17 Nov 2016

And Then, Going Down To One...

Well, So, the desktop, as previously stated, was working as it should; right up to this early AM when, upon doing nothing more complex that pressing the power switch, I had... it had a complete freeze and then, after a cold reboot, three Billy screens of death in rapid succession.

I immediately decided to do what any boy would do faced with something shiny not working as it should, I want a new one and I want it NOW!!

I then retreated to my safe space, got my sobbing under control and thought it through.

I have a desktop and a laptop – for the purpose of this post, let’s forget tablets. I rise of an AM, prepare coffee and turn on the desktop computer. This fellow resides in my study... Pardon? Okay, office area of the dining room – or, more accurately, the room once used for dining before the invention of the sofa and TV. It’s just what you do, right? Sit at a desk in a proper chair, big display for old eyes and close to the kitchen for ease of communication with the boss and, more importantly, the coffee machine.

This machine is used, tops, three hours a day. Thereafter, afternoon and evenings, it’s the sofa-top that’s used. The two are twins regarding software and set-up. And I NEED a new one?

This is when my head said to me, ‘Why do I need two computers? When bed beckons at days end, why don’t I just pull the mains plug out of the laptop and transport it the six paces required to put him on the desk ready for the next AM coffee, mail, news and Blog reading period and just reverse the process at the end of the AM shift?’
‘But, but, but I like the big monitor.’ I whined to myself.

Okay, research is needed. For ‘research’ read typing stuff into Google. That done, this afternoon I rigged up my ‘office’ area so the laptop, with the cunning insertion of one USB string and an HDMI string, with him way over at the side, I can now use the mouse, a big grown-up keyboard, print via wireless and see it all, with the cleaver use of the Windows key plus a P – careful here; It’s usual to take a P upon rising. It’s the ‘P’ keyboard key I’m talking about – which brings up a pictogram wherein you can select the screen/screens you’d like to use. One click and the big screen takes over. How cool is that then? Say what now? You and everyone in the world already knew how to do this? Never mind. Someone always has to be a last, right?

I expected this set-up to be extremely complex and it turned out to be extremely easy. So easy was it that I’ve probably done something wrong. Time will be telling me.

That is it. I’m ready for when the big fella finally bites the big one. Or quite possibly sooner. If I suffer a duffer of a start-up tomorrow, he’s out o’ here.

Quote;  ??

“If Bill Gates had a dime for every time Windows crashes... Oh, wait a minute.”

4 comments:

Caratacus said...

You may be surprised to hear this but I, too, am the proud possessor of a brace of computer machines. The folding one serves most from day to day and operates, I suspect, on Windows 8.1. This machine is cleansed with the obsessive frequency of a Harley Street colonic irrigator by Malwarebytes among others and seems to hold the digital tapeworms at bay. My pride and joy, however, resides in the "Summer Hyce" and has hitherto performed faultlessly on Windows 7. Music banging out at all hours, printing cartoons of dubious provenance, and processing the usual plethora of family photos without once fainting, farting and falling over. I should add that the latter has not once been subjected to the unforgiving Interweb ... somewhere there may be a message.

Mac said...

Caratacus,
So true; stay clear and give it another ten years for them to sort Windows 10 as it seems to me most, if not all, present problems can be thrown at the door of Windows 10. For me anyway. Too much too soon to achieve too little? Resulting in too big a mess.
Having said that, the bloody desktop started today perfectly - and amazingly fast. It may have been that jolly good talking to I gave it yesterday... No idea.
Malwarebytes? Good kit. Super Anti Spyware also seems to do a pretty good job.
I’m sure you’re aware of these two bits of security software that I may have mentioned before;
IBM Trusteer Rapport which establishes a ‘secure’ tunnel between you and the other end. Any site can be secured by clicking on the icon and it’ll remember that site. It also blocks attempts to capture your screen and other stuff.
https://www.trusteer.com/ProtectYourMoney
KeyScrambler does wot it says.
http://www.qfxsoftware.com/ks-windows/how-it-works.htm

Caratacus said...

Thank you greatly for those links, Mac. I already had Trusteer installed (courtesy of the unCo-Operative bank with whom I have entrusted a small measure of the Caratacus fortune), but I installed the Super Anti-wossit and was staggered by what it managed to firkle out of the slippery bits of this lap-top. And now it seems to have become a tad more responsive which is nice. And the Keyscrambler thingy is very entertaining; not quite sure what it does ... but anything which brings Confusion to the Enemy (and Death to the French as the old RN toast has it) is a Good Thing as far as this old curmudgeon is concerned.

Wish I could return the compliment but, as you know, anything more technologically advanced than a tyre lever tends to leave me stumped; so a simple thank you will have to suffice!

Mac said...

Caratacus,
My pleasure Sir. Pleased to help a little.
Regards that complex bit o' kit known as the tyre iron, I became totally transport illiterate with the demise of the starting handle. I must say, the tyre iron is far easier to swing when the need arises.