Today I tried running Camtasia on my server. I know it sounds crazy, but the <sarcasm>whoppin' 8MB video card</sarcasm>that came with my <non-sarcasm>stellar server</non-sarcasm> somehow just couldn't keep up. (Unless you call 2 frames per second and smoke pouring out the sides 'keeping up'.)

So, with a demo waiting on my ability to record some server goodness, I needed to get a new video card. Only, In Sandpoint, Idaho the 'technology' store is Staples. So I boogied on up. Wouldn't you know it: they only had one measly 64 MB PCI card  for $100+. Everything else was AGP (and too spendy anyhow).

So, on a whim, I... um... went to Walmart - hoping that they'd be selling video cards to a target audience of NON-GEEKS with semi-antiquated machines. You see, my server's got PCI Express Cards, and PCI cards sprouting out of the mother board like warts on a fat lady that no one likes. But no AGP slots.

Happily Walmart came through - they're targeting what must be 4 and 5 year old (pre AGP) machines. Not an AGP card in sight. Better yet, I managed to pick up an Nvidia GeForce MX 4000 with 128MB for less than $50 out the door.

I was as happy as a clam. I was even more excited when I slapped it in to my server and it just WORKED. Hell, Windows 2003 actually figured out the drivers and everything.

Then, later in the day, I noticed the fan coming on more than is normal. And then my UPS threw a seriously annoying warning/the-world-is-ending-alarm-sound-thing telling me I was drawing too much power. I told it to ignore that 'issue' and just shut up. It did. After that I told the kids it was safe to come back in to the house - they had passed the fire-drill.

Hours later, the fan was still running a bit more than usual. (Yes, like Smaug the dragon - who could sense a missing coin in his vast hoard, I'm such a geek I can 'feel' things running on my server.)

Worse yet, something was eating up about 12% of one of my processors - continually. But nothing was showing in the task manager that was using ANY CPU. I started to get so paranoid that I rebooted (because we all know that 'fixes' un-explainable things). Immediately after reboot all was fine. Then about a minute later - my invisible, lurking, 12% of the CPU consuming friend was back.

Even though I practice Safe Computing - I got a bit worried and ran SysInternal's RootKit Revealer. Bupkiss.

Then I uninstalled my APC backup software and rebooted.

Now, hours later, the CPU is back to normal - and the fan's happy.

Only, I'll need to buy a new UPS (to account for the extra 2 volts I'm now drawing that has overwhelmed my poor old UPS).

*sigh*