I said before that I was having head-banging-against-the-wall computer problems. Those were fixed!
However, TODAY, I'm having more of them. I installed a new driver for a printer, and began having problems galore. I had missing files (which never were found, as far as I know), the internet was screwed up on all the browsers I tried, and since I couldn't get on my computer, I couldn't search the internet to find the answers.
That's really a misnomer. I can open the browser, and my cursor actually shows up. BUT, once I try to type something in the search box, it won't allow it. Then the screen fades--not totally away--and I have to ctrl alt del to close the window. I tried restarting the computer. I took the battery out. I restarted again. Same problem.
I actually restored the system (twice) to an earlier point. Same problem. Then it came up with a window that told me a file wasn't found, and the research we did on my husband's computer seemed to indicate the computer was acting as though I had a black market copy of files I was trying to download. Ha! I have a nice little product key for everything.
Right now, it is working, and I've got my fingers crossed. Since the computer seemed to indicate that I had a missing file, I thought I would go ahead and restart the driver download, and it did okay...to a point. Then it told me that my contact manager server was running and to shut it down before the computer would continue to download the software. Huh?
I managed to complete all the steps, but at the end of it all, never could reach the point on my computer that the window told me to get to.
I don't even know if this post will come through. If you don't hear from me in a couple of days, it is because nothing is working, and that I somehow squeaked this post out.
Now the reason I post this is not to merely complain, but to show that in the process of working on our books, our marketing and promotion, and the other things we're involved in, stuff happens, and we get sidetracked until we can figure out the solution. Obviously, computer problems are the worst because they are so universally tied in with our writing.
Monday after 3:00, I guess, I will head back to Best Buy (where I got this gem of a computer) and see if they can't help me figure things out...hopefully, without too much of a pinch to my pocketbook.
I hope your Sunday was better than mine!
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7 comments:
Don't you love computers? Like men, can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em!
Good luck!
Hi,
Computers. Can't live with them or without them. My printer quit on me last week during one of my research sessions. I have to totally re-install the darn thing! Guess what I'm doing today? I tried re-installing it yesterday without putting the disk in. My sister said it worked for her but it didn't work for me! Still what would a writer do without these machines?
Deb :-)
Good luck with the computer!
Make sure you save your work in progress before you bring it in. Also, did you try going into safe mode when you start up the computer, then taking out the printer driver which seems to be causing the problem? I can't remember which key to tap when starting up to get to safe mode, but if you Google safe mode from your husband's computer, it should tell you.
Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
I still don't trust those geeks at best buy. But then again, I'm a computer tech and do tech support. A few others on this list know of me I think.
You'll hate my prices though. I don't charge. Contact me on IM if you ever want help. I do what I can.
I have had similar problems but not with my computer. I've not upgraded so I'm happy with my Windows XP (I keep telling Katie its the new Vista program - because that's why all the commercials are out there - trying to prove that Vista is really on the up and up and it isn't). I had printer problems a couple of months ago and so I had to break down and invest in a new printer. I went to Staples to get a new computer - I wanted one of the new Kodak printers since it's supposed to last longer inkwise and be cheaper in the long run. So they had the printer on sale, I purchased it but had to have it sent to me for the SC Book Festival since I would be out of town when it came in and I needed the printer for some things over the weekend. I got the printer, set it up and it was working okay. Three weeks later, it seems I ran out of the starter ink cartridge (color as I had alreeady changed the black). I had bought a pack of photo paper with a color cartridge in it at Wal-Mart - so I put the cartridge in and it's not printing the colors correctly. I go back to staples and buy a brand new cartridge and get home and install it and still not printing the colors correctly. I clean the printhead, do all the maintenance things and watch the ink disappear on the little screen. I put a new black cartridge in Tuesday morning and try printing again - nothing - the red is pink, the blues won't print and the browns or other mixed colors were like yellow and orange. So I get online to tech services - they tell me to clean the printhead - I did and all my color disappeared on the monitor. They said I had a bad printhead - so they would replace it and I told them they needed to replace my inks too since I just put those cartridges in there and the ink had disappeared from cleaning the printhead; they told me they would send me photo paper - I told them no way - I couldn't afford to go buy new ink every two days. So they finally agreed to send me new ink.
I received the new printhead two days later but no ink. And the bad thing about all new printers now is that if you are out of either ink, the stupid thing won't print at all. Seriously - if you run out black and think you can pull from the color, it won't. It will tell you that your black ink is empty and that you need to replace the cartridge. So needless to say, I've had to trek to the library and print off some things that were needed for work. I can't live like this. So hoping my ink will be here today. If I continue to have problems with the inks and all - the printer will go back to staples and they will have to find me something comprable to this with inexpensive inks that last a while too - I have too much printing to do to go through ink every week (and I shouldn't be getting ink every few days anyway).
But no I don't have the same type of computer problems you do, Katie. Hope you get them fixed soon. - E :)
Ah, the inevitable computer crisis!
I married a Genius Nerd computer, and yet still my computer has issues. He recently uncovered a mound of issues and so my computer is working again, thank goodness!
His business email is help[at]smalltimegeek[dot]com, if you want to contact him about doing tech support. He is better (and less expensive) than Best Buy, and he can do phone tech support.
Thanks for stopping by my blog!
...and just why is it that our computers always seem to pick the most inopportune time to scream for our undivided attention? You know: the moment that divine inspiration strikes and the Muse is with us and we HAVE to get that crucial scene right, or the online writing class we have been looking forward to is about to begin...or the edits that have to be done and returned to the publisher for a rapidly approaching deadline?! Eeek! Sigh and take a deep breath. Computers. Life. Manually scribble down a quick note or two before the inspiration fades and the perfect scene vanishes and move forward.
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