Sometimes,,, I HATE computers

[contender]

I freely admit I'm computer stupid. I'm not a geek,, nor do I understand all the terms & such when discussing computers & all. I have NEVER used any of my computers to their full potential,,, heck,, not even half of their potential. I'm able to do more simple stuff,, and I get by.
In my work,, I use Quickbooks to do my invoices & all.
Well, Tuesday evening,, all was fine. But,,, when I got up Wednesday morning,,, & went to get on my main,,, desk top,,, it asked for my password. Ok,,, it does that occasionally,,, and has never been an issue. Enter the password,,, it opens & all is fine. Well,,,,, not this time. The computer opened a page that said my server server was unavailable. It had a box under that with a place to click,,, that said "ok." I'd click that & it's take me back to asking for my password. Back & forth, back & forth,,, nowhere. I tried a shut down,,, & a few other minor things,,, before I hollared "Uncle!" Miss Penny came in last night,,, she tried for over an hour,,, including 2 different phone calls to techies,(geeks) without any results.
Today,,, I took my 4-1/2 yr old "all in one" desktop to the geeks who speak the language. It has Microsoft 7 as the operating system.

Diagnosis? It's corrupted & would cost about $200 (or possibly more) to MAYBE fix it,,, & recover most of my data.

AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!

I used words & terms the geeks didn't understand. (I guess they don't understand pizzed off redneck hillbilly in the same fashion I don't speak computer.)

That main computer has my pictures,,, my work Quickbooks files & customer base,,, and many saved documents & such. A lot of data,,, including pics & customer base stuff,,, does occasionally get a thumb drive back up. But,,, it has my invoices & such "on hold" until I get it all fixed.

Well, to fix my problem,,, I'm buying another computer,,, and they are going in & recovering all my data & stuff. I'll have to see if I can find my Quickbooks disc,,, & TRY to download it into my new computer. (It may not work with Win 10) If not,,, I'll have to buy a new QB program & then see if I can transfer my data. The good thing is they are setting me up with an external,,, 1 TB hard drive memory thing to save my stuff. Plus,,, they are going to set it up to where it automatically does a daily back-up to save all my data.

But,, it'll be tomorrow until I get my new computer,,, and then it'll take a few days to make sure all is as it should be. So,,, hopefully,,, by Monday,, I can go back to work & have my stuff "right!"

Oh,,, if you are wondering,,, I'm on my spare,,, man cave,,, not used much spare computer. It did NOT get the QB program installed... But it will once all this is fixed. So,,, I've not been offline so to speak,,, but I have had my work stuff severely interrupted.

Sometimes,,, I HATE computers!

 

[coach]

Too late now, but now you know to backup your computer in the future. Many options like external hard drives or the cloud. The cloud offers remote storage so fire or theft isn't an issue. I would think it's deductible.

 

[JFB]

having similar problems with mine today! must be some hidden program MS installed.

However I am still hanging on to XP. while I have files stored on external. Setting up new software to access online services scares me as I only bank online

 

[Pat-inCO]

Contender . . . . Do a little looking in the manuals and see if you can
bring it up in "safe" mode. If so, you will not have many of the things
you are used to, but you may be able to access your data. If so, copy
it to a micro SD card (I run 32G cards). With the data on SD card(s)
you can load it on the new computer quite easily.

For everyone, as coach said . . . BACKUP.

I have the desktop and a fairly good laptop. I maintain backup copies
on the laptop AND on SD cards. By the by, if you have a second
computer for backup, BE SURE you also backup your E-mail addresses
AND your Bookmarks (preferences for winderz peoplez). 8)

 

[reloader]

It's probbably too late for this but maybe some of it will be helpful...or for next time.

The 2nd Tuesday of the month is known as Microsoft Update Tuesday. Microsoft's up-dates don't always work with everyone's computer set ups, so sometimes you have to System Restore to get the system back to when if functioned propperly. Then turn off Microsoft update or hide the offending update so it will not install again. If you can not get passed the password log on you can usually create a new user account and get in or you can use another computer and download a copy of Windows Log/Password on changer to change the password. I've had to do it for my wife when she made herself a complicted password she couldn't remember and forgot to write it down. Also EaseUS has a website with some free software that you can use to restore or repair your hard drive with. You may need to purchase a cable set from Diablotek to attach to the old hard drive then plug it into another computer that has the EaseUS software on it and fix the boot partition.

Also one long ago I had a hard drive that was only about 2 months old suddenly die on me. I thought at least I had a back up.... Turned out the backup didn't work. So now I have 2 external back-up hard drives plus save my data each day on a usb thumb drive and an SD card. I also do a complete system back up at least once a month to a 3rd hard drive that only gets powered up for the back up then is shut off and dissconected from the system.
I also run Malwebytes, Security Essentials, and CCleaner daily, and keep a few other computers with all the same data on them, one with Windows 8.1, one with Windows 10 (least favorite), and another with Windows 7. I still prefer Windows 7 though and use it most of the time.

I hope you enjoy your new computer and that everything works out ok with the Quickbooks restore.

 

[Rancher Will]

Computers have a mind of their own. I still chuckle to myself about an experience I enjoyed years ago. It still happens.

As most here know I am a cattle rancher and owner of a small trucking business. I have trucking customers in the Midwest and Rocky Mountain region but none on the East Coast. When one of my trucks delivers a load to the East Coast I work with a Broker in New York, name Ken, to get a return load.

For years, every time I called the Broker, told him where my truck and driver were unloading and asked for a trip lease back haul load, Ken would always say, "Hold on a minute. Then in less than a minute he would tell me where to send the truck for a back haul load."

One time I called Ken and he said, "Will, I will have to call you back. It will take a little while". I answered, "OK, I guess you are pretty busy today."

"No", he said, "We just got new computers so now everything takes longer."

 

[Kevin]

Contender: not to beat a dead horse, but BACKUP your stuff. I have three external hard drives for multiple copies. And yes they do go bad from time to time too, but with two redundant drives it isn't a problem. Plus they are really cheap these days.

 

[Johnnu2]

I don't know about Contender, but I can tell you that I didn't understand 10% of all the help you all have graciously suggested here............. All I can do is email and a little net surfing. Fortunately I don't bank, or do anything financial with my computer.....just too stupid I guess. p.s. how do you capture your email addresses to save on an external drive (I have one of those)..???
p.s. GOOD LUCK CONTENDER............. I FEEL YOUR PAIN fer sure.

J

 

[GunnyGene]

You ain't seen nothing yet. Give it a few years, and we'll be cyborgs. You'll have to have a USB port in skull to debug your brain, and you'll be connected to the net 24/7, with upgrades to your wetware happening automatically.

Technological singularity will turn us into super humans some time in the next 12 years, according to a Google expert.

This might sound like science fiction, but Google's Director of Engineering, Ray Kurzweil, has made 147 predictions since the 1990s and has a success rate of 86 per cent.

Kurzweil says when we live in a cybernetic society we will have computers in our brains and machines will be smarter than human beings.

He claims this is already happening with technology - especially with our addiction to our phones - and says the next step is to wire this technology into our brains.

Kurzweil, an author who describes himself as a futurist and works on Google's machine learning project, predicted that technological singularity would happen by 2029 at the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas.

Singularity is when carbon and silicon-based intelligence will merge to form a single global consciousness.

'By 2029, computers will have human-level intelligence,' Kurzweil said in the interview with SXSW.

'That leads to computers having human intelligence, our putting them inside our brains, connecting them to the cloud, expanding who we are.

'Today, that's not just a future scenario,' Kurzweil said. 'It's here, in part, and it's going to accelerate', he said.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4319436/Singularity-create-super-humans-Google-expert-claims.html#ixzz4baOixg4f
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

 

[Johnnu2]

Nevermind my queston about saving contact list........ I actually figured it out and put it in an Excel file and then dumped it onto an external drive..... DAMN...

J

 

[Captain America]

This is exactly why self driving cars are waaaaaaaaay off in the future. In an episode of a TV show I watch two characters were on their first date and the guy asked the girl if she liked computers, her reply summed up my opinion of them perfectly, she said "I use computers, I don't like them". That about sums up my opinion of technology, I'm generally unimpressed with most of it, but, since I have to use it everyday, I just want it to work.

 

[contender]

Like Johnnu2,,, I don't understand a lot of the things said,,, except to get back ups. HOW to do that,,, well,,, I'm still computer stupid. But the new computer is coming with an external HD back-up thing. It'll be doing the back-ups once per day.
Also,,, I did have a lot of my stuff on flash drives. BUT,,, I haven't updated them in a few months. And,,, from what I was told,,, I can not access my data from my QB customer database etc w/o actually having QB program on the computer I'm using.

But,,, I will be doing more back-up stuff,,, rest assured.

Now,,, get this,,,,,,, we may have ANOTHER computer crash issue.

Last night,,, I was trying to use Miss Penny's computer to get into a program to design & print USPSA stages. We have a match tomorrow. I did one,, late last night,,, everything was fine.
Just a little while ago,, I went to do a few more,,, with VERY specific instructions from her on how to turn her computer on,,, how to enter her password,,, and such. Well,,,,,,,,, now her computer won't allow access. It will not open either. I did NOT touch ANYTHING other than the very specific keys she told me to use. When it happened,,, I stopped, & called Miss Penny. Guess who is mad at me right now thinking I did something to her computer?

I did see where Yahoo was supposedly hacked etc. I'm about to wonder if there is not an external thing causing our computers to die suddenly. Something attached to Yahoo maybe?

This computer I'm using,,, my b/u,,, was VERY slow opening,, and didn't allow me easy access to my emails etc this morning. I'm scared to use it right now.

 

[mikewriter]

I feel your pain! I have had a couple of computer "crashes' in the last 6 months or so, that both cost me data I sort of needed. I run an Apple, with Word for Apple as my word processing program. Lately I have been besieged by notices of "UpDates". I usually try to ignore these, as I did not ask for any updates, and they normally only apply to programs I never use, anyway. Word, however, has been acting funny, losing or denying me access to documents, now it refuses to allow mw to send some documents and photos by email. Getting around this by using WeTransfer to send data files - which I was intending to switch to completely for that purpose, anyway, but dadgummit, these 'puters can drive an old man crazy!

Mike

 

[Pat-inCO]

OK . . . . . . . . I'll say it . . . . . . .
Linux (Mint is easiest).

Nine years and I've had two problems, and one of them was minor.
The other one just took a few days for them to get the update out.

 

[NikA]

Linux can also be used on a bootable USB stick to save files from a Windows computer with a corrupted hard drive. It wouldn't be my first choice (that would be having backups to prevent data loss), but if you're between backups and have something specific that is important in a known location, booting Linux from a stick and pulling the necessary files to the stick has worked for me in the past. It is also a free approach before you shell out for someone who will likely end up taking a similar plan of attack.

 

[4kdave]

I got hacked two days ago someone contacted my friends list and asked them to be friends using my name. I also get emails from my Son & Granddaughter that they didn't send & I do not open...I hate computers & may not use mine except for emergencies

 

[WendyZXZ]

Very good move on the backups as many have already mentioned. These days good external hard drives are so inexpensive that like Kevin we have multiple drives to back up everything. We are on Macs here so any problems here we can either restore from the Time Machine backup, wipe out everything and reload as a factory default or just reload the OS. Kenneth has once reloaded the OS when he thought the system was running strange and buggy and the entire process took about an hour. The only real problem with Macs are the cost which can put many off.

 

[Mus408]

My backup is a pencil !

 

[contender]

Well,,, I'm home with a new computer.

LUCKILY,,, Miss Penny's computer is ok. I have NO clue as to why It didn't open this morning. But,,, hey,,, I'll take it & be happy.

Now,,, I'm on the new computer right now. All my stuff is backed up,,, and on an external (1) TB drive.
I already did have a lot of my stuff backed up on Flash Drives & all,,, but being lazy,, and allowing work & other stuff to get in the way,,, I hadn't done any b/u's for about 3 months.

The biggest PIA right now is my new computer doesn't have my Quickbooks program. They were not able to transfer that program. I have to find the disc,,, and HOPE & PRAY it'll be compatible with Win 10. So,,, I'm still not quite there. If the disc isn't findable,,, and or not compatible,,, I'll be buying the new QB program. I can not access my stuff in QB w/o their program on the computer.

And so it goes!

 

[exavid]

If a person is still running XP there shouldn't be any updates coming from Microsoft since they no longer support that OS or Microsoft 7 for that matter. I have a bunch of programs I installed on 7 that run fine after I loaded Windows 10. The fact that Microsoft was handing out Windows 10 for free sure proved that 8 was as stinker. I like 10.

 

[Colonel Daddy]

Shortly after joining the Forum, I noticed Flatgate mentioning his Mac computer and talked to my wife about one (she is very computer literate). She said they are too expensive. After 2 more Dell computers she decided that maybe we do need to go ahead and buy a Mac. A few years after buying the Mac, guess what? LOL, yes, :shock: , :lol: , :evil: , Problems!!! The geek told us that there are some who have figured out how to invade our machine! We talked to him about buying another. He actually discouraged us from that. Sure he could have sold us a new Mac but said ours was as good as any home computer...........and sold us a warranty on ours. Now, 24/7 we can call him or take it to him. He's never failed to fix it. Tyrone, I know less than you about these 'puter machines. My wife forbids me to download anything :roll:

 

[opos]

I often hear things about "cloud storage" back up and don't know what that means...I also heard it may be easily compromised. I have little "important stuff on the computer...I don't bank nor do any investing...I do have a brokerage account that I can access but I do all my transactions through the broker and all I get is a summary. Most of our things are family pictures, hobby things, etc...would "cloud storage" work" We have a p/c with Windows professional seven and use Mozilla Firefox.

Thanks

 

[Pat-inCO]

Most of our things are family pictures, hobby things, etc...
would "cloud storage" work"?

Sure would.
Especially if you want virtually everyone to have access to it.
Without you knowing who.

The "cloud" is nothing more that a voluntary way to submit ALL data put
on it, to literally everyone. A.K.A. One step closer to Orwell's vision.

In case you can't tell, I have zero, zip, nada, and nothing on the cloud.
I seriously doubt that will ever change.

 

[RoninPA]

When I was still working I asked our company computer guru to explain "The Cloud" to me in laymans terms. He said, it is any number of different servers, anywhere in the world that have dedicated space on them to act in conjunction with all the other servers set up the same anywhere in the world to be able to accept data from anyone. Makes me feel real confident on where my "Cloud" date is and who could possibly access it. I save/back up everything to flash drives and my external hard drives.

 

[contender]

We don't do cloud storage here for privacy reasons.