So, on Sunday Feb 19, 2017 I am on my laptop when the screen suddenly goes black. No warning, no sound, no nothing. I freaked out. My log in screen came back after 15 seconds and I logged onto my laptop again. 30 minutes later the same thing happened. It's called the black screen of death.
I phoned Microsoft technical support and spent 2 hours having them check my Windows 10 software. They found an outdated graphics driver and updated it. They said that was probably what was causing my black screen of death. Whew. Problem solved. NOT. Two days later it started happening again. The dreaded black screen of death. Right in the middle of me editing my latest book. I really freaked out. I feared that my entire book was lost, gone! Luckily, my book was still there in Microsoft Word. Whew. I phoned Microsoft again and spent an hour with them trying to find and fix the problem. They gave up and then suggested that I pay them for more technical support. I said, "Pay you? You can't fix the problem, why should I pay for some other Microsoft tech to not fix it. I have NO confidence that Microsoft can find and fix my black screen of death!". They suggested I call the laptop manufacturer. OK, sure, I'll try that. I cannot rely on my laptop anymore, it suddenly dies in the middle of whatever I'm doing. I called Lenovo, the manufacturer of my laptop. They told me my 2-year-old $1,000 laptop was out warranty. And suggested I pay like $150 to get a 1-year warranty and let them try to find and fix the black screen of death. I passed.
In the end, the software maker blamed it on the hardware. The hardware maker blamed it on the software. Neither one fixed my fucking computer.
Needless to say, I was VERY upset. My Windows 10 $1,000 laptop was no longer functioning properly. No one knew how to fix it. After only 2 years I have to buy a new computer? And I no longer trusted Windows 10, maybe it was the cause of my black screen of death, maybe not. So, I did not want to buy a laptop with a Windows operating system. I resigned myself to buying a fucking Apple laptop. For nearly $2,000. I did not want to buy a $2,000 Apple laptop - I refused to pay that much to browse online, read and write emails, and write my blog and books. I also did not want to have to learn a new operating system. And, no, I didn't want to try writing a blog or book on a cell phone!
I was screwed. I thought about giving up ALL electronic devices and writing my books on a typewriter. No email. No browsing, no online anything. Not a great solution.
Or maybe they'll invent a time machine and I'll go back to a time BEFORE complicated electronic devices ruled our lives. The 1950's were good. So was the 60's and the 70's.
