today.. the saga of the defiant computer continued... i managed to fix the hard drive back (knocking myself once on the head, once on my elbow and scratched myself on my hand), reinstall Windows 2000, reinstate a new log in name and administrator function... but found myself still not able to link up with the computer in the front of the store via cable... this meant that some of the functions could not be done, including closing of yesterday's transactions and so on... i decided to give up and started customising the new and clean Windows set-up, installing Office 2000, creating accounts in Outlook Express, new desktop icons, new favourites, internet dial-up functions and the like... all was well and fine - and life began to take on a semblance of normality ..... when suddenly.....

** p o o f ** i found myself locked out of the system again!!! even though i was clever enough this time to create an additional adminstrator log-in name so i could still modify the adminstrative functions of the computer using another userid, i was nonetheless not able to log in under the name i created earlier, under which all the fancy customisation had been done.. :( i sat totally dazed in front of the computer, the feeling of deja vu washing over me... i helplessly fiddled with the icons and buttons i knew and yet.. nothing... nothing worked.....

anyway, to cut things short, i was rescued in the end by my favourite IT help.. and it seems that finally, all things have been fixed once and for all.. (i hope..)... still, i realised much of the day was gone trying to get the silly system up.. . talk about productivity loss.. sigh...