Rest In Peace, Sweet Powerbook G4
So I come into work this morning, and my computer wouldn’t turn on.
Well, that’s not entirely accurate. I rebooted it after it made some weird clicking sounds. When I tried restarting it, the screen didn’t boot up and it sounded like my internal fan was running at Back-To-The-Future-Delorian speed, and I expected it to burst into flame at any second.
Needless to say, I’m heartbroken. I’ve had that computer since I started university, and while I do kind of want to upgrade, it’ll still suck if it couldn’t see me through my whole undergraduate experience. However, it did give me a topic for today’s blog post, so I guess I hsould be thankful for small miracles.
Anyway, the slow death of my laptop made me remember that I’m not the only one in this situation. In fact, the majority of my friends in university have experienced some form of computer malfunction since starting school. Here are some of the highlights:
*Denotes problems encountered by me.
- Cracked screen
- Burnt out power supply
- Computer virus x infinity
-Computer virus resulting in PC death
-Windows Vista sucking (at least for computer games)
- Computer battery failing x2 *
- RAM drive failing *
- Sound Card failing *
- Computer charger sucking *
That’s all I can remember off the top of my head, but I’m sure you and people your own myriad list of PC problems. The point I’m trying to make is that when it comes time to select a computer for university:
1) Get at least a half-decent computer
2) Be virus-smart (use Antivirus software or get a Mac)
3) GET AN EXTENDED WARRANTY
Yep, that’s CAPS lock right there for emPHAsis. Normally I’m not in the spirit of buying huge warranties (especially when computer ones can run you as much as $400) but in this case, I think it’s worth it. Although the battery wasn’t covered under warranty, my RAM Drive and sound card were. And although I don’t have exact quotes, I’m willing to bet that the cost of fixing my laptop would have been at least equivalent if not more than the warranty, not including labour charges. The service itself was awesome- I had my computer back in my hands and running smoothly in one day.
In university, your computer is essentially your car- treat it right and you’ll get some great mileage out of it, but abuse it and it’ll be heading to the scrap heap in no time.
