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.