My laptop died again. Windows decided it would stop working, so I reinstalled it... And then the computer wouldn't work at all, so I had to reformat the hard disk and do a clean install of Windows. I've lost a lot of programs, but I have backups... I hope that I can get everything back, but right now all I've got is a yucky default XP blue desktop and the stupid default programs that came with the computer when I got it. Still got my Firefox and its related themes, extensions, cookies and bookmarks though - I backed up my profile onto a CD this morning and restored it. Yay! I think I'd be lost without all my extensions, I have a lot of them and I don't think I'd have remembered all of them for re-downloading.

Anyway, I've been trying to get this thing back in working order for around 6 hours now, and it's showing no signs of being done yet. I'm going to get Windows patched up and up-to-date (my recovery CD only has XP SP1) then I'm going to restore a backup of my registry. Hopefully that will mean I'll get all my programs back, because I don't have any of the original setup disks for them any more. *Sigh*

Windows sucks. This is the second time in 18 months that I've had to reformat/reinstall, and this came after my laptop practically died for good. I fear this may be the beginning of the end with this computer... It's 3 years old now and its warranty runs out next month. I have no money so I won't be getting a new one, so I just hope it doesn't die completely.

Edit: Still here, at half past 2 in the morning. The computer died again when I tried to restore parts of the registry. I've now lost 100MB worth of photos. I had backed them up onto a CD-ROM but upon looking at the CD, the files have somehow been replaced with a blank folder. I know I backed them up, I remember doing it. I just don't know why they're not where I thought they were. Anyway, that's sad, but it could have been worse. At least I've still got the script I was in the middle of writing and the new version of PHPAskIt which I was meant to be releasing last month. *Sigh*

So, after some pressure from the boyfriend who's been subtly hinting at it for ages, we finally went out and bought a wireless router for our broadband connection. Initially I had said no because although his computer's all wireless enabled and everything, mine isn't... Plus it would probably cost too much. But, he was getting so bored of not being able to play his PSP online that while picking up a phone/plug surge protector yesterday (nasty storms here recently... Can't have our precious computers frying on us), we picked up a router too. After fighting the software that came with my USB adapter, I finally got the thing to work on my laptop. The boyfriend's laptop picked the signal up immediately, and, after a couple of slight problems regarding the encryption (no random idiots mooching off our net, thankyouverymuch), he was up and running.
However... there's nothing wrong with our old router, other than it's not wireless, and seeing as my laptop doesn't run on its battery anymore, the whole wireless thing seems a little pointless. The boyfriend couldn't get his game to run through the router so I'm wondering if it was perhaps a bad idea... We shall see, maybe I can at last go and plonk this machine on the desk upstairs that we bought and have never used since the net was down here. It does mean I'll have to fiddle with the cables and take the AC adapter upstairs, but at least I won't have to fiddle with the internet. ...or not, it's rather hot upstairs and it's always relatively cool down here. Hmmm, decisions... :P

And, just in case you didn't see the edit on the last entry... I joined the fanlisting revolution (yeah, yeah, sue me) and am now running the fanlisting for Jem's script, BellaBook, which is using my own fanlisting management script, I'll have you know. :D You shall join, because I said so. And if you don't, Jem will do an unrequested review on your site or something. Maybe. :P

I got my laptop back. And it works. And it's great :D

...though now I'm used to the boyfriend's one, so I'm finding the screen too small (his is 15", mine is 14.1"), the keys too rattley (I type on mine more than he types on his, so my keys have taken the strain) and some of said keys in the wrong place (his pgup/pgdn/insert/delete/home/end/etc. keys were right up above backspace, mine are in a column next to enter). I'm sure I'll get re-used to it. *HUGGLES LAPPY* My poor old battered thing has come home. These things matter to me. :D