I wish that were true ... it's hard to be in two places at once. If I really had a clone, I'd be on a date right now!
I hadn't tried the latest version of Drive Image, although I have it tucked away in a ZIP file for safekeeping. I didn't see any need to update, since the last version was working so well. The old "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" attitude.
I mentioned to LHGPooBaa in a private message that he would need to keep a cheapy PS/2 mouse around, just for reinstalling images, since DOS has no support for USB.
What you are saying is that DOS is eliminated in the 2002 version? How about when reinstalling an image? Does the new version still have rescue disks?
I prefer running a mouse on a USB port, and I have mine on a powered hub. The mouse is more responsive, due to the higher refresh rate, which is 125Hz for a USB port. The only problem with this setup is that my UPS only has two plugs to draw current directly from the battery, so if the power goes out, I have to resort to using the keyboard to navigate out of Windows, or add the PS/2 mouse very quickly, which might not be possible if the ports are disabled in the BIOS. The solution to this is for me to upgrade the UPS, of course, but that's an expensive proposition.
Regardless of that, I still prefer the mouse on the powered hub, to limit IRQ sharing with other devices.
I think I should also mention that in my experience, VIA mainboards with onboard USB ports don't respond well to having a low powered and a high power USB device on the same passive hub ... this often results in BSOD's. (One passive hub ... two ports.) Interestingly enough, this doesn't seem to happen to boards with Intel chipsets, which will often accommodate two devices that exceed the 500mA limit of a passive hub. (A low powered and high powered device together can pull 600mA.)
Just thought I'd pass that along.
Oh, and the DirectX diagnostics. Using this can tell you, very quickly, if the video card drivers are functioning correctly on the system, as well as allowing you to check the versions of the files. And if AGP Texture Acceleration is disabled, then this means the card is running in PCI mode. Normally, this tells you two things ... either the mode in the BIOS is set to PCI, or the AGP port drivers are not functional, either because they are missing, or corrupted. I noticed this the last time I set up a VIA board, because the 4in1 drivers didn't install a functional AGP driver, despite information to the contrary in the Device Manager. Installing the latest version of the AGP driver separately took care of the problem.
While in the diagnostics program, you can also check several other items, such as if a game controller is correctly installed, if the sound card's hardware acceleration is enabled and functioning, and if the DirectPlay TCP/IP stack Internet connection is running correctly (for games that use this option.) I also normally go to the More Help/Override setting for the DirectDraw refresh rate, and manually put in my preferred rate for the resolution I use for playing games. Mine is currently set at 90Hz, which is the highest refresh rate allowed by the DirectX Properties applet I installed in the Control Panel. Of course, I am aware that my monitor can easily support this refresh rate and resolution, and any user who adjusts this should also be familiar with their monitor's specifications.
See, I'm not drunk. (Hic) :lol:
Toey
<font color=red>First Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=17935" target="_new"><font color=green>Toejam31's Devastating Dalek Destroyer</font color=green></A>
<font color=red>Second Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=15942" target="_new"><font color=green>Toey's Dynamite DDR Duron</font color=green></A>
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<font color=purple>"Some push the envelope. Some just lick it. And some can't find the flap."</font color=purple>
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