I couldn't shut the computer down yesterday. Basically when that happens, its really bad news. Nevertheless I tried to restart the system several times. But this time, it finally crashed on me.
"The file C:\Windows\System\Config.dat is either missing or corrupted. Please use your Windows XP installation CD to repair the file by hitting 'r' on the setup screen"
Nico and Atek told me its not worth salvaging the situation. In the end, I ended up formatting the hard disk with some guidance from Nico to use NTFS and not FAT formatting systems. Apparently NTFS is more stable and much more efficient.
The setup failed. Then I went through the process again. Then it failed at copying the initialisation files. Then I restarted the process one more time. Then the CD Key was wrong! It is a pirated copy aduh! Which student can fork out 569 for an original copy that keeps crashing, anyway?
I called Nico up at midnight for the CD Key. He actually MEMORIZED it already. Wow. Atek and Nico - have to take my hat off to the two of you for being such freaking good computer geeks! Best two persons I've known in my life who can mess around with a box of electronics and programming languages! (Ok, only Shih Wai is superior in terms of programming languages).
short profile: Chong Shih Wai, gOtChYkId on #ACS(Barker). Legendary computer programmer. Has the reputation of being the best in ACS/ACJC and amongst the best programmers in Singapore. I think MIT wants him or something to develop a new programming language. He is one of the key persons who programmed the counter-strike map "de_college" - the ACJC Counter Strike Map!
4 hours later, my computer is working like it was yesterday. Apart from some lost data which can be recovered in about a week's time. I'm quite happy that the system is much more stable and efficient now. Happy. I get withdrawal symptoms if i don't use the computer for a few hours each day. After all, I do live my life online. That's why I have so much time to type out this blog.
patrol
I came to base prepared to do a shift's worth of miserable sentry duty. I changed and just as I got out of the chaning room, Rahmat called me and said that I had been assigned PATROL DUTY! I was totally unprepared! But anything is better than being stuck in the sentry post! I just packed my stuff and went to report.
Since I didn't have an arms card, the armourer made a huge fuss about me using my warrant card. Well what can I do? The POLICE NATIONAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT SUCKS! Their administration is SO BAD its unbelievable! Heard lots of gays end up being posted there to work. EEEEE... perhaps that's why they're so slow. Guys forever admiring the pictures of their fellow policeman as they make the various identification cards.... hahahaha.. You'd never know right?
Patrol duty was ok. I was midly sea sick at first since i have not been out at the port waters for quite long. The crew was ok I'd say. Quite slack and nice. And there was one girl in the patrol boat! Coast Guard has like 2500 people and like only 2 percent are women. Well. The probability is so low that it struck me for a while.
It was quite a quiet day that the Western Quarantine Anchorage and the Eastern Port Anchorage area today. Nothing much. Not many vessles surprisingly. Only ended up stopping two indonesian vessels which looked suspicious - but let them on after they produced valid travel documents.
I realised that when you're sea sick, even the best cooked food tastes bitterly unplatable and bland and gives you the desire to puke. The trick is to eat DRIED FOOD to absorb all the stomach juices.. so that you don't get too much of that "swishy feeling" when the boat rocks around.
Pulled off quite a number of stunts today. Walked on the deck and the side of the boat without a lifejacket and almost fell into the water when taking food. Yeah, the coast guard sends another vessel up to our patrol area to deliever food to us. Food cooked in TRACOM! My goodness! Everywhere I go I can't escape food so bad even cockroaches don't want any part of it! Sigh!
I had the chance to steer the boat today. I went at about 11.7 knots - my fastest ever. Other than that the only highlight of the day was my crew commander racing his boat against another coast guard vessel - stimulating high speed chases. It was absolutely thrilling at the top speed of 38 knots! When the boat is turned.. it banks so violently that the sides hit the water and create additional splash!
Yeah, and our backwash is like 1 and a half stories high. First time I've seen the engines at their full power. Previously, before the engines were modified to lower the engine horsepower. The 3rd Generation Police Coast Guard Vessels can hit an incredible 52 knots! At that speed, you are going so fast it only take 7 minutes and 2 seconds from the Singapore River into International Water! Normally, it takes about 30 minutes.
The boat went on a patrol of Sister's Island, Kusu Island, St John's Island and the various anchorages. I was surprisingly quite tired even though I was doing nothing! The only thing I did was to fix the radar that wasn't working. Perhaps its the radiation. But who knows. They say the radiation from the radar is high enough to render you impotent. OUCH!
"The file C:\Windows\System\Config.dat is either missing or corrupted. Please use your Windows XP installation CD to repair the file by hitting 'r' on the setup screen"
Nico and Atek told me its not worth salvaging the situation. In the end, I ended up formatting the hard disk with some guidance from Nico to use NTFS and not FAT formatting systems. Apparently NTFS is more stable and much more efficient.
The setup failed. Then I went through the process again. Then it failed at copying the initialisation files. Then I restarted the process one more time. Then the CD Key was wrong! It is a pirated copy aduh! Which student can fork out 569 for an original copy that keeps crashing, anyway?
I called Nico up at midnight for the CD Key. He actually MEMORIZED it already. Wow. Atek and Nico - have to take my hat off to the two of you for being such freaking good computer geeks! Best two persons I've known in my life who can mess around with a box of electronics and programming languages! (Ok, only Shih Wai is superior in terms of programming languages).
short profile: Chong Shih Wai, gOtChYkId on #ACS(Barker). Legendary computer programmer. Has the reputation of being the best in ACS/ACJC and amongst the best programmers in Singapore. I think MIT wants him or something to develop a new programming language. He is one of the key persons who programmed the counter-strike map "de_college" - the ACJC Counter Strike Map!
4 hours later, my computer is working like it was yesterday. Apart from some lost data which can be recovered in about a week's time. I'm quite happy that the system is much more stable and efficient now. Happy. I get withdrawal symptoms if i don't use the computer for a few hours each day. After all, I do live my life online. That's why I have so much time to type out this blog.
patrol
I came to base prepared to do a shift's worth of miserable sentry duty. I changed and just as I got out of the chaning room, Rahmat called me and said that I had been assigned PATROL DUTY! I was totally unprepared! But anything is better than being stuck in the sentry post! I just packed my stuff and went to report.
Since I didn't have an arms card, the armourer made a huge fuss about me using my warrant card. Well what can I do? The POLICE NATIONAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT SUCKS! Their administration is SO BAD its unbelievable! Heard lots of gays end up being posted there to work. EEEEE... perhaps that's why they're so slow. Guys forever admiring the pictures of their fellow policeman as they make the various identification cards.... hahahaha.. You'd never know right?
Patrol duty was ok. I was midly sea sick at first since i have not been out at the port waters for quite long. The crew was ok I'd say. Quite slack and nice. And there was one girl in the patrol boat! Coast Guard has like 2500 people and like only 2 percent are women. Well. The probability is so low that it struck me for a while.
It was quite a quiet day that the Western Quarantine Anchorage and the Eastern Port Anchorage area today. Nothing much. Not many vessles surprisingly. Only ended up stopping two indonesian vessels which looked suspicious - but let them on after they produced valid travel documents.
I realised that when you're sea sick, even the best cooked food tastes bitterly unplatable and bland and gives you the desire to puke. The trick is to eat DRIED FOOD to absorb all the stomach juices.. so that you don't get too much of that "swishy feeling" when the boat rocks around.
Pulled off quite a number of stunts today. Walked on the deck and the side of the boat without a lifejacket and almost fell into the water when taking food. Yeah, the coast guard sends another vessel up to our patrol area to deliever food to us. Food cooked in TRACOM! My goodness! Everywhere I go I can't escape food so bad even cockroaches don't want any part of it! Sigh!
I had the chance to steer the boat today. I went at about 11.7 knots - my fastest ever. Other than that the only highlight of the day was my crew commander racing his boat against another coast guard vessel - stimulating high speed chases. It was absolutely thrilling at the top speed of 38 knots! When the boat is turned.. it banks so violently that the sides hit the water and create additional splash!
Yeah, and our backwash is like 1 and a half stories high. First time I've seen the engines at their full power. Previously, before the engines were modified to lower the engine horsepower. The 3rd Generation Police Coast Guard Vessels can hit an incredible 52 knots! At that speed, you are going so fast it only take 7 minutes and 2 seconds from the Singapore River into International Water! Normally, it takes about 30 minutes.
The boat went on a patrol of Sister's Island, Kusu Island, St John's Island and the various anchorages. I was surprisingly quite tired even though I was doing nothing! The only thing I did was to fix the radar that wasn't working. Perhaps its the radiation. But who knows. They say the radiation from the radar is high enough to render you impotent. OUCH!
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