Even though I've been online now for nearly 19 years, it truly amazes me how much information there is on the internet. It amazes me that there is a wealth of knowledge simply because there exist outlets where people can share their frustrations, problems, and solutions.

For example, while recently trying to install Windows XP Pro on my Pentium-III machine, I received an error message saying "Error Loading Operating System" after I started the install. After some googling, I found one solution that seemed to apply for my particular situation. And lo and behold, it worked. (The low-down was that my BIOS did not support Maxtor HDDs over 33GB and I had to do a low-level format for it to recognize it correctly.) It just amazes me that I was able to find the solution online within a few minutes of searching. It seems like you have any sort of "common" problem, there is a solution posted somewhere online.

The internet has truly been a boon to us computer enthusiasts. By simply logging in, we have a knowledge database at our very fingertips. Drivers, patches, technical specifications, manuals, instructions are all available virtually instantaneously if we know the right places to look. Although sometimes sifting through the overabundance of information can be frustrating beyond belief.

There are days when I consider making the "switch" to a Macintosh like Janie Porche. When my PCs are doing quirky things and beeping at me and make me go, "hrm?" But then I realize I would truly miss tweaking my very own personalized system I built from scratch. The system where every part I put into it is familiar. My system which I have a longstanding history with.

And one thing I've learned is that even an "experienced" dog like myself is never too old to learn new tricks. While trying to reinstall Windows 98 on my old HP Pavilion, I was getting so hung up about reformating the hard drive that I didn't bother to see if the hard drive already had Windows installed on it. I had booted up with a floppy, but the floppy with the formatting executable on it didn't work, so I was looking for a way to create a Windows 98 startup disk without having Windows 98 available. While wandering around my office, I accidentally bumped the HP which somehow started it booting off the hard drive. To my utter and sheer surprise, the computer booted from the hard drive and resumed the installation of Windows. Apparently the last time I used the hard drive I was in the middle of a Windows install that never finished. The lesson to be learned in this case? Always make sure you have the jumper settings on your hard drive set correctly and always try to boot off the hard drive to see what is on it to begin with! However, I really don't recommend using physical blows on your machine to try to solve problems. I'm still in shock that I actually "fixed" my computer by bumping it.

Having migrated one computer from one case to another, reinstalling all the old parts back into its original case, I've become quite adept at putting a PC together. In fact, I can pretty get it taken apart and put back together in the space of a couple of hours, less if I don't need to install the O/S. I recommend anyone thinking of getting a new computer to consider building their own. Just as long as you don't come to me for technical support.