As I sit here, eating lunch alone (again), I am trying to post this entry to the site. First two failed, likely due to the iPhone’s need to be reset everytime I install an app; a step I routinely skip, since I think it is stupid.

Not anymore, since the WordPress app was flat-out broken after I installed it. I avoid resetting because of how long it takes for the iPhone to restart and find the network.

Anyhow, I added a picture of the break room from where I am sitting.

I had been working from home full-time for six months. It surprises me that much time had passed; it doesn’t feel like we’ve been out here that long.

Now that I’m commuting again, I’ve gotten into the habit of packing my bag full of gadgets that I’ve collected over the years, just like I used to do for those dreadful bus rides from MD to DC and back that I endured for two and a half years.

Top left is the iPhone 3G. I can’t tell you how many times I curse this thing and want it to run Windows Mobile, but I’ll save that for another post. What the iPhone does very well is keep me in the loop with Gmail, Google Reader and Twitter when I’m at lunch or on break, since the company’s internet usage policy is very strict.

Top center is the Zune 30 Halo 3 Collector Edition. While I love this thing, I keep waiting for it to break so I can get a Zune 120 Gears of War 2 Special Edition. Since it is a tank, that isn’t going to happen anytime soon. I mostly use it for music, but I do have many podcasts and audiobooks (mostly Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series) on it.

Top right is the Flip MinoHD. This tiny video camera comes with very simple software that makes it very easy to take the video I shoot with it and upload it to YouTube or just store on my computer. Since I don’t have to fight with video codecs (a battle I often lose), I am more likely to take video now.

Bottom left is the Canon Powershot 850 IS. All of the pictures I take are with this camera (except for the above, obviously). I mostly take pictures of the cats and of Nadia when she isn’t looking. I have some very funny pictures of her that I’ll sell cheap.

Bottom right is the Western Digital 320GB My Passport Elite. What I like about this portable hard drive is that is it very small and is powered by the USB port, requiring no separate AC adapter (the USB port it is plugged into must be powered). It is also very quiet, but it vibrates like crazy. Not enough to hear it, but enough to numb my hand if I hold it too long.

In day-to-day use, only the iPhone and Zune get any real use. The other three are there just in case I need them. Now that I look at that picture, I find it strange that I don’t take my Nintendo DS with me. I always had it with me back in MD.

Not everyone understands that a “computer guy” isn’t good at everything dealing with computers. I write code for a living; building websites, to be exact. I’m not good with software issues (like when Word decides to eat your document) or with hardware (like when your laptop can’t connect to your wireless router). I’m about 50/50 with providing phone support to my friends and family.

However, it is possible that I have some sort of gift when in the presence of someone else’s computer. Whatever issue they describe to me over the phone will go away when I’m standing in front of it, ready to work on it. This happens over 90% of the time. I should probably go work for Geek Squad. It would be the easiest job ever.

This gift reverses itself, becoming a curse, when I deal with my own equipment. My computers and devices begin to implode when exposed to me for too long. As my brother-in-law can attest to, I fall victim to problems that can’t be easily solved. Even asking the internet doesn’t help.

As part of my Unified Media Collection series of posts, I attempted to install Live Photo Gallery Beta to show how I will unify our photo collection. At the end of the install process, I got this error message:

So, it’s got enough permission to completely wipe out my C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Photo Gallery folder, but not enough to put anything back in. Awesome. Perhaps Vista thinks that I’m not the owner of that folder. Let’s take a look:

As far as Vista is concerned, I am not an administrator when it comes to this folder, and a secret user owns it. This issue also plagues my Apple Update Software app, so I can’t update that (and, in turn, cannot update iTunes). Additionally, I can’t run Windows Update anymore due to Error 80240016 (which I believe is related to this, as it seems that I do not have permission to install or to even check for updates).

I’ve tried all the tricks I can find, which total two: enable the super secret admin account to restore permission and to run takeown to take ownership. Neither one work. The William admin account isn’t really an admin. The administrator admin account is not an admin either.

This is the kind of crap I run into with my computers all the time. No one can ever help me. No one has ever run into any of the issues I find. I get angry and just want to break everything (how my PC is in one piece as I write this is nothing short of an amazing feat of restraint on my part).

My solution: format c:\

When that’s done, spend about $200 on Vista Ultimate. I’m not exactly pleased with that plan, but that’s all I’ve got.

Update: I got two bits of advice today about this problem! My brother-in-law told me to boot into safe mode (repeatedly hit F8 during boot up) and attempt to reset my permissions. Oddly enough, the Photo Gallery folder was no where to be found. I logged back in normally, tried to install it again, and it worked! However, that had no affect on the similar problem I was having with iTunes and Apple Software Update.

In comes commenter Eric, who provided two links for me to look through. The first one had my answer! It took a very long time for the program to run, but by the time it was done I was able to uninstall Apple Software Update, then repair and update iTunes. Thank you Eric!

That just leaves one problem: Windows Update. For about four months now, I have been unable to download any updates for my Vista desktop because of error 80070490. I logged a support request with MS to see if they can help.