A Computer Story

It was a Friday evening, around 10 o’clock, when I got home from an interesting and chaotic Japanese dinner at Katsu on the Danforth, with a bunch of classical music fans and amateur musicians. Time to check my email one more time, but, with horror, I realized the screen was so dark I could barely see the Windows XP logo and the mandala I had captured as my background image. I was truly desperate, realizing how much I depend on my computer for my social and creative life, and disappointed, since I’d only had it for 17 months. In denial of the problem, I tried various ploys – plugging my laptop into a different electrical outlet, using battery power alone, using AC alone, but I continued to face a dark screen. In my desperate rebooting I had somehow turned the sound off, thereby losing even the canned reassurance of the Windows XP music. At last, dejected and worried, I gave up and went to bed. The next day I think I bored everyone with my nervous rehashing of the situation. At my boss’ suggestion I Googled the dark screen problem, only to find that it was fairly common with Dells, and not always cheap to fix. Around 9:30, I called a computer repair shop near where I live, thinking I could take the afternoon off and bring it in to be looked at. On the phone I was told that it was probably a bulb in the screen, or the inverter, and that the cost of the repair would depend on the model of the laptop.  I rushed home to pick up my laptop and bring it in. Once at the repair shop, I tried to rent a replacement, but they wanted me to come back again, after they had opened up the machine and called Dell about parts. They called me twice after I got home. The first time, they told me it was indeed the inverter, and that it might cost under $100. to replace. The second time I was in the bathtub, so I didn’t get the bad news that Dell sold this particular part in conjunction with the whole screen – therefore it would cost $325. plus labour, and the cost of a rental – until I showed up at the shop. The monitors they wanted to sell me (cheap, very cheap) were way too big for me to carry or even find a space for in my apartment. Therefore, I had them reassemble the Dell and after paying for the diagnostic, I dejectedly took it with me. I’d asked the repairman if this happened with Toshibas (I’d been looking greedily at them in a nearby computer shop on Spadina), and he told me that he’d seen it with every brand, including IBMs, Compaqs, etc. I was thoroughly pissed off, given the fact that my computer hadn’t even lasted me 2 years before breaking down. That evening, I ran into a Toshiba owner who had a similar issue with a darkening screen, corroborating what I had heard. In a zoned-out mental state I went looking for computer monitors at a nearby The Source and a second-hand shop, but they were both closed for the evening. I decided to head down to Future Shop and Staples in order to do some price comparisons before making a decision on purchasing a new computer. As I looked down Bay Street, I saw Canadian Tire and Mark’s Work Wearhouse signs, neither of which had been there the previous week. Nearer to the Eaton Centre, I noticed that Best Buy was also open. I wandered in, headed directly for the computer section, and began a two-hour odyssey that ended with me heading home $1025. poorer, a spotted cow box in my hand, thoroughly dazed and confused.

In the computer section, a young salesperson saw me looking at the lower-end laptops – Toshibas, Compaqs, and Gateways – and began her spiel, describing all the features in detail, steering me away from the lowest price one (only one left, possibly defective, not enough computing power for my needs, etc. – no commission, no pressure, my arse!). I circled the section several times under the powerfully bright sodium lights, looking at huge flat-screen monitors (some around 200 dollars), at desktops – better, because cheaper and sturdier, buys, but impractical given my space and transport limitations. Finally I returned to the spotted cow brand, determined, in my state of confusion and desperation, to go home with a new computer. I had one of the overworked Geek Squad – they were literally running around trying to serve about a dozen customers – open up and test my new laptop after I’d bought it; then I proudly and nervously took it home, hooked it up, and voila! I was in business again, although due to my mid-life eyesight, I couldn’t see the product key digits on the bottom of the keyboard, and had to contact Microsoft for a new one, after being rejected several times while attempting to initialize some of the software.

Thursday, I went to buy a second-hand monitor on my way home from work, and purchased a 15-inch old fashioned one (baby got back, but she’s flat up front) for 45 bucks from a used computer store, and then tried to get it home. Luckily, I live close by, as dragging all 25 awkward pounds of it back to my condo nearly killed me. When I finally got into the lobby of my building through the back entrance, a police officer, who was checking on the office building next door, assisted me in carrying it to the elevators, noting that I was sweating profusely (no shit, Sherlock!) while a neighbor helped me get it into the elevator and up to my floor. I got home and nearly keeled over from fatigue. But, anxious as I was, I had to try it out, so I hooked it up to my Dell, and (thank you, God) it worked. Finally, after testing it pretty thoroughly, I turned it off, content, if half dead. 

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