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Finally I am replacing my Vista laptop

Started by Carole, Oct 17, 2018, 22:49:24

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Carole

This is really Astrophotography, but it is also chat.

I finally decided that my very old and faithful but clapped out Vista laptop is well past it's sell by date. 
Both right and left clicks have 99% packed up and it will only work with a mouse now.  Which reduces my USB ports to only 2 now. 

Hubs have been unreliable on it, so have never really been able to use EQmod as I didn't have enough USB ports unless I used a 2nd laptop.

2 years ago the power cable packed up and Julian kindly gave me a spare, which has tided me over but it wasn't a good fit and it was always beeping on and off and there was one occasion when I did not notice and the laptop ran out of power and switched itself off mid imaging. 

Finally at last camp I lost 2 hours worth of data, and I am 99.99% sure I ticked the save box as I checked everything 3 times over.  Atik thinks it is a computer problem.

So I ordered myself a new (reconditioned W7) laptop, and have been busy installing the software all day today.  NOTE:  I am avoiding W10 like the plague as I have heard too many horror stories about problems, especially with updates.

Bonus is it has 4 USB ports, so I might even be able to use EQmod and plate solving finally, especially as I "missed" one of my targets at the last camp.  Just need to be weaned off my handset.  But I have used EQmod on odd occasions.

Carole




NoelC

I find it difficult to believe you are still using it.  Your patience must be nearly infinite! I pensioned off my XP laptop 2 years ago (it's still sitting under my desk if you want it :-?).
I'm still on Win7 desktop, but entirely Win10 in the OBBO, which as you say has the odd update or two.  I upgraded it to Win10-Pro for €10, which gives you more control over updates.  It does something odd with date and time too, but the speed of performance and USB3.0 more than compensate I think.

Noel
Swapped telescopes for armchair.

Carole

I am a bit of a dinosaur Noel when it comes to updating stuff.  I prefer to stay with what I know works and despite its shortcomings the Vista laptop still did most things but it had become my secondary laptop of late (as I work with two laptops when using my dual rig).  With my primary one Lenovo W7 doing the guiding and working the filterwheel. 

When the vista started playing up last camp, I decided to try the hub with my existing  W7 Lenovo laptop,
to see if I could operate both cameras on one laptop as I knew Artemis would allow this, and whilst the hub seemed to work, both Atik cameras got stuck downloading images & flushing, so I guess they don't like downloading through the same hub and to the same laptop.  So was forced to use the Vista laptop one more time. 

I don't update software, for fear of good functions being taken away (which Microsoft frequently do), I still use PHD1, I use photoshop CS3 and am reluctant to upgrade to latest operating systems until all the gremlins have been ironed out.

I recall my frustration at work when Word got updated and there were some very annoying functions, like auto indent, which as a secretary was a real PITA and it took ages to correct the format when it did it without me asking it to. 

So unless there is some real "must have", I don't tend to update.

Carole




Fay

I cant believe you had that laptop for so long. Vista was the most hated update Windows has done, especially after XP, which was popular.
It is healthier to be mutton dressed as lamb, than mutton dressed as mutton!

Carole

I agree XP was a really good operating system, and I know Vista was hated by many, but it worked fine for my purposes.

Yes, many people can't believe I had it for so long. 

I am not chucking the Vista  away yet though as it is 32bit and has Gradient Exterminator on it which I need if processing at DSC.  Unfortunately I tried to update my 64bit laptops with GE and bought an upgrade to my licence, but 64bit GE won't install with my version of Photoshop it has to be PS CS4 or higher and I have PS CS3. 
Not prepared to fork out for yet another version of PS in order to install GE just for DSC purposes.  There could come a time when I no longer have any PCs with 32bit, and when that happens I won't have any choice but to update PS as I don't want to be without GE, but will cross that bridge when I come to it.

So I now have 4 imaging laptops.

2 x W7 64bit (used on my dual rig)
1 clapped out Vista which will be used for GE
1 mini laptop which I will use for travel only or when I want to do some additional DSLR imaging say on the Skytracker at the same time as my full rig.

Carole


ApophisAstros

you have to have the right version 64bit or 32bit for your version of PS which i think yours is 32bit as even though your laptops run at 64bit lots of programs still run in 32bit which is what they were designed for  , you may be able to upgrade to the 64bit version for somethings but the 32bit version of your gradxt licence from your vista laptop should work on the same version of PS on your new laptop as PS is still 32bit thats why the 64 bit licence didn't work.
roger
RedCat51,QHYCCD183,Atik460EX,EQ6-R.Tri-Band OSC,BaaderSII1,25" 4.5nm,Ha3.5nm,Oiii3.5nm.

Carole

It didn't work on w7 64bit Roger. I also checked GE website and it says it will only work on 64bit with CS4 or higher. Also l was not getting the 64bit option when trying to plug it into photoshop plugins.

I contacted Russell Croman and he refunded my money.

GE downloads ok but does not install as a plugin to PS.

I can't remember if l tried i stalling the 32bit GE on it so will give that a try.  I just assumed it would not work on a 64bit laptop.

Carole

Carole

Brilliant, GE has installed in Photoshop on my new W7 64bit laptop using the old 32bit GE licence, must try it on the Lenovo too.

Thanks for that Roger.

So now I don't have to hang on to the old Vista laptop.

Carole


ApophisAstros

i have lost my GE since moving from PS CC 64bit (payable monthly) to my own copy of PS CS2 32bit , i have emailed russell crowman twice but looks like its a no go to swap the licence back to 32bit.
Roger
RedCat51,QHYCCD183,Atik460EX,EQ6-R.Tri-Band OSC,BaaderSII1,25" 4.5nm,Ha3.5nm,Oiii3.5nm.

Mac

QuoteI am not chucking the Vista  away yet though as it is 32bit and has Gradient Exterminator on it which I need if processing at DSC.  Unfortunately I tried to update my 64bit laptops with GE and bought an upgrade to my licence, but 64bit GE won't install with my version of Photoshop it has to be PS CS4 or higher and I have PS CS3.

Why dont you run a virtual machine on your laptop.

Download Virtual box, set up a windows machine, either 32 or 64 bit or even both, install whichever version of windows you want to it and then install your photoshop ect....
Thats all I do, Im  running a few Virtual PC's on a Mac. 
XP, 2000, W7 plus a couple of unix systems.

There is no limit to what you can do.

You can even install W10 to try it all out if you wanted.

Mac

Carole

#10
Not sure what a virtual machine is or what I would use it for.  But I have everything up and running on the two laptops I will be using now.  So sounds a bit surplus to requirements.

Carole

Mac

QuoteBut I have everything up and running on the two laptops I will be using now.  So sounds a bit surplus to requirements.

It saves running two laptops....

Just one computer running another computer on itself.

I have ALL my PC software running on my Mac.

Apple Mac running windows XP running Photoshop.



Hi Res. 5K
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1979/44534458235_fea1a51e57_o.jpg

Mac.

Carole

Do you need internet connection to make it work?

It would be useful to be able to view the second laptop on the same screen, but using a single laptop for two cameras downloading doesn't work as I already tried it and both cameras got stuck on download and flushing.

They were fine as soon as I put them back on separate laptops.

Carole

ApophisAstros

With APT you can run 2 cameras and imaging sessions at the same time, without all that virtual machine setup Mac ,
Roger
RedCat51,QHYCCD183,Atik460EX,EQ6-R.Tri-Band OSC,BaaderSII1,25" 4.5nm,Ha3.5nm,Oiii3.5nm.

Mike

There are no problems with Windows 10. I have it on all of my devices and have to say it is the most reliable software MS has ever made.
We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology. Carl Sagan