Since I had restored my 8.1 PC back to its original factory setting, it was time to rebuild.  The first thing that I needed to do was install the anti virus software.  Once I had that in place, I could start adding the applications.

One by one, the applications were down loaded and installed.  And, each one was successfully added.  Great!!

When I had finished, I decided that it was time for a reboot.  So, I initiated it.  After a few minutes, the PC went blank.

Windows 8.1 has a restore feature.  This feature resets everything back to the original factory setting and configuration.  Since I had completed the backups and since the machine was still running very slow, I had nothing to lose by using the “restore” function.  So, I selected the option.

Now, like everything else, it took a while for the restore function to complete.  So, after a while, I just gave up and went to bed.  When I got up in the morning the restore function had completed its task.  Great!!  I would deal with it after work.

Since I was running out of ideas as to why my Windows 8.1 PC was running so slow, I decided to exercise the “restore” option.  At least with the “restore” option, I could return everything to the original factory settings and configuration.  This would give me a fresh start on my PC.  But, before doing the restore, the PC asked my to make a back up disk.  So, I did.

Since I decided to burn DVDs for a backup, the PC told me that I would need 5 DVDs.  No problem.  I pulled out my stack of blanks and began.  I inserted the first DVD and hit “begin”.  Moments later, the PC began creating the backup DVD.  But, after several hours, the first DVD was not finished,  and since it was bed time, I decided to check it in the morning.

When morning rolled around, the first DVD was still being created.  So, I headed to work.  When I returned from work, the first DVD was finished and I inserted the second blank DVD.  And the second followed in the foot steps of the first.  All and all, it took me five days to burn 5 DVDs.  But, at least it was complete and time to run the restore feature.

Since all of the viruses had been eliminated from my PC, I decided it was time to check the Task Manager to see if one of my programs had gone rogue.  So, I did a ctrl-alt-del.  After about 5 minutes, the menu window appeared.  And, I selected the Task Manager.

10 minutes later, the Task Manager appeared and I did an inquire as to the usage.  The CPU was running at about 2%.  So, I concluded that there were no rogue programs running.  But, when I checked the disk drive, I noted that it was running at 100%.  This seemed extremely high, but I didn’t know why.  I concluded that it was time to use the “restore” option.

Suspecting that my new PC had acquired a virus of some sort, I decided to run a complete virus scan.  The virus scan would eliminate any viruses that it located.  And, if there were no viruses to be found, at least I would have eliminated that cause.

Now, since the PC was pretty unresponsive, it took me also 10 minutes to launch the virus scan.  But, I finally get it started.

Now, because my PC was running very slow, it took almost 24 hours for the virus scan to run.  And, in the end, it only found one piece of Spyware which it quickly eliminated.  But, with the Spyware gone, the PC still ran slow.  Time to see if there is a program that is hogging all of the CPU usage.

Since reboots seem to be the universal cure for many Windows issues, I decided to give it a try.  Maybe a reboot would fix my slow PC.

The first problem that I had with the reboot is that the PC refused to comply.  I clicked on the reboot button but nothing happened.  So, I pushed the power button but again, nothing happened.  Finally, out of frustration, I disconnected the power and pulled the battery.  The screen went blank.

After counting to 10, I reinstalled the battery and reconnected the power.  And when I pushed to power on button, lights on the keyboard flashed and the screen flickered.  The PC was rebooting.

And even though the PC was rebooting, it took almost 20 minutes to complete.  So, I suspected that something was not right.  Perhaps I had a virus that was slowing down my machine.  I didn’t know but I felt that a virus scan was in order.

While loading new programs on my PC, I noticed that it seemed to run quite slow.  But, since I had no experience with 8.1, I didn’t know if that was normal.  After all, I have had some pretty horrible versions of Windows over the years.

Now, by slow I mean it might take a couple of minutes to launch a program.  And, it might take several minutes to close a program.  So,  I decided that maybe I needed to reboot the PC.  After all, that is the universal cure for most PC problems.

Since it was quite obvious the my old microwave had died and since it was no longer under  warranty, I needed to acquire a new microwave.  And, since Best Buy is right on my way home, I decided to go there.

Having pre-shopped on line, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted and how much it would cost.  So, I would stop at the store on my way home, demand the internet price and purchase it.

But, when I got to the store, I discovered that they had a “open box” that was even cheaper than the online price.  YES!!

The microwave popcorn was very tender that night.

The other night, I got a craving for popcorn.  And, it has been a number of years since I have had any home grown popcorn.  But, when I checked the cupboards, there was no regular popcorn or any micro wave pop corn.  So, I made a quick trip to Meijer (regional grocery chain) to purchase some.

When I arrived at home, I opened the box, removed a package of popcorn, read the instructions and started the microwave. But, after 1 1/2 minutes, nothing happened: no smell of butter, no popped de pop.  Just silence.  That is when I realize that my microwave had died.