I am doing something in the computer biz that I have not done before: I work for a PC maker in their test lab.
I test soon to be released hardware against versions of Windows XP and Vista. We verify basic functionality and look for problems that can be traced to our drivers or BIOS. It is interesting work and quite a change from the support jobs I have done before.
Imagine a BIG room with rows and rows of benches, overhead wiring runs, and hundreds of computers in various states of disassembly everywhere. Common PC hardware like monitors, TVs, hard drives, RAM, cameras, joysticks and the like piled everywhere. In all it’s pretty much a geek heaven.
A few weeks ago I had to test a PC against some common tasks related to acquiring pictures from a variety of digital cameras. So I checked out six different cameras from the hardware library:
- Image the PC with the o/s you are testing against
- Install the camera software
- Take a few pictures and movies
- Transfer them to the PC
- Make sure there are no glitches caused by the PC, it’s BIOS or our drivers
One of the cameras I ran across was a Fuji Finepix a couple of years old. When I went to install the software that came with the camera things got a little silly.
Most of the installation was uneventful. The typical Windows installer screens flashing by as I ignore what they say and click next as quickly as possible. The last dialog box caught my eye:
