h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

So, this afternoon, after getting into a very important discussion on Skype, my PC started making this weird grinding sound it's been doing intermittently for 3-4 years. I shut it down to give it a rest, which usually helps. When I went back, it would not boot up and the diagnostic numbers 3 and 4 appear on the front by the hard drive light, apparently indicating either memory failure or a motherboard dump.

K and I will be shopping for a new PC, ASAP. I am going to shop online and see how fast they can ship- perhaps with the holiday they will ship expedited.

I am on my inherited (from my late mother) laptop, which is slow as shit and for some reason will not download Skype (can't access the download servers), but at least I have it for net access outside of working hours (which, given that the next three weeks I have to do 48+ hours of work in 32 hours time, will be hairy).

At least you won't be in Hootoo withdrawal!

I've managed to burn out my own PC and an old laptop and well on the way to knackering this PC as well, so I know your pain.


They're hard to live without once you've gotten used to them.

I'm still not used to them!

Just think back to 20-30 years ago and remember what it was like having to do everything by snail mail and telephone.

Now tell me you haven't gotten used to running your life by PC.

I don't know how I managed without one.

I ran the switchboard then!

30 years ago I was doing the same thing with a PABX board - that's the one with cords and plugs for the uninitiated.

Yes.. I used to spend hours polishing those plugs to stop the lines crackling!

I used to find it more enjoyable to polish the lines when people were talking on them.

At least I've got Skype on the laptop, even if it does intermittently stop loading pages, etc. I have no idea what could be wrong with the thing. My uncle is coming by on Saturday for dinner anyway, so he said he'd open up the case and clean the contacts on the memory things and see if that helps. Otherwise we'll shop for a new one after Sunday, when things might even be on sale.

Have you tried turning it off and turning it back on again?

Maybe there's lots of dust in it.

Hope you get it sorted soon.

@ Ed. Always a smart aleck.

The computer was actually off when the problem occured- and I can turn the power on all I like, but it won't boot up.

If it's like anything else in my place that I can't get to easily to clean regularly (like under the stove and behind the fridge), there's tons of dust and at least half a spare cat worth of fur in there.

Well you know what I always say...

'Never look behind your fridge! You'll only have to clean there.'

Sadly I apply he same rule to personal finances.

Open the PC and hoover it (be careful not to touch anything in there, though. That may help getting the PC started again.

That's the reason my uncle is coming by- since the code is for a memory failure, and memory usually doesn't wear out, he's going to take the memory things out and clean the contacts, etc. I guess he can figure out then if one of them is bad or not, and if so, I guess we can replace that... though that means we have to wait for him to come back and install that, too. I'm not technically skilled enough to remove and replace the memory myself and I'm not at all comfortable with opening up electrical stuff.

So we will vacuum while we are at it. And hopefully the Dyson doesn't suck any little bits that belong there out with the dust.