Reluctant Geek

For ten years I taught computer skills in a lab with 33 PC's. This year because of budget cuts, the former vice principal dropped the class. What I do not miss about the class is trying to solve the multitude of hardware and software problems that arose. So about a week ago, the PC in our back room went on the fritz. Joey and Donna do their business on it. Donna checks email. Joey writes music, looks at Youtube video and does other things that I know not of. About a month ago when some spyware attacked us, he was desperately trying to fix it. He started saying, "Dad, can I trash this dll file?" "Please don't trash any dll files" was my reply. So the reason for the crash, I suspect was the loss of some critical Microsoft file.

My first several hour fore I could not even get the computer booted. I narrowed down problems in the keyboard. By that time I had decided to reinstall MS Office XP- a version I had bought in 2002. I changed the keyboard and rebooted. Finally my arrows worked but I still could not enter Windows in safe mode. I decided that a radical step was necessary. I would reinstall the operating system. I thought that I could do it without destroying all the data, but alas, I had to erase everything. When I got back in Windows and Windows only, there was no Internet.

I decided that I should either buy the new operating system- Windows 7 or install Unix and bypass the problem all together. I paid $110 at Costco for the new Windows and also picked up a copy of the Ubuntu magazine which has a recent version of Unix free with the purchase. I checked with Joey about installing just Unix. No, he has some sound program that he has been working for three years to learn and would like to have Windows back.

I divided the hard drive into two partitions, one Unix and one Windows XP. (I am taking Windows 7 back to Costco for a refund. Unix works like a charm- fast, stable and friendly. But I still cannot get Internet service on the Windows side. I spend about 3 hours the night before last download "Sevice Packs" from Microsoft, loading them on my computer, burning disks, and trying to load and test the software on the PC. It is necessary to first load service pack 2, then 3, then 4- I skipped to 6 and then 7. Still no Internet.

I asked Lanette- our professional on campus geek- today. She thinks that I must download some driver software that matches the Ethernet card that is installed in the computer. I will try this tonight. Is anyone really interested in any of this.

The only upshot is that the Microsoft company has always made shitty software. The time invested to fix problems is too great for the dysfunctional nature of the software. As much as I love computers, I hate the time-sucking frustration of trying to fix them.