Work Laptop - Just my luck.

A couple of weeks ago, my work laptop began making a clicking noise... For those non-computer people out there, laptops (any computer for that matter) should not make clicking noises.

It was coming from the hard drive. It just suddenly started on this particular day. I immediately realized what the issue was, and got out my handy-dandy 1GB Swiss Army knife memory stick that was gifted to me by my employees for Christmas one year.

My plan was to transfer off my data (documents, photos, installer programs, etc...) onto the memory stick. I no sooner plugged the device into the laptop and opened Windows Explorer to start copying files, then my laptop blue screened on me. Subsequent attempts to boot the laptop ended with the "No Boot Device Found" message -- basically the hard drive had died, and I was unable to get any info copied.

After leaving the laptop sit, undisturbed for a period of time, and after securing another laptop on which to do my work, I was able to boot my original laptop up. I had nothing to lose, so I took the hard drive out, and smacked it around a little... I'm not kidding... I smacked it a couple of times. I figured it was a mechanical failure (the clicking noise), and that smacking it, might temporarily loosen / free / move whatever physical part froze or broke.

You may laugh, but it worked. The laptop booted, and I was able to transfer all the data I wanted onto the memory stick. Realizing that the hard drive was in no way suitable for dependable operations, I purchased a replacement hard drive from eBay.

"It's a work laptop, why would you purchase parts yourself?" The answer to that question is easy. Until now, I have successfully avoided having the laptop Comcastrated -- meaning Comcast's IT department hasn't touched the laptop, nor removed my admin privileges for the laptop. Not only do I need admin privileges to do my job, it's really annoying to not have them, PLUS (and ask any ex-Suscomer), anytime Comcast IT touches your computer, just plan on spending the rest of the day saying "I don't know... They came over to do X, and now it won't boot."

Got the new hard drive and installed it. Installed Windows XP, and all the programs I needed... The laptop is back in business.

Now, here's where my luck comes in... When I insert the memory stick into the laptop to copy the data off, the message says:

"USB Device Not Recognized. One of the USB Devices attached to this computer has malfunctioned."

It's not just this laptop... I get the same message from every computer this thing get plugged into. I can't even format the stick and start over... it's broke.

Just my luck.