It was January 2008, and I was studying abroad in Florence with my fellow architecture students when my brother installed new RAM on my computer. To make a long story short: the RAM was not compatible with my laptop and I was faced with the “blue screen of death.” It had died for the last time; the motherboard was completely fried. My options were limited, due to the 1.60 exchange rate at the time, buying a new computer in Italy would be an expensive endeavor. Luckily, my dad was coming to visit. We decided that for him to bring a computer over to me was the best option. Unfortunately, the laptop was only on loan and I would eventually need a more permanent solution.
During one of my visits to Rome that semester, I was watching a British News Channel. This channel was in fact the only English speaking channel I could find. The reporter announced that Microsoft’s revenues had declined and said that they had reduced the price for the Windows Vista operating system. At least there was some hope of affording a computer when I got back to the States.
As you probably guessed, one of the first things I had to do once I was again in the USA was to figure out my computer situation. The decision was whether to fix my motherboard or buy a new computer. The choice was hard but clear – fixing my motherboard would not only be cheaper, but it would also mean I wouldn’t have to deal with Windows Vista.
The laptop held up for another year, until it died once again at the end of the summer of 2009. With my first semester of graduate school around the corner, I was forced to purchase a new one. Just before school started I set out to do just that. The only problem was that my previous attempts to avoid Vista meant nothing. Windows 7 wasn’t coming out until October, and I had no time to wait. I reluctantly bought a laptop with Windows Vista installed on it.
Happily, HP provided me with a free update to Windows 7 with the purchase of my laptop. Now I’m faced with the intimidating job of migrating to a new operating system. I have put it off long enough, and I know it has to be done. The great news is I now work for an IT company. I’m sure that, even though I personally have terrible luck with technology, these guys can get me through it without hysterics or losing all my data. They keep telling me that upgrading from Vista to Windows 7 is easy. I keep telling them it’s easy as long as they do it for me. I will keep you posted as the experts walk me through it. Trust me, if I can do it so can you.
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