Mel in Hawaii

So you are saying that the box to leave it on the server is checked... AND you are saying that both machines are not using outlook express at the same time... Too bad we couldn't put my network analyzer on it to check for scrambled packets and detect the equipment on the network. If you were here, I would plug it in, but it cost me more than I spent on my pickup, so I don't lend it out. *grin*

Brainstorm here... Are you using Outlook Express to check your email (actually applies to other programs as well)? If so, go to Tools, accounts, mail tab and select your emai account. Choose Properties, click advanced and look at the bottom section where it says Delivery and see if the option to leave the messages on the server is checked (it should be) and that there is a check mark in remove from server when deleted from the deleted items folder. You COULD have it delete it from the server after say 5 days (as you would download the email from the other server by that time). Thinking here is that if you check your email from computer1 and it deletes the email from the server, there won't be anything on the server for computer2 to see/download unless new email arrives. Don't know why I didn't think of this before.

Oh, forgot to mention that if the last tech put a router back in, then your IP address on the printer is probably not in the same subnet as your computers. Make sure they all start with something like 192.168.?.*** or 10.?.?.*** and they all match. Things won't talk to each other unless they are all on the same subnet if there isnt' some router sending the packets to the right place. Also make sure the gateway address is all the same/correct. If the tech left without the printer working, that says something about the tech (unless of course you weren't there to allow them to setup the accounts correctly which I run into a lot where people leave and assume I can just magically get into their accounts).

I feel your pain regarding the lightning stike... I have been there with a surge melting my cable modem TWICE and the first time it took out the network adapter in a computer along with it. After that I was constantly replacing items in that machine, first network adapter, motherboard, power supply and even after I had replaced every item except the case it still had issues (probably since I didn't do all the parts at the same time). Eventually just put a new computer in. As for suggestions, I would check your IP addresses on each machine and make sure they don't conflict. Make sure the subnet masks are set correctly. Check collision counts/bad packets on the different devices (easiest is usually the printer if it has an external print server where you can hit the 'test' button). Do more than one machine attempt to check the SAME email address? Maybe they are conflicting. Without knowing more of the gritty details on the situation, I can't think of much else to try right now. If I do think of something, I will come back and put a further comment in.

I think this is the best advice, sounded like a corrupt cookie to me too, but after skimming the thread I didn't see if you had tried it already. Of course, now that I changed my nick to Idiot, who knows if you would listen to me.

I realize they were mentioning that, I just wanted to clarify, hence my statement 'Just remember'. I have been using dual monitors back from the day of the Mac Plus.

Just remember that they are talking about using the LCD as one monitor and an external monitor as the second in the dual configuration. Most laptops are setup to use one or the other until you change the settings in software. Using TWO EXTERNAL monitors is generally not available in a laptop (although I HAVE seen a couple expensive ones that have dual external monitor ports (thus giving a total of 3 monitors if you count the LCD) but that was quite a while ago, I don't know if they are still available) as they don't have any expansion slots for inserting additional video cards.

Well, first thing I would check is if she is on dialup, maybe it's just an item that is not getting downloaded fast enough and times out. Possible, but unlikely if higher speed than dialup. Next thing I would do is to flush her cache in IE. Tools | Internet Options | Temporary Files | Delete Files then close internet explorer, reboot and try again. If that doesn't fix the problem, does she have any firewall software installed on the computer? Try disabling this (Norton/McAfee) temporarily and try again. It may be blocking something. Is this computer part of a corporate network? They may be blocking certain content (ours does) and it's amazing what can match filters that have very good intentions but go overly broad and block things such as Microsoft Knowlegebase articles that have certain characters as part of the URL or page title.

Good one...

If the monitor is showing a no signal message, it is either the video cable connection on the video card, or sometimes the video cable also has a connection on the back of the monitors that might be loose (Samsung monitors are frequently like this.) If it was the video card, you would hear a beep beep beep when the computer was starting. I have also seen broken pins in a video cable that was bent too sharply, try straightening the cable. Personally, I would just buy myself a new monitor (nice one) and if the issue didn't go away, I would buy the new PC. The things are so cheap that I consider them throw away devices unfortunately. If you don't want to buy a new one, frequently on craigslist.org there are people GIVING them away so they don't have to pay the .80/pound disposal fee (it's illegal to throw away electronics in the trash here).

I am NOT a tax professional. I wanted to be an electrical engineer when I was in college. Now I write software, work on computers, cars, and last night I was installing a sprinkler system. As far as another person's test dealing with having a power outage, it's like a slot machine. You put your coin in and pull the handle. Most of the time nothing happens, but occasionally you hit the jackpot and get to pay people like me money. I see more of these types of things since I am in the business of fixing these types of problems. No, I don't sell UPS's, I just recommend them.

Also interest rates have changed, that may have pushed him over in the qualification process.

The red light indicates one of two things, most likely the first. First, make sure that there is a ground to the power outlet. Use of a 'cheater' plug that converts the cord from a three prong to a two prong basically means that you have no ground. Some older houses wired by homeowners sometimes connected the neutral wire to both the neutral lug and the ground lug because they had the situation where there were only two wires going to the outlet with a 3 prong outlet. While they are actually eventually going to go to the same point (ground), this is not advisable as it defeats the purpose of having a safety ground and allows current from the neutral wire to go back through the ground lug (shortest path to ground). Second, the 'hot' and 'neutral' wires in the outlet could be reversed. Once again frequently common when homeowners wire the outlet instead of an electrician (or an electrician who is rushing/tired), they put the black hot wire on the lug for the white neutral wire. Hopefully the ground wire actually exists in this situation. You can tell which situation you have if you have a 3 prong outlet by going to your hardware store and buying a couple dollar 'tester' that looks like the end of a power cord with 3 leds. It will tell you what's wrong with the outlet. This should actually be corrected as when there is a surge, the UPS or surge protector will shunt excess power to the ground. If the ground is not there, NEITHER the UPS or Surge protector can actually do any good. In a no ground situation, the surge protector actually just acts as an extension cord with multiple outlets as the Metal Oxide Varistors (MOV's) in the surge protector can't shunt the power to another conductor.

Would you include possible overwriting of your FAT table as 'really bad' things? If your hard disk was writing when the power went out it can really mess up your file allocation tables even if it doesn't damage the hardware. Sorry if I sounded like I was attacking you, you were stating your oppinion, I disagree but will respect your right to choose as we all must mitigate lots of issues. Do I install a fire protection system for my Christmas tree in case it catches on fire? Probably very few people will do so, but should we (my answer no)? It's all based on our tolerance for risk. I have been in the situation where UPS's have paid for themselves in lower failure rates and less service costs (it's not just the computer you know, downtime, shipping, parts, phone calls, software installation/recovery).

If you have an APC UPS of modern design, there is a trap door in the bottom where you can access the battery. They don't even come with the battery connected (Federal regulations don't allow them on planes if the batteries are connected) so you have to open this door to connect the wires when you first get it or it won't protect you anyways. As far as cost to replace. The UPS's that we use most frequently cost about $140 at CompUSA, I pick up the replacement battery at Interstate battery (equivalent but not the same exact part) for $12.50. The same part from APC will cost about $49 plus shipping, but we primarily go the Interstate battery route because shipping is so expensive in the islands since EVERYTHING comes 2nd day Air service as there is no ground service (unless you are shipping a container load of course). If you are unsure about the UPS, just flip it over and you should see either two silver screws or a sliding plastic panel (depending on if it's the metal or plastic case design ie home/office version). Take the cover off and you should be able to find the specs on the battery. Write down the length/width/voltage/amp hours and call your local battery dealer. Most likely they will have it in stock (if you aren't in a really rural area I guess) as they are the same as what is used in fire protection panels, alarm systems, etc. Now, for those who say they don't have any problems. Well, when you have an undervoltage or overvoltage situation, your computer takes a hit. I don't care where you live, these events happen and they are not as obvious as when the power goes out completely. Someone hits the button in the elevator and it starts a motor, you will have an undervoltage, the motor stops and you have an overvoltage. Don't have an elevator, do you have a fridge, airconditioning, etc? Large power draws will cause these all day. It doesn't even have to be in your building. This type of damage usually presents itself as just a computer that dies for no reason, a program crashes (memory corruption), CD-rom drives that won't read anymore, hard disks that suddenly decide to hit their heads against the side of the drive, fans that spin faster/slower. I have a power analyzer that if you hooked up to your building, you would be amazed at how many disruptions you have that you don't even notice. Why do I have one? We were constantly having blown computers. Our solution was two things: 1 raise the voltage tap on the power transformer +10% as higher voltage is actually not as damaging to computers as low voltage and 2 put UPS's on the equipment. After I had the utility come and change the tap, we immediately noted that we had fewer issues with non protected equipment, but the UPS's really stopped the failure rates. Personally I currently live in an area of great power disruptions. We have a plant next door with 14,400 volt service and when they shut off their equipment you can see your monitor get brighter than it should be. We also are at the end of the line, so any heavy usage down the road will draw down the available power on the lines. So our problems are probably at the extreme end, but I have also taken that analyzer down town and was amazed how many alerts the device reported as it was actually more in number, but not as extreme.

I guess I was totally wrong about who this was. I had inferred an emotion in the message that wasn't there. It should be me who is appologising to him.

Sorry I haven't been to the board in a while to read, but I agree with Pacun that the cmos battery is toast. The fact that a reboot keeps the date and the power off doesn't indicates that as soon as power to the system is lost (which restart doesn't do) the battery is insufficient to hold the clock chip up. The good news is that the battery will cost you about $1.20 at the local drug store, maybe 4-5 at Compusa. I ALWAYS recommend an APC ups, www.apc.com go to their sizing utility and double the minutes you expect to keep working when the power goes out. Don't go for a lower rating, you wil regret it. I also like getting the X models with the double batteries as in my area the power is always going out and there is no guarantee that the battery will get to totally recharge before the next outage. For systems that I don't put in an APC ups, which is rare, then I use the APC surgearrest power strips. These systems usually aren't ones users are using and the connected equipment is going to go down too and has no transactions going on (such as just a controlling computer to our box sortation equipment). My UPS to power strip ratio is like 99 to 1. Of course UPS's require a battery every 2 years here, but can last up to 5 if you have very infrequent power disruptions. I don't wait, I just plan on 2 year replacement.

I wasn't saying you were chained to your desk with the boss looking over your shoulder. I was just commenting on the obvious concern that if ATX/CCH/whatever their name is wanted to shut down the board for PR reasons, and you were here making comments, it could be used against you. Expect the worst, hope for the best kinda thing.

More than a bad precedent, I personally think this would mean the firing squad for them or at least looking for a new job. The issue with Monkeyman whoever he is may have raised a bit of an issue, but personally I think that we should allow them in (being that I am an ex-ATX guy as it is). They would likely be reading the information anyways (or I would as I always wanted to know what was going on so I could address any issue that came along). Speaking of ex-ATX, I was speaking with GW today, he seemed to be doing quite well. He still seems to be the same guy I knew, kind heart looking out for the little guys. I wish I had more time to chat with him, but alas I got interrupted.

Well if you are going to put up a 30ft tower, put up a 100 footer and put a windmill on the top of it to power your computer. Of course, the vibration might actually knock the alignment out on the antennae.

Figuring something out here usually means living on the beach until you can afford to fly off this rock. Personally I don't really care for Hawaii. It's like a prison for those of us who like to go out for a drive on a whim. I miss the isolatin of our camp on the lake, the lack of traffic and all. Currently I have a rent very similar to what you mention, just with a 3 bedroom house with a nice yard. Not going to be able to stay in it though as the lease ends Dec 2008 and it looks like the state is going to take over.

I have actually thought about offering complementing software before, gone over it and never went anywhere with it for fear of offending some of my friends who still work there. Not having to support the 'legacy' framework the software was built on would be a good reason to start over from scratch. Of course, knowing the program would make it easy to support a rollover routine.

Who could afford to live in CA on an $80,000 income anyways?

First, you are suggesting that the customers were requesting that they get charged for Efile? Or was that a complaint by non-efilers that the efile group got charged for all the extra tech support that efile was causing? Personally, Free efile was a great thing when you are trying to gain customers, the only problem is that eventually that cost has to be recouped, and it should have come in slowly introduced price increase. It does cost a lot to support the efile croud. All that extra tech support mainly, but the communications costs are minimal. Programming costs also are minimal since it's a write once application, not custom done for each customer. As for your profit margin, I would suspect that for every 1200 return customer there are a hundred 30-50 return customers having talked to many of them myself. But if ATX hadn't offered efile, there wouldn't be an ATX left. Efile is a requirement in today's processing of returns, especially in CA. Any software provider that didn't provide that solution wouldn't have a business. Who is ATX supposedly 'licensing' the Efile from? Last I knew, it was developed inhouse. Are you saying that the new owners have dropped the orriginal program for another product? I don't recommend anyone removing the shielding from their microwave, there are some seriously dangerous componants in that thing and if you don't get the shielding back on correctly, you won't have to worry about having kids anymore, or you might just wonder what is wrong with them. I highly doubt that this is William resonding, it's not his writing style. Bulldogtom... If ATX went out of business, I guess I would just have to step up to the plate and open up shop... There has to be someone out there to service the small office market. But in reality, there is going to be someone to fill that market, even if the big guys do their best to shut it down.

I should mention that I haven't looked at the form, just taking note of what you say happened and knowing how the linking worked inside the program years ago. Sounds to me that the only other option would be for them to put in some code to check if the return was a 1040 and if it wasn't, then blank out the form completely. I also didn't look up the form itself.