A proud member of the reality-based community
This site is a member of WebRing. To browse visit here. Friday, April 27, 2007 Heart---er, computer failure I stopped in Richmond yesterday and hauled out the laptop so I could borrow an internet signal and see whether I had any more work before heading home. Before anyone informs me that this is illegal, let me say that I have asked for and received permission from the owner of this hotel to use their internet signal any time I need to. Since I stay there several times a month and have racked up thousands of points in their membership system, that wasn't really too big a favor to ask. In fact, if I'm in another area and need to find a signal, I simply walk into the lobby of the nearest hotel, explain that I'm traveling on business and ask politely whether I could use their wireless signal briefly. I've never been refused.At any rate, instead of my nice Windows screen, I got a message that a file was missing or corrupt. I snarled under my breath, stuck the laptop back into the knitting bag and drove home, irritated but not panicked. After all, I had a copy of the operating system, didn't I? I would just start up the computer with the Windows Setup CD in the drive and everything would be fine.Nope, not fine. Toshiba, bless their greedy corporate hearts, didn't provide me with a copy of the operating system, just a "Restore" CD with the system drivers on it, and a way to reset the laptop to its original state (meaning that the hard disk would be formatted and you'd lose everything on it). I'm informed that this is SOP nowadays. Since this laptop is the only commercially built computer I've used in twenty years, I didn't know that. Every computer I built and sold had a copy of the Windows operating system supplied with it.Not only that, but in twenty years of building and selling computers, how many complete system failures have I had with a computer I built up? NONE. NOT. ONE. That's why I was so slow to buy a laptop.So the next step was to call my son, who does have several copies of Windows. "Stop in the next time you're near," he said. I was at his house within 24 hours. He turned on the laptop, got the same message I'd gotten, and restarted it so it could boot from the Windows Setup CD he put in the drive. Instead of the standard Windows startup, however, it went right on into its normal Windows splash screen and then to my wallpaper and desktop. In other words, whatever had been wrong all the other twenty times I started it up went away. We looked at each other, and Greg asked, "Do you want me to back up your files to my network?" Yup, I sure did. Four or five hours later, Clarence and I were back on the road with the apparently self-healing laptop, a couple of DVD's with all my files on them, and a six hour long drive home. I had to stop a couple of times to nap, and we staggered in about four in the morning. I already had reasonably recent backups of the essential files, but there would have been at least some data to re-enter, and some knitting and fiber sites I've bookmarked that I might never have found again. So here I sit with my external hard drive plugged in dutifully making a mirror of the laptop's drive. I do love computers, but there are times, Mr. Spock, when I would happily go back to stone knives and bear skins. posted by Liz @ 6:47 PM | The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section RSS Feed PERSONAL Send email toliz at life-as-a-spectator-sport.com Home I'm a mother, grandmother, a computer professional, Democrat, Christian. I welcome politely worded comments and email, my spam filter throws the rest away, so don't bother to flame me WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT' "If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart. THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3 KNITTING BLOGS Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits FINISHED PROJECTS -------FINISHED IN 2006------- Peruvian Cap Tutti-Frutti Socks Shelley's Socks Carol's Socks -------FINISHED IN 2007------- Chain Link Socks Baby Surprise Jacket Valerie & Friend Baby Bonnet Rainbow Baby Socks Girls Pixie Hood Mitred Square Heart Red & White Socks Coffee Cup Pot Holder Nubbins Dishcloth Garterlac Dishcloth Suede Booties Kate's Socks Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap Half Thumbless Mittens Red Mittens for Akkol -------FINISHED IN 2008------- SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE -- Blogs and websites -- Causubon's Book Club Orlov Food Storage Made Easy From the Wilderness In the Wake Listening to Katrina Survival Topics The Modern Homestead The Oil Drum Notes from a Hillside Farm -- Mailing Lists -- 12vdc Power Living on the Land Rainwater Refrigeration Alternatives Old Ways of Living POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES The political sites have moved BOOKS I'M READING How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising ARCHIVES February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002 Feedjit Live Blog Stats
I stopped in Richmond yesterday and hauled out the laptop so I could borrow an internet signal and see whether I had any more work before heading home. Before anyone informs me that this is illegal, let me say that I have asked for and received permission from the owner of this hotel to use their internet signal any time I need to. Since I stay there several times a month and have racked up thousands of points in their membership system, that wasn't really too big a favor to ask. In fact, if I'm in another area and need to find a signal, I simply walk into the lobby of the nearest hotel, explain that I'm traveling on business and ask politely whether I could use their wireless signal briefly. I've never been refused.At any rate, instead of my nice Windows screen, I got a message that a file was missing or corrupt. I snarled under my breath, stuck the laptop back into the knitting bag and drove home, irritated but not panicked. After all, I had a copy of the operating system, didn't I? I would just start up the computer with the Windows Setup CD in the drive and everything would be fine.Nope, not fine. Toshiba, bless their greedy corporate hearts, didn't provide me with a copy of the operating system, just a "Restore" CD with the system drivers on it, and a way to reset the laptop to its original state (meaning that the hard disk would be formatted and you'd lose everything on it). I'm informed that this is SOP nowadays. Since this laptop is the only commercially built computer I've used in twenty years, I didn't know that. Every computer I built and sold had a copy of the Windows operating system supplied with it.Not only that, but in twenty years of building and selling computers, how many complete system failures have I had with a computer I built up? NONE. NOT. ONE. That's why I was so slow to buy a laptop.So the next step was to call my son, who does have several copies of Windows. "Stop in the next time you're near," he said. I was at his house within 24 hours. He turned on the laptop, got the same message I'd gotten, and restarted it so it could boot from the Windows Setup CD he put in the drive. Instead of the standard Windows startup, however, it went right on into its normal Windows splash screen and then to my wallpaper and desktop. In other words, whatever had been wrong all the other twenty times I started it up went away. We looked at each other, and Greg asked, "Do you want me to back up your files to my network?" Yup, I sure did. Four or five hours later, Clarence and I were back on the road with the apparently self-healing laptop, a couple of DVD's with all my files on them, and a six hour long drive home. I had to stop a couple of times to nap, and we staggered in about four in the morning. I already had reasonably recent backups of the essential files, but there would have been at least some data to re-enter, and some knitting and fiber sites I've bookmarked that I might never have found again. So here I sit with my external hard drive plugged in dutifully making a mirror of the laptop's drive. I do love computers, but there are times, Mr. Spock, when I would happily go back to stone knives and bear skins.
The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section
RSS Feed
PERSONAL
WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT'
"If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart.
THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME
Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3
KNITTING BLOGS
Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits
FINISHED PROJECTS
SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE
POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES
BOOKS I'M READING
How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising
ARCHIVES
February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002
Powered by BLOGGER Template made possible by BLOGSKINS.
