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Saturday, October 21st, 2006 11:40 am
in which the universe is filled with suck
One of the bigger issues with being a liberal arts girl is that I have no actual decent training in how to fix my own computer. Left to my own devices, I actually *would*--witness the fact that my laptop is the first computer I've ever owned that I didn't disassemble at least once to see how it works, vacuum out, screw random things in, and then put back together. That's also my idea of fun on a weekend, but beside the point.
Yes, for those playing the home game, there are very few pieces of electronics I have not taken apart to gawk at and attempt to fix--witness my Adventures With Large TVs (DOES THIS SAY X-RAYS? IS THAT BAD?), Adventures With VCRs and Screwdrivers (AKA OOH LOOK AT THE THINGS INSIDE SPIN AROUND WHILE I STAB STAB STAB WITH A SCREWDRIVER!)(ALSO THIS ACTUALLY WORKS!), Adventures in Installling DVD-RW (OOH IT DOES NOT FIT! I SHALL MAKE IT FIT!) etc etc etc. It's an unfortunate circumstance of having a lot of interest, easy access to tools, and zero actual talent.
However, a laptop isn't a desktop, where I'm comfortable spreading a blanket and breaking it down into its component parts before putting it back together. Hence my power jack, which now requires new and interesting wiggling to make it power John the Laptop, must be fixed by someone not me.
Not that I did not spend six hours last night trying to get a short education in Soldering the Home Game and Epoxy: Friend or Foe? Or you know, find my freakish proprietary Dell jack on sale and fight the urge to buy it immediately and figure out how to nail it to a motherboard later. And if I figure it out before Monday--oh yeah. I'm so going to become Junior Amateur Engineer Girl.
You know, I can actually *feel* the horror of most of you right now. Please breathe.
The problem is, my warranty ran out a month ago, which is an issue, and two, Dell's solution, from what I can find on the boards, is to just make me buy a whole new motherboard. Which is approximately the cost of say, buying a whole new laptop (and yes, I was on Dell's site last night checking up on price). And that kind of makes me bitter? But then I look at John and remember how much I love him, and then breathe.
After hunting out what seems to be aluminum tape for fiberglass--or what I call, metal duct tape (everything is duct tape when it is sticky and holds things in miraculous ways)--I managed to tape the adapter into the back panel at a carefully determined angle that allows it to power up after wiping one of my batteries last night. It's very--something. I really dont' want to say what it looks like, but it makes me sad.
Anyway, googled up laptop repair in Austin, hunted down the first that looked reputable, started asking questions, and discovered that no, they couldn't fix it and referred me to another people, who seem okay and from pictures on the site, several are disturbingly attractive. I am now fighting the humiliating urge to take them my computer and then seduce one on top of the counter while murmuring sweet nothings about my speakers in their ear.
This cannot end well.
Anyway, assuming that I take it in Monday, I'll be out a laptop until either Friday or the next Monday (I actually can feel the withdrawl tremors starting just thinking about it). I'll still have access to Brian, my desktop, and I'm doing another full backup of John onto my external just in case, but there's a possibility I won't be online very much due to withdrawl, sulking, and hysterical crying. Or with my luck, Brian having a tantrum and breaking down to spite me.
Seriously, is it too late to go back adn get a degree in something involving computer repair? Engineering? This is far too stressful.
Notes before Monday:
1.) Back up entire hard drive.
2.) Move all music to ipod
3.) Consider selling self to anyoen willing to keep computer running.
4.) Cry a little and promise John anything he wants to never do this to me again.
Yes, for those playing the home game, there are very few pieces of electronics I have not taken apart to gawk at and attempt to fix--witness my Adventures With Large TVs (DOES THIS SAY X-RAYS? IS THAT BAD?), Adventures With VCRs and Screwdrivers (AKA OOH LOOK AT THE THINGS INSIDE SPIN AROUND WHILE I STAB STAB STAB WITH A SCREWDRIVER!)(ALSO THIS ACTUALLY WORKS!), Adventures in Installling DVD-RW (OOH IT DOES NOT FIT! I SHALL MAKE IT FIT!) etc etc etc. It's an unfortunate circumstance of having a lot of interest, easy access to tools, and zero actual talent.
However, a laptop isn't a desktop, where I'm comfortable spreading a blanket and breaking it down into its component parts before putting it back together. Hence my power jack, which now requires new and interesting wiggling to make it power John the Laptop, must be fixed by someone not me.
Not that I did not spend six hours last night trying to get a short education in Soldering the Home Game and Epoxy: Friend or Foe? Or you know, find my freakish proprietary Dell jack on sale and fight the urge to buy it immediately and figure out how to nail it to a motherboard later. And if I figure it out before Monday--oh yeah. I'm so going to become Junior Amateur Engineer Girl.
You know, I can actually *feel* the horror of most of you right now. Please breathe.
The problem is, my warranty ran out a month ago, which is an issue, and two, Dell's solution, from what I can find on the boards, is to just make me buy a whole new motherboard. Which is approximately the cost of say, buying a whole new laptop (and yes, I was on Dell's site last night checking up on price). And that kind of makes me bitter? But then I look at John and remember how much I love him, and then breathe.
After hunting out what seems to be aluminum tape for fiberglass--or what I call, metal duct tape (everything is duct tape when it is sticky and holds things in miraculous ways)--I managed to tape the adapter into the back panel at a carefully determined angle that allows it to power up after wiping one of my batteries last night. It's very--something. I really dont' want to say what it looks like, but it makes me sad.
Anyway, googled up laptop repair in Austin, hunted down the first that looked reputable, started asking questions, and discovered that no, they couldn't fix it and referred me to another people, who seem okay and from pictures on the site, several are disturbingly attractive. I am now fighting the humiliating urge to take them my computer and then seduce one on top of the counter while murmuring sweet nothings about my speakers in their ear.
This cannot end well.
Anyway, assuming that I take it in Monday, I'll be out a laptop until either Friday or the next Monday (I actually can feel the withdrawl tremors starting just thinking about it). I'll still have access to Brian, my desktop, and I'm doing another full backup of John onto my external just in case, but there's a possibility I won't be online very much due to withdrawl, sulking, and hysterical crying. Or with my luck, Brian having a tantrum and breaking down to spite me.
Seriously, is it too late to go back adn get a degree in something involving computer repair? Engineering? This is far too stressful.
Notes before Monday:
1.) Back up entire hard drive.
2.) Move all music to ipod
3.) Consider selling self to anyoen willing to keep computer running.
4.) Cry a little and promise John anything he wants to never do this to me again.
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