Recovering from a Serious Error

For the third time in the few months since the Geek Squad installed my new hard drive because my computer did not recover from a serious error, today my computer "recovered from a serious error." The solution to this problem is to install the most current device driver, whatever that is. Despite being a technoweenie, I bravely decide today is the day to do this. I open the Microsoft Update window. Expecting the fresh breeze of a "Why, yes, Jane, here's the exact driver you need to install" message to waft in, I am disappointed to see the stifling "You have to update Internet Explorer" message slumped on the windowsill. Okay then.

I click Download. So far, so good. Internet Explorer 8 downloads. But it doesn't install, and I see no Install button. No matter. I'm sure IE7 will still work, so I open it. It doesn't. It tells me I need to install IE8. I see where to click for this, so I do and it does, except it won't work until I restart my computer. I fear having to find the Update page again but figure Google can find anything, so I close and restart.

A new, cheery, little red window tells me I have to update Adobe Flash Player. This is not on today's agenda, but hey, why not? I download and install. Now back to IE8. The search engine is now something called Bing. Cute name, but Google rocks, so I figure out how to use Google from this screen and find my Microsoft Update page again. Three updates that weren't there before are there now. I click to update and install. Of course a restart is required.

Back at the Update page, I search Hardware, Optional for the driver update, which is nowhere to be found. But there are nine software updates. I pick two that seem helpful, but who really knows? After each install, I of course restart the computer.

Finally, I give up on Updates and Google device drivers but find only advice I can't understand. Except one article mentions the Control Panel. Aha! The Control Panel has an Add Hardware icon. Yippee. Except it's blank. You have to have the hardware to add ~ which I don't. But while there, I see a Scanners and Cameras icon, which reminds me since my new hard drive was installed, I haven't been able to use my scanner or figure out how to reload whatever it needs to work. But this window offers a wizard. I love computer wizards. I was able to reinstall my scanning device and scan the photo I wanted. I didn't even have to restart the computer.

So it's two-and-a-half hours after I began looking for my current device driver, and I have not found it. But I have installed at least seven updates. I wonder if I can avoid another "serious error" by simply never turning off my computer from now till eternity. Upon turning off the computer ~ we both need a rest ... hang the serious errors ~ I see a message that I am not to turn off the computer, as it will be installing eight updates. Sheeesh. I walk away to recover from recovering.