George Rebane
Dear Readers - I am in the middle of the usual frustrations of going through changing from my old computer system to the super-duper new one I just got. Over the years (since about 1981) I have upgraded my computer every two to three years because I was in the technology business - all of us had to do it, but that didn't mean we liked it. We moved to Nevada County in 2002 with new computers, and like clockwork bought new ones in 2005. But that changeover was a bit more difficult since I had to do it myself instead of having the IT department at my beck and call. The whole thing was managed with greater pain than ever - our system was now complex with lots of special purpose software and all computers (four) working on our home LAN.
That episode must have left deep and hidden scars because neither Jo Ann nor I even considered upgrading after two years. Things worked beautifully (given the vicissitudes of Windows and the Evil Empire) and we were not about to fix what wasn't broken. Well, the years passed and the boxes started to creak and groan as the software was updated with patch upon patch. Windows XP was still trying its best - we hadn't touched Vista with a ten footer - but it was getting tired.
After some unappreciated adventures with our aging system we looked at the calendar and exclaimed 'holy hard drive, these antiques are five years old!' Long story short, I bought a new HP Envy 15 stuffed to the gills. It is now out of the box and learning how to live on our LAN. Like a young colt, it is still bucking and kicking a little bit, and I really don't yet know how to ride System 7 too well. But I'll soon get the kinks worked out, and then it'll be Jo Ann's turn to go through her own sturm und drang with her new box.
Full confession - this time I didn't even try to do any of the fancy stuff required to transfer data and software and email accounts and ... . I just called a wonderful gentleman who has been helping out naifs like me for the last twenty years or so. His name is Ben Hannebrink ([email protected]) and he knows the care and feeding of Windows systems forwards and backwards. Plus he is of the old school and will do what he says he will do and comes when he said he would. Ben has made the crossing of this river about as easy as it can get.
Comments