Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Arrgghhh...



Yeah, photo just about says it all.  I think yesterday afternoon I looked exactly like this, and my hair-pulling shrieks of exasperation were no doubt heard in San Francisco.

Monday, for no known reason except the gods were apparently in the mood to mess with me, my printer stopped working.  Right in the middle of a project.  Between one photo and the next...no connection.

Though I love my photo printer, I have had some issues over the past couple of years. Sometimes the scanner won't work, sometimes my laptop says I don't have a printer installed.  **sigh**  I dig out the software CD, uninstall, reinstall and usually the printer comes back online.

Except. On Monday I spent four hours, peeps.  Yes, truly.  4 hours of my time, energy and mental stability trying to make the frigging printer work.  After jumping through all the hoops, thinking--for the tenth time--that everything was good to go, I would get an error message.  No explanation, no definitive reason,  Just...error.  I finally gave up and figured a new printer was in order.  Damn and blast.

So, yesterday I went to Staples and bought one.  It's much like the original--same brand, same photo printing capabilities, just newer--therefore familiar.  I get everything out of the box, set things up, all is well, this is totally easy, I'm making plans to finish my project as I install the software.  I print out the test sheet.

And get a message.  The same message.  Error.

Uninstall, reinstall, my frustration level rising, my curses getting more colorful, threats hurling skyward, heedlessly courting the wrath of the gods, those bastards.

In the end, nothing has worked and I have the sinking feeling I've just purchased a printer I didn't need. I call Staples and talk to a very nice techie named George.  We go around and around, try all kinds of tricks, spend an hour on the phone...to no avail.

End result of two bloody wasted days?  A guy has to come to the house. It's going to cost me $140 just to have him pull into my driveway.  *sigh*  But, if all goes well, they'll take back the new printer and that's a good thing.  It will help pay for the house call.

4 comments:

  1. Crap, friend. You'll enjoy my song choice today.
    Printers suck...
    Pour yourself a stiff one tonight.

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    1. You're right...song is the perfect fit for the day...maybe even the week...;D

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  2. There is nothing more irritating than a printer going AWOL on you. We had an old but extremely reliable Lexmark all-in-one that didn't print great pictures, but well enough that I could send them to my Mom and family. Then it began acting up, printing lines on everything, losing the red color, making everything undersea blue, and finally it just refused to print anything. After we gummed up our spoolers and practically took the thing apart, my guy and I went to look at new printers. There was a nice HP on sale, and he really wanted to think about it, but I thought about that wretched Lexmark at home, carried it to the check out and paid for it myself.

    The new printer is lovely, and way better for home printing. This weekend I'm going on a marathon print-a-thon with my vacation pics. And the old Lexmark? Is now in my guy's man cave, where he's still fiddling with it, I believe.

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    1. With any luck at all, I will also be doing some photo printing this weekend. I hope. Fingers crossed.

      I had to laugh at your guy saving (and trying to resurrect) the dead Lexmark. I wonder if there can be zombie printers...?? ;D

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