It's Dead, Jim

Remember my poor laptop computer? The one that swan dove (virus infested) off a cliff, only to be miraculously resurrected days later through the stalwart efforts of a friend?

Yeah, it's dead. Marley's ghost "dead as a doornail" dead.

And this through no fault of that friend. In fact, the computer ran flawlessly after a got it back, and I even captured a backup that was current as of less than 10 days before my second disaster. But there's no accounting for a computer "birth defect."

Apparently, several models of HP laptop -- mine included -- were known to run too hot, and the processors then deliberately underclocked juuuuust enough that the solder would give out and fry out the motherboard some time after the warranty expired. At least, so say many, many people on the internet that experienced the same exact problem with this laptop.

My experience -- I was just loading up a file one night, and the computer quite suddenly just shut off. The light ring around the power connector was still on; it was getting juice. But the thing simply would not turn on again. And apparently, the replacement motherboard needed to repair the problem runs $400 -- only to be purchased directly from HP.

Seeing as how I could buy a new and perfectly respectable laptop for not much more than that, I decided it was time to move on from the computer that had failed me twice in less than a month. So there, over at the right, is a picture of my newest laptop, a decidedly not HP 14" screen Inspiron from Dell. I wasn't setting out to buy a "color" shell, but if I'm going to go the "not black" route, blue definitely would be -- and was -- my pick.

Now begins the process of making all the little tweaks that get everything back laid out and working the way I want. A long process, to be sure. But hey... new toy!