Ready for a New PC?

Have you ever wondered how many computers are bought by folks that are just up and sick of their old machines? Not that the old PCs are obsolete, just that they're so fouled up with stuff that they won't handle the daily chores. I've felt that way from time-to-time about my present Gateway ... And I'm kinda feeling that way today ...

If only I didn't have 1500 reasons (all with George Washington's picture on them) separating me from that new PC.

Last fall, I stumbled into a geek conversation when I went in for my yearly physical. It turns out that my physician was so fed up with his spyware-infested home PC that he was ready to ditch it. (We'll see how things worked out this fall when I go in for my next appointment ...)

Spyware and fan noise were the first two things to test my patience with my Gateway tower. I cured the spyware problem months ago. The noisy fans persist. I'd replace them with quiet aftermarket units, but I'm not sure if that would void the terms of the computer lease.

While I've wanted a quiet PC for quite some time, it's not the noise that got to me today ... It's that Windows XP refuses to print to either of my printers. The cranky old HP OfficeJet stopped printing about a month ago. The fax and copier functions work fine--it just won't print from Windows. And last night, my HP LaserJet 1200 wouldn't print, either.

The LaserJet hangs on my Ethernet network and is (usually) accessible from either my PC or Macs. It doesn't seem like there's anything wrong with either the printer or the network, as I can print from the Macs with no problem. It's just the darn PC ...

So I stopped by the local CompUSA to pick up a copy of the Windows XP Service Pack 2, in the hope that the SP2 update might help to cure my PC's ills.

Wishful thinking. But at least SP2 is now installed and seemed to be running fine for the half an hour before we took off for the shore to catch a few last waves of the summer this afternoon, courtesy of Hurricane Francis.

I'm sitting here on the beach again, just thumb typing away. The boogie boardin's done for the day, but hopefully not for the summer ...

With any luck, we'll pack in another couple of days at the beach over this long holiday weekend. I'm just hoping that I can get my PC printing problem fixed this evening so I can fill up the Labor Day weekend with plenty of rest, relaxation, boogie boarding, soccer, and maybe a cool Mai Tai or two, too. :)