Yes, my laptop a bit... older. But it was once quite flash and it's always suited me fine.
At least, it did until last week, when the poor wee beastie suddenly decided not to read its USB ports anymore. This meant no recharging the iPod. No printing docs or backing up on my flash drive.
No downloading new photos of Midge and Butler. What's a poor boy to do?
Well, according to the Great and Mighty Google, there were a few things. Each of those things got a little harder. Checking the drivers. Deleting them in Safe Mode. Finally, I took the truly hard line: I reformatted the C drive.
Yikes.
Granted, Old Bessie here wasn't good for much but email and writing, but at least she was good for that. Now, I'm slowly, painfully, *dial-uppingly* (the WiFi, of course, refuses to go) rebuilding from the rubble. New settings. New downloads. Some of my favorite old programs have... changed. Mostly for the worse.
Reluctantly, very reluctantly, I'm looking at new machines. The kids they got these days are faster and cheaper than Old Bessie ever was. It'll be sad to see the end of an era.
I'm thinking about the new laptop from SkyNet. It promises good things...
8 comments:
I think part of the planned obsolescence of PCs is exactly what you're talking about. When you have to install everything from the OS to the drivers and applications, associated upgrades and patches, not to mention all the incidentals you had but forgot -- you reach a point of diminishing returns on the time it takes and it's easier (and far less frustrating) to get a flashy new system with everything installed and ready to go. I say get the new one ;)
That's grim - but at least you know how.
Computers are the shortest lived pets humans have.
My profound sympathies. I HATE computer problems. And as someone who seems to fry any and all electronics that I come into contact with, I go through them at quite a clip these days. My old 1985 dinosaur lasted me eleven years. Talk about culture shock!
I love the photo of "Old Bessie"! Another of your Google finds, I reckon. You are brilliant at finding great pix for your blog.
My sympathies on the computer problems. Mine are not as severe, but my desktop is six years old and has slowed down to a snail's pace. It takes forever to get anything done. I've tried defragging the hard drive, deleting old files, etc., etc....everything short of paying a computer geek to look into it. Can't afford to buy a new one now, either. And imagining Life Without Computer is impossible. What, no e-mail? No blogs?? and WRITING THINGS BY HAND??? Aaaargh!
The picture of the old laptop is great! Sorry to hear of your troubles, though. That always sucks. *LOL @ the Skynet laptop.*
Sorry I've been AWOL--been playing tour guide for my Canadian visitor.
Sorry to hear about Bessie, but after a few years there's just no "helping" the old computers. They start getting slower, they no longer support the newer software... It just snowballs as time goes on. Our Mac is a first gen G-4 and is wheezing it's way to Jesus as we speak. Come Christmas bonus time (if there will be such a thing with this economy) the Architect and I are going to have to bite the bullet and purchase a new one; he can't even use his graphic software for work, anymore. It's that slow.
I enjoyed reading your blog thanks.
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