Thursday, November 18, 2010

November Computer Journal

I’ve been working with practitioners and their computers for most of my time the last month. I’m glad I stood up for practitioners and made it known that I want to be of service to people who have put their computers into the closet or under the bed or wherever they’ve gone since they have stopped practicing with the biofeedback device.
I’ve seen many different permutations of kinds of computers, ages of computers, versions of the CLASP32 working or broken. It has truly been an eye-opener. I want to let you know that I’m still available to help you get your computers running or help you decide what kind of newer computer you might want to get to replace the ones from 2002 or even older.
If your computers run slow or won’t run at all. If you encounter blue screens then black screens then failures to display the desktop (main screen). You might need to look at how much “memory” (RAM) you have and also how much room is left on your hard drive. Many of the older computers had 30 gigabyte hard drives and it takes 15 gigabytes just to extract the 50 megabyte CLASP32 files.
So if you computers are older, you might want to look at replacing them with something sturdy and newer. The new computers come loaded with Windows 7 which is going to be a bit of a culture shock if you’ve been running XP, but it seems like a pretty nice operating system. There are always issues with new software the first year or so that it’s out and Microsoft if good about fixing issues as they come up.
You’ll want to have 500 gigabyte and you could get by with around 320 or so if you need to. You’ll also need 3-6 or more gigabytes of RAM. I’ve been telling folks to buy as much hard drive and memory as they can afford in whatever kind of computer they choose.
If you buy from Quantum Computers you will have the added benefit of having the latest version of the CLASP32 loaded for you and everything will be delivered to your door. Be sure to buy a very good anti-virus software even if you don’t think you are going to ever be on the internet I’ll lay you odds that you will need and may come to want to be on the internet and it is more difficult to protect you and get you on the internet than it is to just have a good piece of anti-virus software.
Quantum Computers will tell you what they recommend and what Budapest recommends as well. They’ll give you the prices and install what you choose on the machine they create for you.
If you buy a computer from a known manufacturer I recommend buying from the actual manufacturer so you will be certain to get a physical copy of your operating system software as well as having them install it for you before shipping it to you. If you purchase from a chain store which sells many different brands you will be buying what is in the “box” so to speak and what you may find when you get home is that your software is loaded on the computer but there are not disks and you don’t have a built in call-in-support for a couple of years like you probably will have if you buy direct from the company who makes the computers.
It is essential I believe to make certain you have a maintenance contract from the manufacturer of your computer so you can call them anytime day or night with any questions you may have about your new computer and its idiosyncrasies.
People who like the Mac might want to look at the MacBook Pro. I can’t believe this “DOS’er” is saying this, but, the hard drive in the MacBook can be partitioned to hold the Clasp32 on the Win7 side and Mac’s 0S10 operating system on the other side of the partition. I’ve heard of people who have had these computers since 2006 without event.
I like one operating system on one machine at a time and so I’m a bit of a purist and since the CLASP32 is made to run on “DOS” machines, you are looking at operating systems like XP Version.... , and Windows 7. Some of you may still have Vista. And, that’s all I’m going to say about that.
I encourage you to find the disks and manuals, all the paperwork and purchase slips that came with your original computers and the CLASP32 software and any other software you have on your computer, put it all in a gallon zip-lock back or two and put it in your file system next to your insurance and wills.
It is very difficult to help you if we can’t find the original disks that came with your computers.  You have spent a great deal of money on these systems, please gather the papers and disks just as you would for a new car and put them safely away where you can find them again.
It slows down the process if we have to contact the computer manufacturer and ask them to mail you new disks because you don’t know where yours are. It also costs more money that way.
So, we’ve talked a little bit here about getting your computers in shape. I’ve assisted people in getting the most current version of the CLASP32 software onto their computers. If you want to keep your existing software, please call me at 360-880-1750 and I’ll be happy to discuss it with you in more detail.
The downloads from Budapest take 5-7 hours with high speed cable if you have a version earlier than 2010. Any version after that takes a couple of hours tops and you are all upgraded, paid for and back in doing sessions.
The URL for Budapest Home Office, BHO is:  www.qxsubspace.com
You will want to create an account there if you haven’t already done so, this is very simple and then you can watch several videos which are quite good at showing how to do the things you need to do to create the account, do the download, activate the software and even set up a new port if you are downloading to a new computer where you haven’t had the SCIO/EPFX/QXCI installed before.
Again, ask people who do this kind of thing for a living or have done it to help you be secure with your computer and experience a stress-free download of the CLASP32.
I wish you the best of everything and I especially look forward to emails and calls telling me that you have a new ownership of your biofeedback systems. Finally, what I need to say is that in my travels to practitioners so far, the reality is that the computer and software situations are just the vehicle for meeting you in person and getting to know the wonderful shining lights you all are.
Peace and Happy Thanksgiving,