The die is cast....

Having perused eleventy hundred laptops, I finally came to a decision and ordered one which will hopefully fit the bill.  It arrived the other day but it took several more before I plucked up the courage to open the box and actually switch the thing on.

So far, so trepidatious.

It's running Windows 11 which I already know I don't like.  I might try to push on through my antipathy, or I might see if I can install Classic Shell over the top of the messy thing.

The touchpad is way too sensitive.... the slightest touch sends the cursor batshit crazy all over the place, so I need to sort that.

It's also running Edge, which I loathe even more than Windows 11, so I've already set Google Chrome as my default browser, plus I've installed my email program of choice and after a few false starts managed to get all my email accounts coming in.  Other than that I haven't actually installed any programs yet, or attempted to introduce it to my belligerent printer, which is unlikely to go well.

I'm writing this on my old laptop, which predictably, having got wind of the usurper, is sort of behaving itself, although the trackpad is dead and it takes many minutes to persuade it to open anything.  It'll take a while to transfer stuff I want or need onto the new one, so there will be a strange interregnum period as that gradually happens.

Now I just need to work out how to get the printer to put aside its many prejudices and contemplate changing its precarious allegiance to the new laptop.

*sigh*

Say what now...?

If my levels of bamboozlement were sky high with the mysteries of dressmaking, they're positively stratospheric with researching a replacement laptop.

My basic needs are relatively simple.  A decent processor, loads of RAM and a large amount of storage.

Then there's the things I'd like but aren't absolutely essential.  For example a keyboard with a separate numeric keypad.  A non-glare screen.  Touch-typist friendly keys.

Then there's things I'd like which have been rendered obsolete by the passage of time since I bought my current, ailing laptop.

A CD/DVD drive.  Apparently they've long gone the way of the floppy disk.  A memory card reader.  Surely these aren't completely passé too?  I can compensate for the lack of both of these by adding peripherals, but they used to be standard.

Then there's the thorny issue of a new operating system.  I so dislike app based systems and much prefer a classic look.  I can fix that too but sheesh.

Finally, there's the fact that many of my most loved programs probably won't work on a newer machine, being obsolete themselves.  Not really any workarounds for those... it's like saying goodbye to old friends.

In the interregnum between the young pretender taking over fully, and the old master being laid to rest, the two will have to form an uneasy alliance while I painstakingly transfer files, set up new accounts etc.  Having gone through this process before I know just how fraught and frustrating it can be.  And don't even get me started on the printer, which is a belligerent old bugger, and despite it's apparent loathing for the old laptop, I know it will fight tooth and inkjet cartridge to avoid transferring its allegiance to the new. 

Buckle up buttercups, it's going to be a bumpy ride...

Is it that time already....?

 Yikes.... it's been almost 2 months since my last post and I have literally NO IDEA where the time has gone.

Here's a rough timeline of the past 8 weeks:

Sewing, pressing, sewing.

Packing, more packing

Lovely holiday

Home... stress, worry, more stress

Bedlam, bedlam, bedlam

More bedlam

Battle to the death with DWP and HMRC

Laptop on its last legs...

So that's you more or less up to date.  

Apart from my ongoing feud with officialdom, my latest challenge is down to my admittedly very elderly laptop, which has been limping along for months now.  Yesterday the trackpad stopped working completely, and although I'm using an emergency mouse, everything's all messed up and it's a nightmare to use.  So I'm going to have to bite the bullet and spring for a new laptop, which is a whole other world of pain and frustration.

Now that I'm no longer running a business, I don't need anything flashy or highly specced.  The days of my creating video content and doing online tutorials etc are thankfully over.  But there are approaching eleventy hundred different models which fit my brief and whittling them down is proving a nightmare of epic proportions.  Even those online laptop guides, or sites with a 'helpful' wizard to identify the right laptop just aren't giving me consistent results.  I only hope that by the time I've decided and made a purchase my old laptop is still just about useable so I can transfer stuff over.  

In the meantime....