Monthly Archives: April 2010

Trouble Activating Cricut Design Studio

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I’ve had back and forth with ProvoCraft support via email about getting my Design Studio software Activated again. It’s not been on any of my computers for a long time, and they have said I HAVE to call them over and again, but finally I had one different support person say they would and could help me … so I sent them my Serial Number and the original email they had sent me when my Rebate to get the software “free” was approved all as proof of my ownership to use the software. I received a response that I should now be able to activate.

I constantly was unable to “Activate” Design Studio on my new Toshiba Satellite laptop after that still getting only a “internet not found” error … no matter what compatibility mode I ran the software in, firewalls off or on in any configuration on computer or router, run as Administrator or not … always the same. Turn Norton Internet Security things ALL off until restart, or for 15 minutes or this or that. No combination of anything made anything change in that error activating.

Not until the day that my Norton Internet Security “trial” as pre-installed on my new computer “ran out” …

No anti-virus working, NIS turns it totally off when subscription is out. Unlike previous Norton products which continued to work, just didn’t download virus definitions anymore without new subscription. But anyhow, the thing is, Windows 7 Pro 64 reporting that I have no protection, run Design Studio … “activate using the internet …” ooooh, “error code 3: The serial number is registered on a different computer” …

I several times have turned all the services for NIS off in the past, downloaded CDS fresh, installed with everything nasty to it turned off. Then ran it as such, and it “couldn’t find the internet” while this time finally with no Norton allowing anything to happen something DID finally happen, it would have activated if it could, it talked to ProvoCraft and they told it “Sorry, there’s another computer that registered that serial number a long, long time ago, and we can’t let you register it since that’s what is in our database” which translates into an “error code 3″ message on my screen.

So I sent Provocraft a new email asking for support that even though I was told I could activate I actually can’t now that I don’t have Norton in the way, I get a good result, connection to the activation process, but my serial number is rejected as already used, not actually “reset” as they told me it would be.

So I get a response from support, they tell me, “looks like it should activate fine” … end of story unless I call them.

Sorry y’all, I don’t make these kind of phone calls. I call my husband, that’s it.

So I sent them a screenshot of my desktop with that stupid error code 3 message and my Cricut Design Studio software behind it with the “activation” screen showing my serial number. So I have a billionth support thing going again, and we’ll see what they’ll do this time. I asked for a new serial number. See if they will give me one.

Otherwise, it’s just not gonna fly on my computer at all, or my husband will call them and jump through there stupid hoops.

Directv

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One of our DirecTivo R10 units quit booting up this past week. It is actually most likely the hard drive, just new in December 2008. Why is it that which I think it is? The Q, 2, nearly 3, was shaking and banging the DVR apparently, enough that it damaged the hard drive.

I can’t get the hard drive to be recognized in anything. It’s there, but won’t “show up” … so getting it to be scanned … ah forget it. I’ve had it. My desktop computer on which I have to get it connected to use InstantCake on it is just too difficult to utilize for this anymore. I have one Eide cable input for my DVD and CD drives. There is another Eide input, but pins are bent, it’s in a really weird place and to use it I’d need to take the computer out of it’s case, it’s that badly placed.

(I use SATA drives not just for them being better, but absolutely since the Eide situation is so bad on my motherboard.)

So because of all that, not wanting to buy a new hard drive and have to take my computer apart to get the InstantCake baked, we got a new box from Best Buy, the DirecTv Plus HD DVR HR22 … not that we have an updated dish from DirecTv, no, we still have what they installed in late 1997.

It’s a weird system, but I’m becoming accustomed to it. There are some things I like better than the DirecTivo, but there are things I miss, or just things I can’t easily find, or just … whatever. The transition from DirecTivo to Directv DVR is frustrating, but doable. We were waiting for TIVO & Directv to come out with a new HD box, but just couldn’t wait any longer. As for the HD part I’m hoping we can get the lines run how we want them, then get the system upgraded. I want to to use Single-Wire to 4 dual tuners. We only have 1 box for that right now, but will get 1 for free with the upgrade, at least. We only have 2 tv’s right now, but will have 3 or 4 eventually. 1 in bedroom, 1 in livingroom, 1 in kitchen, 1 in basement.

Kittens growing up

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The kittens we have are 5 1/2 weeks old just about. They are ready to be separated from their mother. Three of them will be going to someone for adoption eventually. Maybe they will take them this weekend, or the weekend after this one. (An organization that told us they would take them.)

The other two kittens are going to stay with us, pictured under “My Two Sweeties” in the photo category, the most recent picture posted here. I set them up in my bathroom this afternoon, and they are content with their own basket w/towel & kitty litter, food & water. Last I saw they were curled up nicely in the basket sleeping.

I’m keeping all the kittens well socialized. They’ve been with humans since their birth. They should do fine in growing up into being nice cats.

The next thing then is the feral mama cat, she needs to be spayed. Sometime after the kittens are away from her we can get that done, then release her again. She’s tamed down for this litter so very much, but she is getting antsy to get out of the laundry room now. She’ll be fit for bear sooner than later, I’m pretty sure.

That will be the end of this feral cat production line. Wonder how soon it will be until another one takes it’s place. Where we live, it may or may not be too long.

Don Juan Cricut Cartridge

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I gathered enough Cricut Reward Points to finally get a full cartridge last week. I ordered “Don Juan” and had to pay nearly $14.00 for shipping & handling. That’s a lot, but since it was “free” oh well.

At any rate I checked the cricutrewards website on Monday and Tuesday, nothing showed about it having been shipped. Wednesday nothing showed either. Thursday I got an email from them saying it had shipped. I checked the UPS site with the tracking number and it was to be delivered on Friday, the very next day. It’d been in their system for a long time already, but for some reason cricutrewards just didn’t send the info in a timely manner. FWIW

I need to STILL get things in better order in the area of the house that I’m to have for scrapbooking. It’s a dark hole in our walkout basement. I need to get a light installed in the ceiling, have to actually choose one first, and buy it. I looked at Home Depot over the past weekend and wasn’t satisfied with what I saw. I’ll have to go back and make some sort of decision because there will be NOTHING done down there without some overhead light. It’s just too dark/dank/yucky.

Testing Using Windows Live Writer to post here

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I am trying Windows Live Writer on my Windows 7 laptop. I have used a similar product some years ago, but always seemed to prefer publishing directly from my blog admin section. I decided it’s worth it to try it out again to gain perspective on how different it is now, and how beneficial it might be to use sometimes. I do see the value of it in case I want to post something on a private blog & the same thing or something similar on one of my public blogs.

 

Smoky

 

Picture added via Windows Live Writer. I chose “Borders, Instant Photo” … this is a kitten of a feral cat that has adopted us. Smoky is nearly 1 year old (Apr 20). We had the kittens in our house since they were very young, they were born under our house. We tried to find homes for them but couldn’t. We got them all spayed/neutered in January, they have flea collars and 1 yr. Rabies and now are living in our backyard. Prince, Aurora, Marie, Smoky, and Tiger Lily. Smoky is pictured above. They love it outside more than being inside. We had to let them out since we have 5 fully adopted cats in the house and can’t keep 5 more in the house, and that feral cat has a new litter of which I am trying to keep at least 2 of, keeping them very much house cats from birth since their mother tamed enough to bring her into the basement & laundry room to birth and raise them. We are keeping her in, if we can, to get her spayed soon. The kittens are a month old today. So cute!