On (18 Mar 05) James Bradley wrote to George Pope...
 JB>  GP> Just remember the main rule: chat away, have fun, but EVERY
 JB>  GP> POST has to contain
 JB>  GP> some "funny"!
 JB>
 JB> That's a LOT of *pressure* of its own! 

Not really!  The worst I've done to those who've inadvertantly forgotten
once, is just to kibbitz them a little and throw out some empty threats
that are so silly as to constitute "funny" content on their own! heh

 JB>  JB>  GP> I used to be able to go a full month between laundromat
 JB> trips,
 JB>  JB>  GP> but that was when I was young & stocked up on
shirts, ginch,
 JB>  JB>  GP> and socks! (I change all those daily)
 JB>  JB>
 JB>  JB> No comment. 
 JB>
 JB>  GP> wut?
 JB>
 JB> No, I can't smell you with each Chinook. Saskatchewan might want to
 JB> bath me in
 JB> isopropanol however.

I may have only washed laundry once a month, but I bathed and changed
everything but my slacks daily!

 JB>  GP> It's a 12-Step Program thing, I think. . .
 JB>
 JB> You were being serious! I have been in so much pain, I couldn't attend
 JB> to a
 JB> relationship, let alone do anything with it. I couldn't imagine anyone
 JB> finding
 JB> a withdrawals person as being attractive just the same.

My suspicion is a lot of people who start to quit addictions start to
waver in their commitment to such, and finding a similarly weak-willed
relationship partner can provide some convenient(albeit
unhealthy) co-dependence! :P

 JB> I just had Windows scramble two drives, and now - it would appear -
 JB> nothing
 JB> short of resurrection is going to bring them up again. Pray for me
 JB> father. P-|

I'm no father (nothing evidenced as such, anyway!)

good luck on the HDDs!  I hate when that kind of thing happens!

Here's some advice on disk care. . .
Not much help for your hard drives now, but certainly good prevention
for future problems with floppy-based backups:


 Proper Care of Floppies:

 1. Never leave diskettes in the disk drive, as data can leak out of
 the disk and corrode the inner mechanics of the drive. Diskettes
 should be rolled up and stored in pencil holders.

 2. Diskettes should be cleaned and waxed once a week. Microscopic
 metal particles can be removed by waving a powerful magnet over the
 surface of the disk. Any stubborn metallic shavings can be removed
 with scouring powder and soap. When waxing diskettes, make sure
 application is even. This will allow the diskettes to spin faster,
 resulting in better access time.

 3. Do not fold diskettes unless they do not fit in the drive. "Big"
 diskettes may be folded and used in "little" disk drives.

 4. Never insert a disk into the drive upside down. The data can fall
 off the surface of the disk and jam the intricate mechanics of the
 drive.

 5. Diskettes cannot be backed up by running them through the Xerox
 machine. If your data is going to need to be backed up, simply insert
 two diskettes together into the drive. Whenever you update a
 document, the data will be recorded on both diskettes.

 6. Diskettes should not be inserted into or removed from the drive
 while the red light is flashing. Doing so could result in smeared or
 possibly unreadable text. Occasionally the red light continues to
 flash in what is known as a "hung" or "hooked" state.
If your system
 is "hooking" you, you will probably need to insert a few coins before
 being allowed to access the disk drive.

 7. If your diskette is full and you need more storage space, remove
 the disk from the drive and shake vigorously for two minutes. This
 will pack the data enough (Data Compression) to allow for more
 storage. Be sure to cover all the openings with scotch tape to
 prevent loss of data.

 8. Data access time can be greatly improved by cutting more holes in
 the diskette jacket. This will provide more simultaneous access
 points to the disk.

 9. Diskettes can be used as coasters for beverage glasses, provided
 they have been properly waxed beforehand. Be sure to wipe the
 diskettes dry before inserting into drive (see item #2 above.)

 10. Never use scissors and glue to manually edit documents. The data
 stored is much too small to be seen with the naked eye, and you may
 end up with data from some other document stuck in the middle of your
 document. Razor blades and scotch tape may be used, provided the user
 is equipped with an electron microscope.

 11. Periodically spray diskettes with insecticide to prevent system
 bugs from spreading.

 12. And particularly, watch out for that Bobbit virus. It will turn
 your harddrive into a 3.5" floppy...


Your friend,
<+]::-{)}  (Cyberpope(the Bishop of ROM!))
Ask me how to connect with me in any of 5 different Instant Messengers

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