Computer Woes

Before heading to Chicago and the several activities there, my 2001 Dell decided it would not restart. This was after I took our 2005 Dell to the Computer Medic. That machine hadn't worked for several years, the operating system having been damaged by malware and the on-off button deciding not to work. I knew this older Dell was heading toward failure, and I suspected a memory card (chip, simm, whatever it's called) was failing or had already failed.

So, with the 2005 Dell at the shop waiting for evaluation, I took the 2001 Dell in to keep it company. Meanwhile Lynda went to OKC with the 2004 Dell laptop, and I moved to the other side of the perpendicular table in The Dungeon, and used the 2009 Dell that is supposed to be Lynda's computer, and kept on going. Almost all my writing was backed up through the Internet. I think on the 2001 Dell I have a slightly newer version of Father Daughter Day than the backed-up one, and a somewhat older version of the Harmony of the gospels. Well, any ideas would not be backed up, nor are my financial records. Those could be recreated, or rather restarted, without too much trouble.

So today I talked to the computer shop. They said the 2001 hard drive has failed, but not so badly that they can't recover. They have a replacement drive, and are cloning the old one. With luck I should have it back tomorrow evening. The 2005 Dell is done for. Its hard drive has also failed. Since we have already backed up all data on it to a CD, there's no point in fixing it.

When we were in Chicago and our son, Charles, was helping me with my writers web site, I found the new platform so difficult to use that I told him that I was a technophobe. He said, "You're not a technophobe; you don't fear technology. Maybe a Luddite." I'm not sure, though. I think I am a technophobe. If I were to start a magazine, it would be named Technophobia, and be for all those who fear punching the keys.

My problem is not really fear so much, it's rather not wanting to do something unless I understand what I'm doing it. This whole html thing troubles me. It's a programming language that I don't understand, and those guides I find to it are not really that much help. I'm learning it a little, but mostly I'm cutting and pasting what seems to be working, trusting I won't screw something up in the cutting and pasting.

Today I took a big new step on my website: I created three subpages and wrote a little text for them. Compared to where I was two weeks ago, that's a huge step. I also did my first posts today to my own Facebook author fan page. So this is a little progress.

I still have much to do with this computer stuff, however. I'll get there, I'll get there. Partly kicking and screaming. Partly rejoicing, for I love to make things work.