Emergency

Computer Update

Max Misc , ,

Hey readers! Max here with a quick update on things!

So, this is being written from my computer. And it may be that the source of the problem has been found. Perhaps. Two problems, really.

One was that my thermal paste on the CPU, that critical component responsible for transferring heat to the fans, was dry as a bone. Which means part of the problem may have been that the CPU was overheating. Now that it’s been cleaned and new paste applied, a system check of everything swears it’s all okay. Mem-check went fine too.

Save in one place. My D drive. Yes, it would appear that the D drive, about 15 years old, is failing me. To the point that Windows cannot even repair it and advised when I tried that due to the inability to do so, system instability could result.

So yeah … that seems to be the other culprit. As a result, I’ve moved all valued items off of it to another drive (F), including my music collection (and have set my player to find the library there. I’ve cleared programs using the drive, and already ordered a replacement. Now I just need to wait.

Oh, and during my attempt to copy some stuff off of the drive, the computer crashed again. Which seems … telling, if I do say so myself.

I’ll try and do some work tomorrow, and with luck, there won’t be any issues. If there are well … sands, I don’t know. This should be it. I’ll tiptoe around that drive until the replacement arrives, at which point I’ll open the case up and swap them out. In the end it cost me about $116, but the new replacement is the same size and an SSD (the other option was half the price for the same thing, or the price I paid for 2 TB but old-school SSD. I went for a future-proof.

With luck, this will stop the issue, and things will return to normal. I’ll keep you posted. Being a Better Writer Monday if all goes well.

Emergency Status Update

Max Misc ,

This post has nothing to do with politics.

Just heading this appropriately, before anyone panics for the wrong reasons.

So what’s up? Yesterday, as I was working on the print copy of Axtara – Banking and Finance, my computer stuttered, froze, and died. Then powered back on … only to shut off a moment later, without even a BIOS POST beep.

For those not technically minded, this is really bad.

Some work later with a voltmeter concluded that the first suspect, the power supply, was fine and functioning within optional boundaries, delivering the power it was supposed to. Which, assuming it’s not failing under load (unlikely), puts the culprit elsewhere.

As of right now, the next suspect, which I shall test in the morning, is the CPU fan. If it fails to start, that would be one reason the system isn’t even passing POST. If it does start, then the problem is either the CPU … Or the motherboard.

Neither are good, because both are costly to fix.

Unfortunately, I’m writing this on my phone. If Monday sees a Being a Better Writer post, it’ll be either because I was able to get the computer online without much difficulty, or because I wrote a short, quick one on my phone.

Given that all my books are on the computer and it’s currently unaccessible, no writing is being carried out.

I’ll update you readers as I know more, but this is not exactly a great development. I’ve got my smartphone, and that’s it.

I’ll keep you posted. Max out.

The Emergency Update

Max Misc , , , ,

Initial Emergency post here.

First of all, thank you everyone who posted get-well wishes, sympathy, and support for my sister. It was passed on an appreciated. She’d had a rough week already before everything went sideways at 40+ MPH, making the collision and totaling of her car the cherry on top.

However, she’s doing really well. The first two days were the roughest, as all the muscles across her body were not having a good time after the accident, and so bruised and tensed and whatnot were stiffening, swelling, and pulling her broken collarbone every which way they could. Tuesday morning she was too sore and stiff after sleeping to even get up.

But the swelling has faded, the muscles healing and loosening up, and my sister’s adjusted enough to having one functional arm at the moment that as of last night I am back in my own home.

I slept way in this morning lol. Catching up.

Okay, so there are two things I need to discuss now: how my sister’s doing, and what the status of Christmas updates for the site will be.

First up my sister: She’s well-cared for now. Her collarbone is broken, yes, but it’s a clean break and should heal well. She’s already seeing a sport-doc for it, and insurance, while a tangled, complicated mess, has at least let the wheels roll forward. It appears that she’ll be on leave from work for some time, but it’ll be covered, as well her medical and whatnot. There’s plenty to do going forward, but she’s gotten past the start, which was pretty much all uphill.

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I Need Help

Max Misc ,

Today was going to be a very different post. But unfortunately, life delivered me a very dangerous blow this week.

Some of you probably know that I’ve been financially stretched thin over the last few months. If you didn’t, well, I have been. Am. My primary diet for a while has been rice and beans, because 25 lbs of rice and beans is really, really cheap. I’ve been living on a razor’s edge, though … and this week it cut me.

My insurance company is the culprit. They screwed up, and rather than take my usual monthly $96 insurance charge out of my bank account, they took $270. They’ve admitted to the mistake … but in typical fashion, they will not return the money to me, but rather apply it to future bills.

That, combined with the utility payments I’d already sent out, ruined my bank account. It zero’d a few hours ago.

As in $0.00. Zilch. Nada. My credit card took the remainder (which in turn hits me with a fee and slashes my credit rating).

I am officially, completely, busted. This on top of my long-time residence being sold, which means I need to find a new place to live—and cough up advance rent and a deposit for October, or I’ll be living out of my car. It goes without saying that all writing will stop when that happens.

Anyway, I’m going to do what I can to try and salvage this disaster, but the dice have already rolled snake eyes. Odd jobs, more jobs, borrowing money from family … but in the end, this hits me hard, and I’ll probably be feeling the effects for years to come unless some sort of miracle falls into my lap.

I’m not going to beg for money or donations. I’m not going to do that. But I am going to ask something of you, my followers. Not donations. Help.

Some of you have been readers of my work from long before this site. Some of you are new. A lot of you like what I do. You like what I write. You like what I’ve created.

And so I’m asking you now, with all that in mind, please don’t let it end there. Please look over my published books and consider giving one of them a shot. If you haven’t bought and tried one yet, please consider it. If you already have, then please help me out and leave an honest review of it on Amazon. If you really enjoyed it, and want to see more, please tell other people about it so they can find it. Share a link on facebook, on twitter, or on a blog.

These books aren’t bad. They’re sitting at 4.4 and 4.9 stars each after two years and a year, respectively. The lowest reviews? 3 3-star reviews. 3-star is average. The covers aren’t great, but the story inside of each of them is.

Please, take a look at them. If you’ve read them and haven’t left a review, please do, and if you could be inclined to be so helpful, recommend them. Facebook, twitter, e-mail. Whatever tools you have.

But please, if you can, do. I need the help. And I really want to be able to keep writing.