Stephen Drivick's Blog - Posts Tagged "laptop"
Add Another Laptop to my Museum of Broken Stuff
I pressed the rectangular power switch on my trusty, five-year-old HP Pavilion laptop, and sat back waiting for the familiar home screen to show up.
But nothing happened. Just a black screen stared back at me.
The drive began making some strange noises. CLICK...CLICK...CLICK...Whrrrrrr. Sounds expensive.
After several start attempts with the same ugly noises and the same black screen, I suspected my electronic writing buddy was dead. I panicked, then put my forehead on the cheap, folding table that passes for my desk.
“My book is on there. Oh crap...I mean my books.” Sometimes We Ran 1,2,and 3 are all stored on the hard drive, resting comfortably. They sit there along with all my other scribbles taking up disk space. “What the hell am I going to do?” I cried.
After trying a few more fixes that regressed into shouting at the poor sick computer, I pronounced it deceased. It was time for a new laptop. So, I did what everybody does when they need some new electronics. I dialed up Amazon.com. :)
And that's where the problems began. Amazon has – I think – a million and a half pages full of new laptops. My eyes glazed, and my back ached as I paged through dozens of comparisons. Besides needing a computer that handled word documents, I needed one that could run CAD software as well. This means more RAM and a higher end processor. The search became complicated.
It seemed like hours later, but I finally settled on a new model... An ASUS 2 in 1 flip with 8GB of RAM (remember the CAD!), 500 GB(!) hard drive, and a new Intel I5 processor. It ran Windows 8.1 when I bought it, but updated to 10 a week after setup. So far, it has worked out great. The little ASUS is quiet, quick, and boots up fast. The keyboard even flips around, and it becomes a giant (13.3”) Windows 10 tablet. Pretty cool. Hopefully, Sometimes We Ran 4 will get back on track. :)
There is one thing I took away from all this, and it's very important. Back up your work on a daily basis. Luckily, I made a backup of all my files from the old computer, so it was just a matter of plugging it into the new machine. If you write on a laptop, grab a couple of USB drives and back up your masterpiece. Two times on two separate drives if possible. Set up cloud storage with Google Drive, Dropbox, or whoever Apple uses. Throw a copy in there as well. You'll thank me when your laptop starts making those expensive noises. :)
Till next time, friends.
But nothing happened. Just a black screen stared back at me.
The drive began making some strange noises. CLICK...CLICK...CLICK...Whrrrrrr. Sounds expensive.
After several start attempts with the same ugly noises and the same black screen, I suspected my electronic writing buddy was dead. I panicked, then put my forehead on the cheap, folding table that passes for my desk.
“My book is on there. Oh crap...I mean my books.” Sometimes We Ran 1,2,and 3 are all stored on the hard drive, resting comfortably. They sit there along with all my other scribbles taking up disk space. “What the hell am I going to do?” I cried.
After trying a few more fixes that regressed into shouting at the poor sick computer, I pronounced it deceased. It was time for a new laptop. So, I did what everybody does when they need some new electronics. I dialed up Amazon.com. :)
And that's where the problems began. Amazon has – I think – a million and a half pages full of new laptops. My eyes glazed, and my back ached as I paged through dozens of comparisons. Besides needing a computer that handled word documents, I needed one that could run CAD software as well. This means more RAM and a higher end processor. The search became complicated.
It seemed like hours later, but I finally settled on a new model... An ASUS 2 in 1 flip with 8GB of RAM (remember the CAD!), 500 GB(!) hard drive, and a new Intel I5 processor. It ran Windows 8.1 when I bought it, but updated to 10 a week after setup. So far, it has worked out great. The little ASUS is quiet, quick, and boots up fast. The keyboard even flips around, and it becomes a giant (13.3”) Windows 10 tablet. Pretty cool. Hopefully, Sometimes We Ran 4 will get back on track. :)
There is one thing I took away from all this, and it's very important. Back up your work on a daily basis. Luckily, I made a backup of all my files from the old computer, so it was just a matter of plugging it into the new machine. If you write on a laptop, grab a couple of USB drives and back up your masterpiece. Two times on two separate drives if possible. Set up cloud storage with Google Drive, Dropbox, or whoever Apple uses. Throw a copy in there as well. You'll thank me when your laptop starts making those expensive noises. :)
Till next time, friends.
The Ongoing March of Tech
[image error]
I remember my first laptop. It was a 2 inch thick, HP Pavilion 5000 something-or-other from Walmart. It was a gift from my Dad, who saw it on sale and thought me having a computer would be cool. It was...but it had a few drawbacks.
The screen. No doubt the worst screen resolution ever bolted together with a computer chip. You actually had to stand up and step back to make out some of the pictures.
The slowness. 512MB of ram. Combined with dial-up internet (remember?), you could take a coffee break while websites came up. And God forbid if the site had heavy picture content, or...gulp, video clips. You could time the thing with a calendar. Surfing the web was sometimes an all-nighter.
The storage. 30GB of ram. That's it...and that was a big drive at the time. Cheap Micro SD cards from Amazon have more storage...and they're faster to access!
My Dad meant well, and it was a pretty good computer at the time for a beginner. It was quickly out-classed and made obsolete by other offerings, and it didn't last very long. The wire harness from the screen to the motherboard broke inside causing a black screen of death. The old Pavilion was replaced, and now I'm actually three computers removed from that first step into the world of laptops.
That brick of a laptop was first powered on only twelve years ago. My new laptop has 8GB of ram, 500GB of storage, and Windows 10. It makes short work of websites...good for research. It plays video like a champ, and can download in a flash. It even folds into a tablet if necessary. The quick march of technology amazes me.
Pictured in this post, is another milepost on the march. Leaning against my monitor, is one of my latest purchases...a Kocaso W700 Windows tablet. It sports 1GB of ram, 16GB of storage, and Windows 8.1 all in a device with a 7in screen. This is not some crippled device that won't do anything, but a functional computer. It may have modest specs, but it still blows away my laptop from just a few years ago. It's a travel companion that runs full Windows programs. For writers, you could bring this thing wherever you go and jot down a few notes for your next story or novel. Maybe even bang out a chapter or two. And it uses your favorite word processing program. No need to convert files to move your precious words around. Find your favorite spot, get inspired, and write away. Heck...you could even hook a monitor to it (Micro HDMI) and continue to write at home.
Technology moves on. One day, they might just build-in a small computer into your brain when your born. Just need to upgrade it every few years or so. Sounds like a good idea for a novel. Don't anybody steal it! :)
Till next time.
I remember my first laptop. It was a 2 inch thick, HP Pavilion 5000 something-or-other from Walmart. It was a gift from my Dad, who saw it on sale and thought me having a computer would be cool. It was...but it had a few drawbacks.
The screen. No doubt the worst screen resolution ever bolted together with a computer chip. You actually had to stand up and step back to make out some of the pictures.
The slowness. 512MB of ram. Combined with dial-up internet (remember?), you could take a coffee break while websites came up. And God forbid if the site had heavy picture content, or...gulp, video clips. You could time the thing with a calendar. Surfing the web was sometimes an all-nighter.
The storage. 30GB of ram. That's it...and that was a big drive at the time. Cheap Micro SD cards from Amazon have more storage...and they're faster to access!
My Dad meant well, and it was a pretty good computer at the time for a beginner. It was quickly out-classed and made obsolete by other offerings, and it didn't last very long. The wire harness from the screen to the motherboard broke inside causing a black screen of death. The old Pavilion was replaced, and now I'm actually three computers removed from that first step into the world of laptops.
That brick of a laptop was first powered on only twelve years ago. My new laptop has 8GB of ram, 500GB of storage, and Windows 10. It makes short work of websites...good for research. It plays video like a champ, and can download in a flash. It even folds into a tablet if necessary. The quick march of technology amazes me.
Pictured in this post, is another milepost on the march. Leaning against my monitor, is one of my latest purchases...a Kocaso W700 Windows tablet. It sports 1GB of ram, 16GB of storage, and Windows 8.1 all in a device with a 7in screen. This is not some crippled device that won't do anything, but a functional computer. It may have modest specs, but it still blows away my laptop from just a few years ago. It's a travel companion that runs full Windows programs. For writers, you could bring this thing wherever you go and jot down a few notes for your next story or novel. Maybe even bang out a chapter or two. And it uses your favorite word processing program. No need to convert files to move your precious words around. Find your favorite spot, get inspired, and write away. Heck...you could even hook a monitor to it (Micro HDMI) and continue to write at home.
Technology moves on. One day, they might just build-in a small computer into your brain when your born. Just need to upgrade it every few years or so. Sounds like a good idea for a novel. Don't anybody steal it! :)
Till next time.
Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue - 100 Copies Sold!
When you don't sell millions of copies of your books, you celebrate the small stuff. Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue made to 100 copies sold. It took a while, but it finally joined SWR 1 and SWR 2 in the club. It's also a bit of a relief. Most publishing experts agree that independent published novels rarely reach the 100 sold level in their lifetimes. Sort of glad all three of mine reached the milestone. There's hope for the future! :)
------------------------------------------------
Headed to Biloxi, MS for some rest and relaxation ...and gambling. :) I want to write at the hotel after the fun. I was preparing my laptop for the trip, backing up data and putting things (cords, chargers, back-up drives. etc) into my bag. It hit me that this was too much stuff to lug around, and now I had to babysit another bag with a fragile laptop in it. This was supposed to be a vacation, wasn't it?
I'm decided on another way to go. The laptop and bag is staying home. My Galaxy S7 Edge will substitute. All I need is the phone, Google Docs, a portable keyboard, and the quick charger to be able to write on the road. The phone screen is 5.5", so we'll see if my 47-year-old eyes can handle it. Just an experiment right now, but I'm liking the packing light thing.
Till next time...
10/08/17 - I have to say the experiment with just using my phone was a success. I managed to put down about 1200 words or so in the hotel room after a hard day's gambling and cruising. It was nice not having to worry about multiple devices and chargers, and getting some work done.
------------------------------------------------
Headed to Biloxi, MS for some rest and relaxation ...and gambling. :) I want to write at the hotel after the fun. I was preparing my laptop for the trip, backing up data and putting things (cords, chargers, back-up drives. etc) into my bag. It hit me that this was too much stuff to lug around, and now I had to babysit another bag with a fragile laptop in it. This was supposed to be a vacation, wasn't it?
I'm decided on another way to go. The laptop and bag is staying home. My Galaxy S7 Edge will substitute. All I need is the phone, Google Docs, a portable keyboard, and the quick charger to be able to write on the road. The phone screen is 5.5", so we'll see if my 47-year-old eyes can handle it. Just an experiment right now, but I'm liking the packing light thing.
Till next time...
10/08/17 - I have to say the experiment with just using my phone was a success. I managed to put down about 1200 words or so in the hotel room after a hard day's gambling and cruising. It was nice not having to worry about multiple devices and chargers, and getting some work done.
