astridv | (no subject)

Well, this was different. I'd planned to spend my day coloring page 3 and sketching the missing cover for a book, but that was foiled by the world's most incompetent handymen who're currently refurbishing the basement. They short-circuited something, and, no idea how, managed to fry not only the amplifier in my stereo, but also the sound *and* the video-in in my computer, which was connected to it. (The computer has overload protection, but the stereo hadn't (it will have now)).

I carried the amplifier to the shop, and then spent a few hours trying to get the sound on the computer back...it says it needs the sonic focus drivers installed, but that seems to be no solution, tried that. So I guess tomorrow I'll carry the computer to the other shop... Thursday I'll be at the Book Fair all day, maybe I'm lucky and they'll have it fixed until Friday. If it's fixable at all. I have a feeling the motherboard may be fried.

It's only material loss, but it is annoying, and a hell of a waste of time. Ah well. We're going to see Krabat at the movies tonight, I hope that'll help me get rid of the murderous thoughts toward those handymen.

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I have a feeling the motherboard may be fried.

Gah! That's sucky in the extreme. Are the handymen insured? Can you get the cost of the motherboard back, i hope?

I've already announced that I plan to send the bill to property management who will hopefully reimburse me... at least I didn't hear any loud protest. No one's gonna pay me for the time lost *shrugs*. Yesterday I didn't even dare to turn the computer back on, with the morons still in the basement, and I was too worked up anyway to concentrate on drawing.

I'll probably try buying a new sound card before turning the computer in for repairs; 'cause if that works, it'll be an easy fix and way cheaper, too. Work around the problem instead of fixing it, my preferred approach to computer repair. ;)

OMG, can you get any compensation from them? Surely they have liability insurance.

I'll definitely try. I hope the computer will be easy to fix and there's nothing seriously wrong with it. The weird thing is, apart from sound and video, everything seems to be working fine. But it doesn't recognize the drivers even after I reinstalled them several times, and it doesn't seem to realize it even has sound. So I'm thinking, I'll buy a new sound card, maybe that'll do the trick.

Perhaps the surge blew both your sound and graphics cards. I know graphics cards can be fragile at the best of times. Both hubby and I had ATI Radeon Pro cards in our Dell compys and both died a natural death after just a couple of years. Good luck!

Perhaps the surge blew both your sound and graphics cards.

Something like that, that's what I'm guessing too. Unfortunately the sound is integrated on the main board, but I hope I can just override it with a separate sound card. That would solve the most important problem. Not have video-in and thus no tv picture is annoying too, but I get a lot of my entertainment from DVD and avi files these days.

Handymen are SUCH a crap shoot these days.

Although the level of competence should be improving due to the horrible construction fall off...

Doesn't help you at this point it would appear. grrrrrrrr.

At the very least you might think that they would come with a warning?

~~Protect all you hold dear, we are here~~ =0

Handymen are SUCH a crap shoot these days.

Well, this is Germany... this country can be downright anal in its believe in certifications and rulz and degrees, I'd thought handymen here would always be competent. But these guys... I'm actually wondering if they are professionals or just pretend handymen who're moonlighting a bit on the side.

Dude, when we insisted on a dust lock between the basement and the rest of the house, and mentioned that - apart from the the house looking like it snowed - inhaling that much dust can be quite hazardous to your health, they actually said, "It's not unhealthy, after all we work without dusk masks." *headdesks*

At the very least you might think that they would come with a warning?

LOL