(About to be) Missing in Action

I am about to go missing for 2 or 3 (probably more) weeks. This is not my fault!

I think I mentioned here that I decided to add a gig of ram to my laptop so that my Photoshop Elements would run better. A gig and a half of ram! I thought that my problems would be over!! Silly, silly Me.....

After having the ram installed by a 'qualified' technician I happily brought my laptop home and began to surf and play. Things went great until I opened up Photoshop Elements and tried to do something with a photo. Each time I would do more than 2 things to a photo my computer would shut itself off. Thus began the ordeal......

First I did the repair, uninstall, reinstall drill that we all know so well. Nothing worked. And, the only time the computer did this was when I worked on photos. Since all I really use the computer for is Internet and photos... well, you can see the problem. So, I phone the 'qualified' techs and they tell me it could be a software problem.. No, I already thought of that.. O.K... then bring it in and let us take a look...

Tuesday I took the laptop to them and they said they would need to run tests. My understanding was that they weren't that busy and would get to it that afternoon. I call back 5 hours later.... And am told they needed to stress the machine and it would take 2 or 3 DAYS!! I freaked, but sucked it up and figured I was at least getting my $69 worth of testing. Meanwhile I went to dig up paperwork and realized that the laptop is still under the extended warranty I bought till Dec 20th... Yippee!! Calling the techs I am told that my $69 would be refunded when I picked up the machine... Double Yippee!

And I waited...

And I waited...

Finally on Friday evening at 7pm they call.... they can't keep the machine up and running long enough to do the rest of the tests and want to send it in to be worked on.... and it would be gone 2 or 3 weeks.. EEEEEeeeeeeeeekkkk! Did I want them to do a backup before they sent it off? (at a cost of $110 not covered by my warranty?) Ummm... NO! I would come and get the box, back up any photos not already on my external harddrive and any game saves (most things are already on the external, I try to do that once a month anyway). Well, I could try they said.

I pick up the box, bring it home and check e-mail, Bloglines, read journals/blogs etc for like 3 hours..... but the minute I bring up Photoshop... Phhhhhhht!

So, I am going to go online and schedule the bills to be paid for the next couple of weeks, make an entry to both Blogger and AOL Journals so you guys don't think I had some awful accident, back up a couple of random things...... And return the box to them to be shipped out... Whine!

Update: I just got off the phone with the store and they said that the laptop wouldn't ship out till Monday if I brought it in today... so I'm keeping it till Monday.  LOL!