And $400 Later...

We're (more or less) back where we started.

My 2-year-old computer died. Young, methinks. It was a Dell.

It was like my right arm had been chopped off. I called Dell for help.

For $50 they told me I needed parts, of which the cheapest "refurbished" versions totalled $180 (plus tax)... I figured that they'd have a 2-year life expectancy at best, so I found a new main unit instead for $350 with tax. It has twice the memory and hard drive space than the last, and it's not a Dell. That has to be worth something, right?

So, after hours on the phone, and comparison shopping (on a distant borrowed computer), and real-life shopping, and counting on perfect love to cast out all fear of threatened dire possibilities if I didn't pay half as much additionally for Guaranteed Geek Squad Salvation, I came home with a new tower.

And here I am. My right arm has been reattached, and seems to be working better than ever.

Whew.