Klutz
A few weeks ago, I was sitting at the kitchen table with my laptop and a nice cup of coffee, as I've done so many times before (actually, usually it's tea but this just happened to be a coffee kind of day). I don't know exactly what happened, because I am a klutz in general, but I spilled half the coffee on the keyboard of the computer. Major freakout. All of my Etsy designs, all of my photos of Gus and Greta, gone, GONE!
Well, not actually. Turned out that the hard drive was fine. No liquid made its way down there. Just the keyboard and mouse were fried. How do I know? Hubs disassembled the computer to see if he could dry it out fix it. Yup, he's that kind of guy. We swabbed the keyboard and wiped it dry, used a hairdryer, took all the keys off. Put it back together. Nothing. Ahhhhhh!!! All is lost, I can't access my files!
Hubs, of course, remains calm and thinks it through. "You could get a remote mouse and keyboard," he says. Hope is restored! Even better, we have them in the house! I plug them in and we're good to go! Except now it's not really a laptop because I'm tied to a desk because of the big keyboard. It's totally inconvenient because my computer is stuck upstairs while I'm generally on the main floor of the house, and I like to quick-check-in throughout the day as I run past. I make my complaint known to hubs after a few days and he says, "Why don't you try and buy a new keyboard?" (Silence. Mouth drops open. Why didn't I think of that??? Oh yes, because I'm me.)
10 minutes plus $12 including shipping at Amazon later and my new keyboard is on its way. $90 at Wal-mart and I've got an external hard drive. (See, I'm learning!)
Well, not actually. Turned out that the hard drive was fine. No liquid made its way down there. Just the keyboard and mouse were fried. How do I know? Hubs disassembled the computer to see if he could dry it out fix it. Yup, he's that kind of guy. We swabbed the keyboard and wiped it dry, used a hairdryer, took all the keys off. Put it back together. Nothing. Ahhhhhh!!! All is lost, I can't access my files!
Hubs, of course, remains calm and thinks it through. "You could get a remote mouse and keyboard," he says. Hope is restored! Even better, we have them in the house! I plug them in and we're good to go! Except now it's not really a laptop because I'm tied to a desk because of the big keyboard. It's totally inconvenient because my computer is stuck upstairs while I'm generally on the main floor of the house, and I like to quick-check-in throughout the day as I run past. I make my complaint known to hubs after a few days and he says, "Why don't you try and buy a new keyboard?" (Silence. Mouth drops open. Why didn't I think of that??? Oh yes, because I'm me.)
10 minutes plus $12 including shipping at Amazon later and my new keyboard is on its way. $90 at Wal-mart and I've got an external hard drive. (See, I'm learning!)
Blogging this very post!
I'm mobile again and my much-replaced computer (battery, charger) is good again. For now. Until my inner klutz rears its dropsy hands again.
I'm SO paranoid about doing this. I usually eat my breakfast on the couch so I can have my coffee far, far away from my laptop, but today I'm rolling the dice and eating at my desk. So far, so good.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what a smart hubs you have! I don't think I would've thought about a remote keyboard...
UGH. one of our cats knocked a glass of water on the laptop when my 7-year-old was using it. He immediately got a towel and tried to clean it....THEN told us about it. By then it was too late. No kids/water/computer/cat combinations allowed in our house anymore...
ReplyDeleteThanks for your nice welcome back post! Made my day.
aren't handy husbands the greatest! when our laptop's screen went out my husb ripped it off (well, nicely) and hooked it up to a monitor...it was nice giving it a new life, but it did lose it's portability. i have yet to have a liquid computer catastrophe, knock on wood!
ReplyDeleteMy laptop and camera sit side by side and everyday I sit here with something to drink. And everyday I think, "gosh I hope I don't spill anything". I'm going to learn from you and just give up drinking in this chair!! :)
ReplyDelete