Don't Leave, Lappie, Not Yet

Do computers have souls?

I think they do. I think they are quite aware of what's going on around them and they react accordingly.

For Christmas, I got the best present ever! A bright, white, shiny new MacBook! Oh, it's so lovely. So tiny - half the size of my old laptop. I mean, really, half the size. You can lay two MacBooks side by side on top of my laptop. I'm going to have to lose weight because the MacBook isn't wide enough to keep my entire lap warm the way my old laptop did.

Immediately after opening the box, my kids started hounding me about how now they could take over my old laptop. They've discovered the internet and chat rooms and what little monsters have been created. I would never let them use my computer to play on because all of my work is contained in its innards, and I wouldn't risk that for anything. Sure, I do backups, but better safe than tragedy.

But now that Mom has a new laptop, no reason the old one can't be used to spend hours on Club Penguin, right? I couldn't argue. I promised that I'd get all my important files off the old laptop and clean it up a bit - sort through the registry and remove unnecessary programs and get it running as fast as it was capable of running. Despite being out of town and busy with holiday family stuff, I started chipping away at the job. I managed to backup my iTunes library and almost all of my files onto CDs, ready for transfer to my new machine. But I didn't get so far as to remove the two or three programs I'd purchased since I needed to investigate how to put them on a new laptop.

Even so, I let the kids have at it on New Year's Eve day. They were in bliss. Two computers they could use meant no taking turns. Pure kid Heaven.

Until last night. The old laptop just up and died. Blank screen that shows only a few flashing green lines when we try to reboot it. Otherwise, nothing. Nothing.

I'm planning to take it over to Best Buy and have the Geek Squad take a look at it. It's a Hewlett Packard and barely over two years old. Definitely not old enough to give up the ghost in such a way. I ran Norton virus scan every night, so I'm pretty sure it hasn't been infected. It's possible we have a power supply problem, since the power cord always has seemed kind of wonky, not to mention the fact that the battery which used to last a solid two hours barely makes it half an hour on a charge these days. I'm hoping this is the problem. Hoping.

But in my secret heart of hearts, I think the old laptop is in mourning. I think she knows that she's been replaced by a younger, trophy model. That her days of taking in my most important thoughts and serving as my loyal workhorse are over, and she's facing a future of Cheetah Girl websites and endless hours of Club Penguin chatting. This is her way of revolting, of insisting that she will not suffer such indiginities as "R U OK?" and "C U L8R". She'd rather go out in a bang of glory than allow her harddrive to become the festering ground of spyware and spam. She'll not be treated like some cheap piece of VTech!

I respect that. She's served me well. I will always hold a special place in my heart for her. As I get to know my MacBook, I really appreciate the symbiosis she and I shared, how everything about her catered to my particular preferences and whims. She was my first, and I will always love her.

Except, I need her to cough up a few things. And I promise if she hangs in there another year or two, I'll do my best to keep the pawing of tweenie fingers to a minimum. She'll be treated well.

I promise.

BTW, I'm looking for some tips on working with my MacBook. Does anyone out there have any advice? If so, ontactcay emay ecretlysay. Anksthay!