Diary of a wanna-be-geek

Sierra was in tears on Tuesday. Her laptop that she scrimped, saved, and worked so hard to buy herself wasn't working. It would power up, but then the screen would go black. No log in screen. No nothing.

I'm no computer genius, but I do know a thing or two. (Maybe even three, but certainly not four.)

I knew how to start it up in safe mode, so I did that. There I could log in. Ok.... so it was probably a software issue. I deleted all the garbage stuff, scanned for spyware, and did a virus scan. (AVG rocks. It's free and it doesn't mess up things like McAfee.) Only thing is, when you are in safe mode, you can't run a regular scan. I'm not sure if it caught anything or not.

Restart. No luck.

So I got on my computer and googled like a google-extroidaniare.
I did more scans. I deleted unnecessary programs.

Restart. No luck.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Restart. No luck.

(sigh)

Go to bed and try not to think about that stupid laptop in the living room. I could almost HEAR it mocking me. Calling me stupid. I'm sure it called me other geek-tech-type names, but I tuned it out. Dumb computers.

Got up and went to the gym. Sat in the sauna for 10 minutes. Maybe that would help me come up with something?

Get home and power up her computer. Same thing. Dumb computer.

Call the number of the $99 service plan I paid for on her laptop. Wait on hold. Get transfered to "service plans". Get transfered to "computers". Get transferred to someone whose first language is NOT English.

He tells me all kinds of stuff, but I only understand half of it. I DO understand when he tells me that if it is a hardware problem, it is covered. If it is software, it will cost me.

"This is most likely a software problem, right?"
"Yes"
"So.... that $99 I spent won't help me."
"No, but you can take it to Best Buy and they will help you."
"But they will charge me."
"Yes"

(silence... or I would have said something bad)

"This computer did not come with a restore disk. If I had this, I could fix it."
"They can do that for you."
"But they will charge me."
"Yes"

(silence.... I think he was afraid of me)

"There is a way to restore it, but it may be too difficult for you."
"There is?"

He explained a bit, but it was hard to understand him. I had already told him (nicely) that I couldn't understand him, and would he please repeat himself. I thought if I asked again he just might not help me. (My $99 didn't include this type of help, so I was really at his mercy.)

I took note of what he said, said "thank you" and hung up. I quick got to work while I stil had some idea of what he was talking about.

I powered it up and hit F-11. (I'd already done this before, but this time I did somthing different.)

All of a suddent he screen came up and I freaked a bit, worried that I didn't do it right at all.

Then it made a noise. Not a bad noise, but a noise that sounded like maybe it should be making that noise.
Sierra came running in.

me: "Is that a good sound?"
her: "That's the sound it makes when it starts up."

We sat quietly and watched it do its thing.

I amazed her AND myself.

I made major Mommy Points!


(I'll make a recovery disk later today)