The Dreadful -- Chapter 6

[MSperoni]

Donations would be nice, but that's okay for now.

I took my computer into get it fixed and it apparently was a problem with the graphics card. It is working now though.

However, there have been some odd happenings today regarding my computers. I noticed my laptop was no longer charging, yet I just unplugged it from the outlet for a bit and then plugged it into a different one and there was a little spark and then ...it worked.

also now that I have my computer back, the keyboard stopped working so I had to replace it with a backup...The backup keyboard is USB, unlike the old one.

Yet everything else works fine. Hmmm...

Could it all be related to some kinda electrical problem and the computer is, I dunno, just getting too much juice and it's frying things?

[Krylo]

Get a good surge protector just in case.

[MSperoni]

I have a surge protector, but it's kinda old, so I think I should get another one...

I'm really afraid to unplug it though. Or turn it off. I've been turning it off every night for the past few years, and so far have had no issue. But....Now I'm concerned.

The repair person I took it to said it was "user preference". I always turned it off at night because I thought it was easier on the machine and it was a psychological "thing" for me. Like, I have the computer off, work is done for the day.

Though now I don't know. If I turn it off, it may not come back on again :P

And if it does, who knows what sort of malfunctions will happen. The keyboard doesn't work, but it might be my tablet next time, or the mouse, etc..... URRGHGH

[Bum Bill Bee]

Jeane's been eating her Spinach hasn't she?

[MSperoni]

Page 161!

The final page of Chapter 6!

I don't think I'll be doing anything between chapters 6 and 7 this time. I feel everyone would prefer I just get right into chapter 7, and I really can't think of anything to do anyway :P

[SaltyKracka]

STEAMURRR

STEAM STEAM

[Alanim]

Originally Posted by MSperoni

The repair person I took it to said it was "user preference". I always turned it off at night because I thought it was easier on the machine and it was a psychological "thing" for me. Like, I have the computer off, work is done for the day.

Though now I don't know. If I turn it off, it may not come back on again :P

And if it does, who knows what sort of malfunctions will happen. The keyboard doesn't work, but it might be my tablet next time, or the mouse, etc..... URRGHGH

*edit* if you've already got your PC back, then this might not be relevant, whoops. I guess a lot can happen in 2 days, although the VERY bottom line could still be relevant.

The spark you get when you plug the power cord in is fine as far as I know.

Also, as far as I know, running a computer 24/7 is only bad for your power supply(Performance degrades over time)/power bill, but might/should increase the life span of hard drives, due to having to worry about thermal expansion/contraction, because it's always running.

You might also look at buying a PS/2 keyboard, generally PS/2 keyboards are superior, although they require a restart to be detected.

Being capable of fixing hardware/software related PC issues is a pretty great benefit to your wallet in most cases, and fixing them in most cases is either relatively easy and or just time consuming.

My main fear is that since he said it was a GPU problem(likely is), he might charge a arm and a leg for the "Repair" which might not even be a repair, and just a replacement(assuming a dedicated GPU and not a integrated). Then again I don't actually know your current PC specs. Might actually be a good idea to have a copy of your PC specs, such as CPU/RAM/Motherboard/GPU handy for incidents such as this. Could save some time/money since I know alot of the people on this website are pretty PC savvy.

Hopefully it all works out though, and hopefully your PC gets repaired soon so that the dreadful can continue.

OH YES, for the keyboard that's PS/2 make sure you actually do a reboot after you plug it in, since they're only detected on start up, USB can be plugged in at any time. Just throwing it out there if you haven't checked that.

[MSperoni]

Well, the computer is fixed for now. He just took the graphics card out and put it back in, cleaned it, "tightened" some stuff and...yeah.

I'm worried this might happen again though, but it works for now. I have a backup computer just in case, and this computer is much better than the one I'm currently using and has Photoshop CS5 on it. I just don't know how to use CS5 and my tablet isn't compatible with Windows 7.

I'm basically milking my old desktop for as long as I can, and I have been milking it for a looooong time (I want to say 6-8 years, but I think it's more like six). It's a wonder it still works.

[Alanim]

Originally Posted by MSperoni

Well, the computer is fixed for now. He just took the graphics card out and put it back in, cleaned it, "tightened" some stuff and...yeah.

I'm worried this might happen again though, but it works for now. I have a backup computer just in case, and this computer is much better than the one I'm currently using and has Photoshop CS5 on it. I just don't know how to use CS5 and my tablet isn't compatible with Windows 7.

I'm basically milking my old desktop for as long as I can, and I have been milking it for a looooong time (I want to say 6-8 years, but I think it's more like six). It's a wonder it still works.

Pretty sure you should be good. Computers last a VERY long time, 10 years+ if you want them to. What normally "dies" isn't the computer so much as the Hard Drive, everything else normally lasts a very long time.

Also, if you still have that keyboard, you should try plugging it in and restarting if you haven't yet.