Damn the lighting storm!!!...

29th of November...
around 9pm...
i was a bit weary and was about to go to bed...
suddenly... 3 lightnings struck... one after another... and it was LOUD...
it shocked me.... and tripped my house's electricity...
i was well... lazy to go down-stairs... so i left it to my parents... and my sis... ;P
the electricity came back on...
then after a few seconds.. or minutes... it went out again..
a very heavy lighning / thunder storm... very loud...
the electricity tripped a few more times... and well.. i lost count.. and fell asleep... woken a few times by a thunder strike...

30th November...
as usual...
i woke up at around 8am...
on my computer...
and went downstairs...
when i came up...
i noticed my internet connection was not on... even though i on the modem and router... (as usual)...
i checked if my cabels were in place... and well.. they were...

to just cut the story short..
i phoned a church member of mine.. who usually helped us with our computers...
and with the help of my friend, who lent me his modem...
we (me and my church member...) "deducted" (;P) that the lightning storm must have surged my Aztech modem, my D-Link wireless router, and my built in ethernet port... through the telephone line... (and by the way... my computer and everything was not on at that time... i was about to SLEEP...)
DAMN.. that is going to cost a lot..
and yes... it did...

yesterday... 1st December...
my mom wanted to use her outlook to check mail and bla bla bla...
so she wanted to go to Low Yat plaza and get a new modem and stuff to get her internet connection working again...
we went... walked and asked around... bargained...
bought a Prolink Modem with built in router, wi-fi, and 4 ethernet ports... for RM255!!.. but... well.. i think that's quite ok... it is my modem and wireless router combined... so... the price seems ok... (and anyway... i ain't the one paying... ;P haha...)
then... we bought a surge protector... for RM89...
and err... my mom bought her compatible Epson Stylus ink for... RM50...
so... not counting the ink... RM344 was spent... JUST BECAUSE OF THAT LIGHTING STORM!!!... grr....

now... that took care of the modem and router... all i needed now was to settle my ethernet port... the guy who sold me the router/modem... told me i could just slot in a ethernet PCI card... which he was selling for RM50...
i didn't buy it...
i came back... and guess what...
i found out that my dad put in a ethernet card into one his old Techdos computer which is no longer connected to the internet...
so.. hehehe... i just took out the RM59 ethernet card and slot it into my computer...
PROBELM SOLVED!!...
then i also added in a USB 2 PCI slot which my dad had problems using... which worked pretty fine on my computer... ;)

but that was not the last of my problems.....
last night... i tested a pirated Fifa 06 CD for my friend...
and guess what... i got spyware and adware...
i was already suspicious for i had to install a program called Daemon Tools in order to be able to install the game itself...
the game... well... just like my friend said... it had problems...
DAMN IT...
and just today... just now in fact... after scanning with Ad-aware.. Spybot...
i could not get rid of one of the spyware... which has something to do with Yisou... the chinese version of the Yahoo search engine...
i tried to go into Safe Mode to get rid of it... but could not...
i tought it might be the USB 2 card... so i took it out... but it my computer still could not go into Safe mode...
i gave up and used the System Restore feature...
the spyware was no more there...
but i still could not go into Safe Mode...
it loaded until a driver called MUP... which is from Microsoft for something called "multiple UNC" kinda thing...
well... i aint bothered by that now... cause i can't... don't know how... and anyway... it doesn't interfere with anything... (yet)... ;P
i'll settle it later... MUCH LATER... :)

yah... my mom wanted me to rearrange everthing in our study room (where the computers are...).. and after rearranging.. yes... the room does look more tidy and neat... but.. it is SO MUCH MORE inconvenient to add things and plug in or unplug things now... haizzz... luckily everthing is done and over... phew...

o well...
at least i have been kept busy for quite a while... ;)