Our home computer, you know, the one for the family in the kitchen-nook-cranny area, has served us well for a long time. However, for the last, oh…. six months or so, it’s been annoying to most of the family.
It doesn’t annoy me directly, because I have a kick-butt laptop that is almost always awesome-like in its sheer coolness. On the contrary – it annoys me indirectly. I say “indirectly” because it annoys everyone else in the family, who then come to me because I’m Mr IT Director and “fixing computers at work is what Daddy does.”
Yeah right. I “fix computers” kind of like how a a skilled surgeon “kisses booboos.”
Still, just as the cobbler’s children have no shoes, the performance and effectiveness of our family computer at home leaves a lot to be desired. Sure, I do some decent basics, like each family member has a “Limited” XP account so as to cut down on spyware and viruses. I have a personal firewall installed. I have antivirus installed and updated. I use products like CCleaner, HijackThis, Adaware, Spybot Search & Destroy, Microsoft Defender and a few others to keep the system running smoothly. I do the immunizations, checks and prayer vigils that I believe I’m supposed to do.
But over time, the computer gets bloated. Slower. Buggy. I frequently get inconvenient notices, usually in the form of an across-the-house yell, like “DAD! THE COMPUTER’S BROKEN!” This commonly comes when Jaden is trying to watch iCarly or something off of Nick’s site. I sometimes work on the issue, but I just get fed up, reboot and the problem goes away.
What do I do at work? I work on computers, networks, servers, SANs, firewalls, gateways, web sites, databases, printers, laptops, desktops, blackberries, switches, phone systems, call centers, badge readers, camera systems, IP phones, wireless access points, IP KVM, monitoring sytems, terminal servers, ssl certificates, VPN concentrators, UPS systems, generators, server cabinets and that’s just my main job. I intimately know TCP/IP, UDP, UNIX, Win, MOSS, DHCP, ATM, DHCP, LAN, MPLS, FTP, DNS, NIS, AD, RPC, SMTP, SNMP, DNIS, NTP, MIB, SSH, VOIP, H.323, RDP, X11, IOS, SIP, HTTP, VDN, ESX, OSI, VPN, SMS, HBA, SPS, WAN, PBX, UTM, PRI, DSL, Frame, and 8xx.
But do I want to do anything remotely related to those things at home?
In a word – NO.
So imagine my joy at getting an upgraded computer. Well, let me clarify. Our previous computer was about 8 years old. Our “upgraded computer” is only 3.5 years old. In computer years, that’s like a 75yr old marathon runner getting a new 30yr old body. It ain’t perfect, but boy is it nice! A brand new computer, on the other hand, would be akin to a 21yr old body pumped up on amphetamines.
Kind of like this guy, but if he was 21yr old, had a good body and did drugs:
Now my family has a screamingly fast computer (compared to the old one) and everyone’s happy. In technical terms, it’s has a 2Ghz CPU, 2GB ram, 2×1.5TB SATA drives running in a RAID1 plus another 500GB extra non-RAID drive, and it’s running XP Media Center. It has a CD/DVD burner with Lightscribe, and it has one of those built-in multi-media card reader thingies, where I can directly put in SD ram, MicroSD, sony memory sticks, CF cards, etc.
Life is good.
Let’s hope it lasts.
Kick-butt that’s awesome-like in its sheer coolness? I had no idea you were taking that MacBook home with you!
Dave2´s last blog post..Resolute
I take it with me everywhere. But I’m about to have to give it back
and I never finished my MITL’s.
This post (like many of your posts), cracked me up. Can I ask where you got your new awesomeness, and how much it cost?
Ben´s last blog post..Amazing to hear myself say it ….
Ben — the computer itself was excess inventory from one of my helper projects, so it cost me nothing – it was a hand-me-down. Did I mention it was old? The RAM upgrade cost me $30 and the 1.5TB drives were $99 each. The raid card and 500gb drives were hanging around.
But I do know personally about some of the Dell and HP deals going on now. At work, we bought 5 of the Dell deals in Dec for a dual-core 2ghz desktop w/2gb ram, 250gb hd and 19″ widescreen LCD. The vostro 220s. Awesome deal. There’s also the new system+lcd combo systems that are cool.
Yeah, decided after I re-read (after posting) it was probably a hand-me-down. I’ll check out the Vostros, though, thanks!
Ben´s last blog post..Amazing to hear myself say it ….
When I ask myself the question: “do I want to do anything remotely related to those things at home?” I also answer NO.
Which is why I have all Macs at the house and for all of my family. It’s rare that I get bugged to do anything of any technical nature for them anymore.
That new computer you have there is plenty fast, though.
Glad you mentioned the nature of how Windows collects junk over the course of time, even when you protect it with the proper tools.
martymankins´s last blog post..Snowy Sunday #08
Silly Chillywilly – don’t you know? Guns don’t kill people. PEOPLE KILL PEOPLE.
It’s the same with PCs. Windows is a semi-automatic weapon that can get the job done in no time, but just happens to accidentally go off. Mac is a artfully decorated water pistol. Fun, sure, and looks great, but you can’t really get the job done.
All you Mac addicts just hide the problems. It’s a cult! I’ve had this macbook pro lock up, give me this disgusted mac face and errors and the mac-equivalent of the BSOD. It’s just that it’s not Blue, and it’s well designed. But it still locks up just the same.
It reminds of the quote of “Unix doesn’t prevent you from doing stupid things, because that would also prevent you from doing clever things.”
(btw, have I used enough mocking sarcasm in this? Is someone potentially going to get offended? Cuz if you do, don’t)
Hey! You could’ve had a V8!
And by “V8″ I mean “Mac”. And by “You” I mean “I”. And by “could’ve had” I mean “want another”.
Ren´s last blog post..Glass Renagerie
Ren –
and by “Hey!” you meant “Wayne is so awesome I just have to say that”
“IT Director Extraordinaire”? Nay, sir,I call you a god.
No, I’m not a god. I’ve just relived this day 37 times already, so it appears to others that I’m a god.
Yay for fun new toys at home (and no one bugging you anymore)!! I’m a bookkeeper, and I don’t have a home budget; don’t think I’ve balanced my checkbook since my daughter got married in ’99.
Tug´s last blog post..Splash of red
Tug — see, you *get* me.
you mean :::sniffle::: not even computer nerds can fix a computer once it starts to slow down?
Cris´s last blog post..
Cris – oh no, don’t get me wrong. I *can* fix the computer. I just don’t *want* to at home.
Whew! I was concerned. My new Laptop is slower than the other new laptop my wife uses. And THAT just isn’t acceptable!
Cris´s last blog post..SHOCKING ACCUSATION!!
Cris – define “acceptable”.
I wish, at about 5 o’clock, I could say, “You know what? I have been taking care of kids and the house all day at work today and I’m not going to do it at night, too!”
My husband could so relate to this post. He’s always fixing our computers and spent about a week trying to kill a virus on my laptop for me. I’m still not positive it’s totally gone.
BlondeBlogger´s last blog post..Jackie, Debra and Stephanie Berger
BlondeBlogger – in my opinion, you should… if that’s your job. When I get home from work, I take over with the kids. And I do weekends. It’s only fair!
Oh my gosh, are you kidding? Could you be any more perfect?!
BlondeBlogger´s last blog post..Jackie, Debra and Stephanie Berger
Love, love, love new computer toys!!!! But yeah, if I had to work on them all day, probably not so much.
Giggle Pixie´s last blog post..Welcome to My Life
Giggle Pixie – exactly. I love what I do, but sometimes, just gotta say “no”. I play at work. I don’t want to work at home.
Will pray for this to last, at least 6 months.
Robin – 6 months should be easy.
You fix computers?!? YES!
I have the Sims Deluxe, Unleashed and Makin’ Magic installed on my computer. When I play the game, it has no sound…even though when you put the CD in the sound is there until I hit “play”.
Could you help me? hehe…its really about my Sims games
We’ve tried reinstalling it and deleting it and all that jazz. I’ve checked the games options and everything we can think of. Why can’t I get it to work?
P.S. I hearts annoying you while you aren’t at work
Sarcastica´s last blog post..#@$%#@Q!!!!
What is an extraordinair? Is it a Hookah Bar Lounge? Is that like an extraordinaire? s/ir/ire *giggles*