3.5 hours, but there's a 'but...'

[GuillermoBarrancos]

The updates don't get me in the night any more. That's a simple 'Preferences' choice for timing. However, an update did knock out my connection to the Atik cameras once. One PC was Vista (Booo!!!) and the other XP (Hooray!!!) but it got them both.

The two PC solution is fine, anyway. But thanks for the information on how to be cleverer!

I think that having a non-internet PC in the observatory is a good idea.

Olly

You can have internet on Your PC. That´s no problem.

You can go into the Windows Update settings and change "Automatic Updates" to "Manual". You have two options. One is to automatically download and notify or just notify.

Just set it to just notify.

This way you get a Notification when Critical updates are available and you will be able to decide when to download and install them.

[ollypenrice]

You can have internet on Your PC. That´s no problem.

You can go into the Windows Update settings and change "Automatic Updates" to "Manual". You have two options. One is to automatically download and notify or just notify.

Just set it to just notify.

This way you get a Notification when Critical updates are available and you will be able to decide when to download and install them.

But how do I know which updates are going to attack the fuctions I depend on??

Olly

[GuillermoBarrancos]

But how do I know which updates are going to attack the fuctions I depend on??

Olly

Only install Critical Security updates and leave optionial updates alone. It has been a very very long time since Windows Updates broke my PCs to be honest.

What Version of Windows are you currently running on those PCs?

For me both Windows 7 and now Windows 8 have been rock solid for me as OS.

Also important! When you have Your data on seperate HDD discs (and you should), Your whole Windows OS could crash/lockup/whatever without you losing data, in case you need to reinstall the OS.

If you have beefy PC With latest specs. You can re-install Windows 7 (or 8) within 30-40 mins tops. Especially when you have a SSD for the OS!

In a Professional imaging setup, like you have. I would ideally recommend the following:

1. Have 120GB SSD disc. Format and partion them in two 60GB partitions and name C drive SYSTEM (or OS) and D drive PROGRAMS.

2. Have two identical 7200 RPM HDD´s (size depends on your data Storage needs), format them and configure them in RAID 1 (Mirroring). Call this E drive DATA.

3. Install Windows OS on C drive.

4. Install Your Astro software on D drive. Make sure configuration settings are saved to this disc as well and not to a default location on C drive (which programs often do, like C:Users\Olly\Documents).

5. Configure Data Collection to write to E drive.

With a setup like above, you make the OS disc indepent from the rest and you will be able to reinstall the OS whenever you like, without losing software configuration settings and Your precious data!

[sologuitarist61]

First class image Olly ( and a great set up! )

[Velvet]

very good as usual  still keep looking, 2 x 106's, very tempting