Rule #2635:
The chance of your laptop suffering a fatal error is directly related to the importance of the work you are trying to do on it. This chance grows exponentially as you near the end of the task at hand. In fact, with the benefit of hindsight, it is best you never do anything important, ever.
I know, I know, this post will lead to lots of “Why don’t you use a Mac?” questions. Well, this is a work laptop, and as everyone knows, they are all PC’s. The second question will obviously be, “Why didn’t you take a back-up?” Again, I did. Or rather, I regularly saved my work in case of a crash.
I did not however expect the crash to render the computer unusable, and then leave me unable to access my regularly saved work. I did not even have a chance to become irate at that little paper clip cunt, as it simply wouldn’t boot up.
So, this is how I spent last Thursday, sat up most of the night, on my home laptop re-writing a presentation I was due to give on Friday morning.
In the breaks away from work I allowed myself to dream up elaborate tortures for both Michael Dell and Bill Gates. The best one I came up with involved a large coffin, some scorpions and a copy of James Blunts latest album. But I do not want to say any more for reasons of plausible deniability.
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Jann · May 21, 2007 at 8:57 am
Who is PC and why does he/she own all the laptops?
me · May 21, 2007 at 9:11 am
*squeeze of symphathy* from a smug Mac user who never writes anything important enough to register on the ‘crash register’ but also very amused by postioning of ‘laptop from Dell uk’ ad above.
Oli · May 21, 2007 at 9:17 am
Bollocks to Macs, i hate them.
Its like linux, the holy grail of geeks which they swear is better than windows, despite nothing working on it.
Creed · May 21, 2007 at 9:35 am
Oli
Well-reasoned argument against alternative platforms there…
Have you actually used a Mac, or is this an unjustified rant from a position of complete ignorance?
If you can’t say anything nice, don’t bother IMHO.
(For the record I use both main platforms, and find Mac much more obvious, easy-to-use, less hassle to maintain and stable. The only two areas that PCs have a real advantage are availability of games and a lower price-of-entry.)
Spec a PC that is equivalent to a Mac from a named brand and the Mac actually works out cheaper. You _can_ get a PC cheaper than a Mac, but it’s not going to be a better machine, simply due to the fact a base-level Mac is just better spec’ed than a base-level PC. (If you are making a 3D render-farm the PCs have the advantage on bang-for-buck.)
And with Boot Camp or Parallels, Macs can run Windows and all their software too. So the amount of software available is a non-issue.
And Linux isn’t aimed at the same market as Windows, so it’s not a valid comparison.
AFC 30K · May 21, 2007 at 9:53 am
Wifey had the same problem – Have you not heard of web-collaboration software? I’m just a humble builder but even we use web-collaboration. I can log in at home and work wirelessly to either the servers at work of a web based server.
I though you knew all this stuff!
Before we had all this stuff it did happen to me also – big presentation and a re-write – so I do have an element of sympathy!
Bob · May 21, 2007 at 9:54 am
A mac can never truly keep your laptop safe. If you regularly work in the rain, you’re better off with a small gazebo.
Dominic · May 21, 2007 at 9:56 am
USB flash drives are great things to back up to, for this very reason.
But apparently, being a Linux user, I wouldn’t know, since they apparently won’t work for me…
Dave Petterson · May 21, 2007 at 11:02 am
Macs as well as PCs have single point failures such as HDAs, Processors, power supplies. Macs, allegedly, superior OS is but one area.
Backup on to the same HDA is not a backup.
I was going to suggest a USB stick, as Dominic did, they are cheap, easy to use and reliable. I have four 3x 2Gb and 1×1Gb. You can get 8Gb now. I back up everything on my desktop at night or immediatly if I have finished with it. Themost you can lose is a days work then. Still a blow but not as bad as it could have been.
A simple method, if you don’t have USB sticks, is to EMail it to yourself. Most companies EMail systems store the data on their servers. Simple, easy to use and it requires cascade failures to lose any work. Your system has to go as well as theirs. What is the chance of that? As a bonus you can blame it on them if it does.
Bob · May 21, 2007 at 11:26 am
This is what happens if you talk about computers.
Angelalala · May 21, 2007 at 11:26 am
I had a fright when my back up system crashed.
I went at it with a pencil sharpener and it was ok again. Phew.
M.C. Glammer · May 21, 2007 at 11:39 am
Macs crash. My ex lost all her stuff that way. Stupid Macs.
Admin comment by Mr Angry · May 21, 2007 at 11:44 am
Jann – I do not know, but they are a shit.
me – Ha! I have the Dell advert too! Stupid Google, they will never make any money like that…
Oli – I like the idea of having a Mac (I blame Mitchell & Webb), but I do not have over a grand to spend on one…
Creed – I understood about 15% of that. Are you foreign?
AFC 30K – Yes yes, they said the same thing here, I was working locally just ‘because’ Ok…
Bob – My ‘Mac’ is more than sufficient for my needs. How can you run away from the police in a Gazeebo?
Dominic – I was given a USB memory stick on Friday. 24 hours too late.
Dave Petterson – Do you want a job, you seem to know more than the monkeys here.
Bob – I know. I will try and write about Boobs later in the week to even things up a bit.
Angelalala – Lucky you. I have a new laptop, or rather a recently purchased second hand one. But there is no hidden porn, booo!
Admin comment by Mr Angry · May 21, 2007 at 11:50 am
MC Glammer – I think it is more that ‘computers’ crash. But only when you really don’t want them to. It is never when you are surfing for porn or playing games. So I am told.
AFC 30K · May 21, 2007 at 12:28 pm
What you realy need is your own server at home. I mean since Wifey and I have got one we’ve never looked back (or forward or at anything on the internet at home as the BT Broadband doesn’t like talking to the server) I may have to Blog “Server Part III” soon!
Sheppitsgal · May 21, 2007 at 12:45 pm
wibble
tilt
can we go back to being angry about non-technical things please
BoyOnTop · May 21, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Anyone who says MACS are better has never had to operationally manage a large scale network in which MACS for a part. Nightmare, absolute nightmare.
Angry, a wee bit of learning from a guy who’s been there far far too often. Whenever working on something important I regularly save it onto one of those USB storage thingies. Or, if you’ve got a laptop with a smartcard slot, keep one in permanently and save off to it (something I’ve started doing recently as it means you don’t have a pain in the ass thingy sticking out of the laptop all the time). Has saved my ass on more than one occasion…
Billyboy & MrsF · May 21, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Try removing the power pack/ big battery and then connect to the mains.
If that does not work try replacing the little internal battery, Its usually one of those flat 3.5v jobs
ThomasR · May 21, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Whenever I start work on something really important I regularly stop until some other bugger does it so I can have a nice lie down and save my back.
Ldbug · May 21, 2007 at 5:02 pm
Get a flash drive. It will save your life.
Jax · May 21, 2007 at 5:09 pm
Don’t listen to smug mac user. Macs are shite too.
My PC laptop and Macbook died in the same week, it’s a conspiracy! I day I bought a back-up hard drive.
PC lover, Mac luster
S Hamilton · May 21, 2007 at 5:17 pm
Rule number 1 in the big book of rules – never take a job that involves anything of importance – it took me many years to learn this but in the year 2000, for the first time, I uttered the words “I want a job where I don’t have to think” out loud in an interview.
The Scottish Parliament hired me.
I don’t work there anymore.
Dr_Clip · May 21, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Fuck.
Did I mistakenly log on to
http://www.iamaboringfuckinggeek.com ?
The Doctor.
Sam Cullum · May 21, 2007 at 6:20 pm
I never back up – I mean what’s that all about?
I am quite sure I am married to you Mr Angry, either that or my husband mysteriously had exactly the same problem at exactly the same time with a presentation the next day, or, alternatively, and more plausibly, all computers the world over have joined together via the net and are conspiring against anyone doing anything important and laughing at us all when they conveniently decide to fail. I was right, the web is evil, you’ll see!!!!!!
Katy Newton · May 21, 2007 at 8:46 pm
Weirdly, this has just happened to me. I am told by an expert that the thing to do is take apart the computer, remove the hard disk and put it in a hard disk holder, which you can then connect to your tower unit via a USB. But then if it is a work laptop I suppose you can’t take it apart but have to return it to the IT department so that they can use it as part of their dark satanic rituals.
Peach · May 21, 2007 at 10:12 pm
oh god am I going to have to flash something to get you all to shut up and stop talking about bloody computers ?!?!?!?!
Bob · May 21, 2007 at 11:29 pm
Seriously, what you need is to open up your laptop and clear out all the zebras and the bullfrogs. I can’t believe someone of your experience isn’t doing that on a regular bassist. And have a small twig that you use only for de-waxing your USB ports, preferably of birch or hickory, and give it a good poke and a wiggle with a cup of cocoa.
Re the gazebo – yes, I know what you mean. It’s just a different operating system, though – once you get the hang of it you’ll find it runs quite smoothly.
Trust me – you’ll never look back.
Mr Farty · May 25, 2007 at 7:39 am
I work in computer support. Here is some advice that I am offering you for FREE.
Try switching it off and on again.
You’re welcome.
Now please never mention fucking computers again.