Monday, April 04, 2005

Starting Over

After getting it back and plugged in I started the looong process of trying to get back to something that resembled the old. Before I could start anything else I had to go to my display settings and make it look sorta like it did before, but the desktop picture I had is gone so it still doesn't look right.

  • Called the internet company and got the settings to get online and check email.
  • Set Outlook Express up with my 2 email addresses again, checked email, added a few addresses back into my address book.
  • Downloaded all three messenger programs.
    *tried to block out the thought of dealing with Quicken*
  • Went to find everyone's blogs including mine and it hit me I was in Internet Explorer and not Firefox - yikes! (I am now addicted to firefox and could never go back to Internet Explorer, many thanks to my super smart sister-in-law for setting me straight there).
  • Download Firefox.
  • Find my blog and all the others, read and bookmarked.
    *tried to block out the thought of dealing with Quicken some more*
  • Install Printer Software.
  • Found TV Guide, signed in & bookmarked.
  • Found Alaska Newspapers & bookmarked.
  • Found Indiana Newspapers & bookmarked.
  • Found car insurance website & bookmarked.
  • Found Banking website & bookmarked.
    *Remember I needed to re-install Norton System Works (to go with the 4 spyware and one other virus protection programs the tech installed on the new hard-drive)*
  • Tear my house apart looking for Norton 2004. After 30 minutes of searching I find 2003 in the crawl space, I swear I gave that away last summer - strange. After an hour and a half of searching, I find Family Tree Software and Quicken, ug. Still can't find Norton 2004.
  • Install the dreaded Quicken.
  • Spend until 2:30 am (3½ hours) loading checking account, mortgage,loans, creditcard, & bills into Quicken while pulling my hair out, and I haven't even reconciled yet.
  • Go to bed.

    Today...
  • Find my Microsoft Works & Money 2000 disk - hiss, boo, and wish I had Microsoft Office - Which I had before but technically shouldn't have (having to go back to Microsoft Works Word Processor after having Microsoft Word makes me cringe).
  • Install Microsoft Works & Money 2000.
  • Go in search of Norton again and find Microsoft office 2000, HOOORRAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!
  • Install Microsoft Office 2000 and have MS Word once again. All is right in my world of word processing again.
  • Install Win-Zip
  • Find Norton 2004 in the same cabinet I've looked in over 50 times since last night, durf.
  • Installed Norton System Works
  • Installed Family Tree Maker
  • Installed GIF Movie Gear
    *Still need to install adobe photoshop elements but, when I borrowed it from dad I left the cd in his computer and took the case. Grr - Will have to wait till I go in on Thursday now to get it.
  • Installed Norton Go Back - This is an added feature of System Works but has to be installed separately, so I never did it when I bought and installed Norton the first time. It could have saved me a ton of trouble. Grrr
    *Avoided opening Quicken and reconciling the checkbook all day, bonus*
  • Back

    Well I got my computer back. The tech was not able to recover one single thing off my old hard-drive, so here I sit in front of a stranger. My old faithful friend which I worked so hard to build and mold to fit me is gone, a blank PC given to replace it. Stupid doesn't begin to describe how I feel. I knew I should have been backing up my computer but it was more something like a nagging thought I just blew off, now it is like a fog horn blowing in my head... YOU IDIOT!!!!

    Just some recent things I was using, that I can remember losing...
    * Everything in Quicken - will have to start all over
    * around 750-800 pictures
    * over 1000 names and personal info in my family tree (will have to completely start over here too)
    * All email and mailing addresses along with birthdays and anniversary's
    * All my digital art it took me so long to make
    * Bookmarks
    * A TON of programs collected here and there
    * Around 500 songs
    * A large handful of resumes I kept for others, including mine (Thankfully I have a few printed copies)
    * Recipe's
    * A ton of bible study material I worked so hard to collect

    Each day since it happened I remember one more thing I lost. Then comes the sinking feeling in my heart. Then the thought of how stupid I was.