Re: I Finally Found Myself a Christmas Present (Better Late Than Never)


<emily2@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:s9s6m495n8nobujm2nroigjtftjv8mn3k2@xxxxxxxxxx
On Tue, 6 Jan 2009 07:17:37 -0500, "Evelyn" <evelyn.ruut@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:


<emily2@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:sds5m4505mrtk55cmol6q2pdnemdi3fjvg@xxxxxxxxxx
On Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:37:20 -0800, Rita <Rita@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:50:11 -0500, emily2@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:


I have stayed miles away from my Registry, confident that if I ever
mucked around in it, I'd screw something up terminally. What bothers
me are all those damned files that mean nothing to me. For example,
there's a folder on my C drive called "Brownie". It contains thirteen
files, none of them anything I've created, the dates on the files
range from 1999 to 2004. I have no idea where this came from or what
the hell it is and, more importantly, what might cease to work if I
deleted it. And it's just one of many.

I downloaded and ran a Registry cleaner and it wiped out my ability
to access the Add and Remove Programs tab in the Control Panel. I
managed to identify it had deleted an important system file. Luckily
it occurred to me to use System Restore and I found a restore point
prior to the day I used that Registry Cleaner. It worked.

But I'll never run any registry cleaner again. Perhaps it is safe to
do so if you set a Restore point first....but seems it is still taking
a big chance of screwing something up?

I've used, or tried to use, Restore a couple of times and it's never
worked. I must be doing it wrong. ;-]

You know, I was thinking that we old folks who have learned to use
computers at least reasonably well are really to be commended
considering the challenges we are faced with figuring out Microsoft
operating systems.

I never began to understand how computers worked, but at a point about
two decades ago, I felt reasonably competent with programs. Whenever
I got a new one, I spent as much time as needed exploring every choice
on the menu bar. Then it seemed there was this big explosion of
knowledge that I didn't keep up with, and now when I get into anything
very technical, it might as well be written in Greek.

I have one dear friend who still communicates by the written word, and
longhand at that. I have been trying for years to drag her into the
modern world by telling her how user-friendly all these things are
now, and as I was getting acquainted with Vista on the laptop, I tried
to imagine what it would be like for her to be facing it. I don't
think she knows anyone nearby who could help her. But I can't imagine
life without a computer.


I can't either. I started using a computer back in 1980 doing payroll and
accounts recievable for an association of growers, who had a very
complicated payroll system. I used a huge old IBM system 34 for that. It
was as big as a large refrigerator. I thought it was an interesting
machine and very handy for accounting purposes, but for years I never
realized that it had any other value than that.

My first experience was with a word processor and that was enough to
make me want a computer as soon as possible. I bought my first one in
1985, an IBM 8088 which cost more than any computer I've had since. I
can still recall my absolute terror when I brought the computer home
and had to put it together all by myself. I was sure I'd do something
wrong and render the thing useless from the gitgo. But I didn't, of
course.

As a bookkeeper I felt I needed to have my own, and in the early '80's when
the PC's came out, I bought one. I remember when I had no idea what to do
with it, and would sit and play solitaire just so my husband wouldn't call
me an idiot for having it. Then on one job I really needed to learn how to
use it, and my boss paid a local computer shop to teach me how to use a
couple of programs. The other girl in the office wanted nothing to do with
it, but I was overjoyed at the opportunity.

I was doing medical transcription at the time and my goal was go on
what was called the "At Home Program", so by the time I got acquainted
with the computer and made that switch, I had no problem justifying
the purchase, if there'd been anyone I had to explain it to.


The first thing I learned how to do was use Nutshell, which was a data base
manager that ran on ms/dos, in which you could make programs that would do
just about anything you wanted in the form of lists, and spreadsheets, and
get customized reports based on your own plans. I used that program to do
so many applications for so many years!

The first home accounting program I used was Money Counts, at least I
think that was the name of it. It's been such a long time. Anyway, I
don't know much about accounting but it seemed to me there was some
problem in adding the assets and liabilities to get net worth, which
is what this program did. Come to think of, maybe the government is
using that program and that's how we got in this mess.

I had a data base program called Alpha followed by some number. The
last one I had was Alpha5. It was a neat program but I guess not many
people shared my opinion because it disappeared ages ago.

All that was pre-windows. At that time, I never even considered that the
computer had any other applications than for accounting. I was very
proficient with ms/dos, but Windows scared me silly. I finally learned how
to use that too, and the rest is history. It has become the absolute best
communication tool, and the worst time waster in the world!

For quite a while, I only used WordPerfect and Money Counts, and in
many ways I miss those good old days of DOS when installing a program
was as simple as making a directory and putting the program in it, and
getting rid of it was as simple as deleting that directory. But
Windows definitely opened up worlds of possibilities.

My daddy was an avid amateur photographer and spent lots of time in
his darkroom. I have thought so often about how much he would have
enjoyed digital photography and doing all the amazing things one can
do to photos on the computer.

I stay in touch with my kids, my extended family, exchange and manage
photos, music, email friends, and so much more. In fact we have three
computers in this house, and all of them are necessary. His, Hers, and the
Spare. The spare came in very handy a couple of months ago when the power
supply on my computer conked out. It was a maddening problem no one seemed
able to solve. Finally the second computer shop I brought it to, fixed it.
So the spare is an essential piece of equipment, because you just never
know...... That is how essential these gadgets have become in our lives!

We currently have five computers, one of which is actually just
waiting to go to the dump. My husband's desktop will be joining it
soon. It started making clicking and clacking noises a couple of
weeks ago which prompted him to get on with choosing a laptop to
replace it. The need for a functioning computer was one of the
reasons I recently bought my first laptop. I get almost hysterical if
my desktop stops working.

Recently, it got in one of its uncooperative moods and I thought
rebooting might solve the problem. Instead, it would show the Dell
logo screen and then nothing. I couldn't get to Setup or whatever you
get to with F12 (it's early, my mind isn't hitting on all cylinders
yet). Finally, I decided that I was going to have to reinstall
Windows but the computer refused to see the installation disk. My
husband came home about that time so I abandoned my agonies to eat
supper and watch TV. Later that evening, while watching TV, some
remote corner of my brain came to life and I remembered that I'd had
this problem a couple of times in the distant past. I have several
things, including a USB hub, connected to a separate power strip and
if I turned this off before starting the computer, it would boot up.
So I ran in here and tried it and sure enough, it worked. I haven't
the vaguest idea why this is a problem sometimes and not other times.
I'll just try to remember what the cure is.

Hi Emily,

Before you send those old junkers to the dump, ask around. Sometimes there are people who can fix them up for re-use, maybe to some poor person. Ask at your local computer shop. We have about 5 of them around here. This past year after trying two of them (back when I had that power supply problem) I finally drove 45 miles to where I used to live and let the techs there take over. Testing and diagnosing, new power supply, labor, the works, was only just under $200 and the thing is as good as new ever since. As has already been mentioned, quite often computers get clogged and just need a fresh start with all the programs reinstalled. This by the way, is something I do not do. My stepson or the computer shop will get the job. I defragment it often, and if that doesn't fix it, I know it is beyond me.
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Best Regards,
Evelyn

Rest in a sky-like mind.
Sit like a mountain floating on the earth.
Breathe like the wind circling the world

.