Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Things Learned on the Job: Day 1

For those of you who don't know, I start my big girl job this week.

The job is in retail, but that's about as far as I'm going to go into it.

For the next 2 weeks, I'm training at a store about an hour away from where I live.

Yesterday was completely uneventful.

Except for my commute. Dear God I am not cut out for commuting.

First off, a snow storm hit right during my commute. My wiper blades were totally crusted over with snow and ice.

Despite the roads being pretty covered with icy snow, I drove the speed limit (60) for the most of my commute. And yet, there were morons flying past me. 2 of whom ended up in the ditch (haha, take that @holes!)

Anyways.

So the thing I learned yesterday is that I am not a good commuter. I hate it, and it hates me.

Beyond that, I also learned something else.

My Dell Inspiron laptop is trying to kill me. Literally, in the 20 months since I've had this laptop I truly believe I've shaved at least 2 years off my life.

Yesterday morning, I used it. Blogged from it.

Came home last night (after another snowy commute) and turned it on.

Only it took forever to turn on... and once it was on, I couldn't open anything.

Rebooted 8 times. Took over an hour.

So I finally got some error message about a security failure. Googled it.

It's from a Windows Defender Update. Which, coincidentally, has crashed my computer once before.

So I set it up to do some hard drive scan in safe mode overnight.

Wake up. It's at 27%. Fortunately, it gets to 66%. And stops working. But makes a clicking noise every 3 seconds.

Click click.

Click click.

For 3 hours. And then, since it's not moving, I do a hard shut off.

And upon re-boot?

No hard drive found.

And I believe this time it might be game over. (Thankfully, I got my pictures off.... so I would be happy to start completely over and wipe everything. Unfortunately, the boyfriend who has done that to this laptop 3 times dumped me. So now I'm gonna have to put another $100 into this laptop that's not even worth $100 to make it work.)

Twitter has told me unequivocally to buy a mac, but I'm scared.

And I did love my Dell. Even though the touch pad never worked, the half of the RAM broke on the day the warranty expired, and half of the keyboard doesn't work all the time.

So.... what did I learn on my first day of work?

That Dell must have some type of reverse life insurance policy on my life.... and they're trying to kill me.

Feel free to tell me how much you love your mac. Or hp. Or whatever computer you love.

And do not even tell me to get an iPad or a netbook. I will laugh you out the front door. Not gonna happen.

Happy Tuesday!!

34 Classy Comments:

Julie Leah said...

I have an HP and love it!! But my bff has a Mac and swears by it! I think either one is a good choice :) Boo on Dell!! I hope work goes well today!

Rebecca said...

OH MY GOSH! The "click-of-death!" That is how the geek squad referred to my computer right after it crashed and died. Now I have a Mac & yes, I love it. Go get a basic one... no need for that fancy stuff!

Jennifer Young said...

Wow, that sucks about your computer. My husbands desktop crashed last week and unfortunately, I think we lost a bunch of pictures. The last time he remembers backing up was September and our son's b-day was in October. I also haven't uploaded to Snapfish in, oh, about a YEAR. We are so screwed.

I'm surprised to hear that about a Dell. We just bought a Dell laptop a few months ago and it is great. I hope it lasts!

I'm also totally with you on the commute. If you would have seen my tweets from Friday or yesterday... I'm so over my commute!

Great to hear about the new job! I hope it works out well.

emily said...

just got the new toshiba...love it! has everything i need! got it from best buy for a great deal a couple months ago...highly recommend it! good luck!

melissa said...

Computer problems are the absolute worst! My old laptop crashed almost a year ago with ALL of my music inside. I still haven't gotten around to getting the music off the hard drive (if that's even possible) because Best Buy wanted $400 to do it - crazy jerks - and I have been avoiding finding someone else to fix it. I'm worried they'll start talking computer talk and totally lose me and then ask for my first born child in exchange for getting my 2,000 songs off of iTunes...gah! Should have been a computer science major.

So, basically, I just took 20 minutes to say - I feel your pain. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Ugh, those silly Netbooks. They make me feel old. Who can use such a tiny computer?

Brittany said...

Ugh, I can totally relate to you about dell laptops!! I have one right now and it's about to go OUT the window :-) I've had it for 2 years. I'm on my 3rd charger right now.. My laptop has to be plugged in to work and will not hold a charge for anything. It restarts when I tell it to shut down, and then says it doesn't recognize a charger and sometimes can't find an internal hard drive. So frustrating. If I had the money, I'd get a macbook. But that's out of reach right lol.

Lisa D. said...

hey sarah! believe it or not, i think Dell has the best customer service out there. there are a few things you can do to fix your problem, the easiest of which is probably to buy a new hard drive and reload windows. :) it's not that hard to do, and i bet if you call dell customer service, they can walk you through it. i've replaced my own hard drive a few times - it's not so bad!

Beth McC. said...

Hello... We could be Dell computer problem sisters! I have been through EXACTLY what you went through!! I was ILL!!!! I am like you I liked the Dell but after great research I will be buying an HP next! Good Luck and I will tell you everyone is going to tell you a different computer to get. I want a MAC I really do but 1.Im scared to get it 2.Its way to expensive for me right now! I fiqure get the HP save up cash and get the MAC when Im ready!
By the way I am not a commuter either!

Beth McC. said...

Hello... We could be Dell computer problem sisters! I have been through EXACTLY what you went through!! I was ILL!!!! I am like you I liked the Dell but after great research I will be buying an HP next! Good Luck and I will tell you everyone is going to tell you a different computer to get. I want a MAC I really do but 1.Im scared to get it 2.Its way to expensive for me right now! I fiqure get the HP save up cash and get the MAC when Im ready!
By the way I am not a commuter either!

Patience said...

Dell and I are no longer friends. I ordered a new computer and they cancelled my order. Three days before it was to be shipped. I hope the commute gets better.

Melissa @ So These Are My Thirties said...

Between my parents and I, we've had four Dells completely crash and burn on us. NEVER EVER AGAIN will we purchase a Dell. I'm an HP (Pavillion laptop) gal now, and I would definitely recommend it to you! Toshiba is another stand-up brand, their Satellite laptops are awesome. Good luck in your hunt, it's always fun to get a new toy :)

Melissa @ So These Are My Thirties said...

Between my parents and I, we've had four Dells completely crash and burn on us. NEVER EVER AGAIN will we purchase a Dell. I'm an HP (Pavillion laptop) gal now, and I would definitely recommend it to you! Toshiba is another stand-up brand, their Satellite laptops are awesome. Good luck in your hunt, it's always fun to get a new toy :)

Sara said...

Well, it is a bit more up front to get a Mac, but I've never had to have any work done on mine and I've had it for almost four years.

You won't need a virus program and everything is so easy to use. Also, you can buy them refurbished (mine is) for less than brand new. But, you can only get the refurbs online.

The Ratpack said...

computer problems are the worst! Almost as bad as commuting...a good talk radio station is a must (for me).

I love my mac and it is very easy to use. Before I got my mac I had my fair share of computer problems, specifically with Dell. I feel your pain!

katie lake said...

Sounds like your hard drive is no more! Sucks! I had ZERO problems until my hard drive crashed after 4 YEARS with my mac. $100 later and a hard drive 3x the size of the original and my mac is STILL working better than my dad's PCs. Now had my Mac 5 years!

Honey Ham said...

Why put it off any longer? Go get a Mac yesterday. I was scared once too. Now I kick myself for waiting as long as I did.

What's an error message? Macs don't get those : )

p.s. good luck with your new job!

Honey Ham said...

Why put it off any longer? Go get a Mac yesterday. I was scared once too. Now I kick myself for waiting as long as I did.

What's an error message? Macs don't get those : )

p.s. good luck with your new job!

Unknown said...

oh no!! i hate it when my computer goes all crazy! we are looking to buy a new one too and have been looking at Mac's but they are so pricey. I hope it starts working! Oh and i totally hate commutes too...i hope the rest of your training goes by fast!

Thomasina said...

I just got a new laptop, and its a Gateway. So far, so good. Sorry to hear that your laptop is sick.

Anonymous said...

I have an HP laptop, and I am completely in love with it. I got it aroud Christmas, so its new, but it hasn't given me problems at all. My desktop is an HP as well, and I've had that for years, and works fairly well. So sorry about your laptop:(

Krista said...

After 25 years of using a PC, my husband finally convinced me to try a Mac. The day I bought my first Mac, I was scared and nervous. But after an hour of using it, I've never looked back! I've had my Mac desktop for just over a year and I absolutely love it. In fact, I'm getting ready to purchase the Macbook Pro in a few months :)

Anonymous said...

I won't ever get a Dell again! Mine stinks. The husband has an HP and it seems to work well. And I hate commuting too. I try to make the best of it with music/reading though.

d.a.r. said...

Another vote for a Mac....sorry about your stinky commute :(

Jessie Jones said...

I'm so happy you're job has started! Congrats again. Now, that being said, I'm a total Mac girl. I will NEVER, EVER buy anything else. I'm saving up to replace my current laptop now. I've had my MacBook Pro for four years, three of which it travelled across the country dozens of times during. I've never had to buy software, virus programs, or replace anything. Once, my battery died, and even though it was after the 3 year warranty, the Mac store replaced it anyways - totally free. Their service is just above and beyond! Good luck!

Anonymous said...

I agree, commuting is the worst part of working. But the good news is, you'll adjust to the new schedule and it'll get easier. Miss you!

CIP said...

That happened to my brother's dell this weekend! Knock on wood, but mine has been fine!


PS- Commuting can suck sometimes :(

ashleyTIA said...

Hey, girl.

I hated commuting too until I started downloading audio books. Nothing like a little romance to make the time fly. ;)

heidi said...

i LIVED by HP's my first computer, an HP Pavillion desktop lasted me over 5 years til i converted to laptop - an HP laptop which was great til it wasn't. A few corrupted hard drives and bad experiences at Best Buy later, I was done. PC's and I broke up.

Hubs bought me Stella, my sassy little macbook and I've been hooked ever since. iPhone. iPod. MacBook. All of it.

Go big or go home - and by big i mean go Mac you'll never go back :)

Elizabeth said...

I hate technology sometimes! Particularly, when it doesn't work! I am so sorry, I know how frustrating that must be!

Check out my blog when you get a chance- I tagged you for an award!

AussieMumma said...

I do <3 my HP! I hope your next day at work is better :)

Alyssa said...

Don't buy an HP! I have had SO many problems with mine! If you want to know all the deets, email me! I am commuting too, and it stinks! I also had to deal with a snow storm as well, I feel your pain!! Hope today goes better for you!

Kelly Marie said...

I had a Dell for all of undergrad and HATED it, everything went wrong and they even sent me a new one for free because it was so hot it could've exploded. I LOVE my mac that I got a year ago (:

Cheerful Homemaker said...

While I love, love, love all things Apple (iPod, iPhone), I do not have a Mac. I wanted to get one, but I'd have to order online because this town is a hole and there are no Macs to be looked at anywhere in a 100 mile radius.

The hubs had a Vaio that he finally admitted was dead (when he got it, he was always going on about how much better it was than my hp even though he always had probs). We went to buy him a new laptop and ended up getting both a laptop and desktop (which I have taken over as my own). It is amazing. It's an HP. I've always had HP and love them. In fact, I used to actually work for HP...

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