More Technical Difficulties
When last I reported on the state of my home PC, I had just wasted a trip over to the shop that was closed when I got their to pick up my machine. A pity the tech didn't give me another call to update me on the status of the repair job, since it was, and is, nowhere near complete.
I got over there when they opened yesterday morning expecting to simply pay the bill and take my PC home. I was greeted with a, "Hello, come with me, please," such as you would get if you were going to see your doctor after a routine physical when he'd diagnosed metastasized cancer.
The upgraded motherboard and processor were installed, and everything was fine except for one thing: the sound drivers wouldn't reinstall. The most proximate reason for that is that the old sound drivers wouldn't UNinstall. Since you don't see many personal computer retailers pushing the marketing concept of "monomedia," that obviously was an unacceptable status quo. So, having presciently brought my Windows XP disk with me, we tried a Windows reinstall in the hopes that that would remove the obstruction preventing the loading of the new sound drivers.
This process took an hour, necessitating that I find something to do besides standing there staring at my recalcitrant machine. However, attempts to find a breakfast outlet nearby that was open proved fruitless, as did locating an open library.
Upon my return to the shop I found that the Windows reinstall had concluded but now the new processor - rated at 3 GHz - was being slowed down by 90%, and Control Panel was completely unaccessible, meaning that we couldn't even determine if the new sound drivers would load because we couldn't load the damn things. The tech employed some utility programs to fix that problem, and I had another hour to kill. At least by this time breakfast and the library were available, but the latter did not have internet terminals available to non-library patrons, of which I'm, or else I'd have vented about this mess yesterday.
Upon my third return the Windows blockage was dislodged, but the sound drivers STILL wouldn't load, forcing upon me the option of last resort I had sought to avoid: backing up the hard drive, wiping it, reinstalling Windows, and then transferring back the data. The problem in that is that I have to re-load ALL my applications, not all of which are on disk, meaning I have to make yet another application inventory to determine what I'll be able to salvage and what I won't. And bear in mind that I have applications going back to 1992, so this is no small disruption.
Compounding my difficulties was that my family and I were scheduled to leave town at 1PM. Because of this hour round-trip that had become six times as long, I didn't get home until 2PM - without my machine - and we didn't get on the road until 4PM. We arrived at our destination after 7PM, leaving time only to check in at our place of lodging - which, as you probably already guessed, does not have an internet terminal - and get something to eat. This displaced the making of dinner reservations for my folks' golden wedding anniversary until this morning, whereupon we discovered that the establishment's listed phone number is, in fact, their FAX number, meaning that I really have no firm idea of whether or not it's already too late to make reservations.
I am not a happy camper. I'm supposed to be on "vacation." At this rate, by the time this "vacation" is over, I'll need a vacation.
I'll leave to the imagination the location from which I am klickety-klacking these words. Suffice it to say, thank the LORD for the ubiquity of the internet.
And pray the LORD that I'll get my PC back in full working order on Monday morning. If I have to go over there more than one more time, I might as well move in.
I got over there when they opened yesterday morning expecting to simply pay the bill and take my PC home. I was greeted with a, "Hello, come with me, please," such as you would get if you were going to see your doctor after a routine physical when he'd diagnosed metastasized cancer.
The upgraded motherboard and processor were installed, and everything was fine except for one thing: the sound drivers wouldn't reinstall. The most proximate reason for that is that the old sound drivers wouldn't UNinstall. Since you don't see many personal computer retailers pushing the marketing concept of "monomedia," that obviously was an unacceptable status quo. So, having presciently brought my Windows XP disk with me, we tried a Windows reinstall in the hopes that that would remove the obstruction preventing the loading of the new sound drivers.
This process took an hour, necessitating that I find something to do besides standing there staring at my recalcitrant machine. However, attempts to find a breakfast outlet nearby that was open proved fruitless, as did locating an open library.
Upon my return to the shop I found that the Windows reinstall had concluded but now the new processor - rated at 3 GHz - was being slowed down by 90%, and Control Panel was completely unaccessible, meaning that we couldn't even determine if the new sound drivers would load because we couldn't load the damn things. The tech employed some utility programs to fix that problem, and I had another hour to kill. At least by this time breakfast and the library were available, but the latter did not have internet terminals available to non-library patrons, of which I'm, or else I'd have vented about this mess yesterday.
Upon my third return the Windows blockage was dislodged, but the sound drivers STILL wouldn't load, forcing upon me the option of last resort I had sought to avoid: backing up the hard drive, wiping it, reinstalling Windows, and then transferring back the data. The problem in that is that I have to re-load ALL my applications, not all of which are on disk, meaning I have to make yet another application inventory to determine what I'll be able to salvage and what I won't. And bear in mind that I have applications going back to 1992, so this is no small disruption.
Compounding my difficulties was that my family and I were scheduled to leave town at 1PM. Because of this hour round-trip that had become six times as long, I didn't get home until 2PM - without my machine - and we didn't get on the road until 4PM. We arrived at our destination after 7PM, leaving time only to check in at our place of lodging - which, as you probably already guessed, does not have an internet terminal - and get something to eat. This displaced the making of dinner reservations for my folks' golden wedding anniversary until this morning, whereupon we discovered that the establishment's listed phone number is, in fact, their FAX number, meaning that I really have no firm idea of whether or not it's already too late to make reservations.
I am not a happy camper. I'm supposed to be on "vacation." At this rate, by the time this "vacation" is over, I'll need a vacation.
I'll leave to the imagination the location from which I am klickety-klacking these words. Suffice it to say, thank the LORD for the ubiquity of the internet.
And pray the LORD that I'll get my PC back in full working order on Monday morning. If I have to go over there more than one more time, I might as well move in.
posted by JASmius at 10:50 AM
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