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:s might rescue lost papers from
ivion, but miracles not guaranteed
Madden said the center provides
the following computer services:
•software conversion, such as con
verting a file on an IBM word proces
sor to a Macintosh word processor;
•recoveries of lost files;
•consultations about both appli
cable software and operating systems;
•computer purchase consultations;
•CDROM searches, which allow ac
cess to 15 months of back issues of 45
different computer magazines;
•use of two scanning machines,
which turn printed documents into
computer files;
•and, free distribution of
shareware, such as screen savers and
virus checkers.
Madden said User Services does
not offer site-visits and does no kind of
hardware repair.
He added that the most common
services provided by the center are
software conversions and file recov
ery.
Those clients who call by phone
should not expect immediate service.
Murphy’s Laws rule technological realm
BY KRISTI DAUGHTRIDGE
STAFF WRITER
Life in the age of computers is
supposed to be so much simpler.
All we have to do to write a paper
now is type it into a computer and
save it onto a disc, and we can
recall it anytime we want. No
problem, right?
Wrong. Once in a while, at the
most inopportune time, some
thing has to go wrong. Blame it on
Murphy’s Law or call it rotten
luck, but if someone uses a com
puter long enough, more often
than not they are bound to have a
terrible experience with it.
Many UNC students will attest
to this fact, and some of them
have agreed to share their com
puter horror stories ...
Mysterious math symbols
Katie Haynie, a freshman el
ementary education major from
Apex, North Carolina, got quite
aggravated with her dorm com
puter one night.
“I had already typed half of it
and went to go back and save it.
When I pulled up the file there
were just a bunch of division signs
where my text used to be. It did it
twice, then I typed it on my
friend’s computer.”
Needless to say, Haynie was
less than pleased.
“Since I can’t type I was pretty
pissed off,” she said.
Hungry computers
Sophomore Amy Glenn of Scotts
Hill, became very frustrated one
night as she worked on a paper in
the Ehringhaus computer lab.
Glenn, a Spanish/Latin Ameri
can studies major, said, “I was
MICROCOMPUTER USER SERVICES CENTER
• software conversion
• recoveries of lost files
• consultations about both appli
cable software and operating sys
tems
•computer purchase consulta
tions
• CD-ROM searches, which allow
Madden said all phone consulatations
are on a call-back basis, where the
name and number are put into a prob
lem-tracking system.
"Callers are called back in the order
received," Madden added. "We usu
ally call back within three hours."
Madden said the center was
founded in 1982 by the UNC Office of
Information Technology.
Madden stressed the importance of
5
typing an anthropology paper.
Our computer lab has been on the
blitz several times lately. It had
been freezing up off and on, but
then it would just keep going.
“Then all of a sudden it blinked
and my paper was gone. Every-
“Then all of a sudden it
blinked and my paper
was gone.”
-Amy Glenn, sophomore
body was just looking around go
ing, What happened? Did it eat
your paper too?’ Most of us went
over to Hinton James to do our
papers.”
Unrecoverable disc error
Charlotte native Chad Zavodny
was working on a group project
when his computer horror oc
curred. Zavodny, a junior busi
ness maqor, had typed a 16 page
paper for a group presentation
into a Venable lab computer, but
he could not print it out.
“The computer told me it had
an error and couldn’t read the file
on the disc, so it wouldn’t retrieve
it. Somebody at the information
desk told me I’d have to go to User
Services.
“Before I did, though, I decided
to check it out at some other labs.
access to 15 months of back issues
of 45 different computer magazines
• use of two scanning machines,
which turn printed documents into
computer files
• free distribution of shareware,
such as screen savers and virus
checkers
saving any file on several different
disks at different location. He also
encouraged users to read the manual
before calling user services.
"We consider it a valid answer to
direct a caller to a page in the
manual," he said.
User services is open 9-4 Mon.
through Fri. The phone number is
962-3601, and the E-Mail address is
Micro_Help@UNC.EDU.
So I went to Carroll’s lab and tried
it again. Finally the second time it
came up, so I printed it and saved
it on another disc. It’s still a mys
tery to me what happened.”
Save early, save often
Freshman Tammy Chapman
said she didn’t get too mad when
she had a computer problem.
Chapman, an RTVMP major from
Angier, said that it was partly her
own fault.
“I typed my entire paper and
was ready to print it out when the
computers locked up, and I hadn’t
saved it yet. They had to turn off
the whole system, so I lost my
paper. I should have saved it but
I didn’t. I ended up staying until
3:30 redoing it,” Chapman said.
Bombs and buses
Tony Korey, a freshman busi
ness administration major from
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DTH/ANDREA BROADDUS
Asheboro, lost his paper when the
power blinked. He, like Tammy,
had not yet saved it.
Korey said, “The computer
beeped and a little screen came up
and showed a picture of a little
bomb, and it said Idus error’.
“I had to shut it off and turn it
back on, and I didn’t get my paper
back. I had to retype it with not
notes —it was basically out of my
head.”
He added with a sigh, “That
was the ‘6’ paper I’ll never have.
That paper was perfect. I ended
up with a ‘4’ instead.”
Computer lab confessions
Alicia Steadman, a senior in
dustrial relations major from
Yanceyville, and Junnie Chung, a
senior biology major from Jack
sonville, work in the computer lab
in Venable.
They remember in particular a
time when all of the Macintosh
computers went down.
“People who hadn’t saved their
stuff lost everything,” Chung said.
“People need to realize that com
puters aren’t 100 percent reliable.
They need to save often as they go
along.”
Technology avoidance
Or they could always do what
Eric Riggs, a freshman radiologi
cal science major from Mt. Airy,
does.
“I try to avoid computers as
much as possible.”