FIRE THE DOCTOR!

The Doctor hurt me.

The cure was worse than the disease.

Why can 500,000 people a week download the Doctor and I can't make it work right for me? I must be without Clue One.

Things are starting to go awry with my computer. I grow more suspicious. I just fired the Doctor program which found the problems in the post below, and after spending HOURS on the phone and on line with Gateway, got nowhere at all. My issues remain, and I'm ticked. I know if you read this you've been to this ring of hell. I think it's a computing universal. When the computer isn't JUUUST right, you should start to pray. You should seek narcotics before you attempt a fix.

I believe the problem is due to a Windows Media Player 10 download that corrupted a driver somewhere I can't find. This prohibits Calendar and another program from opening. Microsoft admits the problem but doesn't sufficently explain the workaround.

I have tried with 10 removed, with 9 reverted, with 9 removed, with a fresh version of 10. I have replaced driver files as recommended.

Tonight I bravely (for me) used system restore, and at least got my Alexa toolbar back. I can't tell what else happened since system restore just went back to another time when apparently it thought the system worked without mentioning WHEN THAT WAS. Blind man's bluff!

Now the computer sometimes locks up in what appears to be the screen saver - just the logo - though I never chose that - it's the desktop BACKGROUND with no icons ON IT! and you can't get out of it - ctl-alt-del doesn't do anything and at that time neither does the power button. You have to unplug/replug the computer to get it back. Man. I should learn to leave well enough alone!

I'll add to this tomorrow. I am sick of the computer tonight.

It's tomorrow. I don't know where to begin. Maybe where several programs FAIL to start, displaying an error message. My friend convinced me to try to fix it and we went to Microsoft support on line which acknowledged a problem seemingly related to Media Player 10, and the fix they outlined didn't quite jibe with what we saw on my computer. They didn't give QUITE enough information either. And that's the thread that runs through my attempts to fix... no information is quite complete, or fully realized... there's a next step that's just out of reach, or a piece of information missing, or a jog in the road. They say, "do this and you'll see THIS2." You do this and you see "THAT." THAT isn't THIS2. Not remotely close. By then you've run out of instructions or you had to reboot and lost the on line connection to support. Rejoining support after rebooting (if you can) you find the previous tech didn't fully document your case number and the next person goes down a completely different road while you ask BUT WHAT ABOUT "THIS" and "THAT?" with no real answer.

Here's the event horizon:

Our first efforts focused on Microsoft's written workaround. It SEEMED to be exactly what we needed. But missed some detail.

My second attempt, contacting them by phone, hit a recording that said to contact Gateway directly at this number (given.)

I did. And the first tech was apparently sitting in a crowded room with a LOT of noise obscuring her attempts to poorly communicate with me. While on the line with her I tried the on line chat function (which had also stopped functioning some time back though my service warranty still has a year to go.) Miraculously, I connected.

I then said goodbye to Ms. Noisy.

Candace the tech gave me a lot of specifics in our on-line 'chat.'.

But at 11 minutes into the chat I begin to have doubt.

At 15 the knot in my stomach grows.

At 18 she writes to reinstall "those software" again (right - "those software.")

At 20 minutes I have a sinking feeling.

At 30 I am despondent.

The log of our conversation ran 4 pages single spaced. BUT all the details lead me to another "THIS" and unexpected "THAT" so what she said to do didn't work.

I reconnect this time via phone and go through the misery all over again. This woman seemed to be on the ball. At least she was pleasant. Her first try: shut it down and wait. Good thing I wasn't on line chatting with her. I do shut down, all the while asking why the earlier tech told me to do THIS and THAT happened? She answered that was the 4th thing to try and we should go through the other 3 first.

We do. They don't work.

I respectfully ask to be bumped up to a supervisor who didn't know squat about what's been happening and says the file on this service ticket wasn't filled out with enough detail by the others.

He has another fix. It takes about an hour and a half of search and rescue from windows. Of course, by then he's gone. He said if that didn't work the only thing left was to wipe the hard drive and start over. He leaves me his phone number. I won't be calling.

Noooo. My faith has completely left me.

Last night I updated my computer with all the patches that had been wiped by the restore point - 18 in all. Now at least the logo screen doesn't freeze me out.

And if you see this, I can get online.

My dilemma: do I go through this again with Microsoft and PAY for it? I just might. I am mad enough.