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As I said yesterday, I might not be very social for a little while. My recently turned 1-year-old laptop seems to be dead. Today will be spent trying to get the files out of the hard drive and planning on what to do next. Not sure if I should say fuck off to Dell or Microsoft on this one. The situation went like this:
Windows updated itself yesterday morning. No problems from I could see and I had taken a break from the laptop before. I did a writing marathon and finished Book 8 around 11 PM. Thoughts of resting today were already swimming in my head and I plugged in the thumb drive to back everything up. I swear I did that at another point this week, but either I didn’t or it didn’t take. Either way, the laptop froze a few seconds later. I restarted and it couldn’t even get to a log in. Thing barely gets into BIOS.
From searching on-line, this doesn’t seem to be a rare occurrence. Windows updates a Dell and trips over itself to cause a system corruption. This time it appears to have make my laptop incompatible with my thumb drive and didn’t even give me the option to format the thing. Not a warning whatsoever. Just plug in and CRASH! ALL OF THIS WEEK’S WORK IS GONE! Oh goodie! Windows is trying to update the desktop now.
I can hear a few people saying that at least I have the laptop. Here’s the issue with this pain in my ass:
- It runs on Vista. I turned it on 20 minutes ago and the damn thing still sounds like it’s running starter systems. It will not shut up and I have no idea what programs have it slowing down.
- All of the social media sites automatically open to my wife’s accounts.
- For some reason, the Internet browser always opens a new tab instead of opening a link in the same tab.
- Pandora always has a problem on this thing.
- It’s in the basement. This means I can’t write when the toddler comes home because he can’t play down here. It also means I can’t write in front of the TV while sitting in bed at night. So I actually have less time to work on things right now. Blog posts are going to be tougher too because I have physically escape people and pray they don’t have to be in the basement too.
- There are camel crickets in the basement.
- The desk kind of puts the monitor about two feet away from me. I feel like I’m doing this long distance, but that will probably pass.
- I really hate Vista!
If I can retrieve the files from the hard drive then I’ll be better about this. Then I only have to get my laptop to be rolled back and fixed. File recovery appears to be an expensive thing.
I will try to do my best with the iPhone for comment responses. Though I think I’ll be in a really bad mood today. Also, I’ll be gone tomorrow for defensive driving and . . . I swear to god I closed that program. Why is it back asking for an update? You know, fuck technology that has become more fragile and undependable as the years go on. 2 chapters gone! I busted my ass all day yesterday after carefully crafting the ending to Book 8. Now, I’ll have to rewrite the chapters wondering if they’re better or worse. Nobody dare mention anything along the lines of ‘fate’ on this one. This is bullshit and this damn machine is still making boot up noises!
Yeah. I’ll definitely be a rarity until I recover the files, rewrite the chapters, or get to punch the guy who made this update.
Legends of Windemere 
So sorry, Charles… had a similar thing happen a while back and was just luckt to have printed copy to type up again… pain the backside.
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I’ll be on the phone with Dell all week. Seems I have a little time left on the warranty.
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Poor Dell 3:)
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I wish I had a brilliant solution. I can only hope you are able to move forward
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Calling tech support today, but the thing can’t even boot up. Moving forward might involve a lot of cursing and screaming.
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Picture the 18th century writer who wrote by hand, kicked red wine all over his manuscript and dropped it in a fire, so had to start again. Slow technology may be a pain, but it’s way better to have the options. 😀
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All I heard was throw a Windows programmer into a fire. 😀
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I had the same Dell/Windows problem after an update. Makes one want to find Michael and Bill and put on the gloves. (or maybe brass knuckles)
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I’ll get the chainsaw. I’m wondering how thoroughly they check these updates. Also what was updated because nothing ever really changes.
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Just gets slower in my experience
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Same here. I just pray I get good news today.
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That really sucks 😦 Sorry to hear about your computer problems! I would personally blame Dell, if I were you — I had a Dell laptop a few years ago and it was beyond awful. Best of luck recovering your files!!!
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Dell has always been good to me and they’re replacing the part. They can’t do anything about file recovery though. Though my mood has soured even more because I just realized what else was on there:
Toddler videos!
I moved them from my phone and never remembered to get a thumb drive big enough to hold them.
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No! But I’m pretty sure file recovery is successful in the vast majority of cases — and if your computer still runs, even to a blue screen of death, I think that means file recovery is possible.
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I had one Dell laptop. It didn’t make it three weeks. Lost two chapters of a book (that I never did rewrite) just as I was about to back it up. I have a t.v. from Dell though that has worked great for years (knock on wood). Good luck getting the files off the hard drive (I have been able to do that before on pc’s). If only computers could last more than a year…
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This is the first time I’ve had this big a problem with a Dell. My last laptop was one and made it about 7 years before needing to be retired. Just bad luck I guess.
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Now I am really scared. I have a Dell PC. I wish you the best on getting this sorted out. Once upon a time, Dell came to your house and fixed anything.
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They’re coming next week when the part comes in.
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I guess my comment in your previous post was a bit premature, it appears that your problem is more serious. I wish you the best with this.
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Thanks. I’ll be posting an update tonight when I get to a computer.
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Ugh…I think I would have had a hard time not screaming and throwing things! I hope things have improved since this post. Sorry you are having such a hard time with the computer…so very frustrating!
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Just made an update. Not really an improvement.
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Well, that stinks! Were you able to save your chapter?
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Nothing got saved. Hard drive died as I was highlighting what to back up.
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Oh boy that stinks!!!
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