Who else is having a crappy Christmas season?

[thecoolnessrune]

I was so happy to be here with the girlfriend for a while. Now it's all downhill. I got some parts for her Dell hoping to spruce it up a bit. Had UPS ship the parts up from home. Got a package with the bubble wrap torn and opened up the box to find the video card that I had previously bought from these forums to be looking bad. The bracket was bent and the PCB had a slight bend in it. Should have said fuck it there. Should have realised I was simply screwed $100 by UPS and that I'd have to take the loss, but no, I thought "hey if it doesn't work it doesn't work"

So I put the card in and put up. The video card fan spins but thats it. Integrated video still works fine so I go into Windows and look in device manager to find the card isn't there.

So I shutdown and remove the video card and boot back up and, of course, the computer now hangs at the BIOS screen. If I remove the CMOS battery and unplug the battery I'll get a screen saying I need to go through BIOS setup so I do and get into the setup to change the time and reboot. Hung up again.

So now I'm sitting in front of a computer that can't boot up and hangs in the BIOS before it can even take keyboard input, unless I pull the battery then I can get through BIOS setup but that's it.

I'm sick right now. Looking at obviously having to replace this thing. And not even enough time to order the parts to do it. Merry fucking Christmas

 

[Fritzo]

PC upgrades are terrible Christmas gifts.

 

[dainthomas]

PC upgrades are terrible Christmas gifts.

This.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

PC upgrades are terrible Christmas gifts.

Apparently.. I only know that it would have made her happy to be able to play a few computer games (L4D comes to mind) without having to deal with the stuttering. The simple graphics card upgrade could have fixed that.. But alas, things simply can't work out that well

 

[bobross419]

You could always go take a piss in the UPS guy's yard.

 

[skyking]

I was doing really good, had a good Thanksgiving and foolishly thought I was out of the woods but this first Christmas without my mother is starting to get to me.

 

[Queasy]

After the Christmas two year's ago when my wife's grandmother passed away early Christmas Eve morning nothing has compared in the "crappy Christmas season" category.

 

[Joemonkey]

Lets see, my grandmother is in poor health and this is likely her last Christmas, hopefully she survives until the weekend so I can see her. The transmission in my car went out 2 weeks ago, $300 to fix that. My wife stepped on our cat walking down the stairs and rolled her foot, we thought it was broken but luckily just a bad sprain, can't wait to pay for that ER visit...

what were you bitching about again?

 

[Red Squirrel]

Our main domain controller went down, which sparked about 20 other ongoing issues, and to make matters worse there has been lot of unrelated issues happening too. Our ticket queue went from 15 outstanding tickets and is now at about 50 and growing.

Everything I open Service Desk (our ticketning software) I can just picture santa "you've been very naughty, here's more tickets for you!"

Worse then coal. At least I can burn coal to to generate electricity or something.

As far as life outside of work, it's ok. Not really sure what the family plans will be yet but it always works out well. We don't have family fights or anything like what happens in some families. My 600+ lbs aunt was once invited to our house and almost broke our toilet and sank through the floor with it, but other then that things usually go well.

 

[KeithTalent]

You should donate the broken video card to your local homeless shelter.

KT

 

[meltdown75]

I wish I had your problems.

I was still married last Christmas and also very much a part of my inlaws Christmas gatherings. Part of the family, 100%, and they loved me and I them.

This year I'm solo and the entire holiday season looms like a giant fucked up piece of shit iceberg on the horizon.

My family is fighting, my sisters haven't talked for years and our family gatherings are small and a shadow of their former glory.

Don't talk to me about shitty Christmases. At least I have my health I guess. But basically Christmas and New Year's can lick my balls this year.

 

[bobdole369]

NO money until the 22nd, and even then just a little bit. So no online shopping. I only get to buy stuff at retail during the horrid crunch. At least you actually bought something. I haven't even started.

 

[Koing]

I'm off on holiday to Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan tomorrow and will spend Xmas, my birthday and new years eve abroad so that'll be sweet. Back on the 4th and back to work on the 6th January :thumbsup;, can't wait!

And I'm going to treat myself to a E46 M3.

OP I can't remember the last time I opened up a pc!

Koing

 

[guyver01]

So I put the card in and put up. The video card fan spins but thats it. Integrated video still works fine so I go into Windows and look in device manager to find the card isn't there.

So I shutdown and remove the video card and boot back up and, of course, the computer now hangs at the BIOS screen.

You knocked a cord loose from the MB or HDD, or something. Remove EVERYTHING, then reinsert one by one. Go Slow, take your time.

Inserting a Video Card isn't going to blow your MB or screw up your BIOS.

 

[theflyingpig]

It could be worse. You could live in one of those countries that don't believe in Christmas at all. Be glad you live here and not there. Everyone knows this.