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Messages - jevs

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281
I have two Windows 8 Pro upgrades sitting here still in the shrink wrap. The good thing about these is they come with a 32 bit and a 64 bit system on separate discs.

The only problem is, I may have to have a working OS already on the computer to install it and XP will not install. The sucky thing is, this all happened when a Windows update was being done.

Anyone tried this on Windows 8 Pro 32 bit?

282
Will Windows 7 32 Bit run as good or better than XP? Or, is there still a good reason to stick with XP?

There is a chance just switching to Win 7 with no hardware upgrades might work on my computer.  It will have newer drivers and stuff on the disc to recognize my hardware so maybe workarounds to get it to load the first time would not be necessary. The computer is not that bad. It is one of the faster P4's, 1 Gig RAM, AGP 256MB Geforce Video Card, 400Gig HD, Wireless network card, and of course the extra Parallel ports card.

Maybe I should just pay up and get the Win 7 32 bit and try to load it? If it loads at least then I can run some diagnostics to test the memory, hard drive, etc. and pin point a problem (if there still is one). Right now I cannot even get Win XP to fully load. It seams like it is giving a BSOD when it starts loading the drivers for stuff. Maybe Win 7 would load everything and at least get it bootable.

I like Windows 7 much better than XP. Some of the little things like the snipping tool come in so handy. Windows 8 does nothing for me (always just use the regular desktop screen), but it does run faster and boot faster.

I just hesitate on the 32 bit version, because that is all you get. If this limitation ever goes away, then you will be buying a new OS to get 64 bit.

As far as boot time Windows 8 kills everything :) especially on SSD drive. It's fast! In reality as far as bloat crap, Win 8 is the best. It's just that all that new "metro" screen crap stinks and just makes you click more stuff to do anything.  Slide to bottom right, click settings, click power, click shut down...just to power off = annoying.

283
I know Mach 3 wont run any faster and I know an old junker will run it, but I am tired of dealing with problems of old hardware, no longer supported drivers, etc.

I hate to pay $100 for a 32 bit version of Windows 7 too :(

I want to use the case I have, as it is already integrated into the machine.

So is the consensus that the best thing to do if you want to use a new or newer computer is to use Windows 7 32 bit? Or is it worth it to just get a motion controller that should work with anything and no longer be constrained by having to use old operating systems?

My understanding is that a motion controller would be better and more stable than the computer directly running things anyway?

I also would like the benefit of faster boot ups and faster operation of other things (besides the actual running of Mach3).

284
So, I lost interest in my CNC conversion awhile back because the computer kept crashing and when I finally got it working decent, it went to do an update and it killed it.

This computer has never been stable it seem like. Now I am tired of messing with it and want to just build a new computer, or update every part of this one. The problem is being stuck with Windows XP Home.

I don't want to try and piece together an old junker appropriate for XP and I also do not want to load a crappy 32 bit version of XP on a newer fast computer.

So, what do I do? I spent my whole day trying to get XP loaded on this computer from 2004 and had no luck, just one crash or error, or blue screen after another. I am not going to waste more time on it because even if I get it running, it will end up crashing again anyway.  

I do have a couple brand new versions of Windows 8 sitting here that I could use on a new computer, but I am guessing that will leave me worse off than trying to get Mach3 to run on Windows 7 (which I have no unused copies of).

I basically want to upgrade this old computer with a new MB, CPU, Memory, Power Supply, and possibly a solid state drive. I just want a reliable and stable computer so I can actually get to using this CNC I have had for about a decade now instead of being aggravated by old junk computers.

I am using a Machmotion I/O board with two parallel ports from the computer connected to it at the moment. My understanding is that the only way I can keep this setup is to use a 32 bit version of Windows 7 (silly slower version that I would never put on a computer I built today).

The other option seems to be a motion controller of some sort and then connect that to my Machmotion I/O board??
And then can I use a proper 64 bit Windows 7 or Windows 8??

Need some advice here. I hate to have to add another board to my system, but I am also not going to deal with old junk computers any more. Looking for advice.

By the way my maching is a Pratt and Whitney Tapemate C that I gutted and redid all the electronics including motors. I am using Teco drives and motors from Machmotion.

285
There is no way to home so that it knows what tool it is on. The only way it will know is if you tell it. There is no swiitch or sensor for a certain tool position. How would you deal with that? If the tool number goes to 0 or greater than 7 my macro is supposed to ask what tool your really on, but that is the only thing I could think of.

Is there a way to make Mach3 ask you what tool it's on as soon as it boots up or something?

286
General Mach Discussion / Re: Tool setting....?
« on: April 10, 2011, 02:07:27 PM »
I bought two of the ones from Wildhorse. I will also use one as a tool setter and the other as a probe. Two of those is still less than one of the IM ones. I am not sure if the IM is any better?

287
General Mach Discussion / Re: Which probe is better.....?
« on: April 08, 2011, 10:10:46 PM »
I ordered 2 of the wildhorse ones. I am going to dedicate one to tool setting and one to probing. I figure these are worth a shot since I can get two for less than one of the others that may not be any better....

288
General Mach Discussion / Re: Which probe is better.....?
« on: April 08, 2011, 08:46:23 AM »
I beleive his probe is the first one I linked to at Wildhorse? I read all those posts, but I still don't know which of the two is better. One is nearly 3 times as expensive, but is it better (more accurate or better repeatability)?

Also are these probes even any good for edge finding, or are they not accurate enough?

289
General Mach Discussion / Re: Tool setting....?
« on: April 08, 2011, 08:43:35 AM »
Yeah I seen those posts. How accurate is that though and is there risk to damaging something since there is no "spring" area? Is there any advantage to using the actual tool setter vs the copper clad pcb?

290
General Mach Discussion / Tool setting....?
« on: April 08, 2011, 01:38:31 AM »
I need to get something to do tool setting. I have a tool changer and I think it would be better than trying to do it manually.

Should I get one of these dedicated to tool setting?

http://www.wildhorse-innovations.com/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=80

http://www.imsrv.com/deskcnc/probe.htm

Or should I get something else, and what would it be?

Basically I want to buy a tool setter and a touch probe, and I want to know my best bet.  I dont want to use either as dual purpse do to setup and the constant need for each.

They dont really say how accurate these are or if one is better than the other, or maybe I should get something else for tool setting?

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