Technology: The Sky is the Limit

Androids For the Win

From the dawn of time, there has been battle between Iphones and Androids. Typically with Iphones, by the time the last person who camped out in front of the Apple store buys the latest Iphone, the new phone has been released and the cycle repeats. Ugh. Not a roller coaster I want to ride. Last spring I won a free Ipad. Because I don't have a high opinion of Apple products, I gave the Ipad away. Shortly after, the person I gave it to brought it back. They had forgotten the password and had to do a factory reset. A. Factory. Reset. for a lost password. Now come on, Apple. That's a bit extreme. I honestly don't know if there was a way around the reset, as I am not up on my Apple knowledge. So I reset the Ipad and they lost everything. Just ridiculous. Now, let me pin some roses on Android. Last month, I was sitting at the top of the bleachers at a football stadium watching my daughter play the drums. My Galaxy S7 Active slipped through the cracks in the bleachers and fell 15 feet below. *I don't have my phone in any kind of protective case*. So, I flew out of my seat, ran down the steps, and under the bleachers hoping to find my phone. I was panicked. "Oh no oh no oh no...", I repeated as I ran. When I got to my phone I gently flipped it over to survey the damage. Was the screen cracked? Nope! Was the body damaged? Just a tiny dent in the plastic. That's it! A tiny dent. This is also the phone that I dropped into a bathtub full of water (another story for another day). My phone didn't even miss a beat. This bad boy is the Incredible Hulk of phones. As long as Samsung keeps making phones, I will never own an Iphone. Long live the Androids.

Gifts

This past Thanksgiving I went to South Carolina to visit my brother and his family. Imagine my delight when my sister-in-law says, "You like computers, right? Do you want a few old laptops? You may have to fix them." I do love a challenge, so I eagerly agreed. She returned with three Toshiba laptops. Two of the laptops run Win 7 and the other Win 8.1. I was eager to get started on my projects. The first laptop, a pretty silver number, I did a factory reset. Yes, I probably could have used it without the factory reset, but I am not a snooper, and didn't want to come across any personal information from my s-i-l still on there. This laptop has potential. Once I upload Windows 10 on there, I can use it for homework, or give it to my mom (who is really hard on laptops and has to replace hers often.) The process of setting it up afterwards is a bit tedious, so I moved on to the next laptop. The Win 8.1. This laptop is a real peach. Other than the Win 8.1 O.S., which if you aren't familiar is a bit like the embarrassing drunk uncle at the reunions. Does it work? Yes. Is it great? No. Shall we discuss it now? Also, no. This gem saved my bacon the other day when my other computer crashed, though. I was able to transfer my files from the crashed pc to the Win 8.1. And, because I am a student, I get Microsoft Office programs for up to five laptops for free. I bestowed that gift to the Win 8.1 laptop. Don't let me down, Microsoft. Finally, I eyed the last Toshiba. Now, I am assuming this was my nephew's computer at one point. It looks like it was made by Fisher Price. It is bulky, plastic, and way heavier than a kid's laptop has any right to be, but here we are. I tried to do a factory reset, but this little monster balked. And, do you know what? I didn't force the issue. I think it is high time this relic was laid to rest. So, that was the end of that one. My family tends to look at me like I am some kind of magician when it comes to computers. But just between us, it's YouTube and Google that have taught me most of what I know.

Updates Crashed My System

A few days ago, I was hounded every hour to restart my computer so that my computer could finish updating. I have a Windows 10 operating system. I finally restarted my computer early last Monday morning. When my computer tried to turn back on, it said the C: drive was no longer available!! Without a C: drive, my computer might as well be a paperweight. To say I was distraught is like saying childbirth is a little uncomfortable. I was wrecked. Everything I have was on that computer! Old assignments, pictures from when I studied abroad in Ireland, a trilogy I had written etc. I was desperate to get everything back. I initially tried to roll back the update. It tried, but was unsuccessful. I went to YouTube looking for an answer. Because I could access Task Manager, I was able to end task on the Explorer.exe file and restart the file fresh. This brought my desktop icons back. But, when I clicked on them, it gave me a pop up saying these files were inaccessible. I went to the command prompt and tried to do a reset, but again, I was unsuccessful. I tried to do a system restore, saving my files while fixing the messed up system. This did not work. I spoke to friends who are experts with computers. They were also at a loss. One of them suggested I try to send anything I could to a USB drive and salvage as much as I could that way. In the end, this is exactly what I did. I am sure I lost many important files, but I was able to save my pictures, my book, and some assignments. Huzzah! I did a full factory reset on my computer. I haven't touched it much since. It still hurts. haha. But I will return to my beloved laptop and continue with my very exciting life as it was before. And by exciting, I mean, doing homework and watching Netflix. ;) Why did a Windows update crash my computer? There are many suggestions online as to why this occurs. It is not a rare event, but boy is it devastating. I will certainly think twice in the future about allowing updates unless they are absolutely necessary. Creating a backup for my hard drive is another important lesson I learned from this fiasco. Until next time, J. Windows Update: 0/10 would not revisit.