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Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Windows 10 Sucks

Ever since the revival and return of my laptop, I have been occasionally seeing a message on the screen that says Windows 10 is automatically updating to the latest version ... and there's no option to cancel the update, only to hide it. Horrors! This is what crashed the laptop to begin with.

This morning, however, I believe I found a way, after much tinkering and the development of a splitting headache, to cancel the progress of the update within the system. I sure hope so, anyway. The last mess cost me three days without a laptop and 200.000 Rupiah. That's not a lot by American standards, but it's all relative, you know. Anything is 'a lot' when you're living on Social Security.

One often sees an odd cultural thing here wherein people who are providing a service, especially if they are friends or acquaintances, don't like to give you a price for the service. When the 'computer guy' -- a husband of a friend of my ex-wife's--finished the job on the laptop, I asked "How much can I pay you." So, you see, you have to pose the question in that manner to begin with, with a concentration on the notion that it is a privilege for you to pay. Nonetheless, he was noncommittal, looking away and saying "Oh, nggak apa-apa", or 'Its okay'. "Well," I followed up, "Your time is the same as money. I must pay, yes?" Still careful not to look at me, he muttered, "Oh, nanti aja ya", which means 'Later'. Good grief.

Well, with a bit more pressure, he finally managed to mutter "Dua ratus." Two-hundred thousand Rupiah. Less than 20 dollars US. But, as I say, it's 20 more than I have to burn, so I sure hope this fix endures.  

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