I just blogged about my PocketPC getting The Wipe, requiring a complete reload from a backup file which I failed to make. Complicating matters is that my CD drive crapped out the other day. Whether the two incidents are related, I don't know.
Today, Sunday, was when I planned to get my computer back to 100% in preparation for another work week. Besides, I couldn't import any new CDs to iTunes, so I had to get the drive fixed. I was just getting ready to load Devo's Greatest Hits! I also wanted to install my Axim portable keyboard, and I had the software on a CD.
I have four computers on my home office network. I stupidly threw away two older CD drives a few months ago, so to confirm the problem was isolated to the CD drive itself I removed a CD drive from my 3rd oldest computer (a backup development machine--my oldest computer is my PDC) and quickly installed it in the busted computer. It worked. Okay. A new drive would get me back up and running. But on a subsequent boot-up prior to replacing the CD drive, with a disconnected CDROM drive (master in the IDE1 chain) and an iPod blasting away with "HELLO! I'M HERE! HI! HI!", the computer tried to boot from the iPod. "Missing Operating System" followed with MAC hexadecimal addresses on the screen, "DHCP" and a ascii bar spinning around. I went into the System Setup, set the IDE0, unplugged the iPod, and tried again. More problems. System Setup again. Rebooted with the defective CD drive attached. Back up, of course. Now off to Circuit City.
I installed the new drive (faster with CDRW and w/DVD, two capabilities I didn't have before.) Booted up, connected to the network and the internet, a-okay. I attached the iPod. The audio CD displayed in iTunes as it should. I listened to Devo's "Through Being Cool" and rebooted.
On reboot, it seemed to take forever to login to the network. Weird. Then I noticed I couldn't see any other computers on my LAN. What was worse, I couldn't see any computer from any other computer. Like someone snipped the twisted-pair at the hub. I disconnected the computer I was working on, rebooted the hub and still my network was completely down. So I shut down everything. Brought up the PDC, then a second server. Still nothing. I was getting worried. Then another. What the hell? I disconnected the iPod and started up the problem computer. Everything seemed to work okay. My machines were talking to one another again, in all directions, including the problem computer.
Damn it. I wasn't going to live without my iPod. How was I going to continue getting new podcasts? So I shutdown the iPod computer, plugged in the iPod and started it back up. That was three hours ago and all systems operated within established parameters. Digital life is back to normal. Getting there was a bitch though, which is why I have to wonder how the Average Joe survives when his CDROM craps out or if after plugging in his iPod he can't connect to the Internet. This stuff is still way too complicated, that's for sure.
Thank God I'm a nerd.