Gotta love computers!!

So, last night I intended on loading up my new copy of the EZ Drummer and seeing what sort of fun that would provide. I went to my audio computer, and first turned on my Digi 003 hardware interface. Then I powered on the computer, and was met with the dreaded "blue screen of death". The error read something about a system file being either missing or corrupted. This didn't sound good.

I got onto my other computer, and began researching the error code on the audio computer. From what I was reading, either I had a dead hard drive or corrupted reigstry. I did some diagnostic tests on the hardware, and was confident all hard drives were functioning. So, it must be the registry. I found some Microsoft tips about restoring a corrupt registry, and began going down that road.

The first problem I had was that I had the wrong "Windows restore" CD. We have 3 separate Dell desktop computers, and I was apparently using the CD from one of the other systems. The caused an error three separate times before I found out my mistake.

So, now that I've convinced myself that I would be probably reinstalling Windows, I made one final attempt at rebooting the PC. I turned everything off (including the Digi 003 hardware) and only booted up the PC. It came up fine.

I promptly loaded up my copy of "Registry Mechanic", and did some cleaning of the registry. The PC seemed to be fine. The only thing I could conclude was that the Digi 003 was causing some problem with booting up the PC.

I do know that I have recently upgraded the Pro Tools LE software to the newest version (version 8), and the software had been running fine within Windows. I also believe the software updated some drivers/firmware in the Digi 003. This was certainly the first time I had the Digi 003 turned on before starting Windows, since upgrading the software.

So, moral of the story: Not every error code means what it says. Had I continued down the road that I was being led, I most likely would have ended up reformating the hard drive and reinstalling Windows (wiping all previous data from the hard drive). This was not necessary. Be sure to check all other options before you start taking any radical steps like reformating a hard drive. Sometimes a minor issue may be represented by a major sounding message. That was the case with me.

Oh, and I didn't get to loading the EZ Drummer software (ran out of time last night). I'll probably try that tonight. Wish me luck...