Quick Update

[Ed]

Hi Writers,

I apologize for being unavailable. Not only have I been away, but my OS crashed and I currently have my computer in the shop. Gah! So bear with me while I play catch up. I'm not working from home, so I'll have limited access to the internet until I get my own laptop back . . . hopefully within 1-3 days.

Thanks for your patience,
Ed

[CRDonovan]

When computers crash it is really...hellish. Hang in there.

[Ed]

Thanks. There is only one very impolite word that expresses the frustration I feel. It couldn't have come at a worse time. Hopefully the speed of my borrowed internet connection will help make up for lost time!

[Lor]

You were missed. Sorry about computer crash and about the workload you'll be coming back to. No rush.

Lor

[Word Gypsy]

That bites for you! I wish a speedy recovery for the laptop. If it were mine, I'd be wishing for a speedy recovery of my sanity. Take your time- it looks like you are off to a running start as it is. WG

[Ed]

Well, it bites for you guys, too, which is what I'm really worried about.

[HayleyWriter]

You were certainly missed Ed! I am sure you have heaps to review too. Why is it that computers always crash when you need them most! Don't worry Ed, we'll all try to be patient as the problems get fixed.

Kind regards,

Hayley

[BarryDavidson]

Tell us where to send parts and supplies... I have eight internet capable computers in the house, with at least four running at any one time.

If nothing else, tell me what you need, and I'll find it for a decent price. (I hate computer shops because they overcharge.)

[Ed]

Yeah, I wish it was that easy. I had a friend fix it the last time it decided to implode. However, "shop" is sort of a misnomer. I took it to some guy (literally) who probably just needs to feed his family and keep his WOW subscription active. He is probably a computer genius. His turnaround time was 1-3 days as opposed to the 11-13 days I was quoted elsewhere. Same price, too!

[BarryDavidson]

Most of the small "shops" are that way. Even most of the Geek Squad employees don't have any certifications.

The only thing I don't know how to do with my computers is change the keyboard and touch pad on my laptops. I've got an older P3 laptop I use for word processing, and a newer Toshiba the children spilled coke in (the one with the broken keyboard and touch pad). Toshiba wanted to charge me 450.00 to change the motherboard and processor. Since it was liquid damage, they didn't have to fix it even though it was under warranty. (It works fine with a mouse and keyboard hooked up to it.)

Which OS was it? I'm guessing XP or Vista.

** Get yourself one of those new 32GB flash pen drives. They come in very handy for documents and settings.

[Lor]

My laptop let me down a few months ago and I've yet see it fixed. Two weeks in the "shop" and they didn't have a clue. It runs fine, but will no longer connect to the internet, which is a real drag. Just suddennly decided not to connect one morning. But, it will connect to other ISP's. I used it specifically for writing, but still need access to the internet. Funny, this PC does connect. I dunnoh. If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them. It's ... Vista. (she whispers)

Lor

PS, we tried removing Vista to replace with windows XP, but it wouldn't let us.

[Ed]

Noted about the flash drive, Barry. Maintaining a low-tech profile is no longer working for me. Unfortunately, I'm starting to get a complex. My new phone is acting up, twice the internet has failed on me permanently from computers outside my home, and now the computer tech says that my hard drive is bad. Is it me???

Waiting to get a second opinion on my hard drive. Now working on a 9 inch screen, which is better than nothing. I've been scrambling around all morning trying to get myself in a position to be able to address the waiting articles.

Lor - the reason I wasn't using my old laptop was because it wasn't connecting to the internet and seemed to fail to find an IP address. You may try calling your internet provider to see if you can be walked through a fix. For me, it was as simple as a reset of the box from the company's office. Thank goodness something's going right.

The q looks pretty bad right now, but since I am now working from home (please let nothing else happen!), I should be able to get everything squared away in the next couple of days.

[CRDonovan]

Think of it this way Ed: your (temporary, we hope) disconnect just highlights how indespensible you are to CC. BTW, did you try talking nice to your computer? A friendly pat and an encouraging word? I'd try that first, then go straight to horrible threats.

[BarryDavidson]

Ed... I have monitors all over the house. Hell, I've got computer parts all over the house. Somewhere around here I even have a 2.2GHz P4 processor I picked up for eighteen bucks. I have power supplies.

Flash Drives: http://www2.pricewatch.com/flash_card_m ... b_32gb.htm

Hard drives are cheap and easy to install. Don't let them charge you through the nose. Even a 500GB notebook drive can be had for 125.00, and those are simple to plug right in.)

PCMCIA Cards: http://3btech.net/liwpiwi80pcn.html

A nine inch screen? Are you using one of those mini-throwaway PC's?

Anyway, what's the price this "tech" is charging you? If it's too high, I'll scour the internet to find you a cheap new system. If it's a laptop, I'll try to find one of those too. If you have a XP or Vista CD to install yourself, I might be able to find a decent laptop for around the 399 range.

[Ed]

That's thoughtful - but so far, it's only costing me $35. I'm going to try to run the Vista Home Premium disk (after I find one) to see if that initiates a fix, even if it is a temporary one. And then I'll be checking out your links to make sure I don't have to go through this fiasco again.