Friday, May 21, 2010

Slow Internet

Don't you hate when your computer is suddenly as slow as molasses?  
I spend a lot of time farming on Facebook; so the first thought I had was, "Facebook is messing up again."  
Because lots of times, Facebook (or Farmville) is the culprit.  So I tried some websites that normally load instantly for me, such as Craigslist.  Good grief, they were barely inching along.  
I downloaded a Farmville toolbar to my Firefox browser yesterday, a toolbar that snags all the free gifts to my gift box automatically so I don't miss any goodies.  I know, most of you don't have a clue what I'm talking about.  But trust me, if you play Farmville, this toolbar is a must-have.  
Chrome is my browser of choice, but the toolbar only works on IE and Firefox.  So once I installed it on Firefox, I minimized that browser so it could snag all the gifts for me, and used Chrome for surfing.  
Last night, things were moving slower and slower.  My first thought was that I should not have downloaded that toolbar.  I always blame myself first for any computer problem, because I am such a non-techie person.  
Next thought to run through my head was this:  "Dang it, if this were a PC instead of a Mac, I could take it anywhere to get it worked on; now I'll have to get it to the Plaza in downtown Kansas City."  
This morning I turned on my computer and it was still slow.  Slower even than dialup, if you can believe that.  
"I've messed my my Mac," I thought.  
Cliff got up early this morning, opened up the laptop to check Craigslist and said, "This thing is barely moving."  
So it isn't my Mac!  It's the Internet connection!   
I called a Century Link tech.  
I always hate to do this, because I know it will involve a huge chunk of time and a lot of frustration as I turn off and turn on and unplug and replug everything involved with my computer, crawling on my hands and knees under a cluttered desk.  
Once I had explained our problem, the tech guy said, "OK, go to start..."
"I'm on a Mac," I told him.  "I don't have 'start'."  
"Oh; we're all Windows people here, so let me get some instructions."
I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, but it was unwarranted.  He did just fine helping me on my Mac.  
Just as I had expected, I was told to unhook the router; the computer was plugged in to a filter, and I removed that.  He told me to click on one thing and another, type in this and that (hash?), read to him what came up, turn things off, put wires into different holes.  Whew.   
But when we were through, my computer was up to speed once again, and I thanked the man.  
"One more thing," he said.  "How would you rate Century Link as an Internet provider?  Would you recommend us?"  
"That question really isn't applicable," I said.  "We're out in the country and don't have any other options."  
If I had a choice, I'd have cable; it's faster than DSL.  But I don't, so I didn't bother to tell him that.
"Well then, how would you rate the help you've just received, on a scale of one to five?"  
"Oh, you've earned yourself a five."  
"Thank you very much; is there anything else I can do to help you?"  
"Nope."  
The things I have to do in order to play on my Farmville farm.  



7 comments:

  1. Glad that you and the tech got things up and going. We are lost without our internet. What did we do before then? Helen

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  2. Love your farm!!

    I'm so untechnical, I hate when my computer acts up. Glad you got a tech willing to be helpful!!

    ~Julie~

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  3. I'm glad you and your farm are going at top speed once more. I have family and friends that do the farmville thing and it's so funny to watch them. My SIL has to stop what he's doing to go harvest a crop. It is a rainy day here so I'm sure it's good entertainment when you can't get outside. Have a great Friday!

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  4. Anonymous12:08 PM

    'IT'S TOO WET TO PLOW'.
    THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN MY DAD'S EXPRESSION BACK 'THEN' IF HE HAD A COMPUTER AND IT MIS-BEHAVED.
    sam

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  5. Glad your connection got fixed. Don't forget about me if you need help. My new email is Joey@CenturyLink.com if you need my help! Hope you have a good weekend :)

    Joey H
    CenturyLink Customer Outreach

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  6. Now there's something one doesn't see too often - a company tech posting a comment. Excellent follow-up, Joey!

    Glad to hear you're back up to speed. How's Cliff doing? His virus sounds like the same thing that sent my wife to the ER. Except her recovery has taken the better part of a week...

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  7. I have that tool bar too, isn't it the best thing ever?!??!? No mess no fuss, just click on snag and it does its thing and I don't have to worry about missing anything I did not see!

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