My computer is password protected, firewalled and back-upped 3-ways to Sunday. No one touches it, when I leave the room, it is locked down, so when it gets a glitch, I can’t blame it on the cat. (See video on the Cat Burglar.)
The first sign was Microsoft Word crashing, then the email freezing, but Microsoft installed a fix and I thought that I was done.
The computer froze. NO response.
Did a cold reboot.
Waited.
Waited.
Now, I do have a much underused degree from DeVry, I know some stuff and have books for the rest, but common sense usually prevails.
After an hour of all system checks, it ain’t looking good.
Decide. Try Restore Point? Nope.
Decide. Back-up. Yeah, that 50 gig portable hard drive will bail me out.
Because there is nothing more evil in cyberspace than the dreaded Blue Screen of Death!
This is where ya find out just how organized you truly are. We all start out with good intentions of keeping cables, cords and miscellaneous computer stuff sorted. We all end up with the dreaded junk drawer.
Confess, you are no better.
The best investment was acquiring those black, zippered folders just for computer discs. If you don’t own one, get one now, because it saved my sanity. I actually had thrown all my discs, and the code keys into two different binders. I had panicked, did not know where the *&#@ to start, but as I pulled out these binders, everything I needed was there: Although, mark the BOOT DISC in BLACK marker, not light blue marker, so that you will find it right away!
Still, it was hours of backing up and painstakingly reinstalling everything.
Now, can I get a little sympathy? Has anyone else lost seemingly days out of their lives putting a computer back together?
Has anyone seen their lives flash before their eyes at that thought of LOSING everything?!
Has anyone dealt with the annoying helpful comments such as, "Well, why don't you just get one of the little thumb drives to back up your files?"
Really, a THUMB DRIVE would have solved my Blue Screen problem? As if that little baby (and I have a few of them) would hold my files? My software? Why do people feel compelled to fill the air with empty advice and pretend that they have solved a problem!
For example: Years ago, when I was a designer, a pressman brought in a bunch of old computer magazines, gave them to my boss and stated, "This will help solve the problems."
Said pressman couldn't tell an ICU from a CPU, didn't even know if I ran a Mac or PC, nor the software that I ran. But he was going to be the hero to 'solve my design problems.' Wow.
I did tell the pressman and owner that those magazines were like using a lawnmower guide to repair a press, then I quizzed them to show me exactly WHERE in those magazines the problems were solved. Oh, and the fact that in 20 odd years of designing, only ONE pressman had a daily problem getting any job off a press, me thinks his sole expertise was in blaming others for his gross incompetence.
Sadly, his silence was only temporary.
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