Son of a motherless goat!
Rassafrassin internets. I love me some wireless laptop internet surfing, so you can imagine my dismay when I fired up the ol' laptop and couldn't connect with the wireless network last Sunday.
~imagine wavy flashback lines here~
Hrm, maybe it's the router. I reset the router.* I set up the router from scratch. Any better? No, the laptop's adapter still says "adapter inactive." Well, can I troubleshoot the adapter? No, the software has no such option, and the device manager claims it's working just fine. Which it is not.
I hop on the net on the desktop and search fruitlessly through Linksys's "help" files, which prove to be inaccurately named. Googling avails me nothing.
I try popping the adapter in and out along with power cycling the laptop. At some point the adapter decides to become "active" again, and I can connect with the router and my wireless network, but not with the internet. Ye gods! Our DSL choses this time to go down. I give up for the night.
~fast forward to later in the week, perhaps Wednesday~
On the phone with my extrodinarily tech savy mother, I power up the laptop to find that the adapter is on holiday once more. She has no idea and suggests I speak with my brother, who installed the adapter in the first place (and put the install software in a parallel dimension that only he can access). I give up again.
~Current date~
I'm bound and determined to fix this stupid hunk of plastic to which I've grown so addicted. I call Brother, who does not answer. (which is probably best for his sake) I hop on the desktop and download the install software and current drivers from Linksys, burn them onto a cd, uninstall the software from the laptop and attempt a reinstall. All is hunkey-dorey until the setup gets to the "find an available network" step, at which point the laptop hangs.
But hey! The baby's asleep, and the toddler is behaving! I've got time to try Linksys's live tech support help.
I will say, to their credit, that they really do try to help. I don't envy them the task of trying to fix something sight unseen with no prior knowlege of the customer's computer mojo or lack thereof. That said, every time I've had to use their support I've ended up figuring out the trouble on my own by not listening to them as I explain how I've already tried everything they're suggesting. (had a little trouble getting the wireless up and running last fall)
Two hours later I've uninstalled and reinstalled the adapter software again and for some reason it decides to become active. At which point I lose all connection with the router. Then the DSL goes down. And the baby cries. And the toddler begins to fuss (as it's past her bedtime) I power cycle the router, reconnect the DSL, and for some reason, the planets allign and everything connects and I jump on here to post simply because I can and goodness only knows how long that will last.** Hooray.
*Yes, I know it was foolish to completey reset the router, and I knew it seemed drastic at the time, but I also recalled my mother saying that sometimes they need reset. Turns out she meant to power cycle them, not to depress the tiny recessed button on the back that wipes out the setup configuration. Live and learn.
**I am well aware that I can post to this blog from the desktop. The problem is that the desktop is in the room next to the toddler and she needed to go to sleep and who wants to sit at a desk when they can be parked on the couch?
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New (equally pointless) Story
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Two weeks ago, on a rather trying weekend afternoon, DH kindly rangled the girls while I completed pleating the piece of fabric to be smocked for Peanut's Easter dress. My plan was to adjust the pleats and tie them off so that, when the girls were asleep, I could begin smocking. It was to be my treat to myself, my relaxing downtime activity. Before dinner I cut out the pattern piece that serves as a template for the pleats that ensured that the piece would be the proper width after smocking. The piece without which I couldn't accurately tie off the pleats. The piece that allowed the dress construction to continue. The piece that I carefully set up on the arm of the couch prior to putting Peanut in her seat for dinner. The piece that mysteriously went missing 20 minutes after dinner.
DH and I turned the house upside down looking for the stupid 12" piece of tissue paper. I even searched the basement, theoreticizing that the cat may have become enamoured with it and dragged it off. (yes, farfetched, but I was desparate) After about an hour I gave up and used the scrap tissue paper that the piece was cut from as a guide. (should have thought of that 50 minutes earlier as it worked just fine) Never did find the pattern piece.
Until today.
As I was chatting up the Linksys tech service guy, Anna crawls into the dog's crate and pulls out her Kong (hollow rubber dog toy, for the uninitiated). Most likely Anna's the one who put it in there in the first place, as the dog doesn't give a hoot about the Kong unless it's filled with food. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her reach in and pull out a crumpled wad of tissue paper . . .
~imagine wavy flashback lines here~
Hrm, maybe it's the router. I reset the router.* I set up the router from scratch. Any better? No, the laptop's adapter still says "adapter inactive." Well, can I troubleshoot the adapter? No, the software has no such option, and the device manager claims it's working just fine. Which it is not.
I hop on the net on the desktop and search fruitlessly through Linksys's "help" files, which prove to be inaccurately named. Googling avails me nothing.
I try popping the adapter in and out along with power cycling the laptop. At some point the adapter decides to become "active" again, and I can connect with the router and my wireless network, but not with the internet. Ye gods! Our DSL choses this time to go down. I give up for the night.
~fast forward to later in the week, perhaps Wednesday~
On the phone with my extrodinarily tech savy mother, I power up the laptop to find that the adapter is on holiday once more. She has no idea and suggests I speak with my brother, who installed the adapter in the first place (and put the install software in a parallel dimension that only he can access). I give up again.
~Current date~
I'm bound and determined to fix this stupid hunk of plastic to which I've grown so addicted. I call Brother, who does not answer. (which is probably best for his sake) I hop on the desktop and download the install software and current drivers from Linksys, burn them onto a cd, uninstall the software from the laptop and attempt a reinstall. All is hunkey-dorey until the setup gets to the "find an available network" step, at which point the laptop hangs.
But hey! The baby's asleep, and the toddler is behaving! I've got time to try Linksys's live tech support help.
I will say, to their credit, that they really do try to help. I don't envy them the task of trying to fix something sight unseen with no prior knowlege of the customer's computer mojo or lack thereof. That said, every time I've had to use their support I've ended up figuring out the trouble on my own by not listening to them as I explain how I've already tried everything they're suggesting. (had a little trouble getting the wireless up and running last fall)
Two hours later I've uninstalled and reinstalled the adapter software again and for some reason it decides to become active. At which point I lose all connection with the router. Then the DSL goes down. And the baby cries. And the toddler begins to fuss (as it's past her bedtime) I power cycle the router, reconnect the DSL, and for some reason, the planets allign and everything connects and I jump on here to post simply because I can and goodness only knows how long that will last.** Hooray.
*Yes, I know it was foolish to completey reset the router, and I knew it seemed drastic at the time, but I also recalled my mother saying that sometimes they need reset. Turns out she meant to power cycle them, not to depress the tiny recessed button on the back that wipes out the setup configuration. Live and learn.
**I am well aware that I can post to this blog from the desktop. The problem is that the desktop is in the room next to the toddler and she needed to go to sleep and who wants to sit at a desk when they can be parked on the couch?
_________________________________
New (equally pointless) Story
_________________________________
Two weeks ago, on a rather trying weekend afternoon, DH kindly rangled the girls while I completed pleating the piece of fabric to be smocked for Peanut's Easter dress. My plan was to adjust the pleats and tie them off so that, when the girls were asleep, I could begin smocking. It was to be my treat to myself, my relaxing downtime activity. Before dinner I cut out the pattern piece that serves as a template for the pleats that ensured that the piece would be the proper width after smocking. The piece without which I couldn't accurately tie off the pleats. The piece that allowed the dress construction to continue. The piece that I carefully set up on the arm of the couch prior to putting Peanut in her seat for dinner. The piece that mysteriously went missing 20 minutes after dinner.
DH and I turned the house upside down looking for the stupid 12" piece of tissue paper. I even searched the basement, theoreticizing that the cat may have become enamoured with it and dragged it off. (yes, farfetched, but I was desparate) After about an hour I gave up and used the scrap tissue paper that the piece was cut from as a guide. (should have thought of that 50 minutes earlier as it worked just fine) Never did find the pattern piece.
Until today.
As I was chatting up the Linksys tech service guy, Anna crawls into the dog's crate and pulls out her Kong (hollow rubber dog toy, for the uninitiated). Most likely Anna's the one who put it in there in the first place, as the dog doesn't give a hoot about the Kong unless it's filled with food. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her reach in and pull out a crumpled wad of tissue paper . . .
