It's been a while - I tried to post something a couple of weeks ago and there was some kind of glitch with the website and it wouldn't let me upload it. So I've been sulking since then.
For some time now when I turn on my computer I have been getting 2 pop ups telling me some obscure .dll files are missing. It's not been a big deal, but just annoying every time I turn it on. Also when I'd turn it off some process would 'hang' as only Microsoft products can and I'd have to 'end task' so it would shut down. So I decided to actually legally purchase the required operating system (XP Pro) and Office so that I could reformat the hard drive and have a clean system.
It was a fairly lengthy process in the end. I have a second hard drive (internal) in the pc which is 75GB, and the original hard drive which is only about 40GB (hence keeping all my documents and photos on the extra hard drive). I had to copy all the info (documents, photos- lots, and music - lots) onto my laptop via a 4GB pen drive. This took a few hours just in itself. Then I tried to just reinstall XP through the start up process via the disk. It didn't work, just reinstalled XP without actually reformatting the drives.
So I did what all good hackers (ie novelists, not experts!) do, and I googled 'reformat hard drive'. Thank goodness for all those geeks out there who spend hours writing stuff on the net for thick heads like me! I followed the instructions for reformatting the extra drive first, then the original hard drive was reformatted via the start up process with a bit of 'tweaking'. It worked like a charm!
The only issue I had was that in reformatting, my computer then didn't recognise any audio devices so my speakers wouldn't work. This is a considerable issue for me as I don't have a stereo, I have iTunes with really good speakers on my pc. Eventually last night (with a bit of advice from my very patient nephew, B, I found the right drivers and installed them and hey presto! my speakers now work.
The other 'funny' thing - and I mean funny in the way that you do when you talk about Microsoft! the other funny thing that happened was a couple of days after the reformat the automatic updates downloaded Service Pack 3 for XP Pro. No big deal, always happy to have the latest version of what I'm using. Except that once it had installed and then restarted (cos you can't use ANY Microsoft products without restarting the computer first) the two missing .dll file messages were back! OMG!!!!! So it was SP3 that caused my problems in the first place!!!!!
Of course, I googled the exact message I was getting and discoveed it was indeed from SP3 and it was to do with the USB wireless receiver I use. So I followed the instructions to download a file from the D-Link website and hey presto! no more error messages!!!
I'm feeling prreeeetttttyyy happy with myself! And my computer is running like a dream (except I'm still in the process of loading all the music into iTunes, although I did find a new feature in it today that makes it a bit easier - of course I did, cos it's not a Microsoft product!!)
And I can hear a couple of my friends in particular (I shall not name names in this forum!) who are screaming at me JUST GET A MAC. Yes, I know, I wouldn't have any of these problems if I had a Mac. But there would be some things I still couldn't do as 'cleanly' as I can with a pc. And I can't afford one. So I shall settle with being a genius on my own pc. (kind of like being a legend in my own lunch box)
And now for the rocks.... Princess S has been collecting rocks. Plain, ordinary, gravel type rocks. And she's been stuffing them in the pockets of her school uniform (dress or shorts), bringing them home (bulging all the way) and carefully placing them in her jewellery box! I've asked her why she collects them and she said it's because they're all different, and some are bumpy and some are smooth, some are orange and some are white. I guess that's fair enough. But for a girl who really is a bit of a princess, and values 'beautiful' things in life like jewellery and accessorising her clothes, I find it very oxymoronic that she is fascinated by rocks! At the very least, I find it amusing. And she gets them out all the time and looks through them all! They don't fit just in her jewellery box anymore cos she's got too many, so now they're in a tin as well and she's trying to work out what else she's got that she can put them in! It's just so funny.
I do wonder if she has some latent pscyhological issue....but I guess we won't know that for a few years yet! (just joking)
