Test and Compare Computers
A claim was made that a computer bought specifically for use with an add in hardware card did not have an available connection for the card and would not work with the card when a connection was made available.
It was claimed that the order for the computer was placed by telephone and that the requirement for a particular connection (an ISA slot) was mentioned during the telephone call. It was also claimed that the computer initially supplied did not have an ISA slot and that each of the three computers supplied as replacements variously did not work with the card or did not have an ISA slot.
I reported on the specification of each of the four computers and on the results of tests using the card in each
Note: This IT expert witness report is reproduced exactly as it was when served excepting that company and personal names have been removed.
Personal
1. This report was prepared by Graham Dilloway of 39 Conham Hill Bristol BS15 3AW. Mr Dilloway is a Member of the British Computer Society, the recognised professional body for the computer industry in the UK. Mr Dilloway has worked with computers for 29 years. This work has all involved the implementation and configuration of computers, their operating systems and the core software applications of a computer environment (e.g. word processors and spreadsheets). Mr Dilloway has worked with personal computers almost exclusively for more than fifteen years.
Instructions
2. Letters were provided from Solicitor S, solicitors for Company D and from Mr C. These letters requested that the report should provide answers to specific questions. The questions and their answers are later in this report.
Identification
3. The system units of four computers were supplied. Each computer had a serial number and these where 710827, 731705, 784540 and 810183. Throughout this report the computers are referred to as the first, second, third and fourth computer respectively.
4. A box was supplied that contained a Third Party card and software, Somebody software and manuals, three Windows 95 CDs, various Company D manuals and various software diskettes.
5. The Third Party card, when used with appropriate software [text deleted that describes the function of the Third Party card].
Methodology
6. Each computer was visually examined. The computers were then started and immediately forced into BIOS setup mode by pressing the F1 key. The first computer failed to start and this is discussed later in this report. The remainder of the methodology applies only to the other three computers.
7. The BIOS contains the information required by the basic components of the computer (including the hard disk and the screen controller) that enables these components to operate together. The BIOS contains information that describes these components including the processor speed and the hard disk size.
8. The specification for each computer was ascertained from visual inspection and from the content of the BIOS setup.
9. Each computer was then started from an operating system on a diskette. Starting a computer in this way would not cause changes to the information on the hard disk of the computer.
10. Directory listings were then obtained for each of three directories, the lowest level of the C: drive (i.e. the root of C:), the Windows directory and the Windows System directory (which between them contain many of the most significant components of the Windows operating system).
11. Each computer was then started without a diskette in the drive. Each computer started a version of the Windows operating system.
12. The Settings option on the Start menu was used to open the Control Panel which was inspected to ascertain the configuration and setup of the various components of the computer.
13. Each computer was switched off, the Third Party card was inserted (after removing another card where necessary), the computer was switched on, the Third Party software was installed, the program was run that allows entry of an address to enable communication between the Third Party card and software and the Third Party software was started.
14. Initially, the Something option in the Third Party software was used to test that the card was receiving data.
15. Subsequently, and after the service had been enabled by the providers of the data broadcast, the Third Party card and software were used to receive and view share trading information.
Questions and Answers regarding Computer Specifications
16. In his Draft Outline Instructions Mr C asks: "Provide a detailed
specification of each of the four computer systems supplied by the
defendant."
And
"Detail to what extent, if any, the specification
of the four computers systems supplied fail to match the specification
of the computer system that the Claimant ordered from the Defendant."
17. In an attachment to his letter of 12 October 2000, Mr C asks, "Does computer 710827 comply with the specification detailed in the Computer Shopper Review, Nov 97 issue available Oct 97. Also Company D’s advertisement in Computer Buyer, etc Nov 97 likewise. If not, how not."
18. In an attachment to their letter of 10 October 2000, Solicitor S
ask, " What is your opinion, and the information you rely on, as to the
extent to which each of the computers 710827 and 731705, on delivery,
met the specification in Company D’s invoice number 2097439;
had 64Mb
RAM, 6.4Gb hard disk, Windows 95, Microsoft Small Business, and a modem
pre-installed;
had any other software pre-installed;
had a vacant
ISA slot or one which could be made vacant by removal of a card;
would have functioned satisfactorily prior to installation of the Third
Party card;
and/or
was, together with the pre-installed software,
compatible with and/or suitable
for the operation of the Somebody
and/or Third Party software?"
And
"What is your opinion, and the
information you rely on, as to the extent to which each of the computers
784540 and 810183, on delivery,
met the specification in Company D’s
letter to Mr C dated 7th January 1998;
had a vacant ISA slot, or one
which could be made vacant by removal of a card;
would have
functioned satisfactorily prior to installation of the Third Party card;
and/or
was, with the pre-installed software, compatible with and/or
suitable for the operation of the Somebody and/or Third Party software?"
19. A comparison of the specifications referred to in the questions above and the specifications of the computers is contained in the following table.
|
First Computer |
Second Computer |
Third Computer |
Fourth Computer |
Computer Shopper Review |
Company D Advertisement in PCW mag. November 1997 |
Invoice 2097439 |
Company D Letter 7 January 1998 |
|
|
Processor |
Not known |
300 Mhz |
300 Mhz |
333 Mhz |
300 Mhz |
300 Mhz |
Not mentioned (implies 300 Mhz) |
300 Mhz |
|
Case |
200W Tower |
200W Tower |
200W Tower |
200W Tower |
Not mentioned |
Tower |
Not mentioned |
200W Tower |
|
Cache |
Not known |
512 K |
512 K |
512 K |
Not mentioned |
512 K |
Not mentioned |
512 K |
|
Memory |
Not known |
128 Meg |
96 Meg |
128 Meg |
64 Meg |
64 Meg |
Not mentioned |
64 Meg |
|
Diskette |
3.5 inch |
3.5 inch |
3.5 inch |
3.5 inch |
Not mentioned |
3.5 inch |
Not mentioned |
3.5 inch |
|
CD-ROM |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
DVD |
Not mentioned |
Mitsumi |
Not mentioned |
Mitsumi |
|
Hard Disk |
Not known |
8.4 Gig |
8.4 Gig |
8.4 Gig |
6.4 Gig |
6.4 Gig |
Not mentioned |
8.4 Gig |
|
Video |
STB |
Accelgraphics |
Accelgraphics |
STB |
Not mentioned |
STB |
Not mentioned |
Accelgraphics |
|
Sound |
Ensoniq ISA |
Ensoniq PCI |
Ensoniq PCI |
SoundBlaster ISA |
Ensoniq |
Ensoniq |
Not mentioned |
Ensoniq |
|
Modem |
US Robotics ISA |
US Robotics ISA |
US Robotics ISA |
US Robotics ISA |
US Robotics |
US Robotics |
Not mentioned |
US Robotics |
|
Monitor |
Not supplied |
Not supplied |
Not supplied |
Not supplied |
19 inch |
19 inch |
17 inch |
19 inch |
|
BIOS |
Not known |
Phoenix |
Phoenix |
Phoenix |
Not mentioned |
Not mentioned |
Not mentioned |
AMI |
|
Ports |
1P, 2S, 2U |
1P, 2S, 2U |
1P, 2S, 2U |
1P, 2S, 2U |
Not mentioned |
Not mentioned |
Not mentioned |
1P, 2S, 2U |
|
Slots |
1I, 3P, 1S, 1A |
1I, 3P, 1S, 1A |
1I, 3P, 1S, 1A |
1I, 3P, 1S, 1A |
Not mentioned |
Not mentioned |
Not mentioned |
1I, 3P, 1S, 1A |
|
Keyboard |
Not supplied |
Not supplied |
Not supplied |
Not supplied |
Not mentioned |
Win 105 key |
Not mentioned |
Win 105 key |
|
Mouse |
Not supplied |
Not supplied |
Not supplied |
Not supplied |
Not mentioned |
Microsoft |
Not mentioned |
Microsoft |
|
Windows |
Not known |
Not known |
Not known |
Not known |
Not mentioned |
Not mentioned |
Not mentioned |
Windows 95 |
|
Browser |
Not known |
Not known |
Not known |
Not known |
Not mentioned |
Not mentioned |
Not mentioned |
Internet. Explorer |
|
Software |
Not supplied |
Not supplied |
Not supplied |
Not supplied |
Not mentioned |
Office |
Not mentioned |
Home Ess. |
|
Zip |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Not mentioned |
Zip |
Not mentioned |
Zip |
|
Vacant ISA Slots |
None |
One |
One |
None |
Not mentioned |
Not mentioned |
Not mentioned |
Not mentioned |
20. "Not supplied" indicates an item that was not supplied for
inspection.
"Not mentioned" indicates an item that was not mentioned
in a document.
"Not known" indicates an item that could not be
ascertained. For example, many values for the first computer could not
be ascertained because the computer would not start and there is no way
that I could know which version of Windows was delivered with each
computer.
21. The reference to ports in all cases means; 1 parallel, 2 serial, 2 USB. The reference to slots means in all cases; 1 ISA, 3 PCI, 1 Shared, 1 AGP. A shared slot is a feature of the computer design that allows either a ISA or a PCI card increasing the complement to 2 ISA or 4 PCI. An AGP slot is for a video controller card and is not relevant in this case.
22. DVD drives, such as that in the fourth computer, are able to perform the functions of a CD drive as well as DVD functions.
23. The descriptions of each card (video, sound and modem) are the makers name as printed on the card plus an indication to show whether the card is PCI or ISA.
24. The processor speed, memory size and cache size were obtained from the system BIOS of each computer.
Questions and Answers regarding Computer Functionality
25. In his Draft Outline Instructions Mr C asks, "Confirm whether the four computer systems are functioning correctly and from what date and, if not, provide full details of each system failure to function correctly and the reasons why they are failing to function correctly. Confirm that the operating system was initially installed correctly or at what date and how may times it had to be installed or re-installed to function properly."
26. In an attachment to his letter of 12 October, Mr C asks, "Was the
operating system installed properly and functioning properly at the
relevant delivery dates for each unit?"
And
"Detail probable
conclusions indicated by ANONYMOUS COMPUTER SYSTEMS reports 710827 and
784540 as of July 14th 1998 as formerly disclosed and included in the
trial bundle."
27. In an attachment to their letter of 10 October 2000, Solicitor S
ask,, in questions shown earlier in this report, if each of the four
computers "… would have functioned satisfactorily prior to installation
of the Third Party card …".
And
"To what extent did removal or
installation of software, or any reconfiguration, after delivery, affect
the operation of each computer?"
28. When first switched on, the first computer failed to start. Soon after starting, the computer should have read the BIOS and displayed some BIOS data on screen. All personal computers perform this function and the result is visible as a screenful of white printing on a black background. The content varies from computer to computer but typically includes a description of some of the components installed in the computer. The first computer does not ever reach this stage of the start process.
29. No attempt was made to diagnose the cause of this problem as it is almost certainly a hardware problem. Diagnosis would require exchanging each component of the faulty computer with a component known to be working. The exchanges would need to continue until the fault disappeared.
30. The fault with the first computer is consistent with the undated report from Anonymous Computer Systems at page 90 in the bundle. I agree with the Conclusions in that report.
31. The second, third and fourth computers started normally with the exception of an error message regarding a missing or corrupted file during the Windows start process. No symptom of any problem was found that might be attributed to this error message and the message was ignored and not investigated further.
32. The third computer starts and loads the Windows 95 operating system. Software necessary for the operation of the sound card was found to be not installed. The software necessary for the operation of the video controller (which drives the monitor) was the default software that works with all video controllers and not the software that fully utilises the capability of the video controller.
33. From the date of the directory containing Windows it would appear that the operating system was installed on 9 August 1998.
34. The lowest level directory on the C: drive (the root) contained about 300 files associated with various programs that were probably the result of attempts to diagnose problems with the system. There were also about 500 files created by a program (ScanDisk) that corrects errors in the storage of files on the disk. I can not recall having previously seen a computer with more than a few dozens of these files.
35. The errors detected and corrected by the program that created these files are usually caused by a sudden loss of power while some operation is in progress.
36. The errors detected and corrected by the program that created these files may also be caused by a fault with the disk that causes "bad sectors", that is, areas of the disk that become faulty and cannot be used. A test was run and this identified 1,691,648 bytes in faulty sectors. The bad sectors shown on the hard disk might be permanent or might be the result of some transitory problem.
37. The hard disk was divided into two partitions when supplied for the preparation of this report. Each partition appeared to the Windows operating system to be an individual disk; a C: drive and a D: drive. The bad sectors were found on the C: drive. There were no bad sectors on the D: drive.
38. A program (ScanDisk) was run to identify the bad sectors on the C: drive and to mark the sectors so that they would not be used in future. When the program had completed it was run again and now reported that 24,621,056 bytes were in bad sectors.
39. It may be that attempts by the system to use bad sectors, prior to my running of the program that marked the bad sectors as not available for use, caused problems in the running of the system. The program reported at the end of its processing that the bad sectors were the result of a hardware problem that may have been caused by a power failure or may be an indication of imminent hard disk failure. I did not experience any symptoms as a result of these bad sectors before or after running the program that marked the bad sectors as not available for use.
40. Microsoft provide a program as part of the Windows operating system to deal with bad sectors because bad sectors are to be expected on hard disks. It should be part of a computer users normal housekeeping to run a program to check for and to isolate bad sectors. However, many computer users do not perform this housekeeping task in the same way as many motor car users do not check the oil and water in their car as often as they should!
41. The 24 million bytes in bad sectors on this hard disk are about 3.5% of the total 8,400 million bytes on the disk.
42. Nothing was found to indicate any problem with the function of the second computer when using Word or Excel.
43. The second computer functioned normally during tests for the preparation of this report. I am unable to comment on the symptoms described in the report from Anonymous Computer Systems dated 14 July 1998 at page 89 in the bundle under the heading "Problems found" because any such problems are likely to have been corrected by the re-installation of Windows 95 that is described in the report. I agree with that part of the Conclusion of the report that says, "System file damage could have been caused by software or hardware problems or more probably mains supply failure to the machine."
44. The third computer starts and loads the Windows 95 operating system. Software necessary for the operation of the sound card was found to be not installed. The software necessary for the operation of the video controller (which drives the monitor) was the default software that works with all video controllers and not the software that fully utilises the capability of the video controller.
45. The dates in directory listings for the third computer for the Windows directory and most of its sub-directories indicates that Windows was probably installed on 16 September 1999.
46. The software necessary for the operation of the sound card was installed from a Company D CD supplied with my own Company D computer which was acquired in about November 1997 and which has an Ensoniq sound card. The software that fully utilises the capability of the video controller was downloaded from the Company D Internet site and installed. There were no problems with the sound card or video controller during or after these installations.
47. Nothing was found to indicate any problem with the function of the third computer when using Word or Excel.
48. The fourth computer starts and loads the Windows 98 operating system. Software (the "driver") necessary for the operation of the sound card was found to be installed. The specialised software (the "driver") that fully utilises the capability of the video controller (which drives the monitor) was found to be installed.
49. The dates in directory listings of the fourth computer for the Windows directory and most of its sub-directories indicates that Windows was probably installed on 28 July 1999.
50. Nothing was found to indicate any problem with the function of the fourth computer when using Word or Excel.
51. In his statement of August 1999, Mr C says of the first computer, in Paragraph 17, "Once I had installed the Third Party Card I attempted to use the computer but the screen kept freezing, and I could only regain access by switching the computer off and then back on again" and "The only way I could start or close a trade was with reference to the individual charts plotted for each option …". This suggests that the computer started in the period immediately after delivery and that Mr C encountered problems after starting an application on the computer. The computer does not now start and the Anonymous report referred to earlier states that it did not start in July 1998. No evidence could be found to show when the first computer first failed to start.
52. The second, third and fourth computers have all had the Windows operating system installed at some time after their original delivery to Mr C. These later installations of Windows make it impossible to express an opinion regarding the operation of the computers at the time of delivery from any examination of the computers.
Questions and Answers regarding Third Party Functionality
53. In his Draft Outline Instructions Mr C asks "Confirm whether the four computer systems supplied by the Defendant, if properly configured by the Defendant, are suitable for running the two pieces of computer equipment which the Claimant intended to run on the computer system, or its replacements."
54. In his Draft Outline Instructions Mr C asks, "Confirm whether the
computer system function correctly when the two pieces of computer
equipment owned by the Claimant are installed and, if not, provide full
details of why each system is failing to function correctly and the
reasons why, including failures to correctly configure hardware or
software in the systems or the two pieces of equipment supplied by a
third party to the Claimant."
And
" Confirm whether it was
possible to rectify the problems with the computer systems, if in fact
there were any such problems and, in particular, confirm whether any
such problems could have been rectified by;
a] over the phone
technical advice
b] the provision of replacement computer parts
c]
repairs by an on-site computer engineer."
55. In an attachment to his letter of 12 October, Mr C asks, "Third-Party and Somebody perfect 9.15 AM 15th Oct 97 as previous 10 months. How non-compatible with G6 300XL? Explain please."
56. In an attachment to their letter of 10 October 2000, Solicitor S ask, "What was the effect on each computer of Mr C’s inserting his Third Party card and attempting to run his Somebody and Third Party software."
57. The Third Party card must be installed into an ISA slot in the computer. The first and fourth computers did not have a vacant ISA slot when supplied to me. The second and third computers did have a vacant ISA slot when supplied to me. The first and fourth computers will accommodate the Third Party card if the sound card is removed. All four computers are suitable for running the Third Party card and Somebody software if the sound card is removed when it occupies an ISA slot.
58. The Third Party card was inserted into each of the second, third and fourth computers. Initially, the Something function of the card was used for test purposes. I started Word and Excel and the Something function of Third Party and used each application repeatedly in a random fashion for periods of at least 15 minutes on each computer. Each computer was allowed to stand idle with the Third Party Something display on screen for more than an hour. All functions performed normally. The tests were performed before the card was enabled to receive data. The card was almost certainly enabled to receive data during Mr C's use of the card with the four computers.
59. In my opinion, the absence of problems during the Something tests indicates that the Third Party card is compatible with the three computers in which it was tested excepting for the absence of a vacant ISA slot in the fourth computer.
60. Subsequently, and after the Third Party card had been enabled to receive data, the card and Third Party software were extensively tested in the third computer.
61. Soon after the Third Party software is started, it begins to build a database. The Database option in the Tools menu displays statistics that include a dynamic display that shows the size of the database increasing as records are added.
62. The various display options of the Third Party software become enabled as and when suitable data is available from the database. The software displays include a window that shows a few dozen [text deleted]. Changes to various of these [text deleted] are visible almost continuously when this window is open. The software also displays [text deleted]. These [text deleted] update continuously when the software is operating normally.
63. The Third Party software updates data dynamically in each open display. It is possible to watch these updates occurring without any need to touch the computer.
64. After about twenty to thirty minutes of operation the Third Party software displays a box on screen. The content of this box are an error message, "Application Error. Exception ErangeError in module MEDATAB.DLL at 006:1CC7. Range Check error." This message was displayed every time that the Third Party software was used and it occurred after about twenty to thirty minutes of use on each of the four occasions that the time was measured.
65. After the display of the error message the software stopped updating displays. It continued to be possible to select menu options but selecting these options did not work properly and no more useful work could be done. The exact sequence of events after display of the error message was not consistent but in almost every case it was necessary to restart the computer in order to get the Third Party software to function correctly.
66. The database created by the Third Party software was lost when the error condition occurred. It was possible to restore a backup copy of the database taken prior to the error condition. Data collected between the backup and the restore would be lost and success depended upon timing the backup immediately prior to the occurrence of the error. A process that depends upon backup and restore to circumvent an error is not a practical way to use the software.
67. The nature of the error condition and, especially, the text of the error message indicated that there was a fault in the Third Party software. However, a fault in the application software is inconsistent with the various assertions by Mr C that the Third Party hardware and software had operated successfully prior to the delivery of the first computer. For example, Mr C says in Question 7 of the attachment to his letter of 12 October 2000, "Market-Eye and Somebody perfect 9.15 AM 15th Oct 97 as previous 10 months. How non-compatible with G6 300XL? Explain please."
68. Investigations and experiments were performed to try and identify the cause of the error condition reported by the Third Party software. The content of many Third Party files was viewed and menu options in the Third Party software were used before and after the error. No additional information was learned.
69. Sound files were played through the soundcard while the Third Party software was operational and this had no affect on Third Party.
70. The video display settings were changed through Control Panel while the Third Party software was operational and this had no affect on Third Party.
71. As this report was nearing completion, I was re-reading Mr C's statement of August 1999 and noticed the date in a reference, in Paragraph 40, to the receipt of a new version of the Third Party software. Mr C says that he received this new version, 3.3f, on 15 September 1997. 3.3f was the version supplied for use in the preparation of this report. It may be that Mr C had not had an opportunity to use this new software version prior to the delivery of the first computer on 15 October 1997.
72. The Technical Support help desk at Third Party, the suppliers of Third Party, confirmed that the error condition described above was a known fault in version 3.3f of the Third Party software.
73. The Technical Support help desk at Third Party, the suppliers of Third Party advised that the version of the Third Party software that followed 3.3f was 3.4e and they supplied version 3.4e by e-mail.
74. Version 3.4e of the Third Party software was installed on each of the second, third and fourth computers and ran without error for more than twelve hours on the second computer, more than fifteen hours on the third computer and more than eight hours on the fourth computer.
75. Several tasks were performed on each of the computers while the Third Party version 3.4e software was running on each of the computers. These tasks included opening and spell checking Word documents and creating large spreadsheets in Excel. No indication of any error was seen during these tests. For completeness, the modem in the third computer was used to send a fax and to record, and then replay, a voice telephone call while Third Party version 3.4 e was running. These tasks had no effect on Third Party.
Questions and Answers regarding Company D Support Database
76. In an attachment to his letter of 12 October 2000, Mr C asks,
"Detail your conclusions from the information recorded on all Company
D’s computer management databases and Event no. records for all four
computers."
And
"Utilising Company D’s Event No. 728827 data
record, what conclusion do you draw from quote 'there was no sign of the
modem having ever been installed' on CPU 710827 specified with a modem
installed, likewise quote 'had to reinstall video card'? Does this
indicate an incomplete or faulty installation?"
And
"Likewise
Event No 734165 re. CPU 710827 quote 'WIN95 CD Note reading correctly
looks faulty', could this mean the operating system installed was NOT
working properly or was incorrectly configured?"
And
"Likewise
Event No 737969 re. CPU 710827 quote 'Got a COM Port Error etc to screen
went black'. Does this indicate the unit has crashed?"
77. For the most part, it is not possible to draw conclusions from the content of the Company D support database because the notes are brief descriptions of conversations that are likely to have lasted many minutes. The detail necessary for reliable conclusions is missing from the notes in the database.
78. The notes for Event number 728827 (Page 301 of bundle) contains contradictions; "… modem will not install", "Checked the modem and it's set up correctly.", "… there was no sign of the modem having ever been installed." I cannot explain how it is possible to have "Checked the modem and it's set up correctly" before "… there was no sign of the modem having ever been installed.".
79. Mr C says in his statement of August 1999, at Paragraph 13, that the first computer was delivered on 15 October 1997. I cannot say whether the situation described in Event 728827, dated as 20 October 1997 on Page 299 of the bundle, existed at the time of delivery or occurred as a result of events that occurred after delivery.
80. Event 734165 includes the phrase "WIN95 CD not reading correctly. Looks faulty." This indicates a fault with a CD containing a copy of Windows 95 and does not indicate a fault with the installation or configuration of Windows on the computer. Three Windows 95 CDs were supplied for the preparation of this report. All three CDs were read successfully on my own computer.
81. Event 737969 includes the phrase "… screen went black". The most probable explanation for a black screen is that the computer has "crashed" and needs to be restarted. There is not enough detail in the event note to be able to say why the screen went black.
Summary
82. The first and fourth computers did not contain a vacant ISA slot when supplied for the preparation of this report. The Company D materials review for the fourth computer, at Page 234 in the bundle, appears to refer to an ISA sound card.
83. The first computer does not start and could not be tested with the Third Party card and software. Mr C's statement indicates that the computer did start when he first received it.
84. The second computer showed symptoms of multiple failures and of attempts to repair or diagnose those failures. These attempts meant that it was no longer possible to identify the cause of past problems. The second computer, when initially examined for the preparation of this report, initially had numerous errors on the hard disk. These errors did not affect the function of the computer during my examination and tests. It was not possible to find a cause for the disk errors.
85. The third computer was working normally with an apparently standard installation of Windows 95. No evidence of problems was found for the third computer as it was supplied for the preparation of this report nor after the more appropriate software was loaded for the sound card and video controller.
86. The fourth computer was working normally with an apparently standard installation of Windows 98. No evidence of problems was found for the fourth computer as it was supplied for the preparation of this report.
87. Version 3.3f of the Third Party software failed repeatedly on each of the second, third and fourth computers. The failure was always accompanied by the same error message. This error was confirmed by the suppliers of the software to be a known problem that was corrected by the next version, 3.4e, of the software.
88. Version 3.4e of the Third Party software ran without problems in each of the second, third and fourth computers.
89. Nothing was found in the documents to describe a sequence of events that ended with a problem using the Third Party software. It is possible that such a sequence can be described and that the sequence of events can be repeated and that at the end of the sequence there will be a problem using the Third Party software.
90. I understand my duty to the court and I have complied with that duty.
91. I believe that the facts I have stated in this report are true and the opinions I have expressed are correct.
Graham Dilloway
Expert Witness
39 Conham Hill
Bristol
BS15 3AW