Computer Problems

Houston we have a problem.........

Last week my computer started hanging (screen freezing) and the Hard Drive was making a funny squeaking noise.  Then the whole thing would crash and would not reboot until I left it for a few hours.  This is not good news when the computer is the heart of my business.

I'm not sure if I told you all but I had one of the hard drives replaced in August which was when I lost a huge amount of manipulated graphics.  I learnt my lesson that week, it took me 2 months of redesigning to replace all of the lost data.  I now back up all of my work onto a 32 gig memory stick so it is always in 2 places.

As well as backing up my work, I also have 2 computers running all of the time just in case of emergencies, my main computer is my working machine and the has 2x 22 inch monitors.  This is the one I use most and having the 2 screens is fantastic as I usually have anything up to 10 windows open at any one time.  The other computer is a laptop and I use this to run all of my automation and keep things like Skype, messenger and a few other things running.

So I think I have found the problem, the main computer is working too hard running all of the programs and the 2 screens....... the poor thing is over heating.  I have tried juggling the settings to get optimum performance while carefully monitoring the temperatures but it can't keep its self cool.

Rather than lose the computer to the workshop for a week I have decided to "make do" for now and I have a makeshift temporary solution.  As you can see in the picture I have taken the casing off and I am using a house fan to keep it cool...... it is working so far.

So this brings me to my next dilemma..........

We are coming up to the end of the tax year and I have to declare my earnings.  My plan is to try to claim back as much running expenses as I can which will include my business running costs and also a brand new computer setup which will include two separate processors and 4 screens.

This is the next phase of my business plan and one that I am actually looking forward to.  I have done all the hard work setting everything up......  The money has started coming through........ so now I need to give the Snowbird some stability.   I have no idea at the moment how I am going to do this but I'm sure it will involve a lot of Googling and researching.

Once I have got the business registered (or what ever I have to do) I will let you all know what the process is and how it is done.