Or, the Joys, and Risks of Computer Upgrades
Decided to see if my desktop computer would upgrade to Windows 10. I reserved a copy shortly after it was released, but balked for months. Then I discovered my video card might not have compatible drivers. Not to mention, I knew my screen reader technology wasn’t going to work either. No voice for me, and no screen for an assistant to look at for help. Not going to happen.
Lately, I’ve been hearing how much improved Narrator is in the latest releases, and my fallback screen reader, NVDA has been up to speed with Win10 for some time. Should I? Or shouldn’t I?
I’ve been using Windows 10 with growing success, and ease on my old Dell laptop, but it bit the dust with hard drive failure. Windows 7 is still a good workhorse for what I use my desktop for, but since my laptop died, it has had to double more as a personal computer, instead of being strictly a home file server. I finally decided to check on updating. No system errors about video drivers. All I gotta do is ditch my age old, tried and true screen reader… gulp…
OK, let’s do this thing.
I sat, watching the progress bars tick slowly by, missing a chat session I like to hang out in. Tick, tick, tick. “You may continue using your computer while Windows updates,” my computer cheerfully told me. So I did. There I sat, comparing files from my back up drive, to motes I have on my web site. Yeah, I know, exciting stuff, but it kept me busy while I waited the process of files trickling from Microsoft to my humble little hard drive.
The process completed, software began doing it’s behind the scenes black magic, and starting yet another process of checking for updates, and upgrading the upgrade. After agonizing minutes that bled into hours, an empty stomach, and drooping eyelids, it was time to abandon the computer to take all the time it wants, while its human component shuts down for the night. With a fresh boot up in the morning, it was time to see where my computer left off, or if it needed human interaction to continue.
It needed to know which of my adaptive software to remove. Grudgingly, I said goodbye to my screen reader, fired up my back up, and clicked. I was soon greeted by an error that brought the update to a halt, and a reboot was demanded. How rude. Good news and bad news awaited.
The bad news. I was going to have to restart the update process from scratch. All those hours of waiting, lost. And the thrill of more endless hours was in my future… well, not exactly.
The good news. Using an alternate method of getting the update started, I saved an easy 3 hours, and probably more.
Within a short time the initial installing was done, but now comes the cycle of reboots, and waiting, as things still aren’t quite to the point of talking to me. About 2 hours in, I finally have some assistance to look at my screen… 37%. More waiting, but at least I know there’s progress. I can get back to it after breakfast, and a pot of coffee. I can also tend to a misbehaving sump pump, and a semi-flooded basement. Ah, real life encroaches on my fantasy, cyber reality.
Will Windows finally load? I’m sure it will, just gotta wait for it. Will the sump kick in and start pumping water again? I’m sure, its main problem seems to be a clog. Putting in a substitute pump we borrowed, while the other gets cleaned out. For now, we’ll just have to wait, tackle the small things that come our way, and anticipate the best.
PS: Thanks to #DailyPost, and the #dailyprompt: Anticipation