Mysterious and fatal?? computer problem (windows)

[ritaxis]

I don't need Mac comments, okay?

Lately, and I'm afraid with increasing frequency, my xp-pro computer does this insanely frightening thing. All of a sudden, with no event to mark it, it freezes and becomes unresponsive to mouse, keyboard, and reset button (I hate hate hate the way that modern computers do not have an off button). The only way to even turn the thing off is to unplug it (and this is why I think computers ought to have an off button).

I pulled the plug three times in the last two hours.

Yep. I did. I was trying to write the lead-in to the Great Confusing Party Scene, with mistaken identities, overheard and misheqrd snippets of conversation, etc. I got two paragraphs written. And then written again, and finally I saved after every sentence so I wouldn't have to write them a fourth time.

I suspect it has something to do with the internet. We have DSL, and I'm often cruising in the background while I'm writing. Especially downloading trinkets for my Sims. I'm going to try unplugging the ethernet cord while writing, but that means I can't have lj or rasfc in the background either.

I have saved my entire documents folder to my jump drive. I'm not making the mistake of being undersaved again! (most of my writing is also stored in a web-based file too).

Comments

[brooksmoses]

In theory, the time they're designed to take is usually around 5 seconds, yeah. What you see there is an engineering safety factor, to make sure the advice works even if it's off-spec and Lucy's counting is too fast. :)

And mine always seem to take a little bit longer than 5 seconds, too.

[ritaxis.livejournal.com]

Mine doesn't work at all when the computer's doing its unresponsive freeze thing.

I'm still working on it. I'm taking notes.