After battling some strange new computer virus earlier in the week that my AV software only detected after the 2nd update of the day, I thought I might be able to get by on my 5 year old laptop for just a little while longer.
This morning, as if to say "let me die in peace", my old rig once again failed to boot. It has been in the other room running diagnostics all morning.
Have I ever mentioned that I hate hardware and OS issues? Well, I do. I used to live to build my own systems and troubleshoot that stuff. My first job in high school was working at a place called "Computer Hospital".
Well, these days I just call up Dell. The Vostro 17" model I ordered today is about the 4th laptop I've bought from them, and would be laptop number 7 in my professional career. Interestingly, it was approximately 1/3 the cost of my last model, but with 3 times as much memory and twice the processor speed.
I cut some corners on a few things that I normally buy, such as an extra battery and travel bag, since I hardly fly anymore. I splurged a bit to get a WUXGA+ video display and dual-processor version. The last time I tried to edit video on my old machine, it was painfully slow and no doubt contributed to my receding hairline.
I also passed on getting yet another Microsoft Office license. I still have Office XP and that does just fine for me, thank you very much.
So, later today, I'll have to run up to my office and get my portable hard-drive enclosure so that I can access the contents of my hard drive in the mean time. That's assuming the data is still there - oh God, I hope it is.
I really hope Dell's May 4th delivery estimate is just trying to be really conservative.
Anyhow, given this development, I'm going to be a bit late in delivering some promised City Council candidate interviews here. If I can access my hard drive, hopefully I'll get them posted next week at some point.
If any of my loyal minions... er, I mean readers, wants to help support our mission with a donation or ad purchase, please let me know! |
