Today when we arrived in Berat from Gjirokaster, the Asus T100computer I use to blog would not boot to Windows 8. The recovery screen told me to repair with recovery media. If we had been home, I would have gotten on our other Windows 8 machine, made a DVD, and connected the portable DVD drive to this machine - I'd have been in business again. Here we are in an Albanian town of 70000. I doubt there is a single Windows 8 machine in the whole place. I'd still be able to blog, by poking on a 7" tablet or sharing John's netbook, returning to the dark ages. Our next stop is Tirana, the capital. We should be able to find what we need....
After we got back to the hotel, I googled around some and decided to give Asus Support a try. It turns out the device has built in-recovery! Amazingly, I was back in business within half an hour!!! The operation wiped out all my data, an event I prepared for. So far, I don't regret choosing Asus. All three devices we are traveling with are made by Asus.
On the low tech end, I burned up our heating coil last week. We couldn't find a travel-size replacement coil at the hardware store - there was an industrial-size one and we had a good laugh - but the nice people there told us that the supermarket sells a small electric kettle. Since John's new pack has plenty of room and the kettle hardly weighs more than the coil, our mobile kitchen now has a kettle, made in Turkey.
Also, John thinks his camera is showing signs of aging. He'll definitely be traveling with a new camera the next trip. We just hope the current one holds out for this trip.
New .5 liter electric kettle on the right.
After we got back to the hotel, I googled around some and decided to give Asus Support a try. It turns out the device has built in-recovery! Amazingly, I was back in business within half an hour!!! The operation wiped out all my data, an event I prepared for. So far, I don't regret choosing Asus. All three devices we are traveling with are made by Asus.
On the low tech end, I burned up our heating coil last week. We couldn't find a travel-size replacement coil at the hardware store - there was an industrial-size one and we had a good laugh - but the nice people there told us that the supermarket sells a small electric kettle. Since John's new pack has plenty of room and the kettle hardly weighs more than the coil, our mobile kitchen now has a kettle, made in Turkey.
Also, John thinks his camera is showing signs of aging. He'll definitely be traveling with a new camera the next trip. We just hope the current one holds out for this trip.
New .5 liter electric kettle on the right.
Sometimes, however rarely, the PC Gods shine upon you. Fortunate recovery. Were you discussing the heating coil with the shopkeeper in English or Albanian? Camera aging? Say it isn't so! I can't imagine going three more months without John's artistic photography.
ReplyDeleteFrom my perspective the camera is working just great. The pictures are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the cooking coil. The new kettle looks so small.
Albania sounds primative.
@Liz - the new kettle boils a pint of water - plenty for two cups of coffee....Thanks for the kind words about the photos! The camera works fine for now but the few moving parts are beginning to show their age.
ReplyDelete@Ed It was a family-run place. We were talking to a son (I think) who speaks very good English and has a degree in Computer Science; however, programmers are poorly paid in Albania - 400 Euros a month says he - so he works the family business. And has traveled to Turkey and Cuba. Nice young man. We had a great laugh together after he pulled out the coil that can heat gallons of water and we said we just wanted to heat a cup for instant coffee. ;-)