It looks like momentum is finally starting to build.
The silver lining to reinstalling a development system from scratch is that one can configure the software and environment exactly as desired, perhaps upgrading a few pieces along the way, while eliminating items that are obsolete and mothballing the relics. This all leads to more efficiency, both functional and mental.
In my case, I replaced two hard drives, giving me more space for programs, data, and code, and I switched my primary development system to Windows XP. The system is still running on the same processors, graphics cards, and memory, but the elimination of considerable “winrot” has increased operational speed noticeably. For those unfamiliar with the term, winrot is the term for the manner in which Windows operating systems gradually slow down through the accumulation of junk (i.e., unnecessary processes and data). I used to reinstall every 3-4 months, but this one took more than a year before being forced upon me.
More importantly, though, since I decided to replace my old 8G source code drive at this juncture (as it had already outlasted two system drives), I had to choose which unfinished projects would be prioritized and which would be relegated to a backup somewhere. All at once, I had to look at the number of playable game prototypes I had not completed while culling the number of active projects down to a handful. I ended up with exactly one internal project for each (current) external project, a manageable number.
Instead of an unruly mass of many interesting projects demanding my time, I now have just a few, complete with a priority order and schedule for each, allowing me to focus better. Additionally, having just spent the better part of a week fighting with hardware and software configuration, I want nothing more than to (continue to) bury myself in programming, and when I polish off the current projects, I just need to choose my favorite working prototype as the next product.
Lest anyone think that everything was smooth sailing after the earlier hardware and driver problems, there was yet another casualty during the week. My CD-ROM drive gave up the ghost, apparently having tired of all the disc changing. Since the development system has another optical drive, a DVD burner, that can function just fine with CDs, I just left the dead hardware in place and continued unabated. When I next get an itch to mess with hardware (maybe in Springtime) I will replace it. Until then, I am just a software guy.