Despite having my first contact to the computer world with a Sinclair ZX81 - in 1981 - my knowledge has not gotten very far in relation to "computer stuff" over the past 25+ years. Admittedly, that was just a small keypad that plugged into a TV set and provided B&W offline computer programs - if you spent a half hour manually typing out the codes for the programs!
I thought that having to ask ten times for help just to sign up for my first ever email address - simply in order to send an email to someone was rather comical, back in 1999. I expect if anyone has followed my computer progress, then they will still be laughing at me as I struggle on through with all the new stuff I need to know. I am now on my 4th internet-compatible PC, but know barely any more than the basics.
Whereas I have mastered the essentials as I see them to such degree as to make me function both on and offline, there are still many things I haven't a clue about. For example, this very morning, whilst typing up an ornithology blog, my PC started doing something on its own accord.
On investigation, it was called "HP Hardware Diagnostics Tools Scheduled Maintenance". I am pretty certain my last PC did not do this, whatever it is. Whether it should have or not, I am uncertain - perhaps only PC's from 2007 onwards do this, otherwise I was suppose to set it to happen, but not knowing of it never did. Anyway, this PC did it for me, to my amazement and curiosity.
It started by running tests on some cable network that I don't think we have, and told me it had failed and to check my jacks. Jacks? I only know one guy named Jack currently - and he is known online, not offline as I was. I hardly think my friend would need checking - and he is a single human, not multiple.
Next it went through a list of interesting tests such as nibble move test, walking one right test, address test, & RTC rollover test. Well, I haven't a clue what that refers to in computer technology jargon, but as to how a computer without eyes knew I was nibbling from a bag of Bombay mix, I am somewhat suspicious!
I already knew that walking is right and cars were wrong - this has been my belief for a couple of decades and reason for never having purchased a pile of expensive metal and plastic that kills, stresses, and pollutes, as well as steals from the wallet.
I am rather wary of "address test" - I do not recall putting my home address into the computer, and I do not want the PC rummaging through my address book and doing anything to it. Some of those phone numbers are precious, even if I never use them! I then thought it might refer to URL's, but how could be tested if I was offline?
As to RTC rollover, the RTC bit mystifies me. I assume it is rollover as in accounts and stuff, rather than a physical human or dog motion, but what accounts have to do with computer hardware puzzles me. I do not do my accounts on the computer - I have a gigantic exercise book for those monsters.
Well, everything ended up scoring 100% except for the cable network, which unfortunately failed its examination. I might be sympathetic, in that I flunked an art examination due to a kiln explosion in high School; however, I did not ask for this testing to occur. I do not know how it can label itself scheduled, when I swear I did not schedule it at all! I have set for antivirus, antispyware, defrag, etc - but I did not set the PC to do THIS!
