Trying on the power user hat

[gerisullivan]

I've never thought of myself as a power user when it comes to computer gear, probably because I know so many people who are. But tonight I find myself working in a U-shaped pattern with two 17" MacBook Pros and a 27" iMac all up and running, all busy.

I erased a hard drive and reinstalled software from scratch on one laptop, then migrated files over from another. I'm making one last set of back-ups of the old laptop (yes; there was a set just before the move, too, to a different back-up drive).

Then I cleared off about 25 gigs of data and unneeded applications so the replacement laptop has breathing room. More clearing to come. And, yes, it would have been tidier to do the clearing before the migration, but I'm trying to keep a safety backup laptop on hand in case I screw something up big time.

Continuing on, there's updating the software on the laptop I'm moving to. As soon as that's done, I'll try installing CS5, the entire point of doing this exercise tonight.

While the two laptops are madly spinning their disks, flinging data bits here, there, and everywhere, I'm also working on the desktop computer. The primary project there is putting together all of the files on the 3 projects due to go to print most any minute here so I can upload them to the printer yet tonight, oh, yes, and cruising LJ through it all.

While doing 3 loads of laundry, of course.

If all continues to go well -- knocking wood, and All That Jazz... -- I'll end up with CS5 working on a laptop as well as my desktop computer where it's been running beautifully since late last year. And the laptop that's been showing every sign of its age will move to the "somewhat tattered but still serviceable" safety net position it so richly deserves. Hmmm...maybe I'll even manage to give it an operating system that will run CS5 should the need arise. But not until the laptop I'm moving to emerges from its shakedown cruise with no significant issues.

As further evidence that that power user hat fits, I'll mention that all of this is being done with the only purchase being a back-up external hard drive so the replacement laptop (that's been my emergency spare for the last couple of years) can run Time Machine. Even that purchase was some months ago in anticipation of the move I'm finally making tonight.

I hope.

I think.

I hope some more.

Comments

w00t!

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

WooT!

[bohemiancoast.livejournal.com]

But when I had all PCs at home, I'd find myself giving over a weekend to this sort of thing two or three times a year. Whereas I took two evenings to clear up my desktop, pop Lion on it, install CS5 (I bought a copy from a business that was shutting down and then spent two months with the FD of that business desperately trying to arrange the license transfer with Adobe), upgrade or replace any non-Lion running software, and install Lion on the laptop (which has a very stripped down configuration). And it's the first major attention the desktop's had since Leopard was installed.

[maruad.livejournal.com]

The closest I get to that would be using one PC to provide music or a radio program while playing video games on the other.