Steven E. Wedel

Dark, soulful tales that haunt long after the last page.

Computer problems continue


The weekend is here. Can I get an amen?

I still can’t use my floppy drive. Still can’t get into my FTP Go Daddy account through the home computer. You know when all this bad voodoo started on my machine? I’ll tell ya. It was when I downloaded Service Pack 2 for Windows XP. Everything went bad then, so uninstalled the service pack. Then I began getting a message saying I had uninstalled hardware. For a couple of months I just clicked the cancel button on that. Last week I clicked “Continue” instead, just to see what the hell it was talking about. It tried to install something, some kind of driver, but failed. I’m beginning to suspect that whatever the that was had some effect on my floppy drive. Tonight I went in and deleted those drivers. When I reboot, I may lose my machine. Who knows?

I remember writing my first novel on a Smith-Corona Electra XT electric typewriter. The misery of page formatting is what keeps me from saying life would be easier if we went back to typewriters.

I realized today the deadline is almost upon me for making entries in the OWFI contest for this year. I know what I’ll be doing this weekend.

Steven E. Wedel

5 responses to “Computer problems continue”

  1. frosthaven Avatar
    frosthaven

    Selectric typewriter.
    I hear your pain and hear it all too often. There for a period of time I was fighting the machine to get a virus off, even to the point of having to uninstall the Java thingamabob from the machine. I am to the point where all I wish to use the danged computer for is just silly stuff like e-mail. I am giving myself a copier and in that way I can just stick to my typewriter and leave the computer for those who have the need to suffer.
    Best wishes.
    Frosty.

    Reply
  2. nickatillemans Avatar
    nickatillemans

    My first typewriter was an Underwood. I had to hammer those keys to get a good imprint on paper. I could have never typed a novel on that. If I managed a first draft, I would have never dreamed of typing up a second one. I wrote a couple of novellas on an electric typewriter. I retyped the second one onto a Mac IIci computer You’ve gotta hand it to the writers who didn’t have the tools we have today.
    Good luck with your computer. I hope you have everything backed up.

    Reply
  3. steve_vernon Avatar
    steve_vernon

    I wrote my first novel’s first draft by hand. I’ve still got the box of looseleaf boxed up on the shelf, marked “hazardous reading”.
    My second was a Brother Selectronic. (I think I have that second part right, it was a Brother, anyways)
    My third was typed on a big fat IBM 286, which was the top of league when I bought it. It died a few years back. I just retyped an entire 85,000 word novel, because my new computer won’t talk to my old 286. I think they’ve got caste issues.
    My current computer is a jockstrap bootleg accumulation of pieces and parts that I’d be hard pressed to replace. Computer failure is a fear we all live with these days. Good luck on this problem, Steve.

    Reply
  4. horrorwench Avatar
    horrorwench

    amen??

    Reply
  5. cheryl7 Avatar
    cheryl7

    They say no news is good news.
    Is the computer still in the house or have you thrown it through the window?

    Reply

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