Shit

Well, my PC died earlier today. After a suitable period of mourning (about 24 hours) I'll go out and buy a new one. At the moment I've fallen back on an old desktop I keep in my bedroom - a PC so riddled with bugs and missing files that it takes 10 minutes and 20 error messages to boot up.

The annoying thing is that we only bought the PC about 18 months ago, and when we took it back to the shop this afternoon we were told that they didn't keep the required boot-up disks on hand for such an old computer. I've had longer relationships with a carton of milk than with this PC. They should be ashamed. Or maybe I just need to clear out the fridge.

It's a point that has been made many times before, but when I pay over a grand for a PC I expect at least a few years service out of it. I can live with looking on in dismay as PDA's are released that are more powerful than my PC; I can live with the fact that my computer is on sale for hundreds of pounds less than I paid for it just weeks after I wrote the cheque, but when I press the power button at any time of day or night I expect to turn on. Anything less and I want my money back.