Computer whining

Here is my spiffy new computer.

I have found the best way to use my new computer is to sit next to my grandson, who seems to know exactly how to fix what I mess up and to have my email up so artquiltmaker can rescue me too.

I've had a computer since they were first readily available. My first one was an Radio Shack with two disk drives.  I planned to become a programmer and was signed up at the local JC (that's Junior College for you youngsters) to learn Cobol.  Due to an emergency I missed the third class and was totally lost after that.  I dropped out shortly after.

  

I eventually began using computers at work and became quite comfortable with them.  Two years ago I retired and had just my ten year old laptop to use.  I no longer used business applications, had Word 2003 on it and generally that was all I needed.

I used a little HP notebook for email and pictures and the old laptop for word processing and watching DVDs.

Well, a ten year old laptop is an antique in all respects except the fifty year requirement for antiques.  So, of course, it died.  The power cable plug broke.  Then on Christmas day 2011 my HP notebook was stolen.  My own fault as I had forgotten to take it out of my truck while visiting relatives in Sacto.

So there I was lost in the information age with no computer.  I scraped together the dough to have the plug fixed on the laptop. When I got it back the plug was great but the hard drive only ran about thirty seconds before turning off the laptop.  The technician said he just fixed the plug and didn't even turn the thing on.

Here is the computer illiterate who owns it!

So I was reduced to one hour a day at the library.  On the days it was open, if I got there before school let out and there was a computer available. Ugh.

 

I stewed about that for almost a month.  One day I figured what the heck the thing doesn't work so slamming it around a little won't change anything.   So I bounced it on the floor three times, took it out of it's case and set it up. Miracle of miracles, IT WORKED!

The other problem we had was that or internet provider went belly-up with less than a weeks notice right around the time all this bad computer karma started.  So just before I received this cool little computer we signed up with another internet provider.

My old laptop decided it wouldn't go on the internet anymore. Something about a proxy server. But little Acer goes on just fine. It just won't read any documents done on the old LT.  

So, I can load one more copy of the Word 2003 I bought with the old LT.  Except that program is one disks and the little guy hasn't got a disk drive.  I see two choices: purchase a new and current word processing program or a portable disk drive.  I think a new program is the best bet, any advice?