I need some advice. Or instruction.

My cell phone has been misbehaving lately. Sometimes when I flip the phone open to answer a call, it just keeps ringing, as if I didn’t flip it open at all. If I then hit the Send button to answser it that way, it still keeps ringing. The only solution is to then shut the phone and wait for the person to call back. Or I can just call the person back myself.

It doesn’t happen every day or even every week. It’s random. Sometimes, it happens several times in a row, then it won’t happen again for days or weeks. Having had cell phones for over a decade, I know that when these things start, they just keep getting worse. They never get better.

Every time my phone has needed to be replaced, the Alltel salesperson tells me they can download my address book. When they try, they say it can’t be done. I never know why. They don’t know why. It’s happened at least three times and it’s very annoying. It’s going to be even more annoying this time because my daughter added oodles of phone numbers to my phone for me a few weeks ago.

I do not want to have to add all those numbers back into another phone.

My current phone is an LG AX8600 . It has a micro sd card. What I want to know is how to put my phone book on the card so I can transfer to a new phone later. I need simple instructions using little words.

Don’t laugh at me. I can do all kinds of things with a computer. I can fix them and tweak them and even build them. Cell phones frustrated me. They’re too small for one thing. I’m old and my eyesight isn’t what it used to be. And my phone does not have a keyboard. I get annoyed with the keypad.

So, how do I do this? Anyone?

Anyone who writes for the public, whether as a traditional journalist or as a blogger, knows the importance of an attention-grabbing title. The headline grabs the readers and draws them in. It doesn’t matter if the headline is misinterpreted, as long as it entices the reader to read.

I mention this because when I read a headline about curtains for Desktops, my first thought was something that would cover a computer monitor. If not an actual curtain, then perhaps the article was about some type of software, like a screen saver.

In reality, the article is a prediction that desktop computers will soon be replaced by laptops. Ha! I sure did read that wrong. But the article is thought-provoking and even more interesting than I’d initially thought.

I admit that I know many people who are buying laptops as their primary computer today. Kids want laptops so they can take them when they visit friends or travel from school to home. Business people want laptops so they can work from home on weekends or in the evening. Even older people are looking at laptops, possibly because they’ve downsized their homes and space is limited.

On the other hand, I don’t see laptops completely replacing desktop computers. Dollar for dollar, a desktop is a much better deal. With identical configuration, the desktop will always been less expensive than the laptop. Although I’ve upgraded my laptop a few times, I’m still more comfortable working on the inside of my desktop than on a laptop. Replacing a desktop is even more of a bargain since the monitor doesn’t necessarily need to be replaced at the same time as the tower.

I’m blogging right now on my laptop because I’m at my mom’s instead of at my house. When I’m home, I’m almost always on my desktop simply because it’s faster and I like the keyboard better. I see laptops taking more of the market, especially among those who use their computer mostly for the internet. But laptops will never totally replace desktops. That’s my prediction.

You would think that knowing what I do about computers, and considering how many I fix, I’d surely know to check to see how bloated my hard drive is. You’d think. You’d be wrong.

I’ve been growing more and more frustrated with this laptop and now I realize it’s because I’ve neglected to clean up my hard drive. I know it’s filled with junk that I don’t need but going through my files and streamlining my drive takes time. I don’t have time right now. I want to be able to push a button or click an icon and have my hard drive lean and mean. I guess I’m looking for a software Leptovox solution, to burn the fat from my hard drive and get it running like new. Or close to new.

Okay, so there’s no easy solution. Looks like I’ll be doing some digital cleaning this week.

Listen up, kids. We have a lesson to be learned here.

If you take very good care of your computer, it should last you for several years. So, if you’re working on your Master’s degree there’s no reason why your computer shouldn’t see you through to the end, dissertation and all.

Of course, just about anything can go wrong. Like lightening or a power surge. Or an OS malfunction. Or a virus or worm. And when that something goes wrong, you’ll be so grateful that you took the advice of your favorite geek and backed up your hard drive regularly. Because, seriously, if you don’t back up, that’s a sure-fire recipe for disaster. And a great way to lose all of your Master’s degree work.

No, I’m not the one who didn’t back up. I was simply the one entrusted with the task of retrieving the 80-page paper that had been 2 years in the making. Before I go on, let me just say that the “pretend DOS” that XP (and Vista) uses did nothing but frustrate me further. Can we please have real DOS?

Anyway, the point is not to bash Microsoft or XP or even Vista. Heck, it’s not even to bash smart people who do dumb things like not back up their hard drives. The point is that when my brain froze my friend Amity rescued me with a reminder of the best way to retrieve files before scouring a hard drive to start fresh.

When you can’t get to the files you need and you’re ready to lose your mind because the OS won’t boot, be prepared with BART PE. First, right now while you’re thinking about it, go and grab the BART PE builder program. Use it this very minute to build a Bart PE bootable disk.

Keep in mind that BartPE runs on Windows 2000, XP and Vista but not on Windows NT4, ME or 9x.

Now, if your machine won’t boot and you really need to get files copied to a jump drive or CD, pop in your bootable BartPE disk and grab the files you need. It’s really that simple. If you need some step by step instructions, you’ll find them on the BartPE page.

But do regular backups, anyway. Just to be safe.

I know I say it a lot but here goes again. I’d rather work on hardware than software. I have always like screwdrivers and hammers and pliers. I’ve always enjoyed putting things together. Or taking them apart.

I used to enjoy working on the software side of computers, too, but as Windows has morphed into a ginormous mess, I find myself wishing for a night with my favorite wine of the month so I can just forget about computers all together. That’s serious; I love computers. Usually.

This past week has been one software or OS crisis after another. I’m going to try to get over it and move on. Okay, I’ll blog about my solution but then I’m going to find something better to think about. Like a screwdriver.

The other day my XP desktop shut off all by itself. When I rebooted it, the screen displayed an error message having to do with Thermal something or another. (It was a few days ago but I wrote it down somewhere around here….) I googled the error and found mostly references to capacitors and the motherboard. Darn.

I wanted to do a memory upgrade on this machine but if there is a serious problem with it, any kind of upgrade would not make much sense. And since this computer is a little older and uses DDR (as opposed to DDR2), the RAM is a little more expensive. I’m just not sure what to do.

Other than that one error - and it hasn’t happened again - the computer runs fine. If it’s going to die, I probably won’t replace it right now since it’s one of four computers in my office. I just wish I could figure out if that error was just a hiccup or if it’s about to die on me.

Our cable company is a small outfit. That’s both good and bad. It’s good in that our prices are reasonable; it’s bad because we have to wait forever to get extra services. Like internet.

With the government dictating that all cable operators must offer HDTV by 2009, my cable company decided it was a good time to also roll out cable internet. I’ve been waiting patiently for it to get to my neighborhood and have called the office at least once a week for the past several months. Did it pay off? Well, I have the distinction of being the very first customer in my neighborhood to be hooked up to cable internet. And yes, I’m loving it.

I’ve also figured out that this is going to save me some money over time. I think I’ll put that savings away until I have enough for a new HDTV. I’d like to get either an LCD or plasma mounted to the long wall in our family room.

Looks like we’re finally catching up to the rest of the world. Sort of.

Last week I did a quick upgrade to my neighbor’s laptop. Her computer is running great and now I have this urge to upgrade my own laptop. The last thing I did to this machine was the new hard drive.

This laptop is three years old and has served me well. I have a newer desktop and two older desktops that I use daily. I keep this one in my bedroom when I’m not traveling. Like now, I’m watching TV and typing this. I use this laptop more and more so I really think some extra computer memory would be a wise upgrade. It could keep this baby going for another year or two.

I suppose I’ll add that to my “to buy” and “to do” lists. They’re sure getting long!

Last week I got into one of those “girly” moods. I did a lot of online window shopping for dresses, shoes, makeup and jewelry. I made a nice long list of everything I wanted. This week, the girly seems to be gone and my inner geek is surfacing.

I’ve spent the past few hours surfing every electronics and gadget store out there. I’ve made lists of stores, items and prices and put them all in a spreadsheet. Ha! My girly list is a word document with purple text; my geeky list is a spreadsheet. I just realized that and it’s kind of funny.

Anyway, I think what I really want is a new phone that does all the cool things that my current phone doesn’t do. That’s on the top of my list. And if I get a girly urge, I’ll get a pink phone. Or purple.

I’m still searching for a replacement for my Samsonite wheeled computer case but I just can’t find what I want. I guess part of the problem is that the pictures online just don’t seem detailed enough. Or maybe I won’t be happy until I can actually touch, hold, feel what I’m buying.

The other problem is that I really love my luggage and would prefer a computer case that matches or at least coordinates with it. It’s hard to tell that online. I guess I should plan a shopping trip as soon as this weather breaks. I’ll be needing travel gear by September for sure, and maybe sooner.