I think it just happened again! I was writing chapter 2 of Kronos when my keyboard stopped working. I tried typing in other places besides word, but it wasn’t doing anything. I went to turn off my computer and then the mouse froze. I tried doing a hard reset (holding the power button) and it didn’t do anything either. After a few minutes my laptop turned off, but the power button is staying lit and won’t do anything when I press it.
I really hope it comes back, but I’m skeptical. If it really is dead then this will put my writing on hold until I can get another one. If I had to give a rough eta it could take a month to replace it. I’m a truck driver so I’m rarely home to receive my packages and the laptop I’m planning to get is on a 3-week backorder.
At least I published part of my research like 10mins earlier :|
Edit: I ordered a new computer that should arrive May 10, hopefully I can get it and get back to my stories soon after.
Comments
Frozen laptop
We get so dependent on our tech that we sometimes forget that computers are a mix of mechanical, electronics, and software. A lot of things which can go wrong, and, eventually, probably will.
Good point...
It’s true, it was about 6 years old and served me well while it lasted. Fortunately, I found a cheaper computer that met my minimum standards for $1,100 with tax. Since I game on my laptop it’ll even be a decent upgrade.
My new computer should come in May 10, so whenever I can swing by to pick it up I’ll be writing again. May even try to do it on my phone since I’m bored while my truck is in the shop... it has not been a good 2-weeks.
By the way, I’m so planning to incorporate Murphy’s Law into one of my stories after reading your comment. Thanks for the idea.
Murphy's Law, second amendment .
Remember, the second amendment to Murphy's law states: After everything that can go wrong, does go wrong, a few things that can't go wrong will anyway.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin eine Mann
We need some additional categories
Somehow, Like, Love, or Thank don't work for posts like this. We need more real responses like:
No S**t
Man, That's F**ked Up
I see ya bro
And the one most comments are basically saying:
Been There, Done That, Got the T Shirt
Commentator
Visit my Caption Blog: Dawn's Girly Site
Visit my Amazon Page: D R Jehs
You Forgot
Been there, Done that, Burnt the t shirt
Liz
And of course...
There’s WTF and FTW
LOL
That’s too true. It’s like the old days of Facebook, “someone robbed my house the other day.”
Do I like that, dislike it, or ignore it? I want them to know I feel for them, but I don’t want to say I like they got robbed, and I’m not downvoting them for sharing how they just got screwed.
Thanks for the comment!
That sucks
I've had my share of computer issues interfering with writing. At least you were able to publish some stuff first. Hopefully you'll have your new laptop and be writing again soon. Maybe take this as a time to let your ideas flesh themselves out in the back of your mind and catch up on some reading. Best of luck.
*big hugs*
Amethyst
Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3
Thanks for understanding.
First, thanks for comment, it always makes my day when I see you kitten around.
Fortunately I still have my phone and have really been into the story. I believe I’ve come up with some good material, and will share it once I slay chapter 4 :D
We have three PCs in the
We have three PCs in the house. 2 desktops and 1 laptop. In the past month, we've rebuilt one desktop and replaced the laptop. It never a fun or cheap thing to do. But we rely on these things so much that you have to do it when it needs done.
And we lose most of our data
I lose email contacts and URL resources when my computers decide to give up the ghost. It's been a really long time since I stopped losing personal data. If I can't run a clone drive on the desk top I use CDs and then went to DVDs and now everything is stored on a USB. On the laptop DVD and USB are the only options. I have a store room with eight desktop computers which have died over the years. By the time I think I might rebuild or salvage parts, all of those parts are obsolete. A quad core computer certainly runs circles around a dual core and only two of those computers have USB ports. They certainly couldn't boot from one. The BIOS can't be reprogrammed either. One of those computers has an internal battery the size of a quarter. Dead battery, dead computer and lost CMOS.
Computers can be found relative inexpensively but not when one is desperate. My HP laptop was a Walmart discontinued. I picked it up for a third of it's original price. Which is absolutely meaningless since you get on the net and search when one doesn't have a computer.
A word of warning. If one is going to pop the case and play around inside, back up first. Remember Murphy will be wanting to help.
hugs
Barb
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
An impressive collection...
...of your older pc’s. Data loss is the real kicker. That’s why I still haven’t published another chapter of Synergy, 10 pages of research just went ‘poof’. Although I have not learned my lesson, I still suck at backing things up. Glad to hear you keep your files secure, it can save a lot of headaches.
Have you thought about switching to an online email service like gmail or outlook? I believe your contacts would be secure in the cloud.
If you have a hotmail
If you have a hotmail/microsoft account, you can set up OneDrive - they give you at least a gig free, I believe. Same with Google. Just set it to back up your desktop and documents.
If you want to be really paranoid, use a publicly available encryption tool on your files, that way what they get isn't readable by anyone without that tool and your password. There was a (now deceased) author here that apparently not only encrypted her files, but she used steganography. Yeesh.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Information for various
Information for various people(s).
For a desktop.
Pull the power cord out of the back. Press and hold the power button for 30 seconds. This discharges the motherboard by shorting it out. (Don't worry - it's designed for it)
Put the power cord back in, wait 10 seconds, then try the power button. If no activity, not even the power supply fan, you may have a bad power supply. Dell and HP tend to have a 'good/bad' power LED on them. If it's out when plugged in, it's bad. For others, you have to have a tester, or at least get a known good power supply to test.
---
For a laptop. Two types of laptop/tablets. One with removable batteries, one without.
With removable batteries - Pull the main battery out of the unit and unplug. Press and hold power button for 30 seconds. Insert power cable WITHOUT battery. Try booting. If that works, unplug, insert the battery, plug back in, and try powering up. (yes, bad batteries can sometimes hold the system down)
_without_ removable batteries.
Option 1 - normal person. Unplug, flip unit over, find reset button. Press and hold for 30 seconds. Plug back in, try to power up.
Option 2 - person with a 00 Phillips screwdriver and a bit of willingness to live dangerously. Watch a couple of videos on disassembly of the unit, or at least the instructions from the manufacturer's maintenance guide. Pop the cover off, unplug the battery cable. Press power button for 30 seconds. Plug in power cord, try to power _without_ battery. If that works, shut down, plug battery back in, then plug in power cable and try again.
Part of this is to determine if the battery pack itself may have failed a bit catastrophically.
BW
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.