Her Bad Mother

Saturday, August 11, 2007

When Your Laptop Dies, Nobody Hears You Scream

Because you can't get online to scream (that is, you can't get online comfortably, from your usual happy perch on the sofa or at the dining table, because you have to sit in the hot room with the uncomfortable chair and use the stupid desktop).

Because you've lost all of your document files of haikus on the theme of screaming.

Because you've lost all of your image files, and in any case can't get into your Photoshop to make new ones that rip off Edvard Munch.

Because you're alone with the child for the weekend and can't risk disturbing her sleep with your manic screaming.

Because you're alone with the child for the weekend and can't get to a computer shop to see if they can perfrom emergency laptop CPR.

Because even if you could access your files and get online (at least with something more efficient than the cloddish desktop in the den, which has an old version of Windows and none of your preshus files) you don't know how you would express your scream, because if you could get to those things you wouldn't have this guttural howl burbling at the bottom of your throat.

Because you feel really stupid, actually, for not backing all of that shit up, and screaming feels like it would be more stupid piled on stupid.



This image would be much, much better with some Photoshop interefence. Like, say, a blond bob and some graffiti text proclaiming Bill Gates' future in hell.


Stupid, stupid, stupid.

46 Comments:

Blogger Bea said...

Yikes! First me, then Blog Antagonist, now you!

In my case, it was hard drive failure, so the preshus files are gone, gone, gone. And I still find myself lying awake nights remembering particular files that didn't make it into my most recent back-up in March.

Is there hope of retrieval?

8:16 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

Oh no! Hope it can be recovered!

Maybe I should go buy some sort of backup device for my computer today? You have now scared me into fearing a massive crash.

8:16 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Western Digital Passport drive, bought mine after my work laptop hard drive failed in the midst of a massive deadline. I now try to backup at least once a week. Best thing you can do is NOT try to boot it up. Sometimes the data can be recovered if you leave it be and get it to some professionals.

8:22 AM  
Blogger Gabriella said...

Ohhh I was in this place two years ago, lost all my pictures from my honeymoon but the guys at Future Shop were able to save my music I had stored. As soon as you can take it to a computer place, you never know.
And I still don't back up my files now, I like to live on the edge ;)

8:53 AM  
Blogger Candygirlflies said...

You know what?! There are professional computer wizards that will come to your house!! On weekends!! Take heart!! I had the very same thing happen to me about a year ago, and I thought I'd lost EVERYTHING, from pictures to music files to emails... Suicidal doesn't even begin to describe how I felt.

But, I found the most wonderful tech service in the yellow pages, and they sent someone on a SUNDAY MORNING (only $35 for the visit, too!), and he was able to save everything but the emails.

There IS a God, but his name is NOT Bill Gates, that's for sure!!

8:56 AM  
Blogger Fairly Odd Mother said...

SCARY!

We had our hard drive rebuilt a few months ago and I was horrified to learn that the backup we did did not work, so I lost about 6 months worth of files and updates. The hard drive now has to be rebuilt, so I am in limbo-land, using a laptop with none of my files on it.

Hang in there.

8:57 AM  
Blogger b*babbler said...

The horror! The horror!

I hope that the computer whizzes (and the binary gods) will be benevolent and return your data and computer safely to you.

9:29 AM  
Blogger tracey.becker1@gmail.com said...

Oh NO!!! I wish I had some words of advice, but sadly, I am computer illiterate. If mine dies, I am screwed.

Good luck. Hope you can salvage it!

9:30 AM  
Blogger Jennifer said...

Oh, dear. I had a scare last weekend, luckily my disaster was averted. I hope your laptop can be revived.

Oh, dear.

9:34 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ack! Oh noes! My laptop is clearly on its last legs. The fan sounds louder than a room full of old, broken down fridges. Am backing up photos RIGHT NOW. I just hope the CD burner isn't kaput either. Home some nerd is able to resurrect it for you.

9:35 AM  
Blogger Blog Antagonist said...

B&P is right. I got the blue screen of death the other day. Mine was due to a nasty virus. Thankfully, my husband is a computer genius, and managed to save all my word documents. It took some time, but he restored everything. He was handsomely rewarded. (read my post for the gory details, or just use your imagination).

I hope you get it fixed soon, without too much loss. Being without your laptop is sort of like being without elbows. You don't realize exactly how much you use them until they're fubar and you can't pick your nose or scratch your ass.

9:51 AM  
Blogger Jenifer said...

Pack a bag of candy and get thee to the shop! Seriously that sucks large. Now is the time to make the switch to an iBook, I am telling you these kinds of problems are pretty rare here in Mac land.

Yes I am hopelessly brainwashed by Hubby, but still this may be a case where he is right.

Good Luck!

9:58 AM  
Blogger Liz said...

There's a laptop epidemic going on, I tell you.
Mine is just back from the brink. And not a moment too soon, either.
Hope all is on the up and up--STAT!

10:09 AM  
Blogger S said...

Yes, I agree with liz. This is happening to LOTS of people lately.

Jack tripped into my laptop when he was two (and a mighty hefty two, let me tell you) and killed it. No one could ever recover anything from it.

AND all my course lectures for about 8 psychology courses were on it. No problem, I thought. I've got backups in the basement. I went to find the backups (on floppy, yes I am that old) and they were all unreadable. Every. single. one.

Guess I won't be teaching any Psych. courses again.

10:52 AM  
Blogger Lady M said...

Oh no! Fingers crossed for you.

My wireless card is dead and it's a little sad how much it feels like I'm missing a limb without all technology at my disposal . . .

11:30 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh dear.

You are not helping convince me to make the leap to wireless technology Catherine.

In fact, you are scaring me a little.

12:38 PM  
Blogger flutter said...

ahhhhh crap.

1:21 PM  
Blogger Ms. Smoochy said...

Sorry HBM. That sucks. At least you can still poke fun at it...from the discomfort of some other less suitable computer I imagine.

1:56 PM  
Blogger Lara said...

posts like these always have me running to back stuff up. I hope you recover most of your files!

2:14 PM  
Blogger Dawn said...

This makes me want to drink. And not in the "Hey, lets have fun with friends" way.

More in the "Lets obliviate my memory" manner.

3:13 PM  
Blogger Lisa said...

Aghhhh. That is hard -- alone all weekend with a little one and a friend 'puter. Week.

You know, as I was reading this, this very same imagine came to mind. I had to laugh when I saw it.

3:53 PM  
Blogger Lara said...

condolences on your loss. nothing can truly make up for what you're currently missing. as i spend time on the couch today with my laptop, i'll be thinking of you and feeling grateful that i'm not in the same situation.

oh, and i'll be backing up my files too.

4:00 PM  
Blogger ewe are here said...

Ouch. ouch ouch ouch

That really sucks. I know, as I've been there a couple of times myself...and this does remind me that I need to do a back up of my photo files...

Hope you get your computer sorted out quickly!

4:22 PM  
Blogger kittenpie said...

Ack! Good thing our hard drive is so small, nearly everything is on the external added one!

Meanwhile, if you were even entertaining thoughts of venturing afield to say the Tastes festival, give me a call and we can try to hook up a playdate, though Pumpkinpie is a notorious crab today. Tomorrow might be better. ONe can hope.

4:29 PM  
Blogger Beck said...

I was planning on getting a laptop, but now they seem FRAUGHT with peril.

7:11 PM  
Blogger Krista said...

OK, so I have the weekend without the children here, and I have sequestered myself at a secluded place so that I can finally catch up on my work instead of continutally drowning in it- and low and behold, how do I find myself taking a wee break from the workload? Your wish is my command today hbm- enjoy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thesilentk/1087280226/

7:39 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Next time [should you ever be that unfortunate] remember to tattoo Edvard Munsch's creation on the inside of your eyelids [like me!]
Cheers

8:12 PM  
Blogger Chicky Chicky Baby said...

That sucks! Hope you get it fixed quickly.

8:44 PM  
Blogger kristen spina said...

One word: Mac.

8:53 PM  
Blogger Julie Pippert said...

Persistence killed our laptop. And then tried to kill the desktop by spiking a CD with post-it notes.

She's very clever, that child.

I feel your pain.

But...is there no Geek Squad in Canada? To rush to your house and save the day?

Can it be that we have one product to boast about? ;)

So very sorry. GL!!!!

P.S. I shall now stop crying into my Grape flavored ProWater thinking you have vanished. :)

Julie
http://theartfulflower.blogspot.com

9:17 PM  
Blogger Lawyer Mama said...

OH NO!!! I live in fear of this.

And you have now prodded me off of my backside to go find that damn external hard drive we got for back ups....

9:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yep, get a Mac. Mine is lovely and virus free and oh so reliable.

As for the screaming - wait til the little one is awake and then have a screaming contest - she'll have fun and you'll feel better!

10:04 PM  
Blogger karengreeners said...

yikes! at least you have a backup (of sorts). I was worried that you would have to (gasp!) blog at the library ;)
hope you can find a magician or someone to get your stuff back.

10:08 PM  
Blogger Mom2Amara said...

Damn, that stinks. So sorry. Hope some Geek can recover everything for you!

10:26 PM  
Blogger moplans said...

Your photoshoping was making me feel even worse than I usually do about my blogging efforts.
You are still witty and fun without all that tech and yeah at least you didn't have to go to the library.

10:59 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It is a bloggers worst nightare.

11:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh my god, I just spent ALL DAY yesterday running diagnostics checks, virus checks, and uploading patches on mine because it looked like it was going to croak. (Or at least really, really piss me off by not working properly.) I feel you. I hope you can recover some files.

And don't feel bad... I currently have (wait, let me count them) FIVE drives on my desk and I still don't always do regular backups. If you're stupid I've got "idiot" tattooed across my forehead.

11:44 PM  
Blogger devilishsouthernbelle.net said...

Oh, how I dread the day when my beloved laptop dies! Because I know it will be a day when I have no extra money for a new one, and I may well go completely insane. It's already reached the point where the battery no longer works; the rest is probably not far behind.

1:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh. No.

!!!!!!!

Big hugs.

It's all I got :)

8:30 AM  
Blogger Liv said...

oh, and I'm just thinking, what would I do without my computer to distract me from screaming children? and thinking I need to get an external hard drive...

11:43 AM  
Blogger Jenifer said...

My step son dumped my wine cooler in my laptop when it was a week old....

I've felt your pain!

1:00 PM  
Blogger Cathy, Amy and Kristina said...

You've just given me tonight's nightmare.

(note to self: must get the precious baby photos off our laptop...)

1:25 PM  
Blogger Trenting said...

If anything in the world, I mean anything, happens to my laptop I would die..

Instantly......

6:46 PM  
Blogger Rita said...

there is a guy in TX who got all my files/photos/music/videos from my hard drive when that f-g laptop died 2 years ago. so if could do it, i'm sure there must be a way you can get your stuff back.

9:58 PM  
Blogger mo-wo said...

They're all dead Dave.

If that means anything to you.

2:48 AM  
Blogger Mom101 said...

I know I'm late to this party (funeral? funeral party?) but Tek Serve in NY is your friend. Data retrieval, regardless of state of carcas.

10:44 PM  

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