A really, really evil system crash. Total. Complete. Major hardware fail by laptop manufacturer (looking at you, HP!). Neglected to advise individual customers, but did issue (if you were looking, and why?)warning on web. Extended all warranties for 24 months. But of course this didn't help me. System was toast. And also, so was the backup which had overridden what I had selected for backup and went into 'default' and copied lots of nonsense and ignored the more serious files. I was offline for 5 days and unable to work during the busiest time of my year.
Running around looking for a new laptop without tech-expert daughter or granddaughter in tow and then discovering none of these newer models are equipped with dialup modems, so gallopped around looking for a USB modem, fortunately located, but at a super nasty price. Realizing that downloading programmes such as Itunes, etc. takes a total of 32+ hours here in Dialup Dementia. Take time to fire off more blistering emails to political poobahs (Dem Wot Rulez Me) once email viable on new system.
Having to load up tax and accounting software - and for the archives that I maintain, this takes an inordinate amount of time, so what's a girl to do? Blog about it, of course.
Delights:
Finding a truly remarkable expert in disaster recovery who managed to retrieve most of my most crucial data on a spare backup hard-drive that is in most older laptops. He spent 2 days on this and would not hear of charging me for all of this time, billing me for only 3-1/2 hours as he felt so badly for me. A saviour. I'm his for life.
Taking time this morning (it is Tshirt and shorts weather here) to take a long walk around St. Mary's Bay and capturing this picture of Ansa in our ongoing series of Panoramic Picnic Bench Pics.
i truly feel for you:(
ReplyDeletethe picture is wonderful though
Thank you Twain. Yes I rather like this pic too. She is seriously waiting to engage in some quality face time!
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Oh, my heart bleeds for you. Dial-up is a curse. Everyone should be on broadband these days. I've experienced a few system crashes in my time, and aged considerably before everything was restored. Thank goodness for the friend who was able to help out - and for the beauty around you, so soothing of fraught nerves.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the pc failure, it's a mega irritant, but you were fortunate to get great help like that. I have an external backup drive, and have it set to not automatically back up a copy of my current hard drive. So, I just copy/paste new material from laptop to backup. May also get a RAID storage system - it refers to a system of hard drives that mirror your computer hard drive.. still need to do some research on best brand, & pros/cons.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for a prob-free pc.
RJA:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the sympathy, I've had a few in my time, and this wasn't the worst, though it always feels like it at the time!
Yes, I'm trying to maintain perspective!
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Charlie:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info, let me know how the research goes.
Soon it will be cloud technology, I'm hoping, though with no broadband, and little hope for it, it won't make any difference here in Dialup Dementia.
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What an absolute nightmare :-(
ReplyDeleteI hope that at the very least, HP will compensate you for the cost of downloading all of your lost programs, the time taken to restore everything, and the money you've had to pay your disaster recovery expert. It would be very nice if they compensated you for lost business, too!
I'm not sure if this would help for the download speeds - http://www.downthemall.net/
It's a plug in for Firefox which claims to speed up downloading, and lets you pause and resume downloads (so you can download when you aren't working, then pause whilst you need to access t'interweb, then restart again later). I don't know how much it would help for dialup speeds, but I have noticed a small difference in my downloads over broadband (which at times get to be slower than dialup...)
I do love the photo, and I'm so glad that the weather is getting warmer for you!
Computers are marvelous until they aren't! Hope the fix fixes things!
ReplyDeleteWonderful shot of Ansa. Am envious of shorts and t-shirt weather. Our weather man said the four letter s word last night and tonight temps may hit the freezing mark. This, after 4 days of out of season 80 degree temps.
I feel your pain. I think we are due an easy going week right now! I hope it works out that way for you WWW.
ReplyDeleteJo:
ReplyDeleteThank you for the link, I will certainly explore any avenue to a higher speed until the politicoes get so sick of me they install the long awaited (and promised) broadband.
I'll deal with HP once my BP lowers to human levels...
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Pauline:
ReplyDeleteI so agree, this has been a really bad experience!
We're back to heavy rain and roaring fire today, and there are some who don't believe in climate change! Ha!
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GM:
ReplyDeleteYes, you were lacking a connection too from what I read!
We DO need to take it easy, I wish my clients would grant me a respite....
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Gosh - that must have been a very trying time! These technological contraptions of ours are a blessing and a curse - both!
ReplyDeleteAnsa appears quite oblivious of it all, bless her!
Hope your BP is dipping daily. :-)
That's the worst part of dialup, all the stuff that can go wrong, but would be easier to deal with on high speed, does.
ReplyDeleteI do not like HP, WWW, I do not like HP at all!
And no dialup modems in the new laptops! What a friggin' pain! Salt in the wound, knowing that dialup modems are a Thing-Of-The-Past.
But good you found a wonderful DR Saviour! And Ansa looks very noble
T:
ReplyDeleteOh I've had some challenges today getting the little beast to recognize some old laser printers and scanners but followed the principles of one of my old IT guys:
when in doubt, reboot. And by gum it is now reading I do have these old beasts. YAY me.
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Annie: Yes Ansa's nobility is very evident today in the stream of curses and profanities that ignites over her innocent head from her Crazy 2-Legs talking to the machine!
ReplyDeleteAnd now and again, I do check on my blog to keep me sane...
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Sorry to hear about that. We're so dependent on our computers these days, it's misery when they go haywire. Lucky you found that helpful guy to sort it all out for you. It's absurd that such a supposedly advanced country as Canada can't get broadband to everyone.
ReplyDeleteLucky Ansa, she doesn't have to worry about computer disasters, only the next meal.
I'm sorry to hear that you ran into major computer problems. Dial up is the pits, isn't it? I'm so glad that's a thing of the past for me, but I do remember what it's like. Ansa is one of the noblest dogs around. She sits there like a queen. What a beautiful day you had with that bright blue sky. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteNothing like a major meltdown like this to make you realise how very dependent we are on this fiendish technology. And, to my mind, that yours did it right in the middle of your busiest time is one more proof that there is a malignant spirit loose in the universe.
ReplyDeleteI have a Mac and use Time Machine to continuously back up to an external hard drive. But I know in my heart that, when/if the effing computer goes kablooey, sure as eggs is eggs, the back up will turn out to be as useful as a one-legged man at an arse-kicking party.
But, as your pic of Ansa and St Mary's Bay reminds, there are always more important things to worry about. xoT
Nick:
ReplyDeleteYes, Canada is advanced for the cities but outports: not so much. I've been fighting for this when I picked myself up off the floor of my just purchased house 6 years ago. I honestly thought it in the realm of water and hydro. Poor me.
I was wrong on the water too.....
Anyway now that I have my own newspaper column here I rant and I roar with great frequency,
Nothing like a cause and a soapbox for Outport Woman!
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Nora:
ReplyDeleteAh me, I'll be back in Highspeed Heaven next week, I'm salivating at the thought!
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Tessa:
ReplyDeleteOh you sure made me laugh, you did!!
Oh I had the best in an external too. But interestingly enough I did another complete retrieve today and guess what, located some of the more crucial missing files hidden away in a far corner of a remote little chippy and entitled, of all things, "company files". I would never call anything a company file being inundated with so many which all get their own unique label but the little external did, all by its little ol' self. Bless it.
Malignant spirit, I support that theory.
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Oh no, WWW, what a disaster! But at least the story has a mostly happy ending, and a genuine hero to thank for it. Everyday technology should never have become so mystifying.
ReplyDeleteAnother beautiful photo, by the way. It is a similar deep aquamarine blue to what we have here in Galway Bay. How easy it is for one's thoughts to disappear into it.
Stan:
ReplyDeletePlease see Part 2, no happy endings as yet to sad and sorry saga.
I love Galway Bay, love the old stone wall (still there, I hope!) and love the Square.
And a huge fan of the 'other' Galway Bay song.
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