Unwind.
Kick back.
Take a load off.
Relieve yourself of mundane household responsibilities and bask in the glow of Slackerdom.
-or-
Spend a combined 24 hours over a weekend wrestling with new computer hardware before you come to the realization that maybe the marketing glossy wasn't entirely accurate "in your case".
A while back, this infernal machine started acting flakey. I did some scrimping and saving, and picked up some nice but not bleeding edge pieces parts. Replacing the motherboard meant a new CPU and memory. I could have gone with a motherboard with integrated video, but what fun is that? Hence, a new video card. Some people pester me saying I could have gotten a Dell (dude) or something similar for the same money, and have something that's already put together, no muss, no fuss. There are two problems with that for me.
First, I like building it. Pulling out the same Philips screw driver that I've used nigh on two decades for these projects (you may now gag on the nostalgia). Cutting open the static-protection envelope to see if the cat, who walked by ten minutes ago across the wool carpet in another part of the world, generated enough static electricity to zap the thing ANYway. Aligning the motherboard with the mount points. Plugging cables hither and yon, and on, and on... This is (mostly) fun to me. Occasionally, it's even challenging; Such as having a mid-tower case to cram everything into and hope it doesn't overheat.
Second, for the money they would spend on one of those pre-built systems, I can buy better components than Dell, et al., use in their one-size fits, well, somebody over there who only types in a text editor now and then. If they type slowly. I'm no hard-core FPS gamer, but I loath to have any game I load start to skip more than my Beatles album that my parents gave to me when I was five years old (and if you think about how your average five-year-old treats the black circle, you'll know what I mean). [Tangent: I wonder why my parents didn't like The Beatles?]
So about the assembly. Yes, your mileage may vary, but do yourself a favor and don't attempt to mess with Mother Nature. For if the optical drive were meant to be connected to the SATA port, it would have damn well been made with a SATA connector. Tread not into the blasphemy of "converting" the IDE port to mate in unholy union with the SATA!
Ahem... sorry about that. I'm not the boss of you, do whatever the hell you want. It can work with your IDE hard drive (that is, it's working with one of mine at the moment), but there's just something apparently not right when trying to do the same with the optical variety drives. Or, at least, with my optical drives.
And for the love of Mom's Apple Pie, ALWAYS...
No, wait.
NEVER try to update ANY software when you're only connection is of the dial-up variety. It hurts.
Megadeth, Disconnect
Where are we going? And why are we in this handbasket?
2 comments:
See, that's why being a "helpless girl" is great sometimes. I grab a screwdriver and start to tinker, and suddenly men I've never even met come running and offer to do the tedious stuff for me. Computers, cars, whatever. :) Every computer I've ever owned was GIVEN to me by guys who grew tired of doing my tinkering and just gave me a new system. I sat here moaning over your dial-up woes, too. Tsk, tsk. My boyfriend has me hooked into a free nearby wireless connection, too. [batting eyelashes] It's good to be a girl.
Hey, whatever works for you.
I've gotta wonder though; These guys that crawl out of the wood-works to help... What're you doing, taking the thing outside on the side of the road or something? Oh wait, I can imagine your delivery. Something along the lines of, "Oh yeah, I really like the way your Philips turns my mounting screws. What a great fit! ..."
Actually, that explains a lot, based on your last blog. I could totally see that happening! -wink-
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