Escape from computer hell
I haven't posted anything for the last couple of days because I've been finally resolving computer problems that started several months ago when the hard disk in my laptop (Toshiba Satellite Pro 6100) gave up the ghost. I'd been backing up pretty reliably to a Firewire hard disk and I'd bought the global warranty, so I thought I was in pretty good shape. Unfortunately it took about 5 weeks to get a new hard disk delivered to Beijing (it was a 60 gigabyte notebook drive, which they don't stock here). In the meantime, I bought a smaller IBM disk and had to go through some contortions to get Windows XP up and running again. The bigger problems came when the new disk came, because Windows XP activation refused either to accept it as a legitimate change to my system or to allow me to activate. So I ended up having to reinstall all my applications and then use the backup to get files back, which is a process that takes a few iterations. Microsoft has a lot to answer for with this product activation scheme. The volume of pirated software here implies that it doesn't really deter anyone who cares to put up with a cracked system, but it does cause plenty of grief to those who do want to use legitimate software. I don't see that this accomplishes anything positive for them, but the sharp pain of not being able to restore my computer in a straightforward fashion may fade over time...
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9:34:21 PM  #