learning curve

Well yesterday was a heck of a day.
After Saturday's excitement of buying a new laptop, then the disappointment of not being able to connect to my dial-up, I was up early, faffing around, waiting for 11am when Officeworks would open, so I could trot across the road and buy the Ethernet cable.

While I waited, I transferred my entire picture and document files over to the new laptop.
I thought that would take hours, but really, it didn't.
It was a simple matter of loading all the files onto several flash drives, then plugging those into the Toshiba Satellite and uploading the whole shebang.

Anyway, over to Officeworks, where I was told, "I don't think they make Ethernet cables. We don't have any." 
Well, what would you suggest?
"A pre-paid mobile dial-up modem, but we don't have any in stock right now"

Oh, isn't that just fine and dandy!!

Left Officeworks and walked to Norwood. To Dick Smith.
Where they have Ethernet cables in various lengths.
I chose one and asked about an adapter so that I could plug my phone line into one end and the new cable into the other end, then the other cable end into the laptop.
You'll never guess what happened.
That's right. The cable didn't fit into the adapter.

Sigh.

Back to Dick Smith. Returned the items to a different salesperson, discussed what I needed and he sold me a regular phone cable with a normal connection on one end and an ethernet connection on the other.
Just exactly what I'd needed in the first place.

But it still didn't work.
It connected just fine, all plugs fitting neatly where they should, but optusnet not being able to connect.
Still. Again. Just like on the old laptop.  Not happy Optus!

Luckily I'd also bought a Dodo mobile wireless broadband usb doodad.
Plugged that in, installed it successfully, connected, and here I am, back on the internet.
I'm told that Windows 7 works better with broadband anyway and I was planning on switching, just not right now.

I have a new email address.
(same name)@y7mail(dot)com
If you need me to email the exact address, let me know, the old email is still available on the old laptop until the pre-paid hours run out around June 7th.

So, learning curve? Not so steep. I found this new system quite easy to get used to.
We'll see how I go with a photo post......

Comments

  1. That sounds like a truly frustrating day. Fingers crossed that the learning curve continues to be gentle and that your photos upload with ease and style.

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  2. EC; I'm a little more concerned about my documents. They're on this new computer, but I can't open them. Probably because it's a different system. But I already deleted them from the old laptop....

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  3. You shouldn't have any trouble with your new Dodo Doodad. I won't go back to landline phone or internet ever again the future is wireless, cable is old hat :-).

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  4. How many times have I told you to find a 16 year old dweeb at Tandy, they know everything.
    Book is on its way to you, I posted it at last.

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  5. Hey, well done! I'm the world's biggest technophobe - SO not brave enough to change what I've got!!

    But don't you have neighbours with children? Anyone between about 10-15 should be able to work it out - they're born with this kind of knowledge!

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  6. You'll be fine. You seem to pick it all up fairly fast.

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  7. Walking with computers...sounds like a hell of a day. I love computers and I hate them, all at the same time.

    Glad you found your way back.

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  8. Glad you're back :) But how frustrating. Hope you manage to access your documents though. That would be horrible to see them but not be able to access them.

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  9. The desk top computer we bought before this one had no sound. Visit to where we bought it from, collect later and it was fixed. This computer that I am using now would not stay connected to the internet when it was brand new. After a couple of to and fros (never mind that I have a life and I do have limited time) the usb cable that connected our old computer to our our cable modem was discovered to be inappropriate and I think it was replace with an ethernet cable. I don't understand really, but the ethernet cable, if that is what it is, worked. Imagine our distress at our new computer not working for the internet. Ah, that has just happened to you.

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  10. PS, don't trust young people with your computer. They will screw it over badly.

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  11. Oh River, I feel your pain. Isn't it frustrating to be sent on a wild cable chase? I used to hate going to Tandy because some 10 year old shop assistant always treated me like I was a moron and sold me stuff I really didn't need (but he felt I should have for whatever reason). I was glad to delegate that task to my son later in life :-)

    You sound like you are getting there in stages. I hope you can get to your documents (do you have a back-up of them somewhere?) It's always my worst fear when changing computers that I'll lose something vital.

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  12. Hi River,

    I think you've done well considering you are not an IT geek like me. I have trouble enough and I work with the bloody things on a daily basis.

    :-)

    Cheers

    PM

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  13. I had comment replies here for all of you, but Blogger ate them......sigh.

    anyway, thank you all for your thoughts and support, things are going well now and I've come up with a solution for the document problem.

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