The Cattery

The Cattery

Every Time I Say Goodbye

27 February 2006
Filed under Life, Technology, Text

The last few times I’ve been overseas, my departure has been made more stressful by something - a client ringing with urgent last-minute requests, a computer crash or, as happened last time, the internet going down for the last 24 hours of my time in Melbourne, making it impossible for me to deliver all the urgent last-minute requests I’d been attending to.

This time, I’ve been super-organised: I’m ahead on my work, I’m pretty much packed, I’ve informed clients and colleagues of my departure and tied up most of the loose ends. So I thought that maybe, given I’ll be using my Powerbook a fair bit, I should reinstall the system software and applications to give it a fresh start. Mission accomplished. Then this morning, I thought, what this computer needs is a bit more RAM. So I whizzed off to my favourite Apple dealer, picked up a 1GB stick and whizzed home again.

When I when to install it, I realised that I didn’t have a #0 phillips head screwdriver for removing the memory cover, so I jumped in the car again - heart light with a sense of impending practical achievement - and went to the hardware store. Little tiny screwdrivers! What could be more adorable! When I returned from the hardware store and attempted to use the LTS, however, the machine-tightened screws on the memory cover mangled the new screwdrivers. Back in the car. Back to the hardware store. Grit teeth through patronising examination about how the screwdrivers had come to be mangled. Buy newer, tougher set. Drive home.

Once home, I popped off the cover quickly and replaced the RAM. But the computer wouldn’t start up. I removed the RAM and it was fine. I tried the RAM in a different slot, and this time the computer started up - but froze when it reached the desktop. Gargh. Bad RAM. BACK in the car, BACK to the Apple Store (15 minutes’ drive), returned the RAM, and then decided that I should get the techs there to install it for me, in case there was something else wrong. They took it into their dark cave of techie mystery and came back a few minutes later to report that it wouldn’t boot at all, new RAM or not. Panic began to set in: I’m off to SXSW via LA and San Francisco in about 72 hours, and my computer is pretty much the only absolutely necessary thing I’m packing.

The panic clearly showed, because the techs were great - despite their immense queue of jobs, they made mine a priority, and tinkered with it for several hours on their dime; I’m now home with a working Powerbook, although it’s not the stacked beast I’d hoped for this morning. The upshot of it all is that my 15” Powerbook isn’t interested in running with 1GB DIMMs installed. It just won’t do it - the techs tried a few units of different brands, and none of them worked. Finally, one of them remembered another client who’d had the same problem with his similar Powerbook, and nobody was ever able to solve it. Given that my Powerbook is a good two years out of warranty, I’m unlikely ever to be able to get it running at peak performance, which is unfortunate - but at least it’s ready for our little trip.

Views from the Floor

Peter says:

MacBook Pro! MacBook Pro! MacBook Pro!

Virginia says:

Got no cash! Got no cash!

Rothko says:

I pretty much panic before every trip I take, regardless of whether or not there is an actual cause to panic. This would have thrown me pretty good. Nice meeting you in Austin! Hope you had safe travels back home.

Speak, friend, and enter


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