:: The Wendy House ::

(extremely boring entry warning)

today I had to scan a copy of my new passport information for the US immigration people.  I haven’t used my scanner since Tinkerbell bit the dust.  Somewhere in the universe there is a CD that I should use to make my Canon scanner work with Darling.  Do I know where it is?  Um,  no,  Do I want to rummage through piles of user manuals and CD’s in some dark disorganised cupboard, err, no thanks.  I probably threw the CD away when recycling the original packaging,  I like to live ‘light’.  Below is a description of my punishment for trying to live light…… 

1. plug scanner into one of Darling’s ample USB ports.  Little balloony-thing says new device detected and pops a wizardy thing asking me to either 
   • insert my CD 
   • search for the drivers on the internet 
   • browse to a folder that contains the drivers. 
2. Search the internet.  Drivers not found.  Bollocks.
3. Try a different USB port.  Drivers not found.  Bollocks.
4. Find driver downloads on Cannon’s web page,  find the name of my scanner (on the scanner) and download the driver.  Didn’t read the instructions. Just clicked ‘download’ and ‘run’.  That should work.
5. Unplug and replug the scanner.  Select manually point to a folder that contains the driver.  Darn,  I didn’t check where the download put it.  I’ll point to the windows folder,  its probably put there and its the default place being pointed to by the search anyway. Drivers not found.  Bollocks.
6. Try a different USB port.  Drivers not found.  Bollocks.
7. Go back to the Cannon download site and read the instructions.  I should have clicked on some “set-up.exe” once I’d done the download.  Bollocks.  Since I have no idea where the download went,  I download the drivers again and save them to my network drive with a sensible name rather than meaningless name that Canon has used.  Aha,  progress!  I run the set-up.exe. 
8. Unplug and replug the scanner.  Select manually point to a folder that contains the driver.  Try to select the folder on my network drive.  But,  when I point at this folder the dialog wont let me select ‘OK’,  it only lets me point to the Windows folder.  Bollocks.
9. Copy the downloaded folder into the windows folder,  run the set-up.exe again (just incase). Unplug and replug the scanner point to the folder containing the drivers.  Drivers not found Bollocksy-Bollocks.
10. Make cup of tea.  Breath slowly and deeply.
11. Open the device manager.  It shows my Scanner with a yellow exclamation mark over it - no drivers.  Right-click on this and select ‘update drivers’ get the same wizardy thing I’ve already tried 700x.  Point to the folder where I’ve downloaded the files.  Drivers not found Bollocksy-Bollocks with brass-knobs on. 
12. Start pulling at my hair and take the swearing up a notch to ‘unpublishable’.
13. Open the folder that I downloaded from Cannon,  notice there’s a second .exe in there that I haven’t yet clicked on.  Click on it.
14. Unplug and replug the scanner.  The yellow balloony-thing this time includes the name of the scanner.  Hooray.  A dialogue pop’s up asking me what I want windows to do everytime I plug in this device,  it includes an option for running the ’scanner wizard’,  thankyou,  I’ll take that please.  Then I successfully scan my passport for the US immigration people.  Phew.

Rumour has it that Windows Vista will be hot on ‘plug and play’.  No more keeping old CD’s from device manufacturers with the device,  no more searching for and installing (or failing to) drivers from the device manufacturers website.  I hope.  Vista might just let me plug in my scanner and scan.  In the future normal people might not have to know about drivers to use their computers.

How sexy is that?   ooooooOOOOOoooo  

English (51.30°N) summers are normally cooler than Seattle (47°37′N).  This summer southern England is experiencing a heatwave.  The BBC reports 90 degrees today.  While the gentle glow of sweat on skin can be very sensuous, moving is yet more sensuous.  Today I’ve been lurking in the shade and seeking cool breezes.  I even checked out the cost of purchasing and ‘air conditioner’.  Air conditioners are a new technology for me, not commonly available in the UK,  no need.  I prefer the action possibilities afforded by living in higher lattitudes than 47°37′N.  More outdoors ’stuff’ is possible all year round.