11 January 2010 Just a little upgrade, won’t be any problem

Saturday morning the source for the weather station software I use issued an update. When I bought the initial program I received P 73 (rev 73 if you think in that direction). I have updated periodically but have not downloaded every update. To be honest, if the program is working, and this one works well, I’m content to use what I last downloaded. Since February I have had no problems with updates. I’ve downloaded them, installed them, and they’ve worked. Until Saturday morning.


I logged into a weather station forum, noticed that a new update was available, and downloaded it. I installed it and hit execute. The program loaded as it normally does until suddenly the screen went gray, all programs running locked up, and a series of error codes flashed past my eyes. I had to manually kill each program running and reboot in order to use the system. Since the definition of insanity is, in part, performing the same function a thousand time or so and expecting a different result after all the rest match the same outcome, I ran the program again. Same outcome. Killed everything, ran it again, same outcome. Began to recognize that a problem had surfaced.

Ah! The restore function might unsquirrel what a new program had just squirreled. It might, but it didn’t. Uninstall the program and reload a lower revision, Good guess but now all the lower revisions fail to install as they are told a higher rev exists and is running.

Finally, check the back up that exists for uncontaminated older revisions. Somehow I stumble onto the right sequence of uninstalls, deletions, reboots, copies, and executes and about 1730 I return to functional status.

Looking at the original forum that directed me to the update, I now see that others are having the same problem. Good! I hate to suffer alone or be the only idiot in the room. Perhaps there is an answer in the comments and cries for help of others. There is, don’t use the latest revision. There is also help directing other as to how to recover from the download.

Someone has kindly posted a link with three prior revisions zipped for download. I’ve obtained copies of them and put them on my backup hard drive. I’ll be a bit slower to upgrade the next time one becomes available. The sad part of this, beyond the time and irritation expended, is that the only reason I tried the update was that I’m having a problem with data loss in one file designed to export sequential results into an Excel spreadsheet. It’s periodic in nature and largely an annoyance only to the obsessive-compulsive that resides here. But if I weren’t somewhat obsessive compulsive I’d not be tracking weather data at 5-15 minute intervals anyway.

Dinner tonight will be pork cutlet marinated in ginger, garlic, soy, and then stir-fried with baby bok choy, leeks, sweet onions, and rice cake.

The temperature pushed above the freezing point this afternoon. This glorious event occurred between 1245 and 1254. No whistles, bells, or horns were sounded to mark the happening. Today’s hike with Mike took place in 12 °F conditions.


Mike is cleaning up after a frozen drain line connected to a washing machine savaged him by dumping what should have emptied externally onto his kitchen floor. We’ve been fortunate enough to avoid such frozen lines.

All in all, today has been a high pain day but otherwise a good day. There is much to be grateful for.