There were a few that came with the Computer so they were given the run through, & I joined a Software Mail - Order Catalogue & Ordered a few more (for more on these & other Games Software Click Here). This is where I encountered difficulties around a Game's Release Date and them being released with flaws and bugs. This seems to be a Regular Criticism in the Software Industry & I doubt that anything I can put down here will make any difference whatsoever :-(

Finally: The Internet. I'm quite surprised at how many different pieces of Software would be needed to get the most from being Online (For more on this Topic click Here).  Fortunately, most of the things Installed on the Computer did not cause any Significant Difficulties the Exception was Internet Explorer (click Here for more)

So I happily set about Surfing the Net, Writing these Pages & creating all those Useful things that having a Computer is supposed to do; an Address Book, a List for Star Trek Videos (sad? NO. Big Fan ;-), etc. In DEC 99 all this was lost as the Floppy Disc it was Stored on Damaged & thus the Life Lesson was learned: Always have a BackUp.

I made sure I had Copies of the Original Configuration of the C Drive & another done after all the Extra Programs were Installed (see MAR 99 below). Unfortunately this didn't include the Information on the Floppy Disc - you can't win 'em all now, can you?

With some of the Newer Games I needed to Upgrade quite a few Programs, in Particular Internet Explorer (damn) & QuickTime (double damn). If you follow their Links you can see why I'm not too Pleased with these Programs. On the whole though everything was Running well & Fun was had by All.

The only thing not going to plan was the Web Site. I Underestimated how much Time it would take. So what was Started in AUG 98 is continuing into & beyond AUG 00.

Hold on, that's jumping a little too far ahead...

Anyway this enabled me to have a BackUp done in a Removable Format, the other still sits in the D Drive to this very day. Unfortunately the Hard Drive Crashed BIG TIME at the end of MAR 99. It was still covered by the Statutory 1 Year Cover, just, so back to the 'Shop' it went. For another 2 weeks!

When it finally returned from dan it was more or less back to Square One. There were a few Upgrades on some of the Programs, the main one being the DVD had new Disc Detection element, although it turned out to be less than useful (follow the LInk for more on that).

What it did do is give me a Clean Slate on which to work & it meant that I could say goodbye to the Problems left over from the Past, & Start from Scratch ... or so I thought.

I AM NOT RECOMMENDING THAT YOU FIND SOME WAY OF DAMAGING YOUR HARD DRIVE TO ACHIEVE A FEW MINOR IMPROVEMENTS - THE WORRY, WAITING & LOSS OF SAVED WORK, GAMES, ETC. IS NOT A REASONABLE PAYOFF IN THE END ;-)

Since then there have only been a couple of things that have gone awry, most of them around the use of DirectX & it's Interaction with the Graphics Card (use the Links to find out more on them).

Later on I added a Scanner, which had a Problem with One of the its Programs (for more, Click Here)

At the moment I'm generally pleased with the way things are going. With the exception of the Telephone Bill - Internet use is increasing & the associated Bills with it. I may have to look around for some other arrangement, i.e. one of these so - called FREE Services - I am one of the ever increasing number of Which? OnLine Subscribers strongly hinting at Free Internet Service Provider Number to use, e.g. 0800...

As of JAN 01 I added more RAM , hopefully providing some sort of Future - Proofing. It is now 192 MB's and should be OK for a while yet.

It is always worth checking the Requirements of whatever you're Planning to Install, I know from Rob, that Updating can become a Regular Event in an Enthusiast's Life. I has some Plans to Upgrade, brief details are given Here.

It is quite easy, especially if you have the money, to keep on Buying the Latest Thing. It's probably just as well that I haven't! Although it's inevitable that something will need to be done at some point.