Welcome to computer hell

We spent most of the day today trying to buy a new laptop because mine refused to open up Internet Explorer this morning. Something got hung up and everything went haywire (that’s all technical jargon, I’m sure) and I kept getting a file that wouldn’t run (MSMSGS.exe ??) and all kinds of other mystical problems occurred. Anyway, considering that the fan has been running amok and it takes forever to boot up and it’s 3 years old already, we thought maybe we’d need to just replace it. It doesn’t do me much good if I can’t access the internet, right?

And that’s how we happened into computer hell. Four stores and 6 computer salesmen (and another customer who just latched on to us like we had started a parade) later, we’d had recommendations on every model and make – and dire predictions of ‘dead in the box’ on all of the same as well. They rattled on about processors and upgrades and MBs and ROMs until our eyes were glazed over. Price seemed to be no object. Neither did our current objectives for computer use, even though each salesperson, and even the ‘parade marcher,’ wanted to know the details of our expectations. Once learned however, our current needs became irrelevant as future scenarios were drawn and increasingly outlandish (and expensive) solutions were offered. In one store 2 salesmen gave widely disparate opinions at the same time. We really didn’t even need to be there, ultimately.

And, of course, ultimately we weren’t. We just faded away sometime during the argument. They probably never noticed. The parade marcher came with us and we all wandered into the store next door.

We did finally settle on something – just in sheer frustration, as in a close-your-eyes-and-point-at-one sort of selection process. (Well, truth to tell, Mark’s process was undoubtedly more scientific than that – and he ultimately made the choice.) I groused all the way home about how it was going to cost a fortune in software costs besides, just to load up all the programs I use for various hobbies, and I'd gotten myself into quite a stew by the time we unloaded the car at home.

And then, of course, my old laptop started right up – no problem. Now what? Welcome to computer hell.

I'll be up all night wondering what happened to the parade guy.