Buying a new computer for your microprobe instrument

[Probeman]

This topic should be for all issues, questions and concerns related to buying and configuring a new computer for connecting to your microprobe instrument.

One thing we had noticed in the past is that we would have motherboard failures on many computers that were left on 24/7/365. Our tech found that the capacitors on these motherboards were commonly "puffed" and no longer were functional. Replacing these "puffed" caps usually worked but was a hassle.

Then we found that our Dell Precision Workstation computers would go forever and then learned that they utilized tantalum capacitors instead of electrolytic ones on those motherboards.

Now I see this article which explains what happened back then in the 2000s:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/was-the-early-2000s-capacitor-plague-corporate-espionage-or-just-industry-woes/

[John Donovan]

In addition to the better capacitors on DEll Precision motherboards, another thing to consider when we buy a new computer for the lab is ECC (or error correcting code) memory:

ECC (Error Correcting Code) memory is a type of RAM designed to detect and correct single-bit data errors, ensuring data integrity and system stability, particularly important in applications where data corruption is unacceptable.

I think all Dell Precision Workstations have ECC memory so that is yet another reason why we at Probe Software recommend these workstations.  See our computer purchase recommendations attached below.

Here's a fun video about bit flipping (possibly) from cosmic rays:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaZ_RSt0KP8&ab_channel=Veritasium

When we have 16 to 32 GB of memory, what are the odds we will get a bit flip, especially when that computer runs 24/7/365?

[John Donovan]

Recently we've received a number of emails asking about buying a new computer to run our Probe for EPMA software. This could be for a new EPMA installation, or replacing an old computer in a lab already running Probe for EPMA.

The Probe for EPMA software does not have specific hardware requirements for running on a PC (it will run on almost any PC), but that said, we believe the most important specification on a computer for EPMA measurements is that it should be able to stay powered on all the time, that is: 24/7/365.  We have found that consumer grade computers tend to fail after a few years of being powered on all the time.  Therefore we suggest a professional engineering/scientific class workstation such as a Dell Precision Workstation or similar grade PC with one or two network connections:

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktop-computers/scr/desktops/appref=precision-product-line

These Dell Precision Workstation computers have two features that make them very reliable:

1. They use tantalum capacitors on their motherboards, which means they will last a long time.

2. They use ECC (Error Correction Code memory) that automatically correct single bit errors in memory.

If you don't need Internet access for the Probe for EPMA computer, you only need a single network connection to the JEOL private instrument network. But Internet access is nice for easy updating of our Probe Software applications!

The other consideration is to get the largest monitors you can fit in the lab. It is very nice to be able to see all the applications at the same time.  See here for more ideas for monitors:

https://smf.probesoftware.com/index.php?topic=1057.msg6954#msg6954

One might also want to check out this discussion with SEM-Geologist on buying a PC for running PFE:

https://smf.probesoftware.com/index.php?topic=1054.msg6952#msg6952

See attached document for more details. 

[John Donovan]

There are many ways the new computer accounts can be configured, but below is one suggestion.

Generally you create an admin account to have control over your computer at the operating system installation time. Then create a user account and install the software from there. This user account will be where the software is run from.

1. First create an Administrator account for maintaining the new computer, say called "admin". This "admin" account has administrator privileges.  This account is usually created when installing/configuring Windows for the first time.

2. Then from this "admin" account, I create a second account with Standard privileges (not admin), say, called "user".  This is the account that CalcZAF/PFE will be installed from and run from.  After all, we don't want users/students running any software from an account with administrator privileges, as they could modify the computer setup or install other software.

3. Then I log out of the "admin" account and log into the "user" account.

4. Then I install the CalcZAF/PFE software from the user account, but provide the admin password when asked by the User Access Control dialog.

5. Now anyone can run the CalcZAF/PFE software from this "user" account, but it can only be updated by someone with the "admin" password.

Remember, updates for Probe Software are always free and available here:

https://www.probesoftware.com/resources/