Infected

on April 6, 2009
in All Posts

Computer viruses suck! I spent the entire morning wrestling with my computer.  Then, I gave up and called our IT Support Team and now my computer is being remotely hacked all the way from California and hopefully fixed.  In the meantime, my work is piling up.  Oh, Mondays.

 

While coaxing my computer back to life, I snacked on:

 

1 cup of Minestrone soup:

CIMG3590

Crackers and a few slices of turkey pepperoni:

CIMG3589

And grapes and carrots:

CIMG3591

So delicious and balanced…  And so  many little parts to munch on, too! Love it.

 

Computer Meltdowns

 

Tell me your worst computer meltdown EVER (it will make me feel a little bit better about my mini-meltdown).  Here are my classics:

 

  • Our old laptop was so infected, we just threw it away instead of trying to fix it.
  • Once I spilled Captain Morgan and coke in my keyboard, and yet my computer still worked.
  • A robber broke into my dorm room and stole my roomie’s laptop… mine was spared because it was broken and at the store to be fixed.
  • A file-eating virus once ate all my photographs. 🙁

 

Let’s vent about technology, shall we?

{ 43 comments }

 

  • d.a.r. April 6, 2009, 10:02 am

    Computer problems stink!!! Last spring, the day before my constitutional law final, a trojan virus started eating my hard drive that had all of my class notes, outlines, study guides, etc. I had to go splurge on a brand new computer and (thank goodness I had backed everything up on my external hard drive!) install all new programs and play with it when I was supposed to be studying. Bad timing!

  • Erin April 6, 2009, 10:05 am

    Sorry you’re having problems! Those are the worst.
    My last laptop started to overheat every few minutes and the screen would go black. Frightening and annoying!
    My new laptop’s power pack died recently, which did not turn out to be a big deal but freaked me out when I thought it was going to die at any moment!

  • Brandi April 6, 2009, 10:06 am

    oh, I know the feeling. My work computer completely died a few weeks ago. It started up fine, something weird happened, and then it wouldn’t turn back on. Our IT guy had to completely rebuild it, keeping me “out of work” for 2 days. So, they paid me to sit and do nothing for 2 days. It was nice until my email was back up and running and I saw everything that was backed up. grr..

    I hope they get it worked out soon!

  • Sarah (lovINmytummy) April 6, 2009, 10:12 am

    Once, I tried to buy a bag of cornnuts out of a vending machine and it gave me pretzels instead. Damn technology.

  • Anonymous April 6, 2009, 10:14 am

    Caitlin – GET A MAC!! They don’t get viruses and are so much more user-friendly!

  • Erin April 6, 2009, 10:15 am

    I just had to get a new hard drive for my computer. It had some form of a computer STD.

    Here’s to hoping it’s only a small infection!

  • Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point April 6, 2009, 10:20 am

    anon – i don’t really get all the Mac hype, to be honest… and anyway, its my work computer so I have no choice. 🙁

  • Alison April 6, 2009, 10:26 am

    I got a trojan virus DURING a law final! A screen appeared on my computer saying that it was going to shut off in 60 seconds. Then it went away and didn’t think much about it. Sure enough 60 seconds later, my computer shut off! Tech and I were able to restart it. I thought that was the end of it. But no…a few minutes later the same thing happened. I gave up and wrote the last 2/3 of my exam. I never took another law exam on the computer. I much prefer writing for 3 hours than having a computer die on me.

  • Holly April 6, 2009, 10:27 am

    I’ve got a computer doozy for ya – in the week of my final exams, my laptop slipped off the couch and landed on the spot where the A/C adapter was plugged in to the side of it. Suddenly, it wouldn’t be charged by the A/C adapter at all. I took it to Best Buy and they wouldn’t fix it in store (people are scared to open laptops). They told me they’d have to ship it out (for $400) and it might not get fixed anyways. Meanwhile I’d turned it off and on about 3 times and I was running out of time. I turned it on one last time and managed to get 3 of my school folders on a flash drive before it was dead.

    There was a lot of crying and melting down involved. I ended up taking my final exams on my husband’s desktop without access to all of my homework. Luckily I still did fine.

    Meanwhile, I found a private consultant to fix my laptop. He opened it up and foudn the pwoer jack shattered. He got a new one, soldered in it, and charged me $120. It’s as good as new now. It was just the WORST TIMING EVER.

    I also crashed and totalled my car that week — AND it was my birthday week. Last December was ROUGH.

  • Susan April 6, 2009, 10:29 am

    I was doing some cleaning on my computer, deleting files/program that I no longer used. I accidentally deleted half of my music files! I figured out how to take files from my ipod and put them on my computer, but I still lost 50% of my music. So sad.

    I also used to get the “blue screen of death” in college. I had to wipe my hard drive…it was scary because I thought I would lose everything!

  • lilveggiepatch April 6, 2009, 10:37 am

    I’m on my third laptop since Freshman year (I’m a senior now). The first one was my fault… Mac IT said it smelled like “coffee and beer.” Whoops. So I got a new black Macbook (which they don’t MAKE anymore), took it to Paris to study abroad, went to Scotland for the weekend and came back and it wouldn’t turn on. Apparently one of my host sisters spilled water or some other liquid on it… so I was in Europe without a computer, i.e. no way to communicate with my friends and family without spending a gajillion dollars. Lesson: do not eat in front of the computer! Have I learned that one? NO!

    Hope the problem gets solved… so frustrating, I’m sorry!

  • Kaye April 6, 2009, 10:42 am

    **Once, my bf dropped (lightly) his mojito on the glass table, and the cup just decided that was too much, and exploded mojito ALL over his work computer. But, we freaked, and did all sorts of acrobatics with napkins, and posing the laptop everywhere and it was INSANE!

    **Last year, I was coaching college speech and debate, and the VERY NIGHT before I was leaving for nationals in TN, the hard drive on my laptop crashed. But it was like, total tease. Sometimes, if I just ran it on the power supply, it worked, but sometimes it didn’t. OMG, the stress of nationals though is what REALLY got me. I had a total meltdown. I think at one point I threw the laptop. It was insane. Actually, I was insane!

  • VeggieGirl April 6, 2009, 10:43 am

    I have no sound on my laptop.

  • Julia April 6, 2009, 10:49 am

    Sorry about your computer problems!
    My computer story: Once in college, I was one paragraph short of finishing my final paper for this literature class. I was drinking Mimosas with the roomie, when Slip! went the cup. I got mimosa all over my laptop, which of course, died. I was FREAKING OUT, the paper was due, and I didn’t know what to do!
    Thankfully, the Circuit City in my city was able to somehow get the data from my computer onto a DVD, and I was able to finish the paper using my roomie’s laptop and my brother’s laptop. But the computer remained busted for a WHILE after that. haha
    Note to self: DON’T DRINK AND TYPE! Haha

  • Dori April 6, 2009, 10:51 am

    Someone from our landlord company took my keys from the office, used them to break into my apartment and steal my one year old Macbook.

  • Carolina John April 6, 2009, 10:53 am

    oh man that’s no fun. at least they could fix it remotely. I’m an IT guy, so it’s my job to fix pc’s when they go down like that. i’m also sworn to secrecy as to the tales….

  • Anonymous April 6, 2009, 11:02 am

    I spilled about 1/4 cup of a London Fog on my computer in the library at my uni. I immediately turned it off, unplugged it, RAN to get paper towel and tried to soak up as much as I could, turning it upside down, etc. I turned it back on (probably a bad idea) and everything was working just fine! A MIRACLE!… I think not. 10 minutes later it starts BEEPING, this annoyed, long, high pitched BEEEEP. I am in the LIBRARY! I turn it off again, after apologizing to the entire room. Try to start it back up… nothing. Will not turn on.

    Packed up, walked home. Did I mention this is right before FINALS last semester, and I take my notes on this thing? I try to turn it on after letting it just sit for about 15 minutes. NOTHING! Holding back panic/tears/etc, I drive over to Best Buy to find out my parents (who, yay, bought me the laptop) didn’t get the extended warranty. I think the guy working felt bad for me though because he charged me only 20 bucks to get all my files off my computer for me (regular 80, score!).

    Then I get home, and the computer turns on! And is working perfectly! How can this be?! And now I’m mad that I wasted 20 bucks! It’s a miracle!!!!! Except that half the keyboard isn’t working.

    Did I mention I had a group presentation that afternoon?!

    So to make this ridiculously long story short.. after trying to talk to Gateway support on their online chat, with half a keyboard, trying to use an onscreen keyboard, and using the thingy that turns your voice into text.. I find out its going to cost like 200 bucks to fix.

    So I went about 2 months with half a keyboard (starving student) until I talked to a guy I went to highschool with but wasn’t actually great friends with or anything. He’s a computer WHIZ, found me a replacement keyboard on eBay and popped it in for me.. all for 40 bucks!

    So, I have the same keyboard now.. but that is definitely the MOST panicked I have ever been..especially since the last keyboard I had, I broked the LCD screen because I dropped it on the floor while carrying it/lunch.

    Oy.

  • Tyler April 6, 2009, 11:23 am

    once i turned on my computer right before class to do one last edit on my paper before printing it out and turning it in. it wouldn’t turn on, so i plugged it in (maybe it had run out of batteries?), but then my computer started SMOKING!! i took my computer to class instead of my paper, and luckily the teacher was understanding!

  • sarahdbelle April 6, 2009, 11:39 am

    My computer decided to break my senior year of college. It would do everything except let me type. This was horrible news since I had to write an 80 page thesis. I spent A LOT of money getting it looked at, and it still never worked.
    Good luck with yours!
    Sarah

  • Life Coach Jen April 6, 2009, 11:43 am

    My worst issue was when a guy who used my computer also used it for…other things….and I got a virus on it that would turn my computer off and all this other horrible stuff! Luckily I had a computer geek friend and he redid the whole whatever the heck he did and it was mostly okay after that.

    Recently I spilled a full glass of red wine on the keyboard…but the lovely man in my life ran out and bought a new one. I’m not allowed to drink anything but water in the office anymore 🙂

  • iowagirleats April 6, 2009, 11:58 am

    Hahaha, loving the throw away story…sometimes it’s easier just to cut your losses!

  • Jenna April 6, 2009, 11:58 am

    Ummmm once in Europe I DROPPED my laptop and it smashed and I lost every single thing on it. I help my laptop pieces in my arms and walked around the streets of Paris crying. It was a nightmare. Does that make you feel better??! hahah

  • RhodeyGirl/Sabrina April 6, 2009, 12:08 pm

    caitlin i agree with anon- macs are awesome! i actually used to HATE macs and thought all the hype was stupid… then i got one. i have had it for 3 months and not even a little peep of a problem.

    i DO have a pc for work though… and i understand why non design-based businesses prefer pcs… it just makes more sense! but i wish we used macs now that i have learned to worship them hahahaha!

    hope your computer fixes up nicely!!!! i love it when tech VNCs in to fix stuff! that’s how i am going to work from philly actually- i will VNC into my computer (and will make my work computer look like its possessed muhahaha)

  • Niki April 6, 2009, 12:10 pm

    I spilled water on my laptop after drinking way to many glasses of wine! I then proceeded to blow dry it and it still wouldn’t work.When I took it in they told me if I hadn’t blow dryed it, it would have dried on its own and would have worked. Needless to say I ended up having to buy a new one. Now there is no beverages allowed by my new laptop especially if I’ve been drinking!

  • healthy ashley April 6, 2009, 12:12 pm

    Good luck with the computer! I’m sorry you’ve had so many bad incidents with them. I’m so lucky to never have a computer problem because I date an IT whiz. My family and my computers have never been healthier!

  • runningwithin April 6, 2009, 12:21 pm

    My first laptop, which was amazing and a present from my father, was pretty much my baby until my roommates nephew spilled water on it and then it was useless. I only got to use it for four months : (

  • Anna April 6, 2009, 12:33 pm

    The hard drive on my mac laptop failed last summer, after I had it for only 1 year. Not only did I lose everything (yes, I was an idiot and didn’t backup) but the piece of hardware had to be completely replaced (usually, it just needs to be erased and re-set). And the Mac guy’s explantion? None. “Sometimes, it just happens.”

    ARGH.

  • Matt April 6, 2009, 12:35 pm

    Last semester my computer turned off while I was writing a paper. It never turned back on 🙁

  • Ali April 6, 2009, 12:40 pm

    My freshman year of college, I spilt and ENTIRE 64oz Nalgene on my Dell. It was fried.

  • Run Sarah April 6, 2009, 1:10 pm

    Yikes, I hope you get it running again soon!

  • Missy April 6, 2009, 1:11 pm

    I got my new laptop a week before starting college. A week into college, I spilled nail polish remover all over the keyboard! Circuit City would not let me use the warantee so I had to buy a brand new one!

  • sloank April 6, 2009, 1:19 pm

    Ughhh I am the worst with computers! I have friend my hard drive twice… got an external hard drive along with a new computer… and managed to erase my external hard drive twice as well…. I have lost soooo many pictures/papers from college… so sad!!!!

  • Nicole (anotheronebitesthecrust.wordpress.com) April 6, 2009, 1:42 pm

    Rut roh! I hope your computer gets fixed soon!

    My old laptop broke right before my computer programming final was due and I lost it all!! 🙁

  • Olga April 6, 2009, 1:57 pm

    I once wrote an 8 page poem (which rhymed perfectly) without saving it first of course, and my dad unplugged my desktop accidentally and deleted it all. I cried for a while.

    Now I save stuff pretty much every 5 minutes =)

    And my laptop got a virus last semester during finals…but now I have a new mac book and love it!

    I hope yours gets fixed soon!

  • Meredith (Pursuing Balance) April 6, 2009, 2:08 pm

    My worst computer meltdown was my senior year at college. It was finals week and I was super sleep-deprived and had just finished a huge paper for a political science class. Of course it was only saved to my laptop. Well, in my sleep-deprived state, I knocked a can of diet coke all over my computer and my keyboard wouldn’t work anymore!!!!! I couldn’t use the keyboard to email my prof the paper and I couldn’t save it to a memory stick to print off another computer. I was seriously freaking out. Luckily a friend thought to plug her keyboard into my computer and everything worked out!

  • meegie lee April 6, 2009, 2:17 pm

    a few summers ago my house mates and i were painting our living room. i had my computer out for music, in a nook out of the way. i didn’t notice that my room mate had moved and i started to say something to her–she startled and flipped the paint try all. over. my. computer.

    further, that night my ipod got stolen as well! it was terrible!

  • K from ksgoodeats April 6, 2009, 3:26 pm

    Oh no 🙁 Hope your computer feels better soon! My biggest computer problem – on my lap top something inside the outlet you plug the charger in (in the actual computer) broke and would have cost more than the laptop to repair!

  • balancemycake April 6, 2009, 3:30 pm

    BOOO computer issues are awful!

    Last year, right during finals time at college, my 3 year old laptop just stopped. working. It froze the instant the Windows screen came on and I got it fixed, it worked for a week, then kept doing this over and over again. All during finals week!! Luckily I didn’t have any of my recent files on there, but all my old photos and papers etc. are lost forever 🙁 thank goodness for Facebook (for the photos) but still…it sucked 🙁

  • Mrs. LC April 6, 2009, 3:31 pm

    haha wow, what a hot topic you’ve opened up here!

    Seeing as my laptop is currently off lost in Best Buy land, I obviously don’t have the best luck. But I’ve done it all before – dropping, overheating, parts breaking, spilling water, blue screens of death, hard drives crashing, keyboards having keys that didn’t want to work…haha Meghann and cameras is me and laptops.

  • teacherwoman April 6, 2009, 4:25 pm

    Oh hun, so frustrating. My Mac computer crashed last fall and I was so depressed! When I had it “looked at” at the apple store, they said it would cost more to get it fixed than replaced. Supposedly something to do with the hard drive. I was crushed. I finally replaced it last month is a PC… nothing like my Mac but and learning to love it!

  • thecleanveggie April 6, 2009, 4:50 pm

    sorry about your computer problems!! those are the worse. I remember getting a virus that would keep the computer on for 5 seconds and then shut off.

    love the soup 🙂

  • skinnyrunner.com April 6, 2009, 8:56 pm

    i need to use some of those running tips, haven’t run in a couple days… oh well.
    i havent had any bad computer stories… yet. fingers crossed.

  • Red Head, Yellow Dog April 7, 2009, 5:58 am

    so my desk in college was right next to a lovely window. I had my laptop sitting on my desk as well as a small table mirror I used to put on make up etc. well one morning I woke up and noticed the keys on my computer looked funny. I rubbed my hand over it and when I got to the “6” key pulled my hand back because it was so hot. The sun had come into my window and ricocheted off of the mirror and began to melt the keys on my laptop. Luckily I found it before it reached the screen. but really?? who thinks that that would happen. I mean come on!

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