I'm still alive, but my computer(s)...?

It's been several days since I posted anything here. While I have been busy, the main reason is that I am "between computers," and it's a bit of a pain to do much of anything. My old one has been slowly dying--audio and video haven't worked right since I installed Service Pack 2, and the DVD drive doesn't work at all (I have a separate CD drive that does work, but playing music on it suffers from the general audio problems--starts and stops, changes in speed, etc.) I tripled my RAM, which helped a little, but not enough.

Then lately the computer has been crashing with increased frequency--several times a week, with more frequent crashes of IE. Occasionally the computer would just reboot itself for no apparent reason. I decided it was time to get a new one.

So I got on the Dell site and configured a new one. I think they estimated a six day wait until it could be built.

It was sitting in my apartment three days later.

BUT, but, what wasn't there was the cable I was to use to transfer the stuff from my old computer to the new one. Dell was shipping that separately. From Texas. By ground.

I did have an alternative, I realized. My hard drive is backed up on the web by Carbonite. I could just download everything to the new computer. Carbonite estimated the 5.5Gigs would take 11 hours (500Meg/hr). I suspected that was a big under-estimate--judging from how long they said it would take to upload it originally, and how long it actually took. I figured it would be about three times their estimate. But 33 hours still wasn't bad. I started it off.

That was Friday night. It is now Thursday afternoon, nearly six days later, and it's still downloading!

The transfer cable did get here Monday, but I haven't had a chance to use it, as I've been busy with a LeGaL board meeting and a CDI meeting and dinner. So I've just been letting the Carbonite download continue. I was going to work on it this afternoon, but a dental crown came out, so I have to run to my dentist in Brooklyn in a little bit to have it reattached. It's always something.