Dreading a New Computer

 

My old laptop has seen better days. It still works, but has problems recognizing the battery. We bought a new battery hoping that would fix the problem, but it's not the battery. It's the computer. David searched on-line and tried all sorts of suggested remedies. Nothing worked. If we were always in the land of plentiful power, it would not be a problem … I'd just leave it plugged in. But on the boat it's another story, so regretfully we set about finding a new laptop to take back to the boat with me. We find that laptops have an expected life of 2-3 years on the boat. Considering how hostile the environment is, I guess that's not bad.

I specified what I wanted and David, God bless him, did the research. We were working within a modest budget, but my requirements aren't that stringent. Long battery life, enough USB ports, SDHC slot for picture upload, enough memory to hold current data and fast enough to edit videos, photos and books without causing me to blow a gasket waiting impatiently. We've always had good luck with Toshibas. The one I'm replacing is an HP and I hated it from the start. Yet, getting rid of a computer is always a bittersweet thing. All that data to be transferred.

So I bought the new laptop a month ago and it's been sitting on Mary's kitchen counter since then waiting for me to do something with it. I dreaded the data transfer … it always take forever. I dreaded doing the virus scan … it takes forever. I dreaded using the new computer … Windows 8. Really, Bill Gates, do I have to put in my password every time I sign on even though the computer never leaves the boat? How do I get to the “classic” look versus the new Apple look? I mean, if I wanted an Apple (and I did, but it was too $$), I would have purchased one.

Well, nothing like waiting till the last minute. We're a couple of days from departure and I'm only now starting to begin the data transfer and I don't mind telling you, I'm particularly grumpy. David backed up everything to an external hard drive and scanned it all. He actually did all the hard work and still, I'm complaining about the data transfer to the new computer. It's a Toshiba Satellite … some version or other. It's faster than my old computer by a long shot. It's also bigger which required a new case. A charged battery has a 4-hour run life which is double the old one, when the battery was working, that is. Some of the keys are in different places. It's going to take some getting used to. Did I mention it's a Windows 8 operating system?

I'm slowly transferring the data and re-loading all my programs. It's a tedious task. The countdown clock is tick, tick, ticking. Mary's inheriting my old computer … keeping it plugged in isn't a problem for her. I'll erase all my old data and Mary will begin transferring hers to her new computer. I hope my new one lasts a long, long time.