Microsoft Product, Meet Microsoft Product

I was attempting to do a little programming exercise in C# yesterday when I discovered a configuration error on my computer. The exercise in question involved linking a SQL database to a Windows form, and whenever I tried to build the link I got an error. A bit of web searching revealed that the error seemed to stem from the two products— Visual Studio and SQL Server— not talking to each other.

Now, a few months ago I had installed some Visual Studio Express products as well as SQL Server Express. A week or so ago I installed Visual Studio Professional, and I figured that the link didn't get updated to the newer programming environment. So, last night, about Midnight, I started fixing the problem:

1. Step one was to remove all SQL Server products and VS Express products so that SQL Server could be reinstalled with the correct linking. Microsoft products always take far longer to install, reinstall, or repair so I was well delayed before finishing this step.

2. With the products removed, I popped the VS Professional DVD back in and ran a repair, figuring that SQL Server would be reinstalled correctly during the repair. The repair ran at least half an hour, and at the end I had no SQL Server at all. It seems it's not installed as part of VS Pro.

3. I hit Microsoft's website to download the installation software for SQL Server Express. This file was half a gig in size, which was not a problem, but it delayed me another 20 minutes while downloading.

4. Once downloaded, I cranked up the installation, which took me through several steps over a few minutes and finally got to a page of tests to see if my computer was adequate for the software. Like I said, this test, for some reason, comes a few minutes into the install— and my computer failed because it was missing a product called PowerShell, which is a scripting utility provided by Microsoft.

5. So, I cancelled out the install and hit the web to get PowerShell. PowerShell is available for free on Microsoft's website, but is only downloadable by those whose computers pass the 'Genuine Microsoft' authenticity test. Not a problem for me. My computer is 100% legitimate, and I've run this authenticity software before. I clicked the download button and ran the software only to get a return message saying that the software was out-of-date.

6. Hmmm. How to get around this block? It was about 1:30 AM by this time, and I was getting tired. The only thing I could think to do was to re-download the authenticator and try again. Fortunately, it worked the second time and returned a good authentication code, which I plugged back into the website, unlocking the ability to download PowerShell.

7. PowerShell installed in very little time.

8. I re-launched the SQL Server installation and made it past the page of tests with flying colors this time. Then, however, I got to several pages of configuration decisions. I had to stop and read each page and try to pick the best course of action, not knowing how these decisions will affect future uses of the the SQL Server software. (I'm still hoping I guess right.) After a few more minutes, I made it through the configuration and ran into a second page of computer tests... and, you guessed it, my computer failed one of the tests again. This time, it said that my version of VS Pro was older than the version of SQL Server I was attempting to install and, therefore, incompatible.  *sigh*

9. Now, I installed VS Pro with service pack 1, but, for some reason, the other software didn't think so. All I could think to do was hit Microsoft's website and run the SP1 update patch. This time, however, I did not cancel the current SQL Server installation. I didn't want to have to go through the configuration choices again. SP1 for VS Pro was easy to find and easy to launch, but, like a full installation, it took a long time to run. I didn't finish until about 2:30 AM.

10. With the SP1 update done, I clicked the button in the SQL Server installation to run the tests again, and all were passed just fine this time. SQL Server finally finished installing about 3 AM.

11. Just to be sure— since I had changed so much software on my system— I went to Microsoft's update website. Wouldn't you know, a SP1 update for SQL Server was found. I will let my clever readers find the irony in that! Regardless, this update finished just before 3:30 AM.

12. I restarted VS Pro to see if my data linking would now work, and it did! Hooray!! Only 3½ hours! Think about that the next time an I.T. guys says he needs your computer for a few hours or he wants to charge you $50 or $75 to look at your computer.   :-P

"The suddenness of the leap from hardware to software cannot but produce a period of anarchy and collapse, especially in the developed countries."— Marshall McLuhan

Florida Days

It seems that Florida is so laid back that I haven't bothered to write anything... at all.

I wish I could say that I've been doing other things, but that wouldn't be true. That is, we have been doing other things, but not so much that I couldn't write now and then. Oh well.

A few days ago, my Mom and I went to a new butterfly exhibit in town called, appropriately, Homosassa Butterfly. The guy shows a 'movie' first, which is really an educational video he got from a school. The movie is all about the life cycle of the butterfly. Then, he talks you through a few rooms, one with butterfly eggs and one with caterpillars and chrysalises. To his credit, there are a lot of living samples of each. Finally, you get to go outside into the butterfly habitat, which is fun. There is not a huge a variety of butterflies, but there are many, many monarchs. It's always fun to walk around in that kind of exhibit. You can see my picture set on Flickr as part of my trip pictures.

On Tuesday last my Dad and I went down to 'old' Homosassa for lunch. Old Homosassa is on the river and is much more representative of Florida in the previous century. We went to a small print museum that also happens to serve killer Cuban sandwiches and garbonzo bean soup. (Although, I usually opt for beans and rice with my sandwich.) While we were there, Florida came out of its drought. Withing 20 minutes, it went from overcast to downpour. Storm cell after storm cell surged over us, dropping lightning everywhere. We had to stay in the shop an extra 20 to 30 minutes waiting for the rain to let up enough for us to dash to the car. But what a beautiful place to have to wait. The shop backs up to a marshy border of the river. The trees all have Spanish moss dangling from them.

It has rained every day since. Rain has been the headline news in all the papers and on all the news casts this week. Every day the storm cells build up and then unload as they travel across the state. My parents' house, however, sits in a small patch that doesn't get as much of the rain. (Rain in Florida is very, very localized.) Old Homosassa, where we were trapped in the downpour, is 15 miles from my folks' house, but we got home to find the ground was only wet, not pooling with water. Yesterday evening, after dinner, we sat on the back patio and watched the storm come up from the south. The sound of thunder was constant— literally! For an hour or more, you could hear thunder every 10 to 15 seconds. It grew dark and sprinkled on us, but the storm seemed to split and go both east and south of us. So, although it's been nice to have rain in the area, I would enjoy more of it falling directly on us here. (FYI, the patio is well covered!)

I spend some time every day sitting on the patio and watching the wildlife. There is a surprising amount! In fact, from the nearby highway, one learns that my parents live in bear territory. I've never seen one here and I don't believe they have either. There is the occasional report though... We have seen, however, a small grey fox come through a few times. His/her daily routine seems to include a sweep past the house. One afternoon, about to open the screen door to let the dogs out, I saw a black snake slithering across the bricks. Unfortunately, so did the dogs so I had to take them out on the opposite side of the house. My Mom says black snakes are quite common in the area. And, I've added some new birds to the list of birds I posted about earlier. In addition to the cardinals, blue birds, blue jays, and bobwhite, I've now seen towhees, woodpeckers, and a swallow-tailed kite. The kite, in fact, came very close to the house and was chased out by mockingbirds. Here's a picture of this magnificent bird:

Well, that's enough for today. Some day I mean to write about my parents' crazy dogs!

"Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain."— Henry David Thoreau