Computer Crash!!!

But the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word - Mark 4

Yesterday, late afternoon, my "go-to" desktop computer crashed. I was working with a big chunk of photographs... things froze up... the program started running again... I continued... things froze up a second time... I continued to push... then everything went blank and I got one of those disturbing messages that used words like "corruption", "error", and "you're really stupid" (not really, but I could hear what it was thinking.

So, being a fairly "think on my feet" kind of a guy, I rebooted. That's when the message said (and I'm paraphrasing because who takes the time to write down exact words when someone is breaking up with you?), "No operating systems recognized!" So I turned everything off, at the power strip, waited a few minutes, and got the computer going again. Same thing; no suggestions; not even a reference to booting up in "safe-mode" or whatever that is!

Now I'm worried. This time, after I turn all power off, I make myself a cup of tea before re-booting. It's a (formerly) English thing; you make tea when there's a crisis. Unfortunately it didn't work and I got the same "give it up, sucker!" message on the screen.

Okay, long story short. I tried Ctrl/Alt/Delete and got back to my operating system. Yay!

But the writing is on the wall for this computer. It's a COMPAQ Presario, around 8 years old or so, and I'm spending today carefully transferring all important information and photographs to my external hard-drive. I have a good laptop (DELL XPS M1210), so all I'll need to replace the desk model is a basic system and - now that our young-adult children live a combined 10,000 miles away - it won't be getting loaded down with complex gaming programs and other stuff I'll never use.

Anyway, here's the message. Clutter eventually chokes out the important stuff. After enough time and exposure all the weeds, and the "iffy" websites, and the latent viruses, the cookies, and the complex operating requirments of distractions with little to no real value... these all choke out and overwhelm what is important.

My new computer is going to be a better reflection of my priorities. The one that crashed is probably an accurate window into my messy journey over the past almost decade. That is a thought that gives me pause...

Stay posted; I'll tell you what ends up on my desk. More and more I am an open book :-)
- DEREK

Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Mark 4:19-19