Windows 7 problems and a new task

Since my last post I have finished the rebuild of my network and helped one friend to reload his desktop computer with Windows 7. This time it didn't all go smoothly and we hit an error that, judging from the forums, is all too common. The error is that W7 refuses to activate over the Internet and will not run Windows Update. The error codes given are 80072EFE and 80072EE2. Microsoft are curiously silent on this one as they only have one page in the knowledge base that refers to this problem and frankly the advice given is tongue in cheek and doesn't work.

The forums are no better they suggest you do all sorts of things like deleting the catroot2 folder and switching various services on and off. I am not going to list them because I suspect that none of them are a sure fire way of fixing this problem - if you want to have a look for yourselves type 'Error 80072EFE Windows 7' into Google and start reading.

The root of the problem is that your connection to the Internet times out when you try to connect to the Microsoft update/activation servers. The problem is not at Microsoft's end it is on your local machine and I tracked it down on my friend's machine to the native Microsoft drivers for his Ethernet ports weren't the right ones. I went to the Motherboard makers website, found the W7 drivers then downloaded and installed them. Once I had done this I found that by using the built in Administrators Account, I could both activate and update his computer. I know this is only a partial cure but does give him a fully working machine. So come on Microsoft finger out let's have a proper solution.

Now that my network upgrade is all but finished (I am still waiting for my wife to decide about her laptop), I have, in theory at least, some time on my hands. I found out that our local college was offering a free (yes I did say free) Creative Writing course. I enjoy writing or this blog wouldn't exist so I thought it might be fun to go and hone my wordsmith skills and meet some new people at the same time.

We are now two weeks into the course and my free time has vanished. This may be a free course but it isn't just a time to go and have a good natter over coffee as some courses in FE are. The homework this week was to build a profile of the main character in a story you might write. Sounds easy, ten minutes work. It has taken me 9 x A4 pages and 4,155 words to complete the task. I did wonder about the grin on Sarah's face when she handed out the work sheets (Sarah is our tutor and an author in her own right under the pen name Charlotte Stein).

Today is college day and we have to hand in our assignments. Bearing in mind our class ranges in age from 19 to 82, some have reading difficulties and/or other disabilities and none of us have tried anything like this before, unless you count this blog and my website, it is going to be an interesting couple of hours to see how this diverse group have tackled the assignment.
The course has brought to the surface the idea for a story that has been floating around in my mind for some years. I am an avid reader of Science Fiction and have at one time or another read most of the output of the masters like Asimov, Heinlein, Dr EE Smith, HG Wells etc., so I know something about the worlds and time lines they created. I hope I haven't rehashed one of their themes but this is the idea on which my story is built.

Consider what might happen if it was revealed that for the last eleven thousand years a group of off world species had been observing and recording the people of Earth’s progress in the fields of science, religion, politics, education and health. What would the reaction of the world’s religious, political, scientific and academic leaders be to the knowledge we have not been alone throughout our climb from hunter gatherers to our present level of sophistication. Especially when the turning points in our history have not only been witnessed and recorded but that anyone with access to the Internet can now see exactly what happened.

I have a couple of chapters in draft form and will discuss them with Sarah if I get a chance. I am finding that this sort of writing is hard work and needs self discipline and organisation if you are to make any progress. I am hoping that by the end of the course in February I will have a better idea how to turn my thoughts and ideas into a readable book.