Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Left Hanging ...


Oh, crap! My hard drive is gone!

I know I'm not the first to have this happen, and I'm sure I won't be the last ...

I don't know if I was hit with a virus or a Trojan Horse, or if I was hacked into ... But my hard drive was wiped clean. When I turned on my computer at about 7 pm Monday evening I was greeted by the wallpaper sans the icons and tool bar. The helpless white arrow-shaped cursor was moving against the background with nothing on which to click!

(I couldn't even play Solitaire or Free Cell!)


It's going to cost me some dead Presidents!

I have been thinking about upgrading my computer (still using Windows 2000) for some time. My time table has inexplicably been moved up.

My son-in-law worked on it to see if he could get it up and running. In his words, "Mike, what you have here is heavy and expensive paperweight."

I was able to put up a post for Tuesday from a piece I had on draft status. Today's post is being prepared on a lap top. I'm not comfortable using a lap top, but until I get a new desk top computer I'm going to have to get used to one.

I didn't appreciate it at the time, but I was GIVEN a new and unused lap top about six months ago as a token of her appreciation for all the help I'd been giving her over the years. She said to consider a pre-holiday Christmas gift.

It's an IBM ThinkPad. I didn't even think about the price then, but I realize that when purchased it cost more than the whole setup I've been using for four years - that includes the HP Pavilion PC, a 17" monitor, and an Epson printer.


Yesterday I called the lady who had given me the lap top and told her I didn't realize it was such an expensive computer. (For shame!)I admitted to her I hadn't even taken it out of the box. I suggested I give it back in exchange for her older lap top. She said not to worry about it and that she'd won it on a raffle ticket she had bought. As far as she concerned it only cost $1.00!

I told her I was now using it and that it was nice piece of equipment. (I also told her that my own computer had been assassinated! I was finally using it out of necessity.)

She said "Good things happen for those who do good things."

For now, I'm using a Wi-Fi connection to get online. It hasn't been setup and registered yet with comcast, so I cannot use the high-speed line. There is only one Wireless Network connection in the area and in range for me to hop on board.

The connection usually isn't available until after 10 pm and for the first half hour I lose the connection and have to wait to reacquire the signal. (It's a pain! But it's better than no access at all.)

Of course, all of my files and my pictures are lost. (I know, I should have backed them up, but I never took the time.) "You live and you learn."

Until I get a new desktop, my posts might not be as prolific (nearly every day)for a while. I might not get around to many of you on my blogroll to visit, read, and leave comments, but I'll try my best.

My wife and daughter are checking the ads and are wanting to pick up a new computer for my birthday. Yep, the calendar on Sunday the 15th is about add one to that magic number again - for the 61st time! Am I really that old?

1607

4 comments:

Skunkfeathers said...

That sucks. I've only had one computer go motherboard up, but it's a pain.

Sandee said...

Sorry this has happened to you. I'm sure you will get it sorted out soon.

As for your upcoming birthday, hubby will be 62 and I'll be 58 this year. Yep, we are getting older aren't we? Yes, we are.

Have a terrific day in spite of this setback. :)

Hale McKay said...

Skunk,

I've had problems with computers requiring some work by those who do that sort of thing, but this is the first go one to go kaplooey>

Hale McKay said...

Sandee,

I see you and your hubby are baby boomers too.

I'll be 61 Sunday. My wife will be 59 in July.