Network issues...

Or, Hot Trinity Chicks Need Geek Love.

So we've got the network (mostly) functional. There is filesharing, and there is printing. And this last, this printing, it is a problem. It is a problem because when kittenpants prints anything, it spawns some sort of invisible process on my machine (which is the one actually hooked to the printer) which does something possibly having to do with converting 16-bit applications to 32-bit (or not) and which sucks up anywhere from 5% to 20% of my processor power, in a sort of a heartbeat rhythm. I can't find what is making this happen, as the damned thing says that nothing new is running, but there *is* something running, and it runs for about ten minutes, during which my computer is prone to regular freezes and slows (which match the heartbeat rhythm this thing runs in). Now, this does not occur every time she prints -- we were able to print random pages from the Net without incident, but anything from OpenOffice, and any images printed from her browser (Mozilla) cause the issue. Both of us are running Windows 2000.

So. Any of you geek gods have any clue what this is, or how to make it not happen/happen less/not be as obnoxious when it does happen?

Network issues...

Or, Hot Trinity Chicks Need Geek Love.

So we've got the network (mostly) functional. There is filesharing, and there is printing. And this last, this printing, it is a problem. It is a problem because when kittenpants prints anything, it spawns some sort of invisible process on my machine (which is the one actually hooked to the printer) which does something possibly having to do with converting 16-bit applications to 32-bit (or not) and which sucks up anywhere from 5% to 20% of my processor power, in a sort of a heartbeat rhythm. I can't find what is making this happen, as the damned thing says that nothing new is running, but there *is* something running, and it runs for about ten minutes, during which my computer is prone to regular freezes and slows (which match the heartbeat rhythm this thing runs in). Now, this does not occur every time she prints -- we were able to print random pages from the Net without incident, but anything from OpenOffice, and any images printed from her browser (Mozilla) cause the issue. Both of us are running Windows 2000.

So. Any of you geek gods have any clue what this is, or how to make it not happen/happen less/not be as obnoxious when it does happen?

More than one way to Skinner a cat

Finding: The Chainsaw of Natural Selection™ is an excellent tool for dislodging the cat from the top of my monitor. Not that I begrudge the cat a warm place to sit/sleep, but there's really not room on my desk for even a gracful cat dismount, which Psyche is not capable of anyway. So a Psyche dismount from the top of the monitor equals papers, CDs and potentially carbonated caffienated beverage everywhere. I have tried to dissuade her from leaping to the monitortop in many ways so far, but without any positive result. The Chainsaw, however, seems to do it.
Note: The Chainsaw of Natural Selection™ is a Home Depot toy chainsaw, which makes a loud chainsaw sound and cycles a ball-bearing chain around a plastic blade. It also features a picture of a crazed, chainsaw-wielding Charles Darwin on the side, which initially appeared in the comic Queen of Wands, and which was lovingly pasted on by zylch, who gave me the Chainsaw last Yule. It poses no actual danger to the cat.

Also: While being kept up at night by rapid-fire insights about the possible nature of divinity and the universe on a subatomic level is preferable to being kept up at night by rapid-fire statements about my general worthlessness as a living creature, I'd still really rather sleep.

Thirdly: I have just made a batch of butterscotch oatmeal cookies, which are fantastically tasty and difficult not to devour with great haste.

More than one way to Skinner a cat

Finding: The Chainsaw of Natural Selection™ is an excellent tool for dislodging the cat from the top of my monitor. Not that I begrudge the cat a warm place to sit/sleep, but there's really not room on my desk for even a gracful cat dismount, which Psyche is not capable of anyway. So a Psyche dismount from the top of the monitor equals papers, CDs and potentially carbonated caffienated beverage everywhere. I have tried to dissuade her from leaping to the monitortop in many ways so far, but without any positive result. The Chainsaw, however, seems to do it.
Note: The Chainsaw of Natural Selection™ is a Home Depot toy chainsaw, which makes a loud chainsaw sound and cycles a ball-bearing chain around a plastic blade. It also features a picture of a crazed, chainsaw-wielding Charles Darwin on the side, which initially appeared in the comic Queen of Wands, and which was lovingly pasted on by zylch, who gave me the Chainsaw last Yule. It poses no actual danger to the cat.

Also: While being kept up at night by rapid-fire insights about the possible nature of divinity and the universe on a subatomic level is preferable to being kept up at night by rapid-fire statements about my general worthlessness as a living creature, I'd still really rather sleep.

Thirdly: I have just made a batch of butterscotch oatmeal cookies, which are fantastically tasty and difficult not to devour with great haste.