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12:20:2002 Entry: "Ann : The Bloody Details"

The Bloody Details

I only had a backup of my files, and my last backup was a month ago, so I was missing everything I created in the last month, with the exception of what I managed to save "as the ship was going down" so to speak. Fortunately, I saved all my new posters (huge files, huge rendering time, intricate art) and I saved my Clients' work and time spent...those were the most important things. I lost all the new .css files I created for this journal. Major bummer, but it's mostly just time lost, nothing too artistic or anything. I also lost all my programs which I had to reinstall. Most all I have on the original factory cd and my iBook as a backup, however, a couple OSX-only programs I *only* had on my hard drive, un-backed up. Yeah, stupid. I've written to the companies to ask for the passwords, provided them with all the information they should need, i.e., my name, address, etc. Two of them I'm waiting on (it's been the weekend, so I'm hoping that's why they haven't gotten back). One of them is a recent upgrade to Extensis Suitcase, and, ironically, I have the g-d password, just not the program! The other is a utility from BareBones. It's OSX-only, and I have no idea why I didn't record a password for it, *unless* it never had one because I downloaded an early version of it. The other one, "Poly Pro" by an indie company/husband-wife team called "Pedagoguery" (sp?) bless their hearts, got back with me immediately. (I had an excuse for losing that program because I just downloaded it and registered it a week ago). I love small companies...so attentive.

I lost all my email since I got that computer last August. I lost all my bookmarks, which isn't too big of a deal because the important ones that I can't remember from heart are on my iBook. I lost certain system settings and customizations.

I sort of lost all my third-party fonts--they were backed up, but (another long story) they will have to be repaired because I didn't back-up the repaired versions!

All my really important stuff was safe, thank goodness. The ironic thing is, this all happened *while* I was installing a new external hard drive and trying to format it for the express purpose of *backing everything up!* How ironic is that? Even more irony...I'm returning that hard drive...it doesn't even work properly with Mac OSX. And the software that came with it sucked major donkey dung. That's what screwed me over...I was trying to do something to it...format it...partition it, I can't remember exactly now it was such a blur, something stalled, I forced quit, and when I restarted, I got the "flashing folder" which meant there was no system to be found. My hard drive was severely damaged (digitally-speaking). I tried Disk First Aid...it couldn't repair it. I tried Norton Utilities (which I had *just* purchased) and was able to revive the patient so it wasn't totally flatlining, but it was still comatose. Then, using "Disk Warrior" I was able to pull up some files (the aforementioned important ones), then it stalled again, so I thought I'd try the next time using Norton's "volume recover", which was a bad idea, unbeknownst to me then. I should've just kept retrying Disk Warrior, except it took so long and it had to start from scratch each time. So volume recover was unable to recover my hard drive, which essentially wiped it clean.

Keep in mind, I do not respond well to these sorts of stressful situations. I start to throw up. I felt I was losing my mind. It was pure hell.

Oh, and to top it all off, I had purchased the latest version of "Toast" CD-recording software (along with the hard drive and Norton) in hopes that it'd streamline my CD-recording process. I purchased it for my iBook because I have an external CD-RW drive there and can set it to copy my cds while I do other things (I don't record off my main mac because I only have one internal CD-RW drive, not an extra one, which makes copying a cd extremely difficult, plus it ties up my time). Well, I installed it and got a start-up error. I tried restarting with the extensions off, and I still got a start-up error! Now *that* has never, ever happened before. A bit of trial and error problem solving later, I realize I simply cannot use this software. So, I'm returning two items, the hard drive, and Toast. That's a first too. I so seldom return stuff, let alone *two* items. I explained to MacConnection's customer service what was wrong with the items, so they better not charge me a restocking fee...they were defective and unworkable with my systems, it wasn't a matter of simply "not liking them."

I've re-ordered a different brand of external hd, LaCie. I already have a SCSI LaCie that I'm using, but at a mere 18 gb (that was a lot in '99!) it's bursting at its seams. So this last Saturday I went to The Dreaded Comp USA and The More Dreaded Circuit City and The Severely Dreaded Best Buy in a vain attempt at perhaps finding a LaCie drive there without having to wait days for something to come through the mail. Each of those places (with the exception of the latter because I didn't even bother asking one of their game-boys there) said they've never heard of LaCie. WTF? I'm more of a geek than they are. Me. I wanted to say, "What do you mean you never heard of that brand?" I guess it wasn't in their training video...heh. I can't believe the unknowledgeableness of the little boys (they're like twice as tall as me, but they're still "little boys", you know) they have working for them! All they do is play video games all day. They know nothing about computers and peripherals. They've probably never picked up a catalog or read a review in a computer magazine. I should have their jobs. But I'd go postal having to listen to that loud music all day. Geezus...how does anyone function in those conditions? I would truly go postal. Maybe that's why they're so dimwitted when it comes to actual computer knowledge...they can only hire dimwitted dolts that can withstand the constant loud throbbing music (that changes depending which end of the store you're at) without succumbing to violence and irrational outbursts of sociopathic behavior! What's really bad is when you're between two loud music zones and you're getting a loud music CD and loud volume TV and they blend together to make hybrid mutant noise from hell. That's just enough to put any customer over the edge...how can anyone work in those conditions and THINK? I guess it's part of their alure to mass dumb culture...like Best Buy's game guy ads..."Like messing with stuff?" "Like playing with stuff?" Computers aren't serious...they're for fun! At Best Buy there was a person standing at some laptops on display, playing a solitaire card game. I couldn't tell whether he was an employee or customer, but it looked so moronic. He wasn't testing the computer, he was just playing away. A solitaire game. Um...that's like something you do at home while you're processing a file and it's taking a long time. You pull out your solitaire game...not something you do when you should either a) be helping customers or b) on your break when you should be away from the computers ("Step away from the computers, Jason! Step away from the computers now!"). And if he was a customer? Why? I mean, you go into Best Buy to play solitaire games? Weird....just plain weird.

I got my G3 at CompUSA in 1998, but now when I need an actual system I go to a place in town that are PROFESSIONALS not game-boy playing dorks. I think they're called "Microcomputers" or something...don't have a phone book with me now. No loud music, no video games, just a clean office where I can talk to them and tell them what I need, and they special order everyting for me. I guess I could've gone there to order the LaCie, but it'd probably be quicker ordering it myself online, and I need it quick and how.

The reason why I ordered the previous (Que!) drive was because it was given good reviews and recommended by MacWorld. They didn't even mention the LaCie in the article. But reviewing my catalogs, it looks like LaCie is one of the only ones that does have software for Mac OS X. So what gives, MacWorld? If I get the LaCie and it works great, they're getting a Letter to the Editor, that's for sure.

4 Comments

This all sounds just absolutely bloody and I'm so sorry to hear about it.
I'm with you on the loud music in stores. I hate to even go rent a video, because I don't just browse and take whatever catches my eye, I have a list of things that have been recommended or I've read good reviews of - and the store keeps the sound track of whatever movie they're currently flogging, so loud I forget the damn alphabet. So it's a little difficult to find things on the list.
Anyway, major condolences and I hope things end up better than before. Remember, adversity builds character. Ouch! Don't throw that coffee table!

Posted by Pat Hartman @ 07:01:2002:11:33 PM CST

Thank you, Pat.

Re: loud music in stores: we're old! Are we becoming what we hated in our parents? I was telling Stan the other day, you know what our problem is, we're getting old, but we're not just getting old like other people...we're alternative old, old goths before there was a word "goth" so now it's REALLY hard to find our niche.

You know, I like loud music (not real loud, but sufficiently loud) when I want to listen to my music loud. BUT I don't infringe my music on others, and I expect the same courtesy in return. I think stores that are constantly loud like that are just plain rude and discourteous to their customers. Sometimes when I go into one of them I put my fingers into my ears so that I can think. The game guys must think I'm a mental patient.

I want a backlash, dammit. I want an alternative to that mass-culture loud game-playing zombie dross. But then again, I wanted a backlash against all the coffee shops and wanted to see tea houses sprout up instead, and that never happened. Dream on, self.

Posted by Ann @ 07:02:2002:07:46 AM CST

God damnit how much that suck

Posted by Nico @ 07:02:2002:02:35 PM CST

Yup, it sucks allright.

Posted by Ann @ 07:02:2002:03:03 PM CST

By Ann @ 20:23 AM CST:12:20:02 ..::Link::..