fpb | Where have I been?

Hello. I have been having a sickening time with my computer. It started when I downloaded some free compression software (called IZarc - avoid it like the plague, kids) that had a murderous effect on the rest of my software. The first visible effect was that it converted all zip and other archive files into IZarc files, but it also kept on causing software errors all over the place. I deleted it and eventually found a better option, but in the meanwhile the rest of my software had got hurt, and one fine day I found that I could no longer go online. I tried to remedy this by deleting and reinstalling Internet Explorer - next thing I knew, the machine would not boot up at all. I had it seen to by a professional, which I could ill afford, and the result was that the system was restored - but half the software I had, including the important Nero system for burning ROMs, was somehow deleted. Worse still, the IE still would not work: in the most frustrating way imaginable, it reached up to the point where it actually opened a window for internet pages - and stopped half way through, crashing the computer.

The end of the story is that I had to take out of mothballs a ten-year-old Compaq with a wholly inadequate RAM (64kb), HD (2.1G) and screen, but which at least had uncorrupted software; and I will have to go on using it until I have saved enough money to have my Toshiba repaired or buy a new one. So this is the reason why you have not been hearing from me lately. I hope it is a good enough excuse.

And Happy Easter, everyone.