For whatever reason, I had to get up. Now, looking back after a week or two, I can’t for the life of me remember what it was that I needed to do, but the end result was and still is quite clear in my memory. I got up, put my computer on the endtable in front of me, turned to walk away and tripped over the ethernet cable.
 |
| Yeah, even the USB cable broke! |
And heard a heart-stopping crunch behind me.
It wasn’t pretty.
My computer was yanked off the table and landed on its side, crushing both the USB and Ethernet sockets and cables.
The ethernet port is loose, but still works, the USB port is useless. The keyboard was getting worn out to begin with, but the impact seems to have exacerbated the problems I was having with it. Still, it is usable. If worse came to worse, I could always use a bluetooth keyboard.
Everything else seems to be working within usable limits. A good testament about how well a MacBook Pro can survive a nasty drop and keep going—even when it’s worn out from heavy use over the years. Had my MBP not survived the drop, then I simply would have turned to the Mac Mini I use as a house server and used that to continue working.
Aside from the fact that this computer seriously needs to be replaced, it is still usable.
I wasn’t in any kind of panic, though. All my work is stored externally from my laptop. I come from the old days with computing where it wasn’t a question of “if” something would happen to a storage device, but “when”. And what I mean by when, is what time of the day it will happen. So, I learned to back up my data. And not just to one other place, but in several. I even back up my writing onto a USB stick.
Losing all that work is not a concern.
The tool I use to craft that work needs to be replaced. Much sooner than I had intended.
It does have me seriously considering applying for an arts grant to help cover my expenses. I can certainly continue to limp along at this point—heck, I’m writing this, aren’t I? The question is, for how long? I keep finding the issues my computer is having are getting worse, bit by bit. And what are the chances of actually landing a grant?
The problem is the financial hit this brings forward. I was hoping that if sales of my book grew well enough after the release, that I would get a new computer by the end of the year. That may have to happen sooner than I’m prepared. As long as this computer continues to work to a reasonable degree, I’ll just continue on as I have.
It could have been worse! For now, it's merely an unpleasant inconvenience.
I've never seen a USB cable do that...
ReplyDeleteMe neither! I don't think I really would like to see one do that ever again.
DeleteI do wonder if the USB cable had not been plugged in, would the motherboard have been damaged like that? Both the USB port and the ethernet port were damaged because cables were plugged in and when the computer landed, it landed on the plugs.
Is that one of those angled USB connectors for installation in tight spaces? If it isn't... it is now.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you're still typing despite the trauma.
Me too! Sadly, this computer is definitely toast. I usually prefer to give my old computer to someone who needs/wants it, but this one is now too broken to be handed off to someone else. When the time comes, this one will be handed in for recycling—sans hard drive, which is still good and usable.
DeleteIt's a pity, too. This machine has really been a trooper for the past four or five years I've had it. It did have some life left in it, installing Mountain Lion really proved it. As I pointed out above, despite the damage, it IS still working. In the past ten years, I've had two MacBook Pros. They've really proven they can get the job done—as long as you don't sling them to the floor!