Computing Kind of Day

As you can see by the top photo, I have three laptops on my computer desk as well as a flat screen for my PC (so glad to be getting rid of my large monitor finally) and if you look at my drinking bottle, you can see that I have another PC to the right of my desk.

I spent the day cleaning off laptop number one and going through and looking at what was on some old floppy disks that I found the other day. I transferred them over and was surprised to see that most were from 20 years ago when we lived on the East coast and the internet was just getting started and I had files from my first online experiences with a craft group where we would share craft ideas and actually make and trade our crafts with each other. It was a definite trip down memory lane.

I also had a horrible time with Laptop two. I can't for anything remember the password to get in. I tried every password I ever remember having and several that others used and can't get in to clean it off. I don't dare give it to charity without taking off the information.

So much of the day was wasted on that. I remembered seeing the little sticky note that I used to keep with the computer with the password on it a month or two ago in my closet but can't remember what it said or where I put it so that led to me pulling out things off the closet shelf and looking to see if I stuck it up there.

I pulled out my "Book of life" (see that post here) which was on the shelf and spent a few hours pulling the old medical records out and reorganizing it since Princess one is married and gone, several have graduated high school or college etc. I threw out old grades, transcripts, medical tests, and old information.

Who would have thought that would take so much time, but I was able to clean out quite a bit from it. It was also another trip down memory lane as there were growth charts from all the girls while growing up and lots of medical treatments from their lives. None of that is pertinent now so it all went but having to sort through it was, for the most part, good memories. There were a few trips to the Dr. I would have rather forgotten as they were traumatic for the girls at the time but in viewing all those, it made me realize that with having five children, we have been rather healthy. You wouldn't know it from the last few years with the girls having problems on their missions but we have only had one appendicitis and one gall bladder surgery and one broken bone. I talk to other parents and hear many horror stories and today, looking at the past in so many different ways, I learned how blessed I am.

I will figure out how to wipe the other laptop and hope to get the pc cleaned off and take it up to someone who needs it in the next week or two. It is also nice that the laptops are going to help a charity we have gone to Peru with in the past (see a post about that here) which my brothers helped organize. You can see a video of us serving in Peru here.

I still need to see what is on the "zip" drives as that drive is on the laptop I can't get into. It is amazing to see how much computers have changed in the 20 years since those first floppy discs and my first "online chatting group" and craft swap group.

If you have any old computers you aren't using hanging around, let me know and I can add them to my group of things to drop off to the charity group. I'm sure they can use them. They get taken to schools in Peru where the children learn on them to develop skill to help them get a job in the future.

I hope I get more done tomorrow but I am LOVING cleaning out the house. It is "winter" cleaning. Usually we have spring and fall cleaning but I am good with this!