86. A New Computer

86. A New Computer

 I have heard it said many times that besides a death of someone close to you the most traumatic event in one’s life is to move house and I can understand why this is said. A dear friend of mine has just move house after living 43 years in the same place. I have moved so many times in my live that I can’t imagine how it would feel like to have lived in one place for that long. My longest in anyone place was 12 years. Particularly when one is downsizing and so of necessity one has to dispose of so many of ones possessions. Deciding what can come and what must go is hard. But I am not so sure that getting a new computer does not also rank pretty high on the list of trauma situations.

Just like when you start thinking of a new home the thought of a new computer is quite exciting. Then of course reality sets in and you start to think more practical thoughts. First of all there is the financial aspect. Do you really need that new machine enough to warrant the expense? But if you don’t buy it and the old one that is defiantly getting very long in the tooth packs in what on earth will you do? How will you stay in touch with family and friends without emails and Skype? How will you keep control of you money without internet banking? How will you find out anything without Mr. Google to turn to? There is the news to read, the weather to check on, the train times to look up and how will you ever find your way to anywhere without Google  Maps to give you directions. And what about on line Scrabble and Words with Friends? All so very important.

After a period of indecision – Do we, don’t we, do we, don’t we – you finally decide that it must be done. Then comes the trauma of deciding which one to buy. There are so many available on the market and they all seem so alluring. Do we go Personal Computer or Lap Top or maybe we should think about a tablet or an ipad? How many giga bites to we need? What about the Wi-Fi and our heads are in a whirl with all the possibilities. Eventually when you have made up your mind and paid your money the great day arrives and your shiny new toy arrives in your home.

Unpacking it is great fun, lots of Styrofoam and bubble wrap and it sits on your desk just longing to be connected and used. Recently I went from a PC to a lap top. I have not had a lot to do with lap tops before but liked the idea of the mobility of the thing. Imagine being able to take my computer out into the garden and sit in the sun working with it or to be able to move it into the warm lounge room during the winter and not have to sit huddled in a blanket in the office when Skyping overseas friends. Then setting it up is so much easier than your old PC had been, only one cable to connect and you are away. But then the trouble starts. The key board just feel so different from your old one and that little mouse pad is going to take a lot of getting used to. So long in fact that I admit it has defeated me and just plug in a conventional mouse as I have seen so many other people do, much easier. But then I think I must have bought a dud. All sorts of things happen, things that I had not done, different windows pop up un-asked, things I am working on vanish in a flash never to be found again. It takes me a little while but I do eventually realise that it’s all because of the mouse pad. I had assumed that once I had plugged in the conventional mouse the mouse pad would no longer function but I was wrong. With a bit of puzzle I manage to discover how to turn off the mouse pad and I am away again.

My son Jace, the computer programmer had installed a programme called TeamView on my old computer and so he is always able to log-in to my computer from his own computer which is such a boon. We don’t have to wait until the weekend or until he has some time off to come and sort out my computer problems. Once I had got the new machine up and running he connected to Teamviewer and  helped me to transfer all my data from the old machine to my new one. So nice to see all your old friends popping up on the new shinny machine.

I can never quite understand why it is that things can look different of different computers. You can have the same operating system on them both, have the same programs installed and somehow there will be some differences. Maybe only small differences but differences just the same and I have come to accept that that is the way of it and there is not a lot I can do about it. But it is a bit unnerving when you have come to recognise things and feel you know your way around the computer to see these minor changes. Or maybe it is just me that feels a little frustrated by them.

Well my new computer is now, with the help of my son, fully functional and just in time too as yesterday the old one died completely. It was hard to see an old friend go and I am still going to take it to my clever son to see if he can work a miracle with it before I condemn it to ever lasting destruction.