computer Archives - Beth Daigle

Hello and Happy Tuesday!

Typically, I post on Mondays, but I needed one extra day to tell this story.

A few weeks ago I posted about my laptop upgrade gone wrong. It seemed simple really. I was swapping out my old Dell for a new one. Alas, the frustrating and unsuccessful process forced me to abandon the failed mission and rethink my plan all together. Following that post, I received flak from those who couldn’t believe I was even considering sticking with a PC.

“For God’s sake, just get a Mac,” I heard more than a few times.

I’m a big believer that things happen for a reason. Beyond these wise earthly beings, I somehow felt the computer Gods of a higher power were challenging make this life-changing move.

I struggled to make the final decision. I was worried I wouldn’t like working in a Mac world. As my New Year’s Resolutions post suggested, I have a tendency to second guess myself.

Then I recalled this summer when the fire pit on our patio lost a few stones. We were told it would need to be rebuilt. Initially I thought, what a pain. Then I realized, since we had to start from scratch, why not change a few things to improve our overall patio experience. Our open fire pit turned into a fireplace and we are so much happier. It has turned out to be a much better fit for our space.

My computer situation was similarly fateful – I had to change things up. A phone call from my very first boss sealed the deal. Dick Miller, a wise business man and Apple aficionado, insisted that moving from PC to Mac would, unquestionably, be the best thing for me. I believed him, but still had doubts.

My MacBook Pro

Well Dick, you were right. I’m happy to say that I’m typing away on my new MacBook Pro and loving it. I just picked it up from the Apple Store on Sunday night (thus the delay in my posting schedule) and I’m cruising along rather effortlessly. Dick, thank you for your support and encouragement.

In the time I dropped my old computer to the Apple Store for the file migration from my old laptop, I couldn’t help but feel a void. I had no computer for three days! It was weird and nice at the same time.

Now, with my new workstation up and running, I am shocked at how satisfied I am. Not only do I enjoy the newness of it all, but it is nice to feel current. I am working on the same programs as my kids and my new laptop is sleek and efficient.

I had gotten so used to my cantankerous PC that I never realized how much time I wasted waiting for the thing to boot up, open programs and shut down. In retrospect, it was ridiculous.

Going from my outdated PC to Mac, things are now moving so quickly I need to be careful. Just this morning, I mistakenly deleted all of my emails pre-dating 2017. This was not my intent, but also not the end of the world. If I’ve neglected to respond to an email, please forgive me and resend.

The Apple Store

My new machine is quick and cool, as are the Apple Store staff. I honestly didn’t believe customer service could be so good. These folks are available and attentive to your every need. I spent two hours in store on Sunday night and never once felt rushed. From my first visit to Apple Rockingham Park, I had great people like Jeremy, Olivia, Joe, Gail and Giuseppe holding my hand every step of the way. They were each instrumental in helping me make the transition from PC to Mac with ease and enthusiasm.

And now, I am welcome to attend countless workshops, make appointments at the Genius Bar and take full advantage of AppleCare. I feel like I have a full-service tech team at my fingertips – the support is comforting beyond words.

My move from PC to Mac was long overdue. For my needs, the Apple environment is ideal and with so many great apps, programs, tools and tricks, I am well on my way to learning many new and exciting things.

I’d be curious to know if anyone has ever had a bad Apple experience.

I see a lot of photos like this on Instagram. Pretty, right? I love the idea of making something functional beautiful. But looking at that pic right now, I just want to scream – and laugh because whose work space ever looks like that?

For the purpose of this post, I actually photographed my girls’ MacBook Air because it’s sleeker and better looking than my clunky Dell laptop. Yeah, I’m still a PC user. I just can’t seem to get myself to transition to a Mac even though EVERYONE I’ve ever spoken to says it’s the only way to go. I’m stuck! Stuck in a business world mindset that still prefers a PC.

Although my business days are long gone, I find adjusting to a Mac to be too much trouble.

Honestly, after last week, I’d go back to pen and paper and toss all technology to the curb if I could.

My New Computer

Here’s what happened – I had the good fortune of getting a new laptop -still a PC, still a Dell – nothing fancy. Just new and a lot lighter than my old one, which was actually hard for me to pick up with one hand. Saying that out loud actually sounds ridiculous.

This should’ve been a good thing, but oh how it wasn’t. The trouble wasn’t with my new computer itself, it was the transferring all of my “stuff” from old to new that presented the problem. I didn’t dare attempt this on my own; I sought the help of an expert – three to be exact.

It’s worth mentioning that my computer usage is by no means complicated. I use Word, Outlook, Excel and the Internet. That’s pretty much it. My goal was simple: replicate my original setup on my new computer.

Three technicians and ten days later, I’m still using my old computer.

Much like winter snowflakes, no two computers are alike. What I assumed to be a simple task was apparently far more complex than I could ever imagine.

Tech Guys

My only request to each of the three technicians I commissioned was this; make my new computer look exactly like the old one. First and foremost – email and calendar. A simple .pst file I was told -no problem!

The first guy returned my computer saying everything was all set with one caveat, Outlook failed to load so no emails or calendar appointments. Um, wasn’t that the one thing I said was most important? OK, I said – what do I do now? He informed me he was closing his shop the next day – I mean going out of business. What? Was this dude serious? Not only was he serious, I’m pretty sure he was stoned. I took my computers and ran; happy I still had them both intact.

Guy number two was a friend of a friend who worked with me remotely. He was really just doing a favor to help me understand what went wrong with the guy number one (I think we all know what went wrong with number one). Guy two helped me get Outlook reactivated, but none of my old stuff was recovered. He suggested I get in touch with someone locally who could take a closer look at both systems.

OK, next! My third guy was actually great, but by this time I was so frazzled I started to unravel. Clearly, whatever I had going on with my email was not a simple fix. After several, nearly successful, attempts to get it right, I abandoned the mission. I had reached a point where I felt like I was throwing money out the window and I just couldn’t handle the anxiety of it all.

Now What?

As I type, my new computer sits to my left – closed, quiet and untouched for the last 48 hours. It’s taunting me and I don’t want to look at it much less deal with it. It scares me to think that in order to use it I will have to start over from scratch.

The blessing and the curse of my scenario is that my old computer is still functioning. A blessing because all my files, emails and appointments are still accessible; a curse because it’s the crutch I keep falling back on while I avoid the inevitable.

Eventually, I will transition to my new computer. It may require some manual entry of calendar items and there may be some emails lost along the way, but the reality is that my old, heavy laptop is on its way out. It’s crashing more and more often, its little engine revs so loudly I can barely hear my phone ring and an upgrade is long overdue. I can’t remember exactly how long I’ve had my good old laptop. That alone suggests it’s much too old.

I’m sure 2017 will welcome many new and exciting things and love it or hate it; one will be a new computer. Fingers crossed I end up loving it.

Do you have a computer nightmare/technology-gone-wrong story to share?