The Challenges of 2008
Well, 2008 was an interesting year for me. While everything went well with our health and well being, for me, it was a challenging year in terms of computer hardware and family health.
I had several visits back to MN this year, helping my mom deal with my Dad’s health issues. I still have a bargaining chip on the table that after Dad has two rotted teeth pulled I will come home again. He is actively working with the oral surgeon and his primary care physician to reduce the infection and make him healthy enough for an extraction.
I am currently now adjunct faculty with Central AZ College on a part time basis. I did a three month course in Superior, and likely will do some more classes in January.
But, although I have sailed though life as a Scorpio, right now, my computer aspect seems to be in a black hole (almost).
My hard drive crashed in November. I used it instead of the onboard drive on the computer for My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, My Videos, etc. I had backup to 1992 on that drive and was crushed. I learned how to do hard drive restoration and have the software to do so, but none of it worked on the 750 GB.
Assuming the worst, I packed it off for warranty service and found out it was only the power supply. The hard drive was returned to me with all data intact.
I now back up every 2 weeks (it takes several hours or I would do it weekly.)
This past week, after trying to update Windows Live Mail, when I kept getting an error message, after letting a Windows CSR remotely connect to my computer, the dimwit started changing all my drive letters. I asked why, when my windows installation had assigned those letters. He had no good answer, but after screwing up my main external data drive (why did it make a difference to change it from K to M?) I had more than a dozen programs fail. When I plugged in the ipod and the software tried to find iTunes on drive K (now the iPod, instead of drive M, as drive K was now drive M) my whole computer went tilt and the power supply fried. SO I have no desktop.
But I have my external HD with all my data and my laptop plugged into my 22” monitor. WE believe it was the power supply that failed, so I ordered a new one (along with 3 $12.50 1MB sticks of ram – I mean why have 3 empty slots?)
I have yet to have MS respond to my feedback about the befuddled service I got. I think changing the drive letters is a bogus response to something that is on the MS server for email.
Oh well, we live and learn.
Windows is just the biggest virus out there, isn’t it?