webmonkee
Shared on Fri, 03/10/2006 - 15:40OK, so the fact that I can buy a new computer is not exactly reason for anyone to feel badly for me, BUT.......heres the story.
Im a big computer nerd and use a very very fine machine at work. However, because of various budget needs, my home PC has been the same poor little 566 for almost 7 years.
That fact is much of what turned me from a PC gamer into a console one - theyre much cheaper!
That fact is much of what turned me from a PC gamer into a console one - theyre much cheaper!
Anyway, this year was the year. Yes, the house needed some things done, but, dammit, this was the year!
I couldnt afford the really high end stuff, but, I did it pretty right - ordered a Dell XPS system. Dual core processor, 256 MB video card (with option to go SLI later). Ultrasharp flat panel, 2 gigs of RAM. Not quite the works, but for me, like moving out of Motel 6 and into the Ritz.
I couldnt afford the really high end stuff, but, I did it pretty right - ordered a Dell XPS system. Dual core processor, 256 MB video card (with option to go SLI later). Ultrasharp flat panel, 2 gigs of RAM. Not quite the works, but for me, like moving out of Motel 6 and into the Ritz.
Anyway, this gem arrives while Im still in Texas. It taunts me from afar. But, I get home yesterday around 8:00. Now, I WANT to run right up to my office and put that bad boy together, but, I have a wife and a life that have been on hold while I was in Texas, so, I dont open the first box until 10:30.
Because I needed to work from home today, the most important thing was getting my VPN access up. But, lets be real, is that the first thing YOU would do? Hell no. I dont go to bed until 2:00, but my VPN is up and running!
I get up this morning, and Im actually smiling at the prospect of working - actually excited to get to work, because I get to USE it ALL DAY LONG. I start off and its going great. Im one multi-tasking bastard.
I go downstairs to get a beverage. Im gone for about 10 minutes because I need to (finally) tighten the hinge on the kitchen cabinet my patient wife has been asking me about for two weeks.
I come upstairs and my screen is black. "Hmm," I think, "Perhaps I was gone longer than I thought, and its simply gone into power-save." I move the mouse. Nothing happens. I hit Enter. Nothing happens. I say "What the FUCK!" Nothing happens (Isnt it funny that I always think that last one will make something happen?).
OK, not time to panic yet. I probably had too many apps running and I locked it up. Unlikely with 2 gigs of RAM, but Im now grasping at straws. I reboot. I get a constantly running hard drive, and no image on the screen at all. I check all the video connections. It hits me. Im fucked.
I call Dell. Uncharacteristically, I get transferred 3 freaking times before I finally get someone who can help. Im on with him for about an hour and he finally decides I have a bad motherboard. They will send a tech to my house either tomorrow or next week to replace it.
Now, Im a big enough of a computer nerd to know that a bad motherboard isnt really anyones fault. Its just crappy luck. But, the tech I spoke with made the mistake of saying, "Yeah, weve had a bunch of those boards go bad. Were not gonna ship them anymore." Keep in mind that my system had been shipped three days before. Im speechless.
So, bottom line, I have the coolest looking door-stop of all time sitting right next to my trusty 7 year old 533. But, guess which one Im typing this on?
Oh, to complete the day. I won a little gift cert at work which allowed me to order a couple small items from a company catalog. I ordered two items. "They" came today. The packing slip listed two items. The box had one item.
Oh, to complete the day. I won a little gift cert at work which allowed me to order a couple small items from a company catalog. I ordered two items. "They" came today. The packing slip listed two items. The box had one item.
Im not gonna leave the house today. Something tells me a piece of a runaway satellite would hit me if I did. But man, I bet it sure would be a HIGH TECH satellite.
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Comments
Submitted by MTK005 on Fri, 03/10/2006 - 15:40
Submitted by DIE75 on Fri, 03/10/2006 - 21:17
Submitted by vinnie2k on Sat, 03/11/2006 - 06:25
Submitted by Cranefolder on Mon, 03/13/2006 - 08:58