Compuhell

I'm slowly emerging from a day and a half of computer hell that began when I installed the new PC game Fallout 3 on my laptop yesterday and settled in to play it. The game launched flawlessly, the scene-setting movie looked spectacular on the screen, and I was quickly drawn into a story where it was the year 2070 and I was a resident of Vault 101, a post-apocalyptic fallout shelter and....suddenly the screen froze. I waited and waited, then tried to shut the program down. No response. I turned off the computer, then restarted it and...nothing. Power on, but a blank screen and no boot.

I spent the next four hours on the phone with Dell Technical Support, a lot of it on hold, and agreed to pay $49.95 for a diagnosis from a technician. This involved my learning more about how to disassemble a laptop than I ever wanted to know, as piece by piece I removed possible problem-causers, including the memory cards, hard drive and optical disk. Nothing did the trick. Finally the technician said the culprit had to be my video card, so now my only option was to ship the machine to Dell to be repaired. He switched me to the Repair Department, which had to process the order for an Official Return Box I needed. After 15 minutes on hold, there was an announcement that the Repair Department was now closed for the night and to try back tomorrow.

I spent today trying to find third-party help. I've been using the laptop exclusively since Saratoga and not backing things up (I know, I know), so was getting panicky about possibly losing four months of files and data. I was quoted prices of anywhere from $300 to $600 to attempt to rescue my data, along with warnings that it sounded like my laptop was "fried" and the data might be lost. Finally I ran across an ad for a local one-man shop, a guy named Mitch who told me to relax and bring my laptop over to his basement. He took the hard drive out of the laptop, put it in an case with a USB cable attached to it, and sent me home to copy any files I needed on to the old desktop I reconnected and am now using. It worked perfectly and tomorrow he'll start working on repairing the laptop.

So long story short, that's why there's no Sunday column this week and that's why I didn't play the little $29k carry at Aqueduct today, where the results looked juicy enough (parlay was $64k) to double-carry into Saturday, but there was one winner at $92,444. A pity, especially because Aqueduct's Saturday card looks like about the best one so far at the meet, with three allowance races, four maiden-specials and the G3 Discovery. I think I'm still too singed from compuhell to attack that $251k carry at Hollywood later tonight, but if I rally I might take a look. Hmm, still two hours until the pick-6 starts.

Oh, and I'm giving up on PC gaming and getting an Xbox or a Playstation at the mall this weekend.

Posted by Steven Crist Nov 21, 2008 8:59:53 PM | Permalink

Keywords:

Comments

jeff_tatus says:

Flipper Dawson... did you make a miraculous score or not? I cannot determine (from your post) if you did or didn't have the last two numbers reversed.

Please provide the details in a clear manner... I'm guessing you hit big and decided to take a crack Down Under since you didn't care about money or have any valid racing data to use.

What happened?

Posted by Jeff Tatus Nov 25, 2008 1:49:32 PM

flip_dawson says:

Greetings from Canada.very close to snapping up a super at WO, or a Super High 5 at Holly Park.
My play for Sat. was as follows--at WO, played late Super (20 cents) and covered all horses that I liked on the front end.
The Super came back at $26,027.00. Winning numbers were 7-10-14-2. I had 7-10-2-14.
After I check to see if a Secret Play is there, I take all the suspicious DD Will-Pays, and put the top horse in the Secret Play on top, and run some random bets that have not been covered in my 20 cent play. So, I have 3 types of bets going--20 cent supers, $1.00 supers, and random bets with Secret Play horses on top.
I checked my ticket and roared to The Duchess that I had hit for 26 grand. I wouldn't even check it and left it on my computer for 1-2 hours. After my lady (!?) went to bed, I perused my play and saw that I had the last 2 numbers reversed.
I now have my account set up and can play 30-40 tracks at any time. Dickered with Australia, if you can picture that.
-------------------------
My second play is at Holly Park, and I just love the Super High 5. Bets are one dollar, and usually just one winner.
One thing I am sure of--the supers at WO are a lot higher than in New York.
--------------------
Memo to Steve--what I do with my computer is to have a student on tap, and some of these guys can do anything. I recently had a list of 10 things to fix on my computer. I called him up (age 18) and over he came amd left 55 minutes later with a $20.00 bill in his hand. Oshawa even has a repair group of techy nerds called THE GEEK SQUAD.
I prefer to use someone I know. I have done some favors for him and family, so we all know each other.
All for now. a top jock is winning with longies at WO. No name, but an easy clew--he has an uncle who is a rabbi.

Posted by Flip Dawson Nov 23, 2008 12:18:53 PM

yuwipi says:

Anybody wanna be me? Had a $120 late P4 filled out on Saturday's Big A card. Didn't want to go for $120, so I AB'd my way down the ladder to half that. $50k latter all I've got is win bets on the Benzel and Reynolds horses, and three P4 tickets that dance deviously around the correct sequence. Sometimes the moron you look at in the mirror is the biggest handicapping problem you've got.

Posted by yuwipi Nov 23, 2008 12:04:51 PM

ejxd2 says:

I hate to be one of "those guys," but I am one of those guys, so I'm not going to run from who I am.

Get a Mac.

Posted by EJXD2 Nov 23, 2008 10:07:32 AM

brad_l says:

Is Monterey Jazz running
in the CIgar Mile????

Posted by Brad L Nov 23, 2008 9:53:45 AM

high_limit says:

There is a reason that some people started a website.
www.ihatedell.net.

Posted by High Limit Nov 23, 2008 8:37:15 AM

teresa says:

Thanks for the info, Nick--disappointing that it's not available here for Wii.

Posted by Teresa Nov 23, 2008 8:18:28 AM

alcduane says:

And people think the auto industry puts out a bad product. Modern day computers are like driving a model T. It will be years before data is anywhere near safe and easy to deal with if ever in our lifetime. When half of the worlds computers are just doing backup, you know something is wrong.

Posted by alcduane Nov 22, 2008 7:30:28 PM

reinier says:

Windows Vista = failure It is easily the worst OS I've ever used

Posted by Reinier Nov 22, 2008 6:21:06 PM

andyscoggin says:

Steve,

Wholeheartedly agree with john_l, lose the PC and get a MAC! The latest MAC will run any Windows crap you really must use.

Also, get an iPodTouch, amazing!!!!! Internet, Wie type games, video, music--best toy around!

Posted by AndyScoggin Nov 22, 2008 4:46:02 PM

c says:

bochalls,
Figures? Are you talking about Beyers? Sheets? I pay no attention to those. Beyers and Sheets do not prove anything to me, personally. Rather, I would love to see a hard stat of how often females beat males here. Very simple. I'd bet anything they win their fair share statistically and that the fillies you mentioned are really not exceptions at all. I believe they are simply the 'fair share' winners at the G1 level, which happened to draw national attention as important races. There are some winners and losers at the other levels too, but because they are few in number, nobody really knows about them... so until those stats are compiled, it's easier to restrict the conversation to the national graded stakes scene everyone is familiar with. And don't forget about Eight Belles too-- while she didn't win the Kentucky Derby, she certainly proved she could hold her own against males. Her, RagsToRiches, and Goldikova are 3 examples in the last 16 months of females at least holding their own at the G1 level in the USA. In that span, how many females took on males in G1s in this country? That kind of stat would mean a whole lot more than any "figure". Look at what happens elsewhere. I realize the game is a little different in other parts of the world, but the USA is the only place where this notion is so popular... it's also the only place in the world where the public is 90% lost without their numbers and figures.

Posted by C Nov 22, 2008 4:02:45 PM

nick_briglia says:

Hey Steve, have you ever played Greyhound Manager for the PC? Seems like something you'd enjoy. It's a pretty cool simulation....

Posted by Nick Briglia Nov 22, 2008 2:18:17 PM

prozac_jack says:

Steve, I feel guilty I raised a son that's a computer engineer(they call him in when their people can't figure it out) I wanted him to be a track degenerate like his father, but kids nowadays don't listen to good advice.........

Posted by Prozac Jack Nov 22, 2008 12:41:43 PM

nick_briglia says:

To Teresa,

About the Wii's G1 Jockey 4 game, it is not playable on US wii's because the wii is not region free. It is only being released in Europe and Japan.(the Japanese version requires that you can read Japanese-there are no english translations in the game)

I have the European version for my PS3 and it plays with no problem because the PS3 is region free for video games.

For anyone that does read Japanese there is also the great Winning Post series from Koei that is only out in Japan.

Posted by Nick Briglia Nov 22, 2008 12:39:31 PM

bostonbc says:

Steve - you are a victim of a horrendously designed operating system (Windows) that is prone to this type of catastrophic failure all the time and I can empathize wholeheartedly. I am speaking from experience as I worked for the Beast in Seattle for several years and still cannot believe that the company has never fixed the inherent problems in the OS. There are some backup systems out there that will help mitigate the damage when this type of situation happens again, such as carbonite.com, so you might want to check that out. It certainly doesn't help you now, but at least will help in the future.

Posted by BostonBC Nov 22, 2008 10:56:05 AM

bochalls says:

Steve: get a PS3 and buy a game called Litle Big Planet. Your handicapping will suffer mightily, but you won't care!....message for C SAYS, the figures say fillies are inferior to males. They just don't run as fast. Yeah, we've had some exceptions, but Zenyatta doesn't beat Curlin or other top males on real dirt. Miesque, Six Perfections, Very Subtle, Rags, Goldikova are the exceptions...not the rule.

Posted by bochalls Nov 22, 2008 10:40:43 AM

teresa says:

On the thread of racing and video games: does anyone know whether Wii's Grade I jockey game is available in this country? I can't find a listing for it anywhere and it would make the perfect holiday gift...

Thanks--if you don't want to clog up Steve's blog with the info, you contact me by clicking on my name.

Thanks.

Posted by Teresa Nov 22, 2008 9:22:16 AM

rick says:

You're not the only one having your PC freeze up while playing Fallout3 - http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/100562-13-fallout-crashes-freezes and http://www.bloodworks.org/MonkeyGamers/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=2475

Posted by Rick Nov 22, 2008 9:14:48 AM

callmetony says:

Trust me STEVE BACK EVERYTHING UP
I run a recording studio and the adage is if the data doesn't live in at least in 2 places it doesn't exist at all ....

Trust me I learned the hard way with clients music files not backed up and they wanted $2,400 to recover the data .

hard drives die ... get yourself a good firewire drive to back up to and you;ll never worry again .... As for tech support forget it ,its all outsourced to India . Sometimes good ,sometimes not .

Hope you get all your work back

Posted by callmetony Nov 22, 2008 9:02:09 AM

john_l says:

Steve,

Just a suggestion. Take your laptop to the Mall.(Roosevelt Field I presume)
Go into the Apple store and buy a Mac Book and a wireless backup device called Time Capsule.
Leave your PC and have them transfer the files. Go back and pick up your computers.When you get home proceed directly to the second floor. Open the window and hurl your PC to the blacktop below. I did this and it felt great :-)

Posted by John_L Nov 22, 2008 8:15:24 AM

nicholas_briglia says:

Good move getting a console. I was going to suggest that before reading your last paragraph. I'd recommend the PS3, not only gor the blue-ray compatibility but for a very good horse racing game called G1 Jockey 4, 2008. It is available in England and it plays on your PS3 since the PS3 is a region free system.

Posted by Nicholas Briglia Nov 22, 2008 8:01:54 AM

justin says:

See what happens when we sway away from what we really excel at. If it doesn't have data or numbers or Beyer figures, FORGET IT!!!

Posted by Justin Nov 22, 2008 2:43:09 AM

dennis says:

Steve,

Buy a flash drive (sometimes called a pen drive). You can get a 4GB flash drive for about $20. I'll bet all your data files combined are very small. Save data to the flash drive. It's so convenient and you won't have too many anxious computer moments.

Posted by Dennis Nov 22, 2008 12:41:06 AM

tim says:

dont get a xbox unless u want the same problems u are having with dell,and u forgot to mention in your post the wonderful people somewhere in the 3rd world country that dells has working for them,after my last pc from them i realiazed u are better off smashing your pc to the ground then going through dell support,youll have the same outcome at the end of the call,a pc that doesnt work

Posted by tim Nov 21, 2008 11:17:00 PM

yuwipi says:

Steve,
I see the tech support at Dell can be as frustrating as that at Apple. Recently spent 2+ hours on the phone with a gentleman situated in Mumbai. Despite his earnest efforts the language barrier was too much to overcome. My solution also came from a local techie. Extremely aggravating experience it was. How things have changed.
Agree with your call on the BigA Saturday card. Won't be many more like it as we approach several months on the dark side of the moon here in NY.

Posted by yuwipi Nov 21, 2008 11:14:58 PM

stefan says:

Steve,

Hope your recovery from PC purgatory is quick. I'm guessing that, since there's no carryover at the big A tomorrow, you'll be playing the (late) pick four. Could you give us a review of your play, as you do with the pick six? I'm especially interested in seeing how your strategy changes (if at all) for certain races given the shorter sequence.

Posted by Stefan Nov 21, 2008 11:12:21 PM

c says:

KennyMac,
I hear you, but I don't think handicapping or horseplaying plays well on TV. It's a little boring for a general audience. Actually, ESPN televised the NHC about 2 years ago, if I'm not mistaken. It was a disaster.

At first, I thought the televised poker tournaments were fun to watch, but that was about 5 years ago. Now, it's the biggest yawner on TV, IMO. Watching someone analyze the PPs and wait for a race to go off is not nearly as exciting as watching a group play poker hands for the average person.

Bart,
"it just doesn't happen!"
Spoken like a true insider.
I'm not going to say that everybody cheats, but who are you fooling? It never happens? Oh really?!?

Unitas,
What is the big shame in losing to a high-quality filly like Rags to Riches? I have never understood why experienced and educated horseplayers keep insisting that fillies are inferior to colts/horses. What is the basis of this position? I honestly want to know.

Just curious, who do you have in a fantasy turf race featuring Big Brown, Goldikova and Ouija Board'04?

Posted by C Nov 21, 2008 11:03:21 PM

dan_mackenzie says:

On a related topic, the DRF pdfs had some strange characters in the Nov. 19 charts. They were later corrected, but if you want to see them, contact me offline.

Posted by Dan MacKenzie Nov 21, 2008 10:52:01 PM

jeremy_hipps says:

Steve -- sorry to hear about your computer troubles. Go with a Nintendo Wii to get your heart rate up between race cards.

Posted by Jeremy Hipps Nov 21, 2008 9:37:00 PM

About

Steven Crist has been the Publisher and a columnist for Daily Racing Form since 1998. Previously, he covered racing for The New York Times from 1981-1990; was founding editor-in-chief of The Racing Times in 1991-92; and a vice-president of the New York Racing Association from 1994-97. He is the author of several books including "Betting on Myself" and "Exotic Betting."

Name:
Email Address:(Not displayed with comment)
URL:
Remember personal info?
Comments:

Archives

Compuhell

Comments

Post a comment

About

Recent Posts

Recent Comments