My computer went blank! After the XP splash screen, the monitor would go blank. The computer service shop diagnosed it that the operating system had got corrupted. There should have been better way out – however my service computer shop (at Jabalpur) advised that I should install the XP on a free partition. I suspect, that instead of going for software repair / recovery process – he took a easier way out.
The only good thing was that my data was safe, and could be accessed from the other drive/partition.
Moreover when I said that my XP Professional was purchased and licensed version – he was quite ‘awe-struck’! He asked me (his words) – “Can you tell me what had prompted you to buy licensed version?”, and then he opined that hardly if anyone purchased the operating system – he even handled the old documents as if he was handling some priceless antique!
I have always preferred to purchase softwares- as I feel that it is a better way of using things. (Even for the wordpress template that I currently use on this website – I have donated for it)
However, my main concern was whether the XP would accept the license as it was being reinstalled. I was told that since the reinstall was happening on the same hard disk it would not be a problem. Fortunately, the registration process was not a problem. It went of as smoothly as it had went off the first time.
Thereafter, it was a longer process for me – to take out the old CDs and reinstall the various drivers – the Printer, the CD / DVD, the various other softwares – Anti Virus, Firewall etc. that I have been using.
This time, I would prefer to have only the operating system on this drive, and for all data, it should be going to other drives on the disk. That way I guess, the operating system (with AV) takes lot of computer resources scanning the disk all the time.
It was around four years back, when I had faced a serious problem – that time I was using Windows 98. However, the service shop owner at Asansol (Ankur Computronix) was much more intelligent – and he recovered the data and the operating system for me. That time my computer had only a 10GB disk with no partition. Later on he also solved another big trouble when the Pentium Processor was burned due to lightening (bad earthing)
Later on I had put on a 80 GB disk with partitions and XP as the operating system.
There are so many things with computer that one can do – and the list keeps on expanding. However, I have preferred to keep it rather slim – as my requirement for various things have not been there. The only requirement has usually been for using it for accessing internet and for banking needs.
It becomes really scary, to think of life without computer. And when one has customised ones computer with softwares and other things over a period of two / three years, one is at loss to think on how to bring it at same level of functioning. And that is really difficult. It was also fortunate that I had kept all the installation / original CDs carefully.
However, I am now not able to understand as to how do I recover the bookmarks, and webpages saved through plugin of my browser (Firefox). I am also searching for the file(s) containing links to all the downloads that I did through the download manager. I am unable to find where these softwares save such files! I am after all, an intelligent end-user, and not a computer technical expert.
Sometimes, I feel that if one is not careful, then the computer tends to become as messy as ones cupboard. So, in some ways, its a newer clean system now. Hopefully over a period of time, I would forget about the lost bookmarks – if I am not able to recover them. And would be more careful now as to how I work on computer – perhaps more organised and more cautious – particularly for data files.
