Requiem for my old Toshiba Satellite

Well, it had to happen some day. I mean, computers crash and that part's not really such a big deal, if you've saved what you've been working on. Usually we learn that big "IF" thing (as in saving) the hard way, and hopefully only once. But we also know that electronic gizmos only work just so long, despite how well taken care of they are and mine lived a careful life of cautious luxury. NEVER did anything "untoward" happen to it. But the crashes became more frequent, the screen freezes really more unpredictable and frequent, necessitating having to do the just-turn-it-off thing by pushing the button instead of what it much more prefers, the normal shut-down process. Like many of you computer folk, I had TONS of music on there and even more documents and other important stuff. Thankfully last year I bought this GREAT thing (more about it in my *favorite gizmos of 2008* post yet to be written....really....it's just the best thing in this category and SO reasonably priced, even I could afford it) called the ClickFree which is an external backup system that's simply amazing. I had everything backed up on there and on a cigar drive as well.

New Years Eve day I decided to do the thing that personally I hate to do because it's so time consuming (meaning you have to reinstall everything afterward) --- totally erase/restore your machine...wipe off everything that you put on there after it came from the factory and start from scratch to restore it to how it was when you first took it out of the box. This was after doing multiple scans for viruses, malware etc. and having a truly clean machine --- just one that was on it's way out.

I was convinced that all that labor would have FIXED my Toshiba and it'd be FINE. I so hated the idea of having to buy (gulp) another one, especially after having become so attached to all the great features of that laptop. This had been purchased for me at such an amazing bargain through a friend in California (the ONLY way I'd have been able to afford such a great laptop) and I was dreading having to go backwards in quality of screen etc. Since my Satellite was a little more than 4 years old, of course a newer one would be faster etc. But so expensive......

Well, from the title of this post, you already know that all this effort was futile and in the wee early hours of New Year's Day ( before 5:00 AM) I began researching prices for new Satellites. Yow were they all over the map! Joyfully, though, I discovered a REALLY good model that's had GREAT technical and user reviews at BestBuy on sale for $499.99 (yes, it's $500...that "99" stuff somehow makes it a tad easier to swallow). Of COURSE they didn't have any in the store closest to us, and they were totally sold out online. But phone calls led us to make a harrowing drive down to the Manchester BestBuy because literally they were flying out the door while I was on the phone with the salesperson. And we really didn't want to have to drive further on down to Salem or over to Nashua in pursuit of this laptop. We got there just in time, because we purchased the very last one!

No it doesn't have a webcam (I particularly enjoy the fact I can be online in my robe or in bed or whatever and I'm not interested in anybody catching that view) and the stereo speakers aren't the best, but I've got some external ones if I'm really wanting to be listening while I'm online. But it's REALLY fast, has tons of RAM (I mean way more than necessary to run Vista....I could take up "gaming" if I were so inclined) and a HUGE hard drive, terrific optical CD/DVD RW drive as well as lots of actually good software included. And the screen....oh I'm so happy about the screen :-) I could play HD DVDs on here if I wanted to and the screen quality for just every day stuff is pristine, bright, crisp and sharp. Love the screen. Really nice large size screen, too.

So after setting it up and then finally moving everything (photos, other graphics, videos, documents, other stuff) from the former Satellite onto here, I am up and running again. I even find I prefer this keyboard. I am SO grateful to have been able to find this at the sale price just when I needed it and had squirreled away the "just in case" funds to be able to get it. All in the nick of time.

My mother suggested that now I've purchased this machine, perhaps after a little rest, the old one will take on new life again as our upstairs TV did. That thing was totally done for (you know the signs: purple weirdness on the screen, wavey streaks of green and magenta that never go away...the signal that the TV is going to quit at any time). We lugged that thing out of the house and it spent more than a year in the shed (it's kinda big and we hadn't figured out yet how to throw it away). When my stepson had been here he inquired that if he brought it in the house (that thing is HEAVY) and if it turned out to work, could he use it in the guest room where he was staying. Of course we said sure, but thought this was only going to result in some physical exercise for him. We were all stunned that the thing worked just fine! It's STILL working just fine! Oooops......I shouldn't be thinking/typing this loud....it might hear me and decide to fink out again once and for all :-).

So, I guess we'll see. But at least, my "old" laptop served a wonderful purpose for me and I made some great stuff with it. It had been a floor model at a computer store in Thousand Oaks, California, so who knows how much use/abuse it endured even before I received it and then used it for who knows how many hundreds of hours in the 4+ years it served me well.

Now, there's the challenge of learning Vista. I really like some stuff about it, but it's going to take some time just to find "normal" things I'd been accustomed to instantly locating on my XP machine. It's a new year, though....it's good to learn new things :-)