my grandparents' computer...
...is a piece of shit! So I went to Issaquah today to tutor my grandma on how to use the computer. She wanted to learn how to type letters on it in Word and send emails. They've never been on the Internet, ever. Their computer is 7+ year old Packard Bell. It has 32MB RAM and a Cyrix (yes, I said Cyrix, not Intel nor AMD) 200 Mhz processor running Windows 98. I didn't know it would be that bad. The newest thing on their computer was Windows 98. To get them on the Internet, I brought those AOL CDs that you can get for free with 1045 free hours. I go to put the CD in, and nothing popped up. I thought originally, "OK, so autorun is turned off." So I go to My Computer and see that there's no label on the CDROM. So I double click it and it says the device isn't ready. But the CD was in. So I eject it, and put it back in again. Still nothing. I get another Audio CD to check to see if it would recognize that. No dice. So I deduce that her CDROM is dead. So she can't get on the Internet since I can't install the AOL software. So I proceed to teach her how to access Word, which is one of the only items in their Start Menu, just below Windows Update. She had a hard time using the mouse. So I had to teach her how to do stuff with the keyboard only. Sound like fun? So I taught her how to use the keyboard to start Word, save a file, spellcheck, deleting, backspace, select all, and the ctrl+key combos to do them. So I explained to them that their computer currently, as it is right now, cannot get on the Internet; and that if they wanted to be able to (she wants to be able to send emails to family and friends in St. Louis) then they would have to buy a new computer, as upgrading and replacing certain parts (low ram, bad cdrom, slow processor) wouldn't be the best way to do it. I told them I could help them get a new Dell or something for between $300-$500, and they're considering it highly, since grandma really wants to get on the Internet.
This took a total of 2 1/2 hrs. They wanted me to charge them full price... and wouldn't take no for an answer, so I made $50. It was about 2:30pm or 3pm by then.
After that we went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant that they had a gift certificate to. I had a fajita salad with char-broiled chicken. Nummy. And we got churros for a dessert. I've always loved churros. Don't know what they are? Well they're Spanish pastries, that are tube-like with cinnamon and sugar all over it. To die for! :)
That's all I've got for now.
Until next time.. farewell..
This took a total of 2 1/2 hrs. They wanted me to charge them full price... and wouldn't take no for an answer, so I made $50. It was about 2:30pm or 3pm by then.
After that we went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant that they had a gift certificate to. I had a fajita salad with char-broiled chicken. Nummy. And we got churros for a dessert. I've always loved churros. Don't know what they are? Well they're Spanish pastries, that are tube-like with cinnamon and sugar all over it. To die for! :)
That's all I've got for now.
Until next time.. farewell..