The computer (st)age

Like many of us, I’ve become pretty reliant on my computer for so many aspects of simplifying my life. Things like research, transferring funds/paying bills, and staying-in-touch/communications. Did I say “simplifying?” Well, it can be when things are working as planned. Sometimes things go amiss of course, and can lead to sudden onset of sharp pain between the eyes. We’ve probably all “been there.”

My most recent experience started when I should have listened to my friend Tony. Tony Bonanno is a retired Regional Chief Ranger/Senior Special Agent for the National Park Service that stays abreast of technology. His present business as a photographer keeps him on the cutting edge of the digital age (see links below). Late last spring he advised me to shop on-line or Best Buy for a new laptop as our local store was probably not competitive at this time. Boy, I wish I had listened to Tony. Instead I went into SuperComputer (Santa Fe) and bought a new MSI  (no complaints) for me, and an Asus (geesh) for Justin. We were told the Asus was Windows 7, only to find out later that was loaded over Vistas (with ALL its problems). The HDMI on it worked for 31-days, then stopped operating (by then Justin was living in Chicago). At the same time I’d taken in my ol’ tried-n-true Acer to SuperComputer because to wireless connection and audio for video wouldn’t work. They charged $200, but I found that even though wireless now worked the audio for video still didn’t. When I took it back they fixed the audio for video, but returned it with the wireless no longer working. I decided that my shadow would never darken their doorway again when it was fixed simply “by a friend” of Meme.

When Justin came home for the holidays we decided we wanted to look into why the HDMI connection stopped working. So we took it to the Geek Squad at Best Buy. They thought it might need a new “mother board,” so we paid the diagnostic fee and they shipped it away. Sometime later they called and said it needed “a new hard drive” for ca. $600. We had it shipped back. It operates e-mail, PowerPoint, etc. (the things I do most of the time) fine: didn’t sound like in need of a new hard drive to me.

I next took it to Office Max for their “Free Check.” As I’d thought, the hard drive was fine, but there was malware onboard, and the antivirus program that we’d procured with the computer (AVG) had an empty folder. So, we paid to remove the malware and purchase a different antivirus program. The program connected to the HDMI is NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GS. The Office Max analysis said it is running “Optimal.” Only the HDMI connection still doesn’t work and the computer’s troubleshooting program indicates there is a defect with the above mentioned program (less than 1-week after the Office Max finding of “Optimal”).

After $$$ here & $$$ there, the bottom line is that I’m not sure which way to turn. It seems that today’s IT markets are filled with “snake oil salesmen” and cons: Beware! If you have a good trustworthy computer repair person treat them right & hold-on-tight… The best computer service I’ve seen was in Wadi Mousa, Jordan (Thanks Rasha)…

http://www.bonannophoto.com/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx

http://www.bonannophoto.com/Bio/tabid/57/Default.aspx