repair

An underused tool

My Mom’s computer had its printer failing to print with the problem “printer is in an error state.”

When I searched online, most of the information had four levels of suggestion: “Check that key is in the ignition,” “Replace the spark plugs,” then “Put in a new timing belt,” and sometimes “Take it to my buddy’s shop.” The vast majority of the help sites do not suggest “See what the operator manual suggests.”

“Check that the key is in the ignition” includes “Make sure that the printer is plugged in.” “Make sure that the printer is turned on.” “Make sure that there is paper in the printer.” “Make sure that the printer cable is connected.” These are all low-impact solutions. If any of these solve the problem, you don’t need to proceed to the next level. Performing them will not make things worse.

The missing level of “Check the operator’s manual” include running Windows troubleshooters and consulting printer manufacturer documentation.

“Replace the sparkplugs” include things such as make sure the printer is the default printer and clear the printer queue. Things that you can do with the menus and options available from the Windows interface. They’re not likely to cause damage, but may require more experience to follow the instructions.

“Put in a new timing” belt are things like “Uninstall drivers,” “Revert to an older version of Windows.” “Delete the files a folder,” and “Modify the registry.” They often require an extra confirmation step. Often they’re irreversible and may be pointing you toward the abyss.

“Take it to my buddy’s shop” include “Call our help line,” and “Install our software to repair it.”

The next thing one should do after “Check the key is in the ignition” is to “Check the operators manual.” With a PC, that means running the troubleshooter to diagnose and repair the problems automatically. Had I thought to suggest that first, Mom could have done it over the phone.

This is a general problem with online resources to help you solve a problem. They often want more that you would stay with their site longer, rather than of suggesting that you use existing tools to solve the problem.

Microsoft’s troubleshooters are not sexy. However they’re built in and maintained by the manufacturer. They can be more thorough by accessing the internal architecture of Windows. Many help pages that do suggest running the troubleshooter give it only a passing one or two sentence statement. Then go on to offer more extreme suggestions that seem plausible. Another non-sexy option is to go to the printer manufacturer’s site and see what their troubleshooting instructions are.

Any help site that includes “modify the registry” and install outside software shouldn’t be trusted with any of the rest of their suggestions.

For my Mom’s computer, the troubleshooter was all that her computer needed. Her computer got back on the road without needing an overhaul.

Lost buttons!

A pile of buttonsA couple of years ago, my clothes dryer needed some maintenance. I had workers come and replace the heating element and main bearing.

When they opened it up, dozens and dozens of buttons fell out. I’ve lost many buttons from my shirts over the years and there they all were! I resolved to do something about it.

I decided to change how I did my laundry. I’ve always turned printed t-shirts inside out  to preserve the inked design. Now, for my button-down shirts, I do the same. I button them up completely and turn them inside out before putting them in the wash. I also invert the cuffs and collar.

It takes a little extra work to prep the shirts for the laundry. When they come out of the dryer, I turn them right side out and unbutton them.

It’s been a roaring success. In the two years since I started this, I haven’t lost a single button in my laundry. I wear a lot of button down shirts, especially in cold weather, and I know  that the effort at prevention is worth it.

Image origin buttons by bptakoma. Image license

Good fortune

Phone with exclamation point
My main computer locked up while making a crash log last week. The blue screen error said “page fault in non-paged area.” When I tried to reboot it, it wouldn’t even POST. The disk would appear active for a second and then the computer would stop making any progress. The splash screen never came up.

I took it into a local computer shop so that they could fix it. Because of the holiday, they didn’t get to it promptly. While I was waiting through Christmas, I decided that if it was broken, it’s old enough that it wasn’t worth fixing.

I started looking for a replacement computer to buy. I had an selection of parts on Newegg and called the computer shop to pick up the old machine. Much to my surprise, when I got it home, it booted up fine.

I thought that that was quite fortuitous that it worked. I saved about $900 + lots of work in buying a new computer or $125+ if they repaired it.

It isn’t “fixed”, but I’m hopeful that it won’t crash that way again for a while. I need to use a memory testing tool since failing memory is a likely cause of the problem.

It is a massive tangle of cables in the back of the computer. I think I’m better at putting it together again if/when I need to open it up again.

Button it down

Earlier, the heating unit in my clothes dryer went out. When the workers came to repair it, they took out the dryer drum and scattered dozens of lost buttons across the floor.

I resolved not to lose any more shirt buttons.

My solution is a little labor intensive, but so far it’s been working. I button up all of the shirt buttons and then turn the shirt inside out.

When the shirt is dry, I turn it right side out, unbutton a couple of top buttons and hang it in the closet.

By buttoning all of the buttons, the force on each individual button is reduced. By turning the shirt inside out, the buttons won’t be pulled by the other clothes in the dryer.

A middle step happens when I transfer the clothes from the washer to the dryer.

Instead of throwing all of the clothes, towels and wash clothes into the dryer as a big mass, I take them one at a time and shake them out. It lets me see when there are loose threads and might help them dry a little more evenly.