The computer repair shop has finally admitted (after ~3 weeks) that they can’t save my laptop. They did copy off the data, though. (I would have been fine if they couldn’t copy off the data.)
So I was forced to dig into the emergency fund for another laptop. I found an Asus for ~$400 at Best Buy. I know there are bargain-basement laptops selling for as little as $150 but I didn’t want to go any lower in price as I want this thing to serve me well for 6 to 8 years. Ugh and I have to wait 2 weeks for delivery. So I am still trudging back and forth through the snow uphill both ways to the school library to use their computers. Oh the humanity!
This episode has made me appreciate the difficulty people face when they have no choice but to rely on computers in public libraries. Not only do they risk identity theft, but the decrease in productivity is immense.