Dell Laptop on the RocksMy big bruising Dell Laptop, Old Faithful, is beginning to falter. After more than two years on the road, she is experiencing her first problems. I think that she is in desperate need of some tech support medicine, though there is not a computer hospital for over a day of travel [...]
My big bruising Dell Laptop, Old Faithful, is beginning to falter. After more than two years on the road, she is experiencing her first problems. I think that she is in desperate need of some tech support medicine, though there is not a computer hospital for over a day of travel in any direction.
Well, so the story goes, I was uninstalling some useless programs off of Old Faithful’s hard drive on a fateful day a couple of months ago when I got to a program for Word Perfect Office that said that I have not used it for a year. Now I use the Word Perfect word processing program everyday, so I figured that this Word Perfect Office was some trial version “buy me” crap that came with the computer. So I began the uninstallation procedure only to realize that I was axing my word processing program. With a start I halted the proceedings, but some kind of odd damage was done. My Word Perfect word processing program was saved, but something really stranged happened none the less.
Now every time I start up my computer, Old Faithful thinks she is installing Word Perfect Office and asks for a CD to begin some crazed manner of installation procedure. I try to cancel it but the instalation screens just keep popping up again. And again. And again. I found that if I control-alt-delete it I can get it to go a way for a while. But a couple hours later the installation procedures begin again. This has been going on for the past two months, and I am beginning to suspect that other programs are on the verge of breaking down because of it.
Everything is slowly getting worse as the days go on. I am fearful that one day, I am going try to rev Old Faithful up to find her cold and dead.
This will be a sad day.
I do not really know what the problem is. I suppose I could just uninstall the entire Word Perfect package, which is mostly junk anyway, and be done with it. But this could potentially leave me without a word processing program, which I need. I also do not have access to a fast enough internet connection to install a new word program.
So I am stuck in limbo. Do I delete it all, or continue letting it eat away at Old Faithful’s innards?
It is looking like I may be doing another 10 days in the USA in May. Perhaps I will have to finally put Old Faithful to rest.
A brooding sadness.
Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
Copan Ruinas, Honduras
March 11, 2008
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