Computer karma is instant and real
Newsletter writer bit in the behind after PC recommendations issue
There’s no other explanation for what happened this week after posting a “Best Laptops for Home Based Business” article in last week’s newsletter. My laptop of 5.5 years crapped the bed. Stopped charging. Not the cord, the plug port. Which led to the question all computer owners dread?
Is it cheaper to get a new one?
Usually, it is. So, I did. One of the Lenovo’s mentioned in last week’s article.
What was truly amazing was how little work time was lost during this transition. Particularly since yours truly is guilty of not doing much more than storing documents in the cloud. The only backup computer I had access to was my father’s Dell, which has to be about eight years old or more. Yet I was able to get working again thanks to the following steps.
First, was able to get Dad’s laptop working, which involved creating a new password to even enter the machine.
Logging into LastPass with my one master username and password. This enabled me to log on to my three e-mail addresses via web browser.
The three e-mail addresses contained many of the documents I had been working on. Particularly valuable for those documents that had not been stored in the cloud.
With all passwords available to me, I could log onto my big client’s Microsoft Teams and access OneDrive files. Essentially, I was able to put in several hours—four to eight—between the time my computer went down at noon on Tuesday until noon on Wednesday.
Yes, there was the cost of a new computer, which was reasonable considering how much time it would cost to send out the computer to be fixed or wait for a part to come in.
I do owe apologies to a big box store. Specifically, Staples. Mike in Tech Services came up big for me and is a big reason why this transition to a new computer has gone as smoothly as it did. With one huge exception…
Zoom!
On Zoom calls, I’m now getting an occasional green flash on the lower right corner of my screen during calls. I’ve tested the webcam by itself and it’s great. Uninstalled and re-installed Zoom and same issue. Now, I’m waiting for Zoom support to offer a solution. It’s a little frustrating as the process of transitioning to a new PC has otherwise been seamless and a smooth transition.
Do you have a computer karma story? Please feel free to share in the comment section below. Or, if you know how to fix a f*$@n green flash problem in Zoom, let me know.
My HOHs or MHacks? More survey results
The My Home Office Hacks poll numbers are in. While it was a fairly small sample size, it did reveal some interesting numbers.
My HOH readers tend to be owners of home-based businesses.
They tend to be older, over 55, but interesting in that the next highest group comes from the Gen Z’s.
Most spend more than 40 hours in their home office per week, with the next closest groups spending between 20 and 40 hours per week.
The most stunning of all is that it was a tie in how readers of My Home Office Hacks want to be referred to between My HOHs and MHacks. Consequently, we will use both.
A home office essential? Sceptre 24" Professional Thin 75Hz 1080p LED Monitor 2x HDMI VGA Build-in Speakers, Machine Black (E248W-19203R Series)
Last week saw yours truly purchase a non-Dell computer for the first time in 20 years. Could my status as the last person not to use multiple monitors be next? The Sceptre 24” makes a very compelling argument. Check it out!
Inspiring quote of the week
“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”--Thomas Edison