Damn you Microsoft!!! count so far is: 2

Sorry for the title; I generally try not to cuss. (probably do it a little more often on the computer because the other person isn't really there)

Its just when something happens once, I can buy that it may have been an accident but TWICE now?

What I'm talking about is what's started occurring when Windows magically decides it needs to download several megabytes and then restart itself. The thing is, when this happens on my computer,  the data files for my Chrome browser mysteriously disappear.
It's like they want to use those 10 minutes (would be 5 on Chrome) it takes to download a new Chrome to just REMIND me how glitchy and slow internet explorer really is. (Like today after it sat there stuttering a bit it gave me a happy little error window saying it needs to cut off a few extensions.)
Today, at least, my new Chrome kindly remembered it's background and applications I already had loaded (last month I found that the background I had been using was no longer available so Microsoft still owes me something for that)
As I mostly work with blogging and ebooks, the browser is of more use to me than a cell phone.
Whatever there happy updates are doing with my computer what it ultimately comes down to is they are STEALING my access to my programs.
And taking away from the time I planned to be working on the book I'm currently writing (I do have a deadline this time remember?).

So, this type thing happening to anyone else? Feel free to stick around with me and I'll count how many times their competitor's magically disappears through their routine housekeeping. (As far as I can see, nothing else in my files has been touched.)

what I'm up to (Windows 7, don't fail me now... :P)

As I'm somehow attracting new blog followers, so thought I'd share what happened today. For once I actually have a writing deadline (on my upcoming sci-fi novel Panoptemitry for  http://www.iwritereadrate.com/ [more on that later]) so I've messed with my Windows settings to make it only able to kick me off for a 'magical update' once a week. So if that is gonna happen, the magic day is Friday.
You know what that means -today it supposedly did its thing and asked for a restart.
Trusting me, I click Ok.
Big surprise: my machine won't start back up.

Did I mention that most of the 32,800+ words I already have written exist only on this laptop?


Sure, there was an earlier version of maybe 4-5 non-sequential chapters Calibre-converted on my Kindle, but as I'm now writing on chapter 12, that's more than half of what I've written! Plus all of my notes...
Eventually, after a few annoying unsuccessful runs through start-up repair  my computer came back on.
Of course the machine wants to retry its update. I'm cool with that. I'm on the internet so much, I don't exactly want to miss out on some kind of update that keeps my files/programs running right.

I'll out smart it here, I think; just Calibre-tize the newest version of EVERYTHING and give Fred that whole story!(If you wonder, Fred's my Kindle. Just the first thing that came to mind when the Kindle asked me for a 'device name.')
So I start up Calibre and it tells me to go download the update [#0.8.61 I think]; you know my paranoia about updates, with hardly any thought, I download and run it.
-couple of postpones for the Windows update here-
Finally Calibre's ready to go supposedly, but now Calibre wont start.
-maybe another Windows postpone or two as I search through my files-


Thanking whatever computer god is out there, I see I never trashed the last few Calibre updates I downloaded. (hats off to you Calibre writers, a week never passes without 1 or 2 new versions)
The newest one I have on hand is 0.8.57
After I run this update (downdate?), I am able to create a .mobi of the newest version of my story and pop it onto Fred.

Still trusting something to watch over my notes (don't ask me why), I let the Windows update run. Oh sure, there were still a few snags and running's of startup-repair, but now I think my Windows is happy enough to go awhile longer without an update.

Now I can get back to my story, that I plan to finish by September!