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bunnBit of a mixed weekend. We did a 5-mile Dartmoor walk, which was fun. We tried to have lunch afterwards at a cafe that stopped serving all hot food at 2pm on the dot, causing Polo to rant about the kind of toaster that turns itself off at 2pm and cannot possibly be turned back on.
Then we successfully had lunch somewhere else. Well, almost successfully: Mollydog ate all Az's tuna sandwiches, because it was a little bit busy and he was worried by the people coming and going, and had to hide under my chair.
We went to see Polo's parents and return their computer, which had had a hard disk problem. The most annoying thing about both our parents is having to debug their computers: it always takes AGES and they are utterly hopeless at telling you what the problem is. Infuriatingly, we found that there seemed to be a problem with their monitor, which we had not taken away. LIKE A PAIR OF COMPLETE IDIOTS we rushed online to research the problem. Before installing the virus checker or firewall, or updating windows or installing Firefox.
BANG! Virus! within literally 20 minutes of connecting. Bastard!
Install virus checker. Remove virus. Force parent to pay for antivirus software, which is always a difficult task: why do parents always seem to think that Viruses Don't Happen to Nice People? (My Mum thinks this too, where do they get their ideas from...) Try to update Windows. Think we have updated it. Back online.
Bugger! Windows not completely updated! Virus again! BASTARD!
Uninstall virus checker. Reinstall. Install nother freeware checker as backup. Deduce that problem is partly down to dodgy old hard disk which is still in machine: it's clean, but can't stay reliably working long enough to be virus checked. Zap virus again.
Rescue mission to get old files (not backed up for years because 'it needed 4 floppy disks!' ) onto new shiny hard disk.
Whole operating system starting to sway nastily. Refusing to boot into Windows after trauma of in out shake it all about virus and virus checking installation. BASTARD!!!.
Parents have tidied away all driver disks and Windows XP CD into loft, despite having a shelf full of ancient shareware and coverdisks dating back to 1994 sitting next to PC. DRATTITUDE!!!
It's past midnight. Dogs asleep all over parental floor. Wish I was asleep, even on floor.
Polo becoming increasingly unprintable. Parents swaying with exhaustion, may at any moment join dogs in pile on floor.
We give up. Will return to battle again another day.
On the plus side we have heard practically no fireworks and dogs seem completely unstressed.
The next day, I went for a walk in
Calstock is always a relaxing place to walk, and as usual, made me want a canoe. Not sure I really have time or money for a canoe, but I still want one.
Later, I felled a great quantity of Berberis, which is an annoyingly prickly shrub which grows far too quickly. We intended to make a bonfire for Guy Fawkes night, but alas, Berberis doesn't appear to burn very well. Or at least, it doesn't when newly cut. I intend to test its burning qualities again in a month or so, when it's had a chance to dry out.
Then we successfully had lunch somewhere else. Well, almost successfully: Mollydog ate all Az's tuna sandwiches, because it was a little bit busy and he was worried by the people coming and going, and had to hide under my chair.
We went to see Polo's parents and return their computer, which had had a hard disk problem. The most annoying thing about both our parents is having to debug their computers: it always takes AGES and they are utterly hopeless at telling you what the problem is. Infuriatingly, we found that there seemed to be a problem with their monitor, which we had not taken away. LIKE A PAIR OF COMPLETE IDIOTS we rushed online to research the problem. Before installing the virus checker or firewall, or updating windows or installing Firefox.
BANG! Virus! within literally 20 minutes of connecting. Bastard!
Install virus checker. Remove virus. Force parent to pay for antivirus software, which is always a difficult task: why do parents always seem to think that Viruses Don't Happen to Nice People? (My Mum thinks this too, where do they get their ideas from...) Try to update Windows. Think we have updated it. Back online.
Bugger! Windows not completely updated! Virus again! BASTARD!
Uninstall virus checker. Reinstall. Install nother freeware checker as backup. Deduce that problem is partly down to dodgy old hard disk which is still in machine: it's clean, but can't stay reliably working long enough to be virus checked. Zap virus again.
Rescue mission to get old files (not backed up for years because 'it needed 4 floppy disks!' ) onto new shiny hard disk.
Whole operating system starting to sway nastily. Refusing to boot into Windows after trauma of in out shake it all about virus and virus checking installation. BASTARD!!!.
Parents have tidied away all driver disks and Windows XP CD into loft, despite having a shelf full of ancient shareware and coverdisks dating back to 1994 sitting next to PC. DRATTITUDE!!!
It's past midnight. Dogs asleep all over parental floor. Wish I was asleep, even on floor.
Polo becoming increasingly unprintable. Parents swaying with exhaustion, may at any moment join dogs in pile on floor.
We give up. Will return to battle again another day.
On the plus side we have heard practically no fireworks and dogs seem completely unstressed.
The next day, I went for a walk in
Calstock is always a relaxing place to walk, and as usual, made me want a canoe. Not sure I really have time or money for a canoe, but I still want one.
Later, I felled a great quantity of Berberis, which is an annoyingly prickly shrub which grows far too quickly. We intended to make a bonfire for Guy Fawkes night, but alas, Berberis doesn't appear to burn very well. Or at least, it doesn't when newly cut. I intend to test its burning qualities again in a month or so, when it's had a chance to dry out.
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no subject
Date: 2006-11-06 08:54 pm (UTC)Oh, it's so cute!
Parents and computers just don't seem to go well together. I have yet to understand why my Dad (who was working in computers way back since the 60s, and was a Serious Programmer) thinks that the Internet is something you connect to for about two minutes a week, to collect emails. He's forever rushing around libraries trying to track down info. that I promptly retrieve for him in about five seconds, with a few clicks of the mouse, while on the phone to him.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-06 09:21 pm (UTC)So I now have to tell them this, as well as possibly reinstall Windows and format the bloody hard disk again. And then reinstall all the stuff we installed on Saturday.
OH, AND I CAN'T FORGET THAT THE WINDOWS XP CD THAT I USED WAS AN OLD ONE THAT DIDN'T HAVE SERVICE PACK 2 ON. This is particularly important since my parents don't have a router (i.e. with hardware firewall), they just have one of those silly little ADSL 'modems'.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-06 10:55 pm (UTC)My mum is a computer parent as described above. My dad on the other hand has just bought himself a new laptop, has wireless at home and on his visit last week was most taken aback that I 'only' have a wired router.
Mind you - my dad's computer geekishness may be due to my brother still living there... ;-)
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 08:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 04:58 pm (UTC)Oh so true! - although I'd have said, "Parents and computers".
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 04:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 05:09 pm (UTC)Hope you manage to get the computer sorted...
no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 05:46 pm (UTC)