Computer Trouble

Well, it looks like my beloved laptop may be fucked, and by extension, me. When I opened the lid this morning, for no apparent reason the case around the screen started unclicking and bowing, the hinge came undone a bit, the whole thing looked fucked. I was able to get most everything to click, but any time I try to angle the screen, I can tell that something behind the left hinge isn't in it's proper place, and it bulges under the bezel. I also have to hold the case together and press the hinges to get it to turn, otherwise the whole thing starts coming apart in the problem area on the left, and I can't get it to stay. I considered some kind of homebrew option to clamp things together, but given the issue, I think applying that much mechanical force to keep things together would just hurt it even more. As far as I can tell, it still works. I've been using it all day to research replacements, and I'm typing on it right now. Given the severity of the issue present, I know it's just a matter of time before she completely falls apart. She's been slowing down a lot over the years, the battery is completely shot, and now her screen is ready to swing off if I'm not paying attention... I suppose the time has finally come to replace her. I can't take her out of the house in this state, hell I can barely even figure out where I'm gonna put her overnight. I can't close the lid, I can't just set her anywhere, I have to make sure I find a spot she definitely won't be disturbed, or risk loosing the screen entirely. I've been backing up files on an exernal drive for a while, but I took the time today to actually migrate 90% of all my files off of my laptop itself. I uninstalled Steam games and made sure their saves were backed up to the Steam Cloud, I copied files I still need on here so that they're backed up, and I found a laptop that I think will suit my needs. Another Acer, coincidently. I would have been thrilled to tears to get to replace her with an identical model, but Acer doesn't make these anymore, for obvious reasons. She was a Windows 10 when I got her, a R/RW DVD drive, SD card, slot for more RAM, she was everything I needed in a work laptop in 2018, and she's served as a gaming platform, a work station, a connection to socials and community for me, I wouldn't be where I am without the work this hardware put in. But, like I said before, she's been aging, and it's become harder and harder to ignore with each new problem that pops up. An actual, physical issue with the laptop itself is kind of the last straw.

The hardest parts of all of this is 1) the nostlagic connection, and 2) the monetary strain.

I've had this laptop since 2018. It was a Christmas gift since I needed a laptop, and I've been using it ever since. I bought Terraria on Steam the very next day and I've played it for 3300+ hours ever since. My dad gave me his old install disc for Microsoft Office 2010, and I use it to write to this day. If the system transfer works the way I hope it will, I'd like to keep using it when I get my new one. I've customized colors and wallpapers and cursors and whatnot so much over the years, I feel like I know this thing like the back of my hand. The optical drive is what let me listen to my own CDs and put them on my iPod, I recently used it to rip my modest CD collection for my latest MP3 player. The SD card slot singlehandedly enabled me to hack over a dozen Nintendo devices for just about every friend I've had since 2018, and I continue to work with homebrew software because of that. I have a lot of memories with this computer, and even though it's just a laptop, it feels like she's always been there for me when friends and family left me behind. I could always rely on her to find something new, something fun, to find community, to find joy. Maybe that's corny, I don't really care. It's just how it makes me feel. Her lid is covered in a dozen or so stickers, so she's not exactly going in the recycle, but I will be starting over regardless, and it's a change I don't know how I'll take to.

The definitively bigger and more important challenge regarding this however, is the price. Computers are not cheap. Laptops are not cheap. To get a decent one with an optical drive, I'd have to shell out well over $1000 and get some bullshit touchscreen, fingerprint-scan, AI-integrated garbage. Obviously I can't just fully escape AI or software viruses like that, I know I'll likely have to debloat and de-AI my new Windows install (assuming the system restore doesn't do it for me as a part of importing preferences). Regardless however, finding a laptop with baseline features, some nicer hardware than my current one, no useless garbage like I mentioned, while also having decent storage and a good pricetag... not easy. It took most of the day to research the one I landed on, after digging through Lenovo, HP, Dell, looking at Intel or AMD, HDD or SSD, how much RAM is included, etc. I'm glad to have found the one I did, even if it isn't perfect. It's not the most affordable one out there, no doubt, but in order to make it an actual replacement for my current system and not some kind of downgrade, it's the best I could find. Only issue is the $700 pricetag. As of right now, Acer claims it's on some kind of discount and is actually $599, but I'm not sure if the $599 is the usual and they're trying to trick buyers, or if $700 is genuinely the standard and it's $110 off right now. Regardless, I made a Ko-fi donation goal for a $700 charge, which I'll link below. Whatever the normal price is, I can't cover it on my own right now, and I really can't afford to be without a computer. I'm really hoping I can get some traction, at least a few bucks towards it, so i can have some hope that I can continue work and not loose community while I get things sorted out. Like I said, this laptop still technically works, but she's on her deathbed, and could absolutely collapse any day now.

The sooner I can order the new one and get it in, the sooner I can get set up and lay this old girl to rest. She's worked hard for 7 long years, across one RAM upgrade and two Windows versions, to help me do what I need to do. Working towards writing as a job, working on this website as a hub to host and advertise said writing as well as other works, digital archiving and homebrew software, a good majority of my life takes place digitally. That's not even to mention all of my dear friends and communities online that I need so badly, who help me with money and mental health, who have encouraged me so much over the years. I consider myself incredibly blessed to be where I am, despite some of the harder things I face. I just wanted to get this new computer and get on with everything, without this weird, tense anxiety hanging over my head. It's a strange feeling, and I really don't like it. I just want to get a new laptop and be done with this.

Ko-fi below if you can chip in, anything helps ♥

~ Alex Amelia Pine