Tech Lessons: What I Learned When My Laptop Died

My laptop died and there were some tech lessons learned during the process of repairing it.

I knew it was going to die, but it was still a shock.
Afterall, my laptop had been going strong for over three years. And, after the two year mark, you know you’re living on borrowed time with any digital device.
My hard drive crashed in the middle of a super busy week for me at work, and I was up to my armpits in projects and deadlines. It took me nearly two weeks to get everything back up and running.
During that time, I only had an iPad and iPhone to connect to the big world of the Internet. I felt twitchy for the first couple of days.
Once my laptop was back and running, I realized a few things.

Tech Lessons I Learned When My Laptop Died

1. There were less distractions

Each night, I used to go directly to my laptop to spend the evening surfing Facebook and playing Bubble Safari while watching TV and eating dinner.
But, when my laptop died, I couldn’t default to my usual pattern. And, as a result, my head was more clear and I actually did things, like play with my adorable great-niece when she was visiting, read some interesting books, and even folded laundry.
Now, I consciously turn off the laptop (and Bubble Safari) more often and focus on far more interesting and important things.

2. Data backup is essential

I use Dropbox (referral link) to manage my documents and photos, and I also use a service to backup my files. Because of this, I didn’t lose anything. Victory!
Viva le cloud!

3. Software can be annoying

Apparently, when you purchase a laptop with software installed, you aren’t necessarily able to reinstall it. I learned this from the computer tech guys after I realized I didn’t have installation CDs or the sacred product key for my operating system and other software in my computer file.
No product key means repurchasing. So, it’s important to put those important items in a place you can easily retrieve them when you need them (which hopefully won’t be often).  Next time, I’ll probably snap a picture of the product key and throw it in Dropbox.

4. I started talking to myself

I started asking: “Do I really need that?” I didn’t immediately rush and download all the apps I used to have — especially if I hadn’t used them in a while. Clutter, right? Downloading everything would have just been a waste of time.
Dropbox, Evernote, (referral link) and iTunes were no brainers for me, but, for now, I’m waiting to get some of the others until I find that I really need them. Or, not.

5. It helps to entertain the computer repair guys

So, this isn’t technically a tech lesson, but it’s an important one. When dealing with computer repair guys, it’s best to be nice and crack a few jokes.
When some of their other customers are … well … jerks, you’ll stand out from the crowd. Of course, I can be a jerk when necessary and you should never underestimate the power of a well-timed hissy fit.
That said, computer problems make people crazy and that means the repair guys deal with a whole lot of crazy. So, by being the funny, easy going chick, I got great service and a discount. At the very least, if you’re personable, it just makes the whole experience just a bit better for everyone.
So, back up your computer, use the cloud, and be nice to the repair guys. Now, let’s play some Bubble Safari.