I pulled out the old XP computer, got the old laptop (I was supposed to have sent it away when I replaced it, but life got in the way and I didn't and now I'm glad I didn't) up and running. I updated it to Windows 10 Pro (did you know if you had an upgrade license for Win 7 home to Win 7 pro, you can use that to upgrade Win 10? I got mine on Amazon back in 2012 and it still works).
I was able to get the weather station software running on it, there were a few things I had to edit (the software has been discontinued and there had been an upgrade which I was able to download and it works). But most of my settings transferred nicely.
The one thing I needed was a serial port and found a Sabrent USB to Serial adapter on Amazon for less than ten dollars. It was delivered the next day and it set up like a dream. It came with a disk for driver installation and I just can't believe how smoothly it went. I needed this to connect to the weather station itself.
I'm running the laptop 24/7 and right now, I have an older laptop cooler with a fan. I ordered another one on Amazon, a more powerful one, it should be here today.
The thing is it's a PITA to work on the laptop where it is. And I'll be damned if I can get access to it from my regular PC. I had the settings right yesterday, but after all of the Windows updates that were installed (this took hours, it had been a while, so there was catching up to do), I lost access and I'm not happy about it. I did find a remote access program and it was only $3.45 (if you use the link provided in this review) for a year. RemotePC. After the first year, it's $70. If I can access any of the computers from my main computer, it's worth it. And they also have a download for an Android device. My phone is Android.
I installed it yesterday morning and had some problems. The problems being me not understanding what I was doing. They were very patient working with me and when it hit me what I was doing wrong, something so simple, well, you know....but I like it and will most likely renew the license next year, if I have the available funds.
Still having problems with the printer. I ordered some new unclog fluid from a different company. Comparing photos of clogged nozzle prints and bad printhead prints, it looks like it's clogged nozzles, not a printhead problem. And the major cause of clogged nozzles is disuse. Yeah, that could be it. I'll work on that, but it's no longer a priority at this point. I just won't be printing out any photos. I guess I could if I wanted to spend the time fiddling with the color settings, but I need a break from it at this point.
Update on remote access.
I guess at some point in the Windows updating yesterday, the option to have the network files either no password needed or password needed for access, was change to needs a password. Turned that off and the files on other network devices are once again available. It's easier for me to edit them that way.
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