Don’t Know What You Got Till It’s Gone
June 6th, 2008 by Koren HendersonSeemed harmless enough – uninstall Norton in order to run my new anti-virus/anti-spyware software. A few clicks later and Norton was history, but so was my ability to log into Facebook, Gmail, Picasa, and even my bank site. Had the issue just been annoying, I probably would have tolerated it for days or weeks before resolving it, but no Facebook or Gmail? This had to be fixed immediately.
After hours of investigation, consultation with co-workers and eventually paying a computer “guru,” we found the culprit. When Norton uninstalled, it took with a key piece of software – Windows Script Host. Why? No clue, but my guru reinstalled it and now everything is running smoothly.
This little inconvenience made question a few things. First, how could a simple uninstall — something that seemed so harmless — cause such a mess? Also, how is the average user supposed to be able to untangle such chaos? What responsibility does Norton have when their software breaks something on the way out?
Mostly, I questioned my reliance on the Internet. Just a few hours (not days) without my email and social networking sites made me feel out of touch. I don’t even know where my checkbook is, I write all my checks online. I can’t remember the last time I called a friend just to chat. Maybe fate was telling me something by crippling my Internet experience.
Well, I listened and have both renewed appreciation of my online conveniences and a commitment to maintain my offline relationships. First step – send an actual card to my Dad for his birthday.
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