Computer Problems

I had unexpected computer problems this past Sunday. I decided to re-watch one of the extras in the extended version of Fellowship of the Ring. One of the interesting things they threw in with the extended version was interviews with the actors who talk about the other actors and their experiences. It's neat stuff.

Anyway, I put the disk in the DVD/CD player and it spins for a little bit but, when I click on the movie program to play it, it doesn't show the movie listed. Uh oh! I call up Windows Explorer and it doesn't show the DVD/CD player either. Something was clearly seriously wrong.

I called up Dell's Support Center (I have a Dell laptop) and had some suggestions on what to do about such a problem. I tried them and they didn't work. Finally, I contacted Dell's technical support. After waiting about 5 to 10 minutes, a person named Justin came up on the chat window. I told him what my problem was and he said he could fix it. It turned out he was right. The problem is fixed but, it brought up a couple unexpected issues. First, my extended warranty will end the middle of next year. I won't be able to extend it again for the coverage I have now. What that means is I'll have to buy a new laptop. That's the last thing I want to do. Still, I like having full warranty coverage on my computer just in case. I haven't forgotten what happened when the motherboard went out on my first laptop. It cost me $400 to fix and the laptop was never the same. Second, one of the major problems I had was a registry problem. I remembered that Norton's 360 program claims to be able to help with those. I didn't buy that program because I was cheap. I didn't care to spend the extra $20 for it. I'm wondering now if I should have. I suspect when it's time to get the latest version out i.e. 2009, I'll get that program vice the one I'm using now.

For now, my computer is running fine (knock on wood) but, I'll have to sadly think about replacing it. One of the rubs about laptops is they don't last like desktop computers. Also, you can't upgrade them like you can desktops. As I've been very pleased with my Dell, I'll buy another one of their computers. Hopefully, when it's time, I'll be able to get a good deal with them. We'll see. Cheers all!