My computer has been.
So, from my recent post, you’d probably have known about my recent acquisition of a Creative Zen V Plus. As you would probably have also known by now, I’m a sucker for pretty much anything technology-related. So I downloaded something I found called mp3tag (I won’t link it here, and you’ll understand why in the next few paragraphs), and proceeded to tag my extensive collection of audio-inclined files.
It performed as expected.
What was unexpected was the complete failure of Adobe Photoshop to initiate itself, proceeding to exit, stage left, with the cryptic warning that my registration info was incorrect, or perhaps, missing.
Well.
I restarted Photoshop, and lo and behold, I didn’t see my name appear on the loading graphic that so clearly defines a proper, licensed copy of Photoshop. Oh dear.
So I restarted the PC, hoping (but knowing it would not) that somehow things would magically right themselves. Word to the wise: computers don’t perform magiks.
At this point, I was pretty sure it wasn’t a problem just limited to Photoshop, so I gave the usual whirls a spin: Ad-Aware and AVG did nothing to alleviate my concerns, though AVG did note that my shell32.dll windows system file had been modified. For those who are understandably not well-versed in every single function of the core Windows system files, that particular library contains functions necessary for the rendering of shell objects, such as icons and stuff.
Which, if modified, is a very bad thing.
So, at this point, out of curiosity, I went to my Add/Remove programs list, and I was actually surprised to discover that half the items installed on my rig weren’t appearing, and things that were installed but never showed up now did. It was like Mr. Bean meets Monty Python or something.
Anyway, such a list indicated problems with the registry, which meant one of two things, since I hadn’t really done anything other than install that damned bundle of bytes (I choose it over an open-source alternative, incidentally); that either my registry had finally gave out from all that nicotine, or that something, somehow, had managed to evade both AVG and Ad-Aware, along with Hijackthis and didn’t register itself as a running process.
Rather than agonize over such possibilities diverse, I choose the equally painful, but safer route: a reformat.
Oh, what pain! How it hurt my tender nerves to have to meticulously strip every last bit of data from the hard drive, the drive that had served me well for almost 4 (5?) years!
But it was done. And I had to get a new Windows XP Professional CD key, since the original one had faded away due to sheer age. Thank god for moms who work in humongous institutions that can spare license keys like tissue paper.
The process of re-installing all my software is a harrowing process that I know all too well, having experienced it before, and experiencing it again on my laptop when I first received its tender caresses. At least I managed to recover most of my data this time, though; it wasn’t as if Windows was entirely nonfunctional before I had to initiate the reformat. In fact, even as I speak, After Effects is undergoing reinitialization.
It’s not really the problem of installation that sucks, though; it’s all the settings and workspace information that I’ve lost that really pisses me off. Those can’t be merely waited out through some PSP fun.
By the way, do note that our Gears of War tournament starts on the morrow. I had the chance to check out the sad little venue earlier on, and though I wasn’t impressed, it’s there that either victory or humiliating defeat will be bestowed upon me.
Welcome back to the stage of history.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to find some new desktop icons.
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