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Vista is crappy, but I realize later versions might not have hardware/driver compatibility. I tried running Photoshop 7.0 on Windows 7 but it wouldn't work. I now have to use GIMP instead, but I miss the photoshop plugins. I tried compatibility mode & set to XP but it still wouldn't work. I think they just want people to have to buy newer versions.

Turns out my brother sucks at diagnosing things & it was his switch/hub that was bad. I managed to get his internet working again. Good thing I was looking around his computer bc he had some sort of wax melter/heater thingy for aromatherapy that was on the floor face down turned on & had slightly singed the carpet. I had to turn it off & unplug it. The cats couldn't have turned it on bc of the way the switch works so my brother must have forgotten to turn it off. We're lucky it didn't start a fire.

When I was over at my friend's house the other day, his fiance had a creepy guy over. Guy was going for sympathy claiming he had PTSD & that his aunt was dying in the hospital so the fiance was being extra nice to him & feeling sorry for him. My brother and I both got the sense he wanted to get into her pants but she's not the brightest bulb & can be too trusting. Yesterday he forced himself on her and then fled. She called the cops & had them take her to a hospital out of town. They haven't found the guy yet, but they better find him before my friend does. He's not from the area so he's probably long gone & the police around here suck.
 
Highup, Sometimes you can run a program in "compatibility mode" to get something that runs on XP to run on later versions of windows but it doesn't always work. I was pissed bc I bought Photoshop 7.0 & it ran fine on XP but won't run on later versions even in compatibility mode (even though the description for photoshop 7 says it will run on later versions). That was why I got Win7 Ultimate. I wish I could go to Win7 Home w/o having to uninstall & reinstall everything. Thus far 10 seems to be a huge problem. My brother upgraded to it from either 7 or 8 & now it's telling him it's not genuine even though the version he updated from *was* genuine & he downloaded 10 from Microsoft when it was still free to upgrade. It did the same thing to my mother- claiming her version is not genuine after it ninja updated to 10 from win8 w/o her permission/knowledge.

What would your budget be for upgrades if you absolutely had to replace your computer? Maybe we can help you pick a good replacement. There are laptops more powerful than the computer you've described. I really liked XP because it seemed more stable & took up less space than later Windows but it can be a pain to find things. WinME absolutely sucked & so did Vista.

There was a massive thunderstorm that took out a bunch of transformers the other night. My power was out from 2:30am to after 7pm. My brother had his computer plugged in to a brand new APC but now his wired ethernet card is not detecting the cable (I have a post on that in the tech section). His DVD drive is no longer reading discs so he can't install software. I'm going to have to find a way to clone/copy data from the DVDs to a thumb drive to see if I can get them working for him. I'm hoping I can figure out why his DVD drive won't read- but again, that's in the tech thread I posted.

During the power outage my best friend invited us over to his house to hang out & watch Netflix. Brought him a roll of good paper towels bc he has the worst paper towels I've ever seen. Also brought Mom's little chiweenie dog, Fippy, along with some puppy pads. He gets along with their little dog Callie because she's the only dog he's ever met that is smaller than him (she's a yorkiepoo). My brother had already gone over to the friend's house to nap bc he couldn't sleep at our house without the fans on. Friend let him sleep in his bed. I briefly thought maybe the fiance wouldn't like that but then I remembered she's slept in my bed while over at my house before so she doesn't have a problem with people sleeping in their bed. We briefly went to the Mexican restaurant in town then back to friend's house to watch Netflix for a few more hours before heading home. The road had been terrible on the ride to town. River was flowing across it & I would have gone into a ditch if there hadn't been a marker for the road edge where the road curved bc it was all water. Someone in a smaller vehicle watched as I drove over the water to see if I made it & then decided to try it after I got past the water. On the way back home the water had drained a bit so it wasn't as bad. But I need to get my inner fender replaced. The guy from the body shop didn't secure the inner fender properly so it kept getting rubbed by the wheel & it rubbed a hole in it so now water can splash up in there. I tried putting flex tape over it, but there was too much dirt on it for it to stay. I'll have to clean the dirt off better & try again later before taking it up to the dealership to see about getting it replaced.

I managed to hurt my arm again when I slipped & almost fell while trying to find something for my mother that had fallen off the side of her bed. She has so much stuff piled up in her room that I can't walk around to the other side of the bed. I have to climb onto her side of the bed and lean over all the crap she has piled up on it to try to reach over but I have to do it without knocking more stuff over & it's a pain. I think I get my nesting habits from her-- I pile stuff up around me like I'm in a nest. LOL. To be fair, I can't get to the other side of my bed either. I still have boxes & other stuff I need to go through.

Rusty, congrats to your granddaughter! Maybe someday we'll see her in the Olympics.

Meanwhile, the thunderstorms seem to be hanging out in my area. My friend messaged me after he got to work to tell me the rain was so bad he couldn't see & that he saw another car get hit with lightning. He's asked me to drive him somewhere Tuesday early in the morning- I'm just hoping it won't be flooded. It's so flooded my landline has been out for days. And AT&T's website is such a pain in the keester it took me 30 min to get it to process a repair request. First it was being stupid about my login info. Then it insisted that I *had* receive a code in a text message to login (would not let me login without it) so I had to go outside, turn my phone on, set it on the porch (only place it can get signal- only 1 bar-- if I turn it on before I go outside it goes into emergency calls only mode & won't let me get/make texts or calls & I can't send or receive texts via wifi). Then I had to go back inside all the way across the house back to my room & pc, tell it to send the text (bc otherwise my phone won't get the text if it was sent before), then go all the way back outside to get my phone and then back to read the code. Then the website was stuck in loading mode for 10min. If I had another landline service other than AT&T in my area I'd seriously consider switching. AT&T is the only service that actually reaches my area even though other services claim they cover it (but they don't have any towers within 30 miles & the AT&T one is 10miles away). Found out they aren't giving us the 15% discount they were supposed to be giving when I checked the billing and found out we had to pay overage charges bc my brother went over our 2Gb limit a few times. It was $15 for 80mb over.


So much drama. You should write for Reader's Digest. lol
 
The people I worked for a couple weeks ago are the coolest. I did a restretch then and charged them $150. They wrote a check for $250
Probably worth more than $150, but I thought it took linger than it should have.
Well, yesterday and today my brother and put carpet in the living room............. 17 by 26ish. with a fireplace hearth and cabinets (and toe kicks) on the opposite wall.
We had R&R and also moving an upright piano and misc chairs sofa, card table etc.
I charged $530 for the carpet and $70 for furniture........ just to make a round number. About an hour of furniture for the 2 of us. So that's $600 for two days. We had 13 hours total including picking up the carpet. Job is 2 miles from home. They wrote a check for $700.
I love people that can't write checks accurately. :D
I've worker for this couple before. They have a kid a year ahead of me in high school. Probably the nicest, most down to earth people I have worked for. I'd say they are #1 in my long list of favorites. He's a retired lawyer, she's ..............just nice as anyone can be. Last time I worked for them the took me out for a nice dinner after I packed my tools away.
Pinch me, somebody pinch me. :)
He has written s couple local history books and they have donated to the construction of our local history museum. They grew up here and also went to school with my uncle back in the stone age............ :D They are all in their early 80's.
 
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My carpenter came over. We had dinner at the local restaurant. Then he looked at the floor to see what he could do. He had built a supporting wall under the main beam last year. He said he was sure he could jack up the floor joists and put in a steel plate in a few key places to lift the floor 1/2 inch. The beam is roughly 4 feet from the kitchen wall so lifting it should not crack any drywall. Might be able to avoid using any self leveler. That might save me a ton of money.
 
Ordered some samples of Coretec 5,7, and 9 inch wide planks from flooring in.com. They had Alexandria Oak which looks really nice. Carpetmart didn’t have that style.

Anyone know anything about them? They ship for free. I’m a little concerned about ordering vs picking up locally.
 
The people I worked for a couple weeks ago are the coolest. I did a restretch then and charged them $150. They wrote a check for $250
Probably worth more than $150, but I thought it took linger than it should have.
Well, yesterday and today my brother and put carpet in the living room............. 17 by 26ish. with a fireplace hearth and cabinets (and toe kicks) on the opposite wall.
We had R&R and also moving an upright piano and misc chairs sofa, card table etc.
I charged $530 for the carpet and $70 for furniture........ just to make a round number. About an hour of furniture for the 2 of us. So that's $600 for two days. We had 13 hours total including picking up the carpet. Job is 2 miles from home. They wrote a check for $700.
I love people that can't write checks accurately. :D
I've worker for this couple before. They have a kid a year ahead of me in high school. Probably the nicest, most down to earth people I have worked for. I'd say they are #1 in my long list of favorites. He's a retired lawyer, she's ..............just nice as anyone can be. Last time I worked for them the took me out for a nice dinner after I packed my tools away.
Pinch me, somebody pinch me. :)
He has written s couple local history books and they have donated to the construction of our local history museum. They grew up here and also went to school with my uncle back in the stone age............ :D They are all in their early 80's.
Like Franco used to say, if they tip you you ain't charging enough.
 
Ordered some samples of Coretec 5,7, and 9 inch wide planks from flooring in.com. They had Alexandria Oak which looks really nice. Carpetmart didn’t have that style.

Anyone know anything about them? They ship for free. I’m a little concerned about ordering vs picking up locally.
Most people don't know that many manufacturers do not want their product sold online by a 2nd or 3rd party. And they will not honor the warranty simply because the original purchaser is the only one they warranty for. So, if anything happens to the floor like a manufacturing issue or they sold you 2nds ,you have to go through them for a warranty claim.
Believe me it's not worth the money your saving.
 
Most people don't know that many manufacturers do not want their product sold online by a 2nd or 3rd party. And they will not honor the warranty simply because the original purchaser is the only one they warranty for. So, if anything happens to the floor like a manufacturing issue or they sold you 2nds ,you have to go through them for a warranty claim.
Believe me it's not worth the money your saving.


You are right. The price difference isn’t good enough to order online. I have 4 flooring vendors who I can go to with good reputations. But it’s nice to see all the varieties. I think the Alexandria oak that was missing might have been a web page error.
 
Like Franco used to say, if they tip you you ain't charging enough.
He's full of shitakie. People feeling they are being overcharged are gonna kiss and tell you out of business. I don't bill like it's a test of faith. My bill was double what the highest paying shop would have paid me.
Had nothing on the road map the day after and since I noticed an unconnected vent hose leading to one of the floor vents when finishing the carpet, I told em I would come op the next day and reconnect it. I just needed to reach down, lift the hose and metal connector back up and into the metal vent base......... then somehow drive in 2 or 3 sheet metal screws into the inner and outer connectors. Maybe an hours work. I like these people. They are the downest to earth people you could ever know. A pleasure just to chat with them and learn more about the local history............ they know a lot.
.............anyhow, back to the vent. Overnight I was thinking that I probably couldn't angle my drill anywhere near the needed 90 degree angle to drill in or drive the screws. (I used self tapping but drilled a 1/16th inch pilot anyway)
3/4 mile past their home is a pawn shop, so I stopped in for kicks and giggles, and lo and behold, a pneumatic 90 degree drill Looked like new, no scratches or dings. They wanted $39.95 and I offered $35. I've always wanted a right angle even tho needing one was a rare event. It's a NAPA Professional 1800rpm with a 3/8 chuck.
Half price from a new one. Pretty torquey too.
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NPT6787
NWMDC

Aside from my venture to the pawn shop, it tool less than an hour to get the vent reconnected. I offered to do this, they didn't ask me to, so I wasn't gonna charge em. Had no work that day anyhow. He put $100 on the counter next to my coffee. I told him no, but he wasn't having any of that. :)
 
Got my samples today. I like Alexandria Oak 9x72 planks. Second choice Highlands Oak. First is more red, second has more brown. Both look fine. Both are textured for dog's grip.

Alexandria Oak is not on the Carpetmart website. Going over there tomorrow morning to see what they have to offer. I cleared space next to the beam downstairs for my carpenter to jack up the floor and put in steel plates. If that puts things in spec, I'll be ready to purchase in 2 weeks. If not, I will need leveler, albeit a much smaller quantity. So I'd be looking at 4 weeks probably.

Stairwell is painted but needs one more coat on walls. Hope to get that tonight.

And I planted 3 bushes today.

It's 88 outside and I worked up quite a sweat.

Time for ice cream!
 
Got my samples today. I like Alexandria Oak 9x72 planks. Second choice Highlands Oak. First is more red, second has more brown. Both look fine. Both are textured for dog's grip.

Alexandria Oak is not on the Carpetmart website. Going over there tomorrow morning to see what they have to offer. I cleared space next to the beam downstairs for my carpenter to jack up the floor and put in steel plates. If that puts things in spec, I'll be ready to purchase in 2 weeks. If not, I will need leveler, albeit a much smaller quantity. So I'd be looking at 4 weeks probably.

Stairwell is painted but needs one more coat on walls. Hope to get that tonight.

And I planted 3 bushes today.

It's 88 outside and I worked up quite a sweat.

Time for ice cream!
Sorry. Most of us are in shock. Nick passed away.
 
Got my samples today. I like Alexandria Oak 9x72 planks. Second choice Highlands Oak. First is more red, second has more brown. Both look fine. Both are textured for dog's grip.

Alexandria Oak is not on the Carpetmart website. Going over there tomorrow morning to see what they have to offer. I cleared space next to the beam downstairs for my carpenter to jack up the floor and put in steel plates. If that puts things in spec, I'll be ready to purchase in 2 weeks. If not, I will need leveler, albeit a much smaller quantity. So I'd be looking at 4 weeks probably.

Stairwell is painted but needs one more coat on walls. Hope to get that tonight.

And I planted 3 bushes today.

It's 88 outside and I worked up quite a sweat.

Time for ice cream!
I did a 27 by 34 "bonus room"above a new garage about 10 years ago. Customer wanted 4 different colors of wood placed randomly.
All were Hickory, and one was brown, two were reddish and a blond which was used every here and there. Completed, it looked really nice. I got my first $500 tip from that job.................... hellooooow new Sony flat screen. :D
 

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