A mechanical ally?

Never thought I could miss so much the use of a computer until I recently experienced a hard disk failure in my desktop.  

The machine I own is not that old, but its manufacturer would no longer service it as per past policy; thus, I decided to depend from a computing tech store in my neighborhood.  Although I could have purchased the needed part, and performed the replacement myself, I did not choose this alternative to save precious time and money. My judgment was quite correct and the choice worth it.

I have had a couple of similar needs while working in Albania, where there are no service alternatives except to depend from local expertise, which is very good. The results there have been all positive, but this was the first time I took this route here in NYC, and am happy that it also turned out so well.  As an afterthought, it's interesting to note that the technicians in the store I used are not native Americans, but all relatively young immigrants from NE Europe. 

I knew that I would not loose most of my data, which I backup constantly, but I also knew that I needed to add more time to the actual mechanical fix, to reload and update most of the additional programs I love and use daily to keep track of personal matters and work tasks.  I have almost concluded this tasks (requiring innumerable software upgrades!) , but what I found funny was my feeling of delight when the technician informed me that my machine was being returned fixed, and also upgraded in a couple of ways (in both hardware and software).  I felt like I was waiting for an old friend coming out of,  and returning home in good shape after a forced hospital stay…..:-)!   

The local tech store did an excellent job, and preserved also whatever other data, and pointers I had used previously, including my screen background!  I was able to reconnect and test all my peripherals,  and now, to complete the functionality of my mechanical ally, I am waiting for a free CD that I had to order online to activate my webcam since the manufacturer realized the problematic of its reload under Windows7. 

Onward I go with loading the data accumulated during time out, happy that I can count again on my tranquil and indispensable assistant. After more than four decades of using computers of all sorts, I really could not carry on my work without at least one of them on my side!