So to recap: Wine on the keyboard in Istanbul meant I used an external keyboard forever after. The screen died recently so I have an external screen. Then external keyboard took offence and it died too so I was reduced to one-fingered typing using an onscreen keyboard.
Never do this ... it's wrong wrong wrong and for so many reasons.
So we were in the supermarket the other day and unexpectedly found me an 8euro keyboard, allowing me to limp on towards September when I'll have the money required to replace my Toshiba-on-life-support.
Hah, how foolish was that.
The mousepad on my keyboard decided to come down with some startling issues that involve the mouse racing all over the screen, not responding to touch and usually resulted in the laptop shutting itself down.
So ... I dug out an old and infirm external mouse and here I am, working on the many pieces that make up my 'laptop'.
A short tech advice note: although it might be tempting, a new laptop (most of them now preloaded with) Windows VISTA will wreck havoc with many of your programs that work just fine with XP.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, scanners, printers, photo equipment, etc that did not came labeled "works with Vista" may very often not have a VISTA driver. And there may never be one written in order to boost new hardware sales..
While the new laptop may work fine with Windows Vista, most slightly older software and about anything from Adobe will not work
(see: http://www.adobe.com/support/products/
pdfs/adobe_products_and_windows_vista.pdf)
(not so) funny experience: the clinic that is trying to treat my cervical damage hooked up a laptop with Vista on the flexion monitor, designed for XP: the brandnew Windows Vista laptop crashed on the 'designed for XP' software..
Oh my!! Seriously? So, your laptop became a hard drive and you need an external monitor and printer?
ReplyDeleteAre you working and blogging like this??? wow, talk about patience!
Expats must be superhumans with an abundance of patience...yea, that's it...
:)
Thanks Peter, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Gert has found a Dutch site that writes of the problems I'll have with my CS2 photoshop programme. Apparently they are possible to overcome. That's the thing I most need to work.
ReplyDeleteAnd how awful it must have been to have the laptop crash while you were having work done on your spine.
So very seriously ... pause for a dramatic sigh, my laptop is now merely a hard drive storage facility and every thing else is external.
But no, I blog on Gert's computer. The pain and the suffering only entered the picture when he needed his computer for work or for himself.
I'm less than super-human ;)
If your screen died you could always try finding out if it needs a new LCD inverter... that's why mine went kapput but the replacement I ordered was totally broke... *sigh*
ReplyDeleteI'd let you have my old IBM thinkpad... great keyboard, great screen... it's just so ancient now it's not much use for anything other than a doorstop :(
Hey thanks Lever ... my laptop is in so many external pieces that I could 'stop' various doors with it :)
ReplyDeleteI've ordered an HP Pavillion, arriving September. So a little complaining till then lol.
Gert opened my Toshiba Satellite thinking he might know but it seems to be a connection issue in an impossible to reach place, in his semi-techy opinion.
As long as you didn't buy an Acer, they're renowned for being cheap & breaking quite easily :)
ReplyDeleteNo Acer's were bought, Jon :)
ReplyDeleteIt's a lovely little HP Pavilion found at a rather lovely sale price due to the kind efforts of Al.