Kelly Gibbons, artist and writer, about me

Wednesday, May 12, 2004

I would definitely go to a meetings for compulsive computer users who think they know what they are doing and actually have no clue. I'm sure I would also need to go to a self esteem building meeting after this one, because chances are it would be called something like "Computer Idiots Unite," and the first line everyone would use would be, "I'm such an idiot." I know that's what I'd say.

This is in regards to installing things and trying to update. I have stopped myself at actually taking the computer apart and trying to upgrade. That's one blessing, because I do enough damage with software, can you imagine what I could do with a screwdriver and a hard drive. That is one scary thought.

I had the brilliant idea--wait, I just went along for the ride now that I think of it--of upgrade our windows operating system. Now that I really think about it, I had no intention of doing anything to the computer. Someone suggested we upgrade, bought the product, and went fishing. I'll give you a hint his initials are R-A-Y. He left me to do the easy install. How hard could it be?

72 hours later and 2 customer service calls to India-BTW it is 115 degrees there and you can fry and egg on the top of a car-I found out it is impossible (at least on my computer). The best part of these two extremely long calls was ho they ended. After about 4 hours on the phone, and being told I am the "Chosen one," because the problems I was having "just don't happen to anyone else," when I was just about to be instructed on how to do that one last thing that should solve the problem, my cordless phone when dead and I got a black screen. So, I did what any other "chosen one" would do. I cried. I uninstalled. I gave up. I decided that what I have now is good enough. Then I went onto the website for my computer and found out that it was never meant to happen.

I should have gone there first because they had a nice article intending to help. In their words, "The purpose of this document is to help minimize frustration and surprises if the decision is made to upgrade to Windows XP. Anyone considering this upgrade should do so carefully. Many HP Pavilion Desktop PCs may meet the minimum requirements recommended by Microsoft for upgrade to Windows XP, however, upgrading is not recommended for all HP Pavilion Desktop PCs, especially where the base platform has not been tested and qualified by HP for use with Windows XP."

I have an older computer--anything over a year old is generally old in computer terms--and as long as I leave it alone it works just fine, so that is exactly what I plan on doing from now on. It does what it needs to do at the moment and I ain't gonna push its buttons anymore.

posted by Kelly @ 5/12/2004 06:04:00 AM

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