Monday, January 11, 2021

A Crisis Past


Miracle of miracles, I managed to solve my tech problems yesterday! It took all day, but not really, because a lot of the time was spent downloading or installing. I could let the computer sit and run by itself while I did other things.

First, I found Time Machine on my computer and backed everything up to my external hard drive. (I read online that the backups wouldn't erase the existing files already on the drive, so I didn't need to worry about that.) Then I downloaded and installed the new Mac operating system, "Big Sur." That took a while, but when I was done, all my files were still on my computer and everything ran smoothly. Woo hoo!

Then I plugged the phone back into the computer. It still wouldn't let me update the phone, so I had to opt for restoring it -- and that took a while, too. But at the end of the process, it asked me whether I wanted to recover my files or treat it like a new phone, so naturally I chose recover. And voila! My phone not only works again but all my photos and music and contacts are still there.

Sheesh! That was a lot of drama for some tasks that were time-consuming but ultimately not all that difficult. My computer now looks slightly different, but nothing dramatic. The process saved all my little personal touches, like my wallpaper photos of Olga, as well as all my bookmarks, my search histories and even the files that were in the trash.


Speaking of Olga, while all that was going on, she and I went for a walk at the cemetery. Above is the area that in the summer is known as the butterfly meadow, going all the way back to that line of trees where the two bright white gravestones are. It's usually so thick with grass and wildflowers several feet high that you can barely even see those graves -- but now it's been closely mowed for the winter.


We've had our coldest weather yet, with temperatures down into the mid-20's F. In fact, while I was at the cemetery, I tried to turn on one of the spigots to get water for Olga and nothing came out. I don't know whether the pipes are frozen or the water was turned off by maintenance because of the cold.

Our Chinese banana tree is not happy. As you can see, it's looking pretty slumped. It's supposed to be cold-hardy, so while some of its leaves may die back, this shouldn't kill it. (It survived last winter OK.) Everything else -- like the tree fern -- is inside, but I've been keeping an eye on Mrs. Kravitz's tree fern, which is in its usual outdoor spot by her fence and doesn't seem to be bothered by the cold. Maybe I'm being overprotective.

(Top photo: Moss growing thickly at the cemetery.)

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

That must be such a relief. Lesson learnt? Maybe don't let software become too old. I worry about when the computer, programmes or apps update. I don't like being the guinea pig but really, I haven't had a problem....well some annoyance with changes at times though.

Moving with Mitchell said...

Congratulations. So, you're our new go-to guy for technical issues!

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Perhaps you should consider moving on from librarianship and becoming the school's techno support wizard. The might even supply you with a conical hat, velvet cape and sparkly wand.

Angelicastar said...

I suggested the new windows 10 because I was and always thinking we all have microsoft OS. I forgot about the Macintosh. I've never really liked the mac and never owned one. I assume on any of them if you let the updates get outdated it will take forever to catch up. My sister have the apple phone, costly phone and I was telling her about the phone that I always use and always buy from amazon. It is a smart phone but cost $125. She told me you know I like the best. I told her the price doesn't always mean you have the best and now she has to keep it plugged in and can't find a battery for that model. Same as her dental work....she thought the more expensive was the best and she can't wear her partials because they hurt. I am a person that all I need is a phone and shop by low prices.

Ms. Moon said...

Your bananas look better than mine!
I'm so glad you figured out your computer/phone issues. Doesn't it feel good to get everything squared away and working properly?
I took a picture of "my" moss the other day but haven't posted it.
Another gray day in Lloyd. Sigh.

Sharon said...

Thick moss...that's something I don't see here in the desert.
Glad you got the problems solved. I've never been asked to plug my phone into my computer to update it. But I'm always amazed at how different the update experience can be for different people.

ellen abbott said...

better safe than sorry concerning the tree fern. I don't get update alerts for my computer anymore, it's too old I guess but as long as it functions I'll keep it.

Anonymous said...

I'm really glad you figured out your updates on your computer and phone. It's good to be connected these days (or is it?).
Stay warm and safe there.

The Bug said...

After you posted about your update issues my computer decided to lose its mind yesterday. However, after being forcibly rebooted a few times I finally decided to behave. Ha!

Steve Reed said...

Well, I wouldn't go THAT far...:)

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, staying on top of the updates is important. But it's hard. They seem to release them so frequently!

Steve Reed said...

We have techno support wizards who are far more qualified than I!

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, expensive doesn't ALWAYS equal better, that's for sure. I got into Apple because of iTunes. Years ago, when I digitized all my music, it was the best platform for storing and playing it all. Since then (15 years or so) I've always had Apple computers and I do really like them -- they're better for photo processing, too. But they ARE more expensive.

Steve Reed said...

These bananas are a Chinese variety that are supposed to be cold-hardy. If we had the same ones you have they'd probably be down to the ground by now.

Steve Reed said...

It was something about the magnitude of the update required, I think, and it's just as well, since now it's backed up to the computer.

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, my OS wasn't supported anymore either. I stopped getting notifications some time back. I'm going to do my best not to let it get so old again.

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, I would NOT have been happy if I'd been deprived of my Internet connection entirely!

Steve Reed said...

You, or it? LOL

Allison said...

Good, glad that is over and you didn't lose anything. I had a Verizon tech once tell me to restore my phone - which deleted everything, none of which was backed up. Very annoying. Losing contacts is the worst.

Red said...

congratulations on your successful computer repair. Now I know who I can go to for advice.

Susan said...

What a close call! I'm glad you were able to save everything. How wonderful that there's a butterfly meadow in the cemetary.

Michael said...

I am glad your tech issues were solved. Stuff like that is a nightmare for me. I have a 2016 mac and an old iphone, and I am sure I will have problems down the road. I just updated my computer to the new "big sur" system, and it does look a bit different.

Debby said...

Sometimes, when we are having some sort of technical problem, I will dumb around and manage to fix it. Tim is always so impressed. He asks what I did. I always have to say 'i dunno...'

The Bug said...

Hahaha - that was an EXCELLENT typo :)

Janie Junebug said...

You are now the official tech guru.

Love,
Janie