Tuesday, February 5, 2008

They shoot horses, Don't they?



If my PC was a horse it would be a dead horse. And I have spent the last few days flogging it.


I am pretty sure that the fact that it is currently operating well enough for me to write this post has a lot more to do with my bloodymindedness than anything else. It is no longer using windows as an operating system, it is running on my will power.



I know nothing about computers, technically speaking, and my usual tactic of giving it a hard "paddington"stare has not been of any help whatsoever. I have had to resort to tinkering. It seems to have worked, for now. I don't think it will last though and will someone please tell me what that burning smell is?



25 comments:

none said...

microsoft has some good cleanup tools that take about a day to run.

I did that yesterday and it helped alot.

none said...

Oh yeah just go here

http://onecare.live.com/standard/en-us/install/install.htm

lime said...

yikes! technology is only wonderful when it works. gotta love the stress kit. i've had one tacked up on my wall for years. ;)

Elaine Denning said...

Kicking it helps.

Dunno about the computer though.

Queenie said...

Like you, I'm no techno, but i do find if you switch it off, the elf's come in the night and abbra- cadabra, it works!!!!!

cathy said...

hammer, thanks I'll check it out.

lime, It is pretty amazing to think of the changes wrought by computer technology in the last 25 years but we are even more amazing for keeping up with it. The stress kit is for my husband's head I prefer bursting into tears:)

You are so right! Now if I can get hubby to stop taking so many showers maybe there will be less gremlins round here.

queenie, I wish! Blue screen of death is more my style.

Vinny "Bond" Marini said...

Ah the blue screen of death... yes, it can be frustration....just remember...if you decide to replace it go MAC, you will never go back

Schmoop said...

Sorry about your computer plight, but it would be sweet to see pictures of you flogging something. Cheers!!

Unknown said...

Burning smell? You jest—I hope.

You’re will power is probably a more effective operating system than Windows.

“Tinkering,” according to my inexpert opinion and my computer genius of a son’s professional experience, is the way the experts we pay to repair our computers do it.

Good luck!

Travis Cody said...

I hope the burning smell wasn't dinner...or the pc!

Good luck with your computer!

BBC said...

My computer was about eight years old but was still working great, I spend a lot of time understanding them and keeping them tuned up.

Whenever you are going to make some changes like install or update a program you should go into system tools and make a restore point.

That way if things go to heck you can go back to the restore point and get back to where you where.

I bought a new computer a few months ago because I was worried about my old hard drives going out, with Windows XP on it, and I bought a book on XP.

It saves a lot of hassles to know the operating system as well as you can.

I had the computer shop (it was built in this town) put a copy of my old hard drive on my new computer, that is as neat as heck.

Instant transfer of all my writings and files.

Anyway, good luck with getting it running smoothly again.

BBC said...

I didn't know that you are married.

Julie said...

Ummm this doesn't sound good. I hope you get it figured out soon. Technology is wonderful as long as it doesn't upset you!

Sugar Smacks said...

("burning smell", hee hee)

Cathy

I agree with bond, Macs rule. Unless you have an 8-year-old one with an unsupported browser. Other than that, they are non-viral, intuitive little wonders.

val said...

Computers - the boon and the bane of our lives.

Anonymous said...

u o me 1 monitor

Unknown said...

The burning smell is your circuits frying with frustration.

cathy said...

bond, still trying to repair...I'm the queen of lost causes.


matt-man, behave yourself, you don't want a campaign scandal on your hands, Do you?

ssnick, I'll put computer tsch on my CV then.

travis, It could have been both, LOL.

BBC. Good advice but my family tend to install any crap they want wily nily and let me deal with the concequences. I have a few fix it books which have helped me fix it in the past.

Married? Oh yes! You haven't read my poetry, have you?

julie, It's an ongoing process.

sugar, Nice to see you, my Pc is about 7 years old which probably accounts for a lot of the problems.

val, I have worse banes, LOL.

mischief, I deny all knowledge of monitors.

pauline, That sounds about right.

BBC said...

Ah !!! No one else gets to use my computer. That is a sure way to a messed up computer.

puerileuwaite said...

That burning is my passion for you. Oh, and maybe it's a computer part too.

Jocelyn said...

I'd say your will is definitely a force to fear.

I can't believe you made the thing work!

piktor said...

I am doing the Paddington Stare on you...and it works!

This is my first visit to your blog and instantly you go to my "favorites" sidebar.

cathy said...

bbc, It's worth the hassle. My kids have learnt so much stuff whilst using thePC and they enjoyed doing it.

pug, Your passion smells like hot metal?

jocelyn, neither can I ,LOL.

pictor, When the stare doesn't work I resort to uninstalling software, Ouch!

BBC said...

So buy your kids their own computer. Computers are cheap.

Queenie said...

Have the pixies been yet?