1. Very glad that I performed regular backups and data synchronization. This routine begun years ago following the last system disaster, and now proves itself very valid.
2. Internet banking and online billing helps the environment. But was brought to a crippling standstill throughout the crisis. With Trojans running rampant over the OS, it was simply too dangerous to login to any of the services.
3. The incident led to a full spring cleaning of the "PC document box". A process that only happened twice in the last decade. Some very old items were unearthed from this pseudo time capsule. Among them were old hardware receipts that had faded beyond recognition; Instruction manuals for PC components that were discarded years ago; Warranty certs of peripherals which I don't remember owning; and most nostalgically, an installation kit for an extinct OS (see picture)
4. Time distortions - At some point I even installed Win98 in a desperate attempt just to get online. The (literally 10yrs) old software miraculously booted up fine, unhindered by the hardware conflict which stalled its futuristic counterpart. But that was as far as it gets, ironically "home ADSL modems" and "USB modems", did not even existed back then. To say there were no drivers, would be an understatement. There weren't even appropriate device profiles that fitted the description! The only options for "modems" would be etc. 14.4k, 36.6k, 56.6k.
5. Lastly, newer technology is not necessarily better. The ethernet modem, became a victim of its own features. First it failed to connect to the internet. And then, lo and behold, with all its advanced features, allowed me to flash the incorrect firmware rendering it inoperational. This can only be fixed with a visit to the factory. In contrast, the minimalistic ADSL modem eventually set up without a hitch, and was truely reliable to fall back on. This means alot to me, and I remain grateful for small favors.
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