If you're like me, a major packrat who hates to throw things out, consider yourself very fortunate. Sometimes this behavior isn't a bad thing at all. Today, I lost the driver to my printer and it's a good thing I kept all the old software from five years ago. I reinstalled it and now I'm back up and running again with my printer. If I had not saved that I would be up the creek without a paddle. But now I'm back and running with the printer so no harm done. Lesson learned? Save everything that comes with your computer.

I don't usually worry too much about it.

Printer driver (and other) software is usually pretty easy to find on the manufacturer's website. I have been able to find any driver I needed online with a just a little legwork.

But I do have my current driver software all backed up to one CD. I'm all about consolidation. ;)

She's right though, it's not so easy if you haven't got net access…
Gawd I hate the driver hassle… It's gotten much better over the years, but it's one of the areas in which PCs fail. All devices should always be plug in and play, like when you put together a stereo or something, their driver info should actually be in the devices themselves.

ozoneocean
She's right though, it's not so easy if you haven't got net access…

Yeah, but anyone that is able to post in a forum or even read your reply about it not being easy doesn't have that issue. ;)

Windows has definetly gotten much better at having the driver included in the OS. I would think it's more of the manufacturer fault than the OS, if the OS does not have it.

:) You know what I mean… I'm sure you've been there, when you're setting up a new comp for someone maybe and they haven't got the net, plus they've got this 4 year old printer from a friend that they want to hook up and some old inherited scanner, and their monitor only does 256 colours because Windows doesn't recognise their video card.
I've been there. :(

I stopped helping out with that stuff a while ago.

Who else thinks OSs are overrated? it'd be better if things all didn't have to rely on the OS and the OS was just a file management system, instead of a glorified file management system (with tacky addons), that uses far too much resources and dictates how everything else should work too? Am I showing my ignorance?
…DOS was crap.
Maybe I would go Linux one of these days?

It's good to get a CD case to put your CDs into. Data is easy because it's relatively small and easy to small a lot in a little space. However if we're talking about tangible things then being a pack rat really sucks. You can never actually find what you're looking for, but you know you still have it, and it just drives you more insane.

ccs1989
It's good to get a CD case to put your CDs into. Data is easy because it's relatively small and easy to small a lot in a little space. However if we're talking about tangible things then being a pack rat really sucks. You can never actually find what you're looking for, but you know you still have it, and it just drives you more insane.

Hmm, interesting point. Sometimes it does.

everything to do with my computer is either thrown into a cupboard or sprawled across my desk somewhere… even if i needed something i probably couldnt find it…

I lose everything ever…
ever… (in the literal way, not the “ahh the love of my life died!!!” way)
I'm so used to losing important things, that when I realized that I had lost my mp3 player two weeks ago, I just shrugged and continued on my merry way.
I guess, then, that I'm the opposite of a pack-rat. Although it does make my life in general very inconvenient, I guess it fortifies my soul by weakening my bonds to material possessions.
congrats on your printer thing though!

When I'm old I'm going to be one of those crazy cat ladies who keeps the dead cats in boxes in her house.

Some packrats have saved so much stuff that they can't FIND essentials like software drivers. :P

Kristen Gudsnuk
I lose everything ever…
ever… (in the literal way, not the “ahh the love of my life died!!!” way)
I'm so used to losing important things, that when I realized that I had lost my mp3 player two weeks ago, I just shrugged and continued on my merry way.
I guess, then, that I'm the opposite of a pack-rat. Although it does make my life in general very inconvenient, I guess it fortifies my soul by weakening my bonds to material possessions.
congrats on your printer thing though!

Thanks. You won't believe what was actually the culprit of the problem. It was a microsoft incompatibility glitch and I found the patch online for it, and downloaded it. Now, no problems. It recognizes it. For some strange reason when my microsoft system updates, not everything remains compatible with what I get from outside sources. Cannon isn't a part of the microsoft package, and neither is corel software, so these programs end up needing updates from outside sources, including patches. imagine that?

i save everything its crazy.hahahahahaha haha hahahaha