March 31 – “So much easier”

Here’s the latest in the computer realm at the Vaughan household.  All programs were up and running and I was feeling pretty good about my considerable prowess in the IT department.  Until the first time I used my Bible program.  Oh, it came up all right, but when I went to check the Greek on a verse, the Greek alphabet had been magically transformed into a conglomeration of transliteration that frankly I’m just not good at reading.  And I had no idea how to transform it back.  And to top it off, the program was no longer linked to Microsoft Word.  I had no idea how to set that up, either.  The “Help” icon was no help at all, so I did what any semi-intelligent computer user would do (after rebooting to no avail, of course).  I uninstalled and reinstalled the software.  Understand, the disks are over ten years old, and they have been through Hurricane Ike and survived.  I had no reason to expect problems. 

After going through the process no less than four times, I finally got everything installed and opened the program itself.  And the home screen was a mess.  The icons were a mixture of tiny pictures and buttons.  They all worked (even had the proper Greek alphabet), but they looked really strange.  Something was obviously wrong.  That’s when I realized there was an icon missing.  The one I use every single day.  Of course.  The concordance was nowhere to be found.  How do you lose the concordance?  I did the uninstall and reinstall yet again.  No change.  I went to the program website and downloaded every update I could find.  No change.  I finally sent them an email and even called the number they provided.  Only a computer was available on the phone.  No answer on the email for hours.  The email reply finally did arrive, though. 

After following a lengthy, very detailed process, I finally located the one box that had to be checked for the issue to be resolved – compatibility with Windows 8.  I exited out per instructions, and restarted the computer.  And there it was.  Start screen looked correct.  All the icons were there, even the concordance, and they all looked the same.  I checked the Greek and Hebrew fonts and they worked.  Success.  And then I moved on to the second half of the email – synching with Word.  Or so I thought.

Oh, there was an answer there, all right.  Something about an error message saying there was not enough room on the hard drive.  Not an error I have ever seen.  Great instructions on how to fix it, but not what I needed.  New email sent to tech support.  And now we once again wait.  I think I may try the internet myself on this one.  Maybe someone else has had the problem and can give me a quick fix.  Don’t you just love these modern contraptions that make our lives so much easier? 

Matthew 9:5-6 says, “Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . ." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home."  

Father, I do appreciate the easier life this tech has afforded us.  More time for family.  Help me to keep that priority in mind.  Amen.