Major Problems!!
Yesterday, I was using my preferred anti-spyware program, Stopzilla, to uninstall a bunch of bad programs. Afterwards, the Stopzilla threat manager asked me to reboot my system. Upon clicking Yes, my computer had a major meltdown. The comp shut down, but instead of rebooting, it flashed the Gateway screen, then the Windows XP Professional loading page, and then began to restart. Over and over again, the computer never got past restart. Starting in Safe Mode, using Last Known Good Configuration, and Starting Windows Normally also failed. So my comp was screwed.
I was understandably royally pissed. Homicidal tendencies pissed. I called Gateway, and they refused to help me, at ALL. (Gateway sucks. I will never again get a Gateway computer, and I urge everyone reading this not to do the same.) I didn't have the Stopzilla phone number-- stupid me saved all that info to my computer, along with things like my resume, my student loan information, directions and addresses to my friends and family, and my STORIES. I was so upset that my mother was flashing back to my previous suicide attempts and refused to leave me alone all day.
So she took me to the library and I tried to do a livechat with the Stopzilla representative. This livechat process was very prompt and I imagine it would have been very useful if I hadn't been having such a freak problem never encountered before. However, the dude told me there wasn't much they could do over the phone and asked me to call the toll-free support number. I got a little snippy, said "Gee, this livechat crap was as useful as uninstalling the spyware." The guy paused for a long moment, then responded that my problem was a little too serious for livechat. I apologized, but dryly.
I tried calling Geek Squad, but the cheapest resolution was going to be $99, with NO guarantee they could actually fix it and no refund if they couldn't! So, after getting a Dairy Queen sundae and making a quick stop off at my favorite cemetary to cheer me up, I called the number. He asked that I acquire the operating system disk and he'd have the senior tech call me in the morning, and ensured me that he could probably fix it without destroying all my files. I was very relieved and happy and took a fourteen-hour nap to celebrate.
The senior tech called the next morning, a full ten minutes ahead of schedule, and explained that Stopzilla wanted to figure out which spyware program had caused my problem and find a good way to beat it. (The theory is that when the threat manager uninstalled the program, the program decided to screw up my entire comp.) He said that if I shipped it to them, they would be certain to rescue all of my files AND would pay for all the shipping. He's actually sending a DHL delivery truck to my house in the morning to pick it up. He even said he'd expeditite the return shipping.
I said yes to this, not only because I don't want this happening to anyone else, but because I really have nothing to lose. They've guaranteed the return of my files (and here's hoping they disappoint, because I'm not entirely emotionally stable) and they've said it shouldn't take too long.
Stopzilla really appears to go above and beyond, and I'd recommend them to anyone and everyone. They're relatively cheap-- about $20 a year, less if you buy for more than one year-- and they're better than anything else I've ever found at finding and eliminating spyware and popups. (They were good enough to make me pay for their service after a fifteen-day free trial, and I don't part with cash idly.) Props to them... and down with Gateway!
So, anyway, the main point is I have none of my files at the moment. "The Prank War," "Of Love and Bunnies," etc. But they're fixing it, and very soon. When they do, I promise I'll make it up to you guys! The next three chapters of "The Prank War" are ready for updating and I should have more of "Of Love and Bunnies," "For the Love of Frogs," and "The Full Impact" for you, in addition to a few new things, the reposting of "A Night at the Three Broomsticks" and possibly "Harry's New Family." Sorry again, guys.
I was understandably royally pissed. Homicidal tendencies pissed. I called Gateway, and they refused to help me, at ALL. (Gateway sucks. I will never again get a Gateway computer, and I urge everyone reading this not to do the same.) I didn't have the Stopzilla phone number-- stupid me saved all that info to my computer, along with things like my resume, my student loan information, directions and addresses to my friends and family, and my STORIES. I was so upset that my mother was flashing back to my previous suicide attempts and refused to leave me alone all day.
So she took me to the library and I tried to do a livechat with the Stopzilla representative. This livechat process was very prompt and I imagine it would have been very useful if I hadn't been having such a freak problem never encountered before. However, the dude told me there wasn't much they could do over the phone and asked me to call the toll-free support number. I got a little snippy, said "Gee, this livechat crap was as useful as uninstalling the spyware." The guy paused for a long moment, then responded that my problem was a little too serious for livechat. I apologized, but dryly.
I tried calling Geek Squad, but the cheapest resolution was going to be $99, with NO guarantee they could actually fix it and no refund if they couldn't! So, after getting a Dairy Queen sundae and making a quick stop off at my favorite cemetary to cheer me up, I called the number. He asked that I acquire the operating system disk and he'd have the senior tech call me in the morning, and ensured me that he could probably fix it without destroying all my files. I was very relieved and happy and took a fourteen-hour nap to celebrate.
The senior tech called the next morning, a full ten minutes ahead of schedule, and explained that Stopzilla wanted to figure out which spyware program had caused my problem and find a good way to beat it. (The theory is that when the threat manager uninstalled the program, the program decided to screw up my entire comp.) He said that if I shipped it to them, they would be certain to rescue all of my files AND would pay for all the shipping. He's actually sending a DHL delivery truck to my house in the morning to pick it up. He even said he'd expeditite the return shipping.
I said yes to this, not only because I don't want this happening to anyone else, but because I really have nothing to lose. They've guaranteed the return of my files (and here's hoping they disappoint, because I'm not entirely emotionally stable) and they've said it shouldn't take too long.
Stopzilla really appears to go above and beyond, and I'd recommend them to anyone and everyone. They're relatively cheap-- about $20 a year, less if you buy for more than one year-- and they're better than anything else I've ever found at finding and eliminating spyware and popups. (They were good enough to make me pay for their service after a fifteen-day free trial, and I don't part with cash idly.) Props to them... and down with Gateway!
So, anyway, the main point is I have none of my files at the moment. "The Prank War," "Of Love and Bunnies," etc. But they're fixing it, and very soon. When they do, I promise I'll make it up to you guys! The next three chapters of "The Prank War" are ready for updating and I should have more of "Of Love and Bunnies," "For the Love of Frogs," and "The Full Impact" for you, in addition to a few new things, the reposting of "A Night at the Three Broomsticks" and possibly "Harry's New Family." Sorry again, guys.