Words from a Reader

The “Writing Life Stories” e-mails I receive are such treasures. As soon as I see there is one in my inbox, I read it immediately. I look forward to them and never know how they will touch me. They can be interesting, informative, humorous, and/or touching.

Friday, December 21, 2012

New Dell, New Windows 8, and I am a slow student

I think I am ready to return this new computer. On an impulse while watching TV, I ordered a great looking new, modern, computer, but I didn't realize how much I was behind in the new technology.


I have been working on my husband's old Dell laptop with Windows XP, which I love and see no reason to change, but my desktop was a dinosaur. While it was fine to use for my photography, it was extremely slow online. I had long since quit using it for email. But my Personal Ancestral File, PAF Genealogy program was on this old friend, with over 1000 names of family I had laboriously typed in. I wanted everything on the old computer put on my new one.

The computer arrived the week after my sister passed away. Needless to say, I had no interest in fooling with it. I asked Bob, my computer guru to come and set it up for me, but didn't even bother to go downstairs and look at it out of the box.

For the past few days now I have been trying to see if I can actually get the hang of this fancy, lovely computer. It takes little space since the entire computer is built into what I would have thought was only the monitor. I can read what is on the screen better than I have ever been able to read from any other computer. Such sharp resolution! It is a Dell with all the bells and whistles. Mainly it has Windows 8, and I had no idea that I'd have so many new procedures to learn. My computer guru said he would likely have to give me an hour's instruction before I got the hang of it.

Maybe he won't. Not yet anyway. I have done some things on my own. I installed my scanner. I have almost figured out how to use my e-mail properly. I downloaded Google Chrome so I can get into my blogs and use them. I am working on connecting to Google plus.

The process is slow and I don't know when I can get Bob over here to teach me more, but I am sure that in that other world where my loved ones have gone off to, Barry, who was my best computer guy, and June are  smiling at each other and saying, "She is going to be all right. She can do this and she will enjoy it when she does."
They always had such faith in me.


3 comments:

  1. New technology is challenging to everyone! I got myself an iPhone last month and am still amazed at what it can do. Mercy! But I do need to find out how to do things... thank heavens for search engines! :-)

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  2. Yes, DJan, we can do it, but it takes so much of our valuable time - time seems to be more valuable now - and I wish I could just sit down and make it work for me as this old laptop does - most of the time.
    I should get a smart phone but have put that off because of having to take the time to learn all the new technology. So much to do and so little time.

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  3. Hi Glenda, this post is proof that computers are like spouses. You can'tlive with them, and you can't live without them. Good luck with your new computer.

    Abbie Johnson Taylor, Author of
    We Shall Overcome
    and
    How to Build a Better Mousetrap:
    Recollections and reflections of a Family Caregiver
    http://abbiescorner.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete

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