoids having to figure out the organization that Bill
050744 - described on 000709. ref SDS 2 0052
050745 -
050746 -
050747 -  ..
050748 - File from C12 with W2K Crashes External Hard Drive
050749 -
050750 - After the files completed copying from c12 to the external hard drive,
050751 - we copied them to Bill's desktop computer.
050752 -
050753 - There was an error reported that the file for the record on 970930
050754 - could not be copied, and it stopped all activity. ref SDS 1 0001
050755 -
050756 - This problem took about 2 hours to explore for a solution, and we were
050757 - not successful.
050758 -
050759 -  ..
050760 - We noticed an error message was also displayed on c12 that related a
050761 - problem of some kind with the connection to the external hard drive.
050762 - To clear this problem on c12 we had to disconnect from the external
050763 - hard drive and boot the notebook.
050764 -
050765 - We tried to delete the file on the external hard drive both from the
050766 - desktop running XP, and from the notebook, c12, running w2k.
050767 -
050768 -  ..
050769 - Both operating systems reported an error message saying the file was
050770 - corrupted and could not be accessed.
050771 -
050772 - We tried to copy the file from c12 to overwrite the corrupted file on
050773 - the external hard drive this failed.
050774 -
050775 - We tried chkdsk.
050776 -
050777 - This identified the corrupted file, but when we tried the /f param to
050778 - correct the problem, got a message that path did not exist; not
050779 - simply the path to the corrupted file, but the partition itself.
050780 - So....
050781 -
050782 -          S>chcdsk
050783 -
050784 - ...ran on Bill's desktop, where the external drive is s, and...
050785 -          ..
050786 -          K>chkdsk
050787 -
050788 - ...ran on the notbeook, c12 and identified the corrupted file, with a
050789 - message to use the /f param to fix the problem; but following the
050790 - instruction with...
050791 -
050792 -          S>chcdsk /f
050793 -          K>chcdsk /f
050794 -
050795 - ...returned a message saying something like "The path does not exist"
050796 - was returned on both the desktop and c12.        .
050797 -
050798 - We tried copying all of the files again to another directory on the
050799 - external hard drive, but got the same problem.
050800 -
050801 - There is an incompability somewhere that we are not recognizing.
050802 -
050803 -  ..
050804 - We tried an ax, blow torch, and an atomic bomb, but could not delete a
050805 - single defective file, under Microsoft's rigorous design objectives to
050806 - improve productivity, reported by Steve Balmer on 010510. ref SDS 4
050807 - YG5K
050808 -
050809 - Bill commented that clearing a defective file seems like something an
050810 - operating system should be designed to accomplish so that people can
050811 - continue to "operate."
050812 -
050813 -
050814 -  ..
050815 - Microsoft Improving Productivity to Find Things and Integrate
050816 -
050817 - Bill Gates reported on 021108 two (2) new projects to improve
050818 - productivity of Microsoft programs.  Gates hopes to solve the problem
050819 - Bill mentioned in our telecon with Morris on 000709 that people cannot
050820 - find anything on their computer. ref SDS 2 PQ6G  Microsoft is now
050821 - investing $billions of dollars so that finding information is fast and
050822 - easy. ref SDS 9 EF5I  Maybe a few thousand dollars can be siphoned off
050823 - to improve deleting defective files; if it is not fast and easy, we
050824 - will live with that.
050825 -
050826 -  ..
050827 - Second project Gates announced for Microsoft is to integrate commands,
050828 - so it is fast and easy to get things done without having to wade
050829 - through endless menus.  Consolidated/integrated commands enable people
050830 - to use more than 5% of Microsoft functionality, which should improve
050831 - productivity on the theory that doing more tasks in the same amount of
050832 - time gets things done faster, better and cheaper. ref SDS 9 EFBE
050833 -
050834 -  ..
050835 - Bill remembered he still has the keyboard somewhere with function keys
050836 - on the left side that makes using SDS fast and easy, explained in the
050837 - record on 020924 planning for Gary Johnson to use SDS. ref SDS 7 EL8F
050838 -
050839 - SDS function keys perform multiple tasks, and executing these in
050840 - combination significantly leverages productivity, noted by Gates.
050841 -
050842 -
050843 -  ..
050844 - Work Plan to Complete Configure SDS
050845 -
050846 - Decided to take a break.
050847 -
050848 - Returned home.  Bill will work on this some more.
050849 -
050850 - Possible ideas are to...
050851 -
050852 -      Try chkdsk /x on the external drive.
050853 -
050854 -      network c12 with Bill's desktop, should be possible since Bill
050855 -      got his notebook, also running w2k, to eventually network.
050856 -
050857 -      network c12 with Bill's notbeook, should be possible since both
050858 -      are running w2k; then transfer from Bill's notebook to his
050859 -      desktop.
050860 - ..
050861 - Once connected, Bill can transfer the files shown above.
050862 - ref SDS 0 UY6E
050863 - ..
050864 - Before leaving, configured SDS, Medit and a DOS prompt for SDS.
050865 -
050866 - This was successful, but without work files could not open anything.
050867 -
050868 - Bill will drop the notebook off tomorrow in Concord, or in the City
050869 - later in the week.
050870 -
050871 -
050872 -
050873 -
050874 -
050875 -
050876 -
050877 -
050878 -
050879 -
050880 -
050881 -
050882 -
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0509 -