Lost computer through being stupid

This morning I was checking my email and reading the first deleteing it and letting it automaticly call up the next mail. Well a mail came up the words loading came up in the middle of the screen and the screen went blank. I was unable to reenter windows or anything. It would freeze as soon as windows started loading.

I had heard that you could get virus problems from mail but this is the first time I've ever experienced it. I was just the worst feeling. After trying to power down and remove battery and powering back up I finally decided to just use the factory back up disk and start from scratch.

So I'm currently trying to get my computer back to where it was before it crashed. I'm smarter now and more cautious, but kinda late for a lot of stuff like pictures of friends and Erica that I have lost.

You hear a lot of people talk about spending to much time on the computer and needing to ween themselves from it. I have come to look at the computer as a link to friends and information and not a liability. It's like a telephone with a conferrence function where you can plan things with several friends. It's an outlet to vent feelings or to discuss something that is concerning you. It, to me, is a lot different from sitting in front of a TV being entertained.

For a lot of us the computer is a link to a real life not a fantasy world. We plan trips and races and discuss ways to make these things come together with min problems. The computer allows people to communicate and create. Each of us has a lot to contribute and need in return to get feedback on what we do. It's like we all have a support group on the other side of the screen.

Yes I agree that a computer can be a engine of self destruction, we have to be ever cautious of all things in our lives that can take a negative turn. But we can also as social human beings broaden our horizons by communicating with each other. It even helps us have insight to how our friends from other countries feel about stuff.

I will be spending the rest of my off time today trying to recover my cyber stuff. Wish me luck.

Thanks for reading.

Relieved Panda