Strange luck

So, after getting my car back from the shop, I had to go back because it wouldn't start, and then back again when I noticed my passenger headlight was flickering. The car still had its problems, which I'll slowly be getting to...

Then, this past weekend, my computer stopped working properly. For no apparent reason, it rebooted on its own, and then I got a slew of seemingly unrelated error messages. My instinct told me that this was a hardware issue, the most likely culprit being the motherboard. I supposed you could say that it was more of an educated guess. To be more certain, I even ran various virus scans, despite being protected through two separate anti-virus programs, and having kept my system up-to-date.

The next day, after cleaning one of my Ionic Breeze GP's, I noticed that instead of its normal operations, a red indicator light was on. Upon closer inspection, it turns out something inside had broke. I just replaced it earlier this year!

Then, "yesterday," I got back from work, and tried again to use my computer, only to find that my APC UPS suddenly stopped working. Its "overload" warning light was on. I unplugged everything that was connected to it, pressed the "reset" button, turned it off and back on, all to no avail. Bought the thing last year, specifically because APC was supposed to make quality products. It's only got a two-year warranty, so I guess I should be thankful that it broke down now, rather than later.

Figuring that whatever caused the UPS to fail probably sent its voltage rumblings down the line to my computer (despite being behind yet another surge protector), I was even more convinced that my problems had to do with the motherboard. I'd pretty much resolved on buying a new motherboard, when my brother told me that he had another one lying around. We spend about an hour replacing the motherboard, and hook the computer back up. Another hour and a half to reinstall all the drivers, and the computer is now in working order again.

I'll be calling APC about their defective UPS.

I've also packed up my broken Ionic Breeze. I'll drop by a local Sharper Image to replace it, again.


"Strange Luck" is also the name of an intriguing TV show. It's too bad that it was axed due to low ratings.