Computer Karma
I am sitting right where I usually spend my Monday evenings, stretched out in my recliner posting for Top Sites Tuesday. There’s the usual movie I’ve seen a dozen times on TV … tonight, it’s Return of the Jedi. But there’s a difference … I’m posting on my tablet using a Bluetooth keyboard instead of my (supposedly) trusty ASUS laptop. My laptop is in the shop … Computer Guys of Orange County, specifically. If you are a regular around Older Eyes – Bud’s Blog, you know that when it comes to computers, I am my own IT department. I’ve removed all sorts of little computer buggies, not only on my own computers but remotely on computers across the country. I’ve rebuilt systems and solved startup problems. I’ve upgraded memories and replaced crashed discs. I’m not really a computer expert but I’m really good at finding solutions online and I’m more willing than most to take things apart.
Last week, while we were in Arizona, my laptop began to develop a small idiosyncracy. Several times, a message popped up indicating that my battery was critically low … with the power adapter plugged in. Oh-oh. I noticed if I twisted the plug just so, the light indicating that the battery was charging would stay on, at least for a while. Later in the week, it took two heavy books leaning on the power cord and twisting the plug just so to keep the battery charging. Eventually, only holding the plug just so with one hand and typing with the other worked. That’s not very conducive to blogging. I did my usual magic with Google and convinced myself that my (supposedly trusty) ASUS
had a bad DC power jack. I even found a YouTube video of someone replacing the DC power jack on the exact model of ASUS I own. Remove the battery. Remove the screws from the back. Remove the screws holding the hard drive in place and lift out the hard drive. Twenty-two removed screws later, the technician in the video was removing the screen. Then the motherboard. When he took out the soldering iron, I knew … I wasn’t about to do this myself. Hence the Computer Guys of Orange County.
So my Two Thoughts on this Top Sites Tuesday #232 concern my recent computer problems … my desktop and backup drive crashing a few weeks ago then my laptop turning on me. Thought Number One: I don’t get it. I have been good to my computers. I keep them protected with anti-virus and anti-malware software. I installed every single Windows update. I defragmented their discs and even opened them up occasionally to remove dust so their precious little circuits wouldn’t overheat. And what did I get? Bad Computer Karma. Go figure. I asked the guy at Orange County Computer Guys what I could do about bad Computer Karma and he looked at me as if I was crazy. But he did say my laptop would be fixed by tomorrow. Then I read (online, of course) that bad karma can’t be removed … you can 
only do enough good to accumulate some good karma. So, Thought Number Two is this: I’ll be defragmenting and dusting and even deleting unused files a little more often. Maybe I’ll clean the screens occasionally and not eat over my keyboards. I need to earn myself some good Computer Karma. Because I’m really tired of broken computers.
If you enjoyed this post please bring yourself some good Computer Karma by pushing my button … gently … to make me Number One on Top Sites Tuesday #232.
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Older Eyes 
December 3, 2013 at 5:40 pm
I had to take the laptop in to one of those repair shops. I would rather pat for it to be done than chase the screws LOL
Clicks!
–Trina
December 3, 2013 at 10:34 pm
Yeah, me, too. The video was just plain scary.
December 3, 2013 at 6:17 pm
Hi Bud,
Bad computer Karma, it comes in threes. I think you’ve probably reached three and it’s all up hill from here.
I too have rebuilt a computer or two, it’s better to at least be active in the repair sometimes.
Great Thoughts!
–Wolf
December 3, 2013 at 10:35 pm
Let’s see. My desktop, my backup drive and my laptop. Yup, three. Hopefully that’s it.
December 3, 2013 at 6:37 pm
I left my trusty Asus laptop unplugged for too many days. I was using it tonight and it just shut down on me. I panicked! I didn’t remember seeing a low battery warning, and when I plugged it in, I was grateful to see a light and know that it wasn’t dead. And I’m not nearly as good to my computer as you seem to be to yours. I’ll learn a lesson from your experiences and be a little more kind to mine.
December 3, 2013 at 10:36 pm
I don’t think it will help. The truth is they are ungrateful machines.
December 3, 2013 at 10:37 pm
By the way, ASUS computers are known to have the power jack problem so if you ever start having the symptoms mine had, that’s the problem. About $120 to fix.
December 5, 2013 at 7:47 am
No laptop here to worry over -just the pc and boy, if it starts wigging out on me, I really do go into a panic now because the neighbor’s kid, who is a computer whiz kid no longer lives next door to me. He moved a year ago this past October to Seattle. The very thought of something going wrong with this baby here and with home 3,000 miles away, can send me into a virtual tailspin for sure because I’m like Sgt. Schulz on Hogan’s Heros when it come to computer issues. I know NAWTHING! Good though that you are know and understand how these things operate so you can fix the majority of the problems you come up against with your equipment!
December 11, 2013 at 7:32 am
The thought of computer issues makes my blood pressure rise. (can’t verify for sure but I am fairly certain). I don’t have any of your talent to fix computer related issues and the Geeks over at Best Buy probably recognize my name if not my face.
I think there is some sort of conspiracy prompted by computer software and hardware manufactuers to keep us continually paying for ” new stuff” or the repairs of our “old stuff”. I just bought a new Toshiba laptop, had virus protection istalled and the first time I used it found it to have a nasty virus that was causing all sorts of problems including hijacking my browser. GGGRRRR
The only computer that hasn’t had any issues over the long haul is my Dell desktop. (knock on wood.)