Computers Bloody Computers

Is it just me are computers a big part of modern sailing?  I've spent probably 30 hours doing maintenance work on my 3 laptops during the last 2 weeks.

The biggest pain was the Windows 7 machine which stopped connecting to the network via the local wireless router and I tried every suggestion that I could find in the internet on the subject with no success.

This morning a lady approached me asking me for the password of the wireless router.  I told her that the is no password, it is an open system.  She couldn't connect.  "Windows 7?" I asked.  Yes, it was Windows 7, so told her my story of the connectivity problems.  Nevertheless I went to her machine and fiddled around, doing nothing, really, then the connection map showed that she was connected.  She tried her browser and sure enough she was connected to the internet and I was an undeserving hero.  My Windows 7 was next to hers up and running so I looked at the map and I was connected too.  I tried the browse and bingo!

There is something dodgy either in either Windows 7 or the local router.  None of the few tools at my disposal resolve the problem - it just disappears by itself.  From now on if I can't connect to with the Windows 7 machine I'll just leave it alone and use the XP machine, since fiddling around with low level commands carries its own risks and doesn't work anyway.

I then shut down the XP machine and continued my internet work with the Windows 7 machine with no problem - till next time.

This morning I had made a special trip to the tourist bureau which advertised the hours of 9.30 AM to 1.30 PM.  I waited until 10 AM and left because nobody had showed up to open the place.  I then got on the internet and helped myself,  sorting out the bus schedules, surveying the hotels in Buenos Aires, and making a reservation for 5 days from 9 to 14 April.  (http://www.omnilineas.com/argentina/hotel/buenos-aires-waldorf/).

Computers Wonderful Computers!

.