Stupid Computer

My laptop and I have been gingerly developing a working relationship ever since I brought it home last April. For the first two weeks, it stayed in the box as I walked past it each day thinking, "Someday I've got to get that thing out of the box." (No one will ever accuse me of being a 'first adopter'.)

Upon realizing that I'd be traveling with it in a few weeks, I decided I'd better find out how to use it, get used to its quirks, that kind of thing before being thrust into a 24/7 relationship with it. So I opened the box and did what any person would do with a new PC, stared at the components while trying to figure out how to connect things and get it working.

Then came that moment. You know the one. The one where you gently reach out and push what you hope is the 'start' button.

It was not love at first sight.

But then, I never did like the Windows XP startup protocol. And I absolutely hate the incessant music which plays until you get far enough into the program to hit Mute.

Moving right along, we came to the screen which asks you to set up the various users for your computer. Checking throughout the house and finding only me and the dog in residence, I went with the default. I did decide to install a password for access to the computer, since we wouldn't be staying at home and some nefarious unknown might want access to my worship formats or sermons.

Then the computer and I settled into a mostly congenial relationship. Well, I won't count the two weeks the beast sat at the shop because my equally stupid then-isp screwed up the peaceful functioning of the relationship. It wasn't the poor beast's fault, and once I dumped the evil program, it has performed admirably with my successor isp.

HOWEVER, this past weekend, my son returned home for an extended stay, and this is the only computer with internet access in the house. Of course, he also needs to surf the internet! Who wants to be without contact with friends, isolated from resources, and denied the opportunity to search for a job?

For the first couple of days, no problem. I was home and, when I was through with the computer, he used it. Then there was yesterday. My son came home from working on the house while I was at work. He wanted to get on the internet. The computer obediently refused him access. (Good computer. Nice computer.)

When I got home, I thought to myself, "Let's just set up user accounts so we both can use the computer." (Does anyone else sense the doom which is about to befall me?) Blithely following XP's instructions, there are now two (count them.... one .... two) users on the computer, and this little note which says something about the "Administrator" identity being only a default if there are no designated users. Not a word about the "Administrator" disappearing completely from the machine once you hit ENTER.

STUPID COMPUTER! The (expletive deleted) thing doesn't even recognize me! Even my isp believes I'm a Guest on my own computer! It's as though these past eight months never happened! *panic* You know that wonderful little tool XP has called "system restore"? It claims it will allow you to turn back any harmful changes made to your computer? RIGHT!! *she said sarcastically* I tried to reset the beast from just before my fateful error. *grind grind grind whirr whirr whirr* "No changes have been made to your computer." I tried deleting my son's user name and resetting two weeks from that horrendous moment. You guessed it. "No changes have been made to your computer." Two more tries and no luck. STUPID STUPID STUPID COMPUTER!!

Fortunately, I still had the disc from when I moved from desktop to laptop and had to install "My Favorites" and "My Documents" on this critter. Unfortunately, I've lost the new stuff since that date.

What makes it even more infuriating is that I know for a fact that my prior identity and everything associated with it is still on this computer SOMEWHERE! Any semi-intelligent computer guru could get at it in ten seconds flat. That particular term when used in relation to me is a complete oxymoron, and would be even if the words showed up in two entirely different places in the same paragraph. *sigh* I really need some of those lost files! Any suggestions on where to look?

STUPID COMPUTER!