Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Praying for High-Tech Solution



Well, my poor old XP computer is beginning to make little whirring noises. It has only happened once, three days ago, but I am all-too-familiar with the symptoms. It means either a fan or a hard drive is going bad.

That said, I grabbed a little flash drive and immediately tossed my Documents files onto that. I do a monthly newsletter, on a volunteer basis, for our senior mobile home park, and I need all the back issues that are on my hard drive.

I plan to sign up for Carbonite tomorrow. That's an online backup service and I believe it's still only about $60 a year. I think the first month is free and then they start billing me next month. I will not have to worry about backing up to the flash drive every time I add or change files. My brother has used it for years and has found it to be very good when restoring his Documents.

Still, I need to deal with getting a new tower. Friends of mine hate Windows 8. Both my brother, an expert in these things, and a neighbor, another expert, agree that I do not need W8. Finding a new tower with W7, locally, is difficult. However, both suggested I go to either Dell or HP, online, and look at what they have.

At first I was all set to go with a Dell refurbished tower with W7. Then I noticed that HP had brand new towers with W7, for about a hundred or so more. I'd much rather go for the new one. I think they also offer a payment plan, free of interest, if paid off in six months. From what I understand, W7 should be supported by Microsoft at least until 2020.

I plan to do a Contact-Me message tomorrow, telling a rep what my particular usage needs are, and see what they can suggest for me. I'll need a new monitor, as well. I really hate the learning curve ahead of me, but I still have a little adventure and flexibility left in my young-at-heart soul.

Hopefully, I am taking action soon enough before I crash. I have crashed too often in the past, ignoring the warning grunts and groans from my little electronic buddy - I really need my PC.

Father, I am trying to heed the warnings you are sending me. Guide me, please, with wisdom, when I make my decision as to which system to get. And thank you for all your help along the way.  

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