The latest round of Microsoft patches have destroyed my computer. It’s a Window XP computer that is used for one and only one purpose – writing my PhD thesis. So naturally, when you see a bright blue screen with these 4 letters – STOP, your bowels begin to move in uncomfortable directions. The helpful blue page gives you some friendly tips on what to do – well, that if you’ve recently added some new hardware to remove it – which I haven’t, so that’s fucking useless. On rebooting, another blue screen with a different error message. Even better. And after Googling that and trying the various bits of advice…. the computer is still dead. Windows boots, but now just hangs at totally random moments, which is sub-ideal if you’re in the middle of writing technical documents such as PhD theses.
Resigned to the worst (I have some backups after all), I decide to use the handy-dandy-all-in-one Sony VAIO recover discs – a set of 4 discs that just restore your computer to the factory presets. (The fact that I’ve paid for a copy of Windows XP, but they don’t actually give you a disc is a farce, in my opinion). Pop Disc 1 in, gives me a blurb about losing data, yahda yahda yahda, _ERROR_. “Your computer might not work now”. Excuse me?!
So I’m really up shit creek. No computer, let alone any fucking paddles.
And how am I writing this post? On my stable-no-worries-gets-on-with-it Mac. It just works, and I love it.
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