Hello Computer

I've realised that my laptop is on the way out. It's a shame, but it has been on the way out for a while. I've been reluctant to admit that it might be a lost cause, but it's strange what you can get used to:

• The battery stopped working, so I had to keep the laptop plugged in.

• The hard drive failed and had to be replaced.

• One of the hinges is a bit broken and as a result the other hinge is working much harder.

• The buttons next to the trackpad stopped working, so I plugged in a mouse which broke, so I plugged in another mouse which broke, so I've plugged in a third mouse which doesn't work very well.

• It gets slower as it gets hotter until it overheats.

• The Alt and F12 keys lift off the keyboard to an angle of about 45 degrees.

I'm really fond of this computer, but I have had it since Christmas 2005. Is seven years a good lifespan for a laptop computer?

Goodbye Computer.

Who Ya Gonna Call?

My laptop has been fixed for a while now, (thanks again to Tom for his help), but almost as soon as it was working my mobile phone broke. I went out and got myself a new phone.


Now I'm wondering if these things come in threes...

I'm Sorry Dave, I'm Afraid I Can't Do That

The saga of problems I've been having with my laptop continues.


For years I happily typed away without issue and then one day it broke and then was fixed, after which the hard drive itself actually failed and needed to be replaced and it was fixed again. Thankfully I backed it up on an external hard drive, just not as often as I should have...

Externalised

I bought an external hard drive and have finally backed up the contents of my laptop.

Once again I am instructing you to do the same.

Now.

Abandon Shop...

...This is not a daffodill.

Why can't all computer malfunctions be that much fun?

My laptop broke. And then it was fixed.

And then it broke again:

IDE Disk S/N = SB0211SGGEKSSB
Error Code - 0F00: 075D
Msg: IDE device failed. The self test failed this porton of the test.

IDE Disk S/N = SB0211SGGEKSSB
Error Code - 0F00: 0244
Msg: Block 6430591: Uncorrectable data error or media is write protected.

IDE Disk S/N = SB0211SGGEKSSB
Error Code - 0F00: 1A44
Msg: Block 6430591: Uncorrectable data error or media is write protected.

IDE Disk S/N = SB0211SGGEKSSB
Error Code - 0F00: 1A44
Msg: Block 6430591: Uncorrectable data error or media is write protected.

IDE Disk S/N = SB0211SGGEKSSB
Error Code - 0F00: 1A44
Msg: Block 91855923: Uncorrectable data error or media is write protected.

So that was two error codes in two blocks. I searched online at the library and understood almost nothing of what I found. Apparently my hard drive had bad sectors. Thanks to Dean for his fantastic effort in fixing it again.

Corrupt, Absent Or Not Writable

A little while ago my computer was thought beyond repair. When you switched it on it would helpfully inform you that:

STOP: c0000218 (registry file failure) The registry cannot the load the hive (file):\systemroot\system32\config\software or its log or alternative. It is corrupt, absent or not writable. Beginning dump of physical memory. Physical memory dump complete. Contact your system administrator or technical support group for further assistance.

And then nothing. Some friends informed me what a corrupt registry meant and that I should probably resign myself to losing all the scripts I'd written and photographs I'd taken and learn a valuable lesson about not backing things up.

Go and back your stuff up now. Go on. I'll wait. You'll thank me later.

Nice to have you back. Not having decent access to a computer in this day and age is more frustrating than I expected. People sent me scripts I couldn't read, people wanted me to send them scripts that may no longer have existed and you can't watch Doctor Who on the iPlayer if you miss it. Astonishingly this blog has somehow managed to carry on regardless while I have been without a computer. Maybe it doesn't need me anymore. Maybe it will see me as an inconvenience and decide it is better off without me. Maybe it will try and kill its creator like Frankenstein's monster.


Then again maybe not. Maybe it will run out of pre-prepared blogs just before I manage to pick up my now-fixed laptop and force me to write some filler material in a crowded and noisy library because the computers here won't allow me to embed another Pulp video. When I was a kid the only sounds you'd hear in a library were the datestamp, the crackle of stickyback plastic on a book as it opened and a bit of shushing. This library is more like a forum for open debate with a large spoonful of gossip thrown in.

The good thing about this development is that I can take this opportunity to thank Kev, Abigail, Dave, Nathan, Z & Cage for their IT advice and Neil, Sarah & Tom who have actually fixed the laptop. Thank you very much, you really went above and beyond the call on that one.

P.S. I know you didn't really go and back up your stuff, but one day you'll wish you had.