monday morning...and i am here typing a blog? yep, no clinics today cos it's ANZAC day. although i've been here for almost 4 yrs, i still have no idea wat this day is about. something to do with war veterans...i think. *shrug shoulder

this morning was chaotic. in the middle of a very enjoyable chat with Dreamy, my MSN signed out and i couldn't connect to hotmail. so i did wat i usually do - i turned off the modem.

and then, my screen showed an error message...and went blank

*panic panic panic!!!! did my comp crash?? few seconds later, the familiar TOSHIBA showed on my screen again. okie, good...comp restarting...ehh,why taking so long to load XP?!?!? argh!!

after what seems like an eternity, Windows XP finally appears. *phew* then my familiar HZGG wallpaper appears...then MSN opened...but did not sign in. WAT THE?!?!

checked my internet connection. not connected?! ok ok, deep breath in, uninstalled modem and reinstall then should be ok yah? went about the usual routine to remove software...run installation for modem......

"Windows have problem installing the modem. Installation unsuccessful." WTH..

at this point, i could hear germ talking to someone on her phone in her room (think she got woken up by her mobile...) i was frantic in my room, wondering what is happening to my beloved comp. shut down windows...boot up again...tried installing again. failed again......*sob sob* shut down my comp and let it rest. maybe it's just too pissed off at me?

then germ came and gave me the final blow for the morning: first years joining us for lunch at boxhill. wtf...how did this lunch turn into an inter-year sg students gathering?!?! i thot it was going to be a small group outing... i could feel all the vulgarities right at the tip of my tongue. now, i am not a girl who spouts the F-word. to be fustrated to that point, u can imagine i am just about to pull my hair and teeth out.

ok ok, back to my comp. iwas really at my wits ends. almost going to give a 911 call to my brother (who would kill me if i really did...). germ went out to get some stuff from safeway, so big breath in and boot up comp. retry installation....and yep, failed again! i held my head in my hands and can feel my BP rising to fatal levels...

at the edge of sanity, at the brink of breakdown...then,i remembered something on XP: system restore! oh yah, restore to a point before this whole fiasco started..maybe it would work. with trembling fingers, click on Start..click on Programs...click on accessories..click on System Tools...click on System Restore...chose restore point to 8.13pm 24/04/2005. Comp rebooted. crossed fingers..crossed toes..crossed arms..crossed legs...

re-plugged USB cable from modem to my comp
"New Hardware Detected"
went through whole process of installation...like the 6th or 7th time.
........."NetGear modem successfully installed. your new hardware is now ready to use"

moment of truth...double click MSN...click sign in...

when that circling couple finally stopped circling and the little icon in my system tray turns green, i felt like i've just climbed to the top of mount everest.

*YAYYYYYY!!!YIPPPEEEE!!! my internet is back!!
*muakz muakz to my dearez TOSHIBA laptop

moral of the story?
basic troubleshooting skills for comp problems = basic survival skills in 21st century