The Innate Hostility Of Inanimate Objects

In January Fester bought us a new desktop pc as the one we were using was getting on for six years old and gone very slow.  He also bought me a data storage thingy to download and archive everything I treasured on the computer.   

 

A few weeks ago the old computer started having difficulty starting up.   

The fan would come on but not the little blue light or whir-clunk that indicated the computer was awake.  I had to pull the plug, reinsert it and press the on/off switch two or three times before it would play.

 

At the start of this month I began archiving starting with the oldest stuff and, once I’d downloaded a lot of photographs the computer speeded up considerably.  But the on/off switch wasn’t getting any better and yesterday morning finally gave up the ghost: fortunately after I’d blogged.

I dug out the new computer and set it all up and it’s working very nicely, so far.

The problem is, I was still using Outlook Express for my emails so all my Sent emails are gone.   That includes the emails I used to alert people to this blog, together with the addresses.   Every morning I copied and pasted the addresses for the day before into the BCC box.   So today I’m trying to remember who was on the list.   I fear some will be disappointed and others surprised (“Why has she sent me this?”)

Changing computers of course involved shifting a lot of stuff that has piled up in the office.  It’s been due a sort out for a long long time, and I must confess most of the detritus is mine.   But I had other things to do yesterday, like dress a tree, wrap stuff and ironing.

It would appear computers, like washing machines, know the most inappropriate and inconvenient times to die.  I had a Skoda with a similar mentality; if it was going to go wrong it was almost always two days before we were due to drive down to Wales on holiday.  Its gearbox actually went on holiday once.  Although it was kind enough to do it where there was mobile phone coverage.  A hundred yards further on and we’d have been really stymied.

In the New Year I shall take the old computer to the lovely lads at Monkseaton Computers (whom God and all his angels and saints preserve because we couldn’t cope without them) and I’m sure they’ll be able to retrieve all the photos and videos that are the true treasures.  They hold out little hope for the address book though.

My Christmas Round Robin letter wasn’t archived so only people who were sent it in their cards will be able to read it.  Those who usually get it via email or Facebook are just going to have to wait until the New Year.

So, if you usually get an email from me alerting you to my blog and haven’t had one today, please email me so I have an up to date address for you. 

And if you’ve had one and usually don’t, sorry for bothering you.