AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHH!!!!

The title pretty much sums it up nicely, thank you.

I was tired of this computer not having sound. It crashed a little while back and I simply couldn't figure out why sound wasn't working. Directly related to the fact that there was no driver for the ethernet controller - regardless of the fact that I had downloaded the d*** thing, I gave up on it and today, decided to simply reformat the computer and reinstall Windows XP.

I only have a few documents on here that I wanted to save, so I just copied and pasted all of them and put them in an email to myself.

Went through all there is to reinstalling Windows - and STILL couldn't get the friggin' sound to come on. HOW did I get sound to work every other time? Interesting question. I then found a blurp on the Dell site about downloading compenents in the right order/sequence. Oh??????

I did the installation ALL over again. Rather than fooling with it, I just dumped everything all over. This time, I went to Dell's site and re-read the sequence for installing the drivers/controllers and walaaaaaaah, SOUND again! What, may I ask, is a computer without sound? BORING. Lol.

Of course, that means having to reinstall all this other software including the video surveillance system. I keep those discs in a very safe and secure place - I doubt I could replace that sureveillance software disc, and even if I could, it would have to come from China where it was shipping from in the first place and I would undoubtedly have to pay for it. Same with Windows XP operating system - $100 for that sucker, no intention on buying that piece of work again.

So, a pain in the rear, but the intended result was accomplished.

I spent literally hours on this little project. I'm no computer geek, I just muddle my way through things and hope that what I want to do actually occurs at the other end. I do wish I could afford to simply go to the nearest community college - all of 2 miles away - and take courses on all kinds of computer related things, as I'm pretty much tired of being in the dark and having to guess and take stabs at things and go the reeeeeally long way around to getting something done when I don't know how to do something. It can take me hours or even days or even WEEKS to figure things out. I've had no formal education on computers or the internet or html code or anything. It's really starting to get to me.

Though, I can say that whatever I learn, I pretty much can do over and over again. When it takes you THAT long to figure something out, it stands to reason that you aren't going to forget how to do it, or at the very least, remember what site you found the info on HOW to do something.

Umm, well I did plant my little Christmas tree, but I have one more to put in the ground. Now that I have THIS finished, I think I'll go out and do that right now, still 45 minutes before game-time.
ben