As noted in the previous post and comments, I have serious desktop computer issues at present. Issues caused by a particularly virulent strain of malware called "Security Check". There's no way to get into my programs, even using nifty backdoor routes advised by experts. Even rescue discs which involve booting into a different mini-operating system based on Linux fail. It's as though the malware trashed and removed the very guts of my computer.
Ah well - onward and sideways! Attaching my keyboard and mouse to the laptop has enabled me to be a bit less buttery-fingered. I might even carry on blogging, though not quite as frequently.
Mercury Retrograde.....yes! Diane, who commented the other day mentioned it. I hadn't been thinking along those lines myself, but now the matter has raised its tricky head...well...According to most astrologers Mercury Retro periods of around 3 weeks duration are times when our thinking can more easily become muddled, causing the kinds of problems we'd normally quite easily avoid. Also, some astrologers advise, among other things, that it's preferable not to buy electronic devices (computers included) when Mercury appears to be in retrograde motion.
Mercury stations today, 12 March, will appear stand still then back-track until early April. See details on a calendar at Powerful Light.com
I'm not planning to be obsessive about Mercury Retro, but Diane's comment did tend to stop me in my tracks when I was considering ordering an online snip-of-a-deal - new desktop PC with Windows7 installed.
According to astrologers the dates of Mercury's stations are possibly the worst of the lot for general "iffiness". Discretion being the better part of valor, I've decided to wait until after 12 March, at least, before ordering a computer. In a practical, non-astro sense anyway, it will allow time to try to re-format my computer myself or, if impossible, consult our local computer store for their techie's opinion on likely costs, whether the infected computer can be healed, or if it's a hopeless case. Armed with that information, by mid- or late-week I'll feel confident enough to order a new machine, if that's what seems to be the appropriate course. A new machine will have at least year's warranty, so all will not be lost, whatever the outcome of possible foolhardiness.
Light research threw up some articles whose authors present a rather different viewpoint about Mercury Retro periods from the standard textbook view. Here are links to a couple of them, for any passing reader who finds themself feeling hamstrung or hemmed-in by Mercury Retrograde.
Ah well - onward and sideways! Attaching my keyboard and mouse to the laptop has enabled me to be a bit less buttery-fingered. I might even carry on blogging, though not quite as frequently.
Mercury Retrograde.....yes! Diane, who commented the other day mentioned it. I hadn't been thinking along those lines myself, but now the matter has raised its tricky head...well...According to most astrologers Mercury Retro periods of around 3 weeks duration are times when our thinking can more easily become muddled, causing the kinds of problems we'd normally quite easily avoid. Also, some astrologers advise, among other things, that it's preferable not to buy electronic devices (computers included) when Mercury appears to be in retrograde motion.
Mercury stations today, 12 March, will appear stand still then back-track until early April. See details on a calendar at Powerful Light.com
I'm not planning to be obsessive about Mercury Retro, but Diane's comment did tend to stop me in my tracks when I was considering ordering an online snip-of-a-deal - new desktop PC with Windows7 installed.
According to astrologers the dates of Mercury's stations are possibly the worst of the lot for general "iffiness". Discretion being the better part of valor, I've decided to wait until after 12 March, at least, before ordering a computer. In a practical, non-astro sense anyway, it will allow time to try to re-format my computer myself or, if impossible, consult our local computer store for their techie's opinion on likely costs, whether the infected computer can be healed, or if it's a hopeless case. Armed with that information, by mid- or late-week I'll feel confident enough to order a new machine, if that's what seems to be the appropriate course. A new machine will have at least year's warranty, so all will not be lost, whatever the outcome of possible foolhardiness.
Light research threw up some articles whose authors present a rather different viewpoint about Mercury Retro periods from the standard textbook view. Here are links to a couple of them, for any passing reader who finds themself feeling hamstrung or hemmed-in by Mercury Retrograde.
http://garystamper.blogspot.com/2011/04/myth-of-mercury-retrograde.html
http://practicalastrology.prettyfedup.com/articles2.htm
Diane, here, well, yes my life is kind of a permanent retrograde [Intregral Warrior] in some ways I guess but insofar as Mercury retrograde is concerned I haven't seen it work so much in my everyday life as those poor souls around me. Not all the time but enough to make me aware. In the end, most everything that is broken or malfunctioning gets fixed or replaced so no harm, no foul really. Life goes on, does it not? I really hope you get your computer problems straightened out but didn't you just recently have car troubles as well? Have you looked in your chart to see what Mercury is doing in terms of secondary progressions or solar arc? In re: secondary progressions, my natal Mercury just recently began a retrograde phase, hence my reference to permanent retrograde. I truly love your blog so please don't let this take you out.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes, Diane
Diane ~~ Yes, these things are sent to try us - or to try our patience - not usually much more than that.
ReplyDeleteI haven't looked into progressions etc.as not very confident about the usefulness or wisdom of those. Just my own gut feeling. I prefer to deal with stuff as it happens rather than watching and worrying ahead for something that may or may not materialise. :-)
Yes, we had car problems a few weeks ago and I broke a tooth Jan 1st and needed a crown to replace it. I seem to be in one of those bad luck cycles, may be astrological maybe just chance.
Either way these things simply have to be dealt with.
Over the weekend after much chewing over the computer problem and some failed attempts to solve it, we decided to make one last attempt before going to the repair shop. This time to reformat the operating system using the re-install disc that came with my computer. This time the machine did boot from cd and though I'll have lost my data I'll at least have a clean machine, with no further expense, at present, other than new antivirus software. This will at least give me opportunity to consider further updates such as new computer with Windows 7 or Mac or whatever.
We're still in the midst of finishing the job because driver renewal still needed and I need an antivirus cd from the store.
Dare not go online to download one.
But....so far so good. I'll later need to re-install astro software fromthe cd, and any other software I use.
I hope your own current Merc. retrofelings prove to be as benign as possible.
:-)
Yahoo answers has to potential fixes for the Security virus...hope this may be of help to you.
ReplyDeletehttp://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100815064042AA1ZZbZ
Anonymous ~~ Thank you for the link.
ReplyDeleteI scoured the net for fixes over the weekend, we tried them all and none worked for us. We've gone to last resort (before taking the box to the computrt repair store)and are in the midst of re-installing Windows, and my other progs - this meant losing most of my files, but never mind, not the end of the world ;-)
Oh poor you, T. that is exactly the virus I had nicely disguised as security. My tech tells me it is everywhere. I didn't lose anything, I shut down and went on my netbook instead and waited for the healing.
ReplyDeleteyes another friend mentioned Mercury on the phone to me today as she is having trouble too.
White light and love to you through this trying time and have some expert check your system, all may not be lost. I didn't lose a thing though I'm much more vigilant on backups.
XO
WWW
I think Blogger's suffering from the 'Security Check' virus. It's gone really crazy of late. No curser in the comment box, comment previews often in a long thin horizontal line down the right-hand side. I'm so glad you managed to get rid of those indecipherable 'robot protection' words, lots of Blogger sites still have them.
ReplyDeleteOn the subject of your own computer woes, I yet again sympathize. One solution may have been to replace your hard drive, reinstall windows on that and take your old one to a computer doctor to have your files copied. HDs are really easy to remove. Still, it sounds like you've already overwritten them. I hope you get the problem sorted soon.
Wisewebwoman~~
ReplyDeleteThank you WWW! I'm resigned to having had a clear-out and have lost nothing I can't replace one way or another -it's all just inconvenience really. Still installing yads of updates at present, and getting familiar with Norton's complexities.
So far the only cost has been time and purchase of Norton 360- which Himself thinks is the bee's knees of security software. It works for him, so I hope it'll work for me. :-)
RJ Adams ~~~ Thanks for you thoughts on this. Yes, we've overwritten Windows XP Pro using the re-installation disc I had and a drivers disc I found later.
ReplyDeleteNorton 360 can still "see" the ghost files and is at present busy checking them. I'm not too worried if I can't access them, but I installed my astrology software earlier and it found the old file of charts made in the past right away - so nothing lost there. Maybe my e-mail prog will do the same when I get around to dealing with it.
Blogger spam is on overdrive since I got rid of the silly security letter thingie, but it's easy enough to clear the batch of spam, which is kept separate, daily.
:-)
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