Thursday 27 March 2008

Messed up Laptop

I haven't posted for a while for several reasons, one of which is due to pure stupidity!

Tea and laptops don't mix. I was giving my hubby his morning cuppa and spilt some of mine on his keyboard. Well I was trying to help him retrieve something from the top draw of his bedside cabinet that he couldn't find. 'I was only trying to help,' she wailed, before running for tissues.

The laptop worked fine for about half an hour after it's mopping up session, then the letters went do– lally, constant speeding ccccccccccccccccccc. Not wishing to put him out of action, heaven forbid, I gave him mine to use.

After dashing out in the rush hour traffic to buy a special screw driver, and taking the laptop to bits, I find I only had to undo two screws to get the keyboard out. That was one evening gone. Still it's a damn good screw driver and has served me well as I have done other things to our laptops...

After taking out the keyboard I dried it properly, took off all the keys and washed and dried them, put it back together, and it was worse. Totally useless, I now needed a new one, or...

I had once thought it might be an idea to get a wireless keyboard. Yes, for my laptop. Do I hear you cry 'Nutter.' Ah ha there is a valid reason, or two. I only have little hands and the keyboard can be quite a reach with the touch pad in the way, and as I do a lot of writing I thought a wireless keyboard would be a good idea. Then there is the heat. My laptop gets hot on my lap, I mean it's bad enough trying to control hot flushes without having a mini radiator on your knees.

Thinking it would be cheaper to get said wireless keyboard, hubby and I went to shop and found a wireless bundle. Oh joy... I wanted a wireless mouse too. Get back home eager to use my laptop. Yes I have it back but minus a working keyboard, as I put it in hubbies. Getting quite good at electrical stuff aren't I? Anyway I digress, the mouse worked like a dream, and it was in a little reachargeable thingy with pretty flashing lights. But... the keyboard didn't work! Back to the shop, with the Mall emptying out, exchanged for new box of tricks, then back into the queue of traffic that had deliberately changed direction and swapped to our side of the road. Like it does. Open up box, connect everything, and... the wireless keyboard works like a dream, but... the mouse? Not a b****y flicker.

I now have a new keyboard for my laptop, American version, so some keys are different, but my fingers know what I want. I also have a new mini wired mouse and am quite happy. After discovering the insides of my laptop and found I could do things to it without breaking anything, I have upgraded the memory on both. Now I think I had better leave well alone.


Since then I have been very busy with a wonderful site a publisher told me about, where you review other peoples work and vice versa. It has helped me a great deal, and I hope I am being useful too. If your work is rated high enough, agents and publishers review it too. Fingers crossed. Off to do another review now. Toodle Pip.