HoneyDo

One of the traditions started by my Mom and sister in the last few years; is that instead of most gifts, I bring labor and fix those things which they find difficult, annoying or impossible. It is usually tech, but has veered off to carpet steaming and mopping of floors (my sister has large dogs of advanced and infirm age) and accidents happen, to computer help (installing the new OS, fixing the most recent virus incursion or general cleanup and upgrade)... and repair of any and all appliances that have an electrical component. Since I am an engineer, and relatively handy... it goes just about as you would expect. Stains are defeated, simple and obvious problems with fuses and the like are overcome, and I'm running about 50/50 on the whole Microsoft mess; thanks Bill (et al) for making me look more incompetent than usual. This time, both my sister's and my mother's computers timed out on the Windows 10 preview; both because the continual beta upgrade seems to have been discontinued, and because updates (by me or them) were not run on time or at all. I'm not sure of this, but it looks like the pool of beta equipment (inspite of rumor-mill advertising to the contrary) seems to have been shrunken and "we" are outside the loop for most of it. Anyway, the result is a non-functioning machine that I have to rescue. This time, the "upgrade and save user data" selection didn't work for my sister, and I'm now combing the hard drive for deleted files (documents and pictures) that I would have backed up to other media if I had been thinking. (insert curses here) The Cuisinart coffee maker has defeated me for now, my sister does not have the requisite 2 or 3 mm hex lobed screwdriver, and of course... that's the inset screws in the base where the thermal fuse is. And so it goes. At least tomorrow (early) we get to go and take my Mom to her appointment, so I'm (a) up early, and (b) spending time with loved ones instead of tech. At least... that is the theory. I'll work on the contract stuff; after.