10 Dec 2016

And Then A Ghost Of PC Past...

i know I promised no more computer posts some four computer posts ago, but it just got a tad spooky and it being Christmas an’ all I be going to share the tale.

A little bit after a while ago, I installed an interactive calendar on the old, sadly departed desktop PC – herein after called the old PC. It was pretty cool and all you did was embed it in your chosen desktop wallpaper, select its transparency and there it was.

Anyhoo, as faults started to appear on that PC, October time, that calendar was deleted as I tried to trace the problem. To no avail as it turned out and the PC eventually died.
HOLD THE ABOVE INFORMATION.

The other evening I was transporting the laptop to the ‘office area’ when my little nest of vipers enquired as to what I was about. I explained the situation and she said I should just get a new PC. I replied that what I was doing worked just fine and saved some money by not getting a new PC. She in turn said something like, ‘Saving money for what? You’re nearly seventy - not seventeen. I’ll get you one for your birthday and Christmas – spread out to cover the nest ten years – and you give me double the same money it costs for my Christmas gift for this year only.’

Being a boy, I was so overcome with excitement at the prospect of shiny shopping that the full ramifications of her utterings didn’t sink in until it was way too late to retreat.

So it came to pass, having already done copious, clandestine research, we hit the store and within the hour I was plugging in a new PC.

Are you sitting comfortably by the fire with lamps a-glow? Is the wind gently rattling the window shutters? You hear a tap tap tapping at your door? Then I’ll begin.

Start-up with Windows 10 entails hitting the custom setting word. This enables you to shut down all PC chatter with the mother ship. That done, on we went with various blank screens telling me this will take some time or we’re just getting some stuff ready and similar. Eventually, after signing in with a Microsoft account we shot off to the main screen.

And that’s when my spine suffered a slight tingling sensation. The home screen was the custom wallpaper, complete with that interactive calendar, all-be-it not interactive, but just an image, for December no less, from the old, dead PC.

Into settings PDQ and picked a new wallpaper. Exit settings, wallpaper okay. Back to settings and there’s no sign of the ‘old’ wallpaper. All chatter still off and no USB an’ such connected at that time.

I came to a choice of one of two conclusions; the old PC took the opportunity to pass by and say sorry, remind me of what’s to-do for December and bid me a fond farewell. Or Billy and his bad boys got to know the exact day, time, store and model of computer I was about to buy, got there moments before me and installed an image from their ‘Everyone and Everything’ database they maintain ‘out there’.  I’m inclined to go with the first conclusion.

Remember, the calendar was on the old computer and uninstalled sometime in October. He popped up on the new guy, as an image, for December.

Never mind shutting down chatter, blocking everything via a firewall, scanning and monitoring on-line activity, somehow, something went from a several days dead PC to a new PC.

Connecting to that Inter-web-a-net thingy this evening? Be afraid. Be very afraid.

    

Quote;  Neil Gaiman.

“The house smelled musty and damp, and a little sweet, as if it were haunted by the ghosts of long-dead cookies.”

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