Sunday, June 08, 2008

Blogging Has Just Cost Me $600

And counting.

Last night I bought a low-end laptop, even though I already have a perfectly good desktop.

I actually have a number of reasons for wanting one, several of them work-related, but no, I didn't really need a laptop. Except for one thing.

I'm about to go away for two weeks. I don't like to go a'blogging on others' computers, leaving behind my pinko liberal traitor browsing history (related post below).

Faced with two weeks away from reading blog posts, not to mention writing them, the stress pushed me over the edge and off I went to Best Buy with a store ad in hand.

I didn't buy the store ad on-sale laptop, but I didn't pay too much more for the one I got, and the helpful young man who answered my questions, including some I didn't know to ask, wasn't even working on commission, so there was nothing in it for him.

I'm not a big fan of the built-in computer mouse, but I got an optical wireless mouse. Yet I haven't even bothered to break it out.

Once I got home, I decided I really needed to set up wireless in my house. It was too late to go back to BB, so I went to WalMart. To shorten the story, I bought a router that I know I connected correctly, but that won't complete the set up. (Yes, I have an adapter for the desktop and a built-in in the laptop.) I went to the router's online support (connecting the conventional way), and found a chat area about my router, where I learned that many, many people have experienced exactly the problem I am having. With no resolution.

So I'm boxing the thing up and returning it today.

If anyone has any advice on an easy-to-use, reliable router, I'm hungry to hear it. I won't deal with this any more until I return from my trip, but other than going to Best Buy for advice, I really don't know what else to do.

3 comments:

Bee said...

Cannot help with this one as I am a technical idiot.

Good luck with that, though.

Anonymous said...

That's the warning you don't get before giving birth to an online life: Sooner or later, blogging costs you money. Free hosting, free platform? Hah! Doesn't matter. One way or another, you'll pay.

I am (like the law) powerless to help you. We have a wireless network at home but our house is a Mac only shop. I know pretty savvy PC users at work, though, and will ask their opinions tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

Spoke with a coworker who had a PC wireless arrangement at home. He really likes his 2Wire router which he got from his DSL service, AT&T. Says the set-up was easy: hooked it up, ran the CD which did the configuring for him. He has had only one problem in the four years he's had it, and it was solved by powering down, disconnecting it, and reconnecting and turning it back on. I don't know who your DSL provider is, but 2Wire should be available through BellSouth.