Happy! Happy! Happy!

I believe you know the feeling of being so and very happy for achieving something.

Tonight is one of my best nights of the month so far!

Here the story goes...

I've been trying to fix my almost 5 years old laptop for a few days. Every morning I woke up, I opened my laptop and kept looking for a solution for the problem. Well, the problem wasn't very critical to my productivity but more on something that should-be-okay but it-currently-is-not.

It was the graphic card: it didn't want to show up in Windows 7 platform. For almost 8 months, this problem didn't bother me cause I never had to extend my computer to any other display. But recently, after I moved into my new place (and there is TV there), I felt so bad that I couldn't maximize the use of the TV. So I said to myself, "This laptop used to have graphic card inside, I didn't believe that someone took it off while repairing it, it didn't make sense. I should find a way to install the driver!"

If you know me, I am not an IT girl. I'm not too ignorant about taking care of my notebook but also not knowing how hardware software inside out. Normally, I would wait til I get back to Indonesia to fix any problems that my lappy has. Or, I would ask some IT expert friend(s) to help me fixing them. But the heart of the problem is no one I know of here can help in this matter. So now, I have to make it work by myself!

I started with finding out the name of my graphic card -- it was not detected anywhere (not even in the device manager). I installed some device detector programs but ended with being asked to pay for the complete software. So it was a dead end.

Next day, I was able to find the name of the graphic card after finding out the model of my laptop and so I started to search for the driver. But after searching for the AMD support site could not find any tail of it. Moving to other non-official websites, I downloaded some of the drivers but couldn't seem to install it successfully. I tried downloading more and more drivers but it didn't work.

I almost gave up Win 7. Actually, I gave up Win 7. As it was planned by God, my housemate had a Windows XP Service Pack, without thinking twice I backed my laptop up into my external HD and tried to downgrade the platform to Windows XP - I thought, it used to work with XP so this time it would work.

Halfway during the installation, without knowing the exact reason there are a few files that can't be copied during the installation of WinXP which made a fatal error on the installation. Feeling desperate of losing my system (no more W7 and the new WXP not working), I was saved by another W7 that my friend had. I thought, it won't work, but it was a smooth process for the W7 system to hang on to my laptop. So, I was back to the same old problem.

I thought, okay, I couldn't go back to XP, I really had to make it work in W7. I decided to go back to the forums, read some more, and try a little more. Yes, I did find more clue, such as: Mobility Modder (a little software that helps to modify a program for its compatibility with Vista or W7), but it still wouldn't work with my lappy. Finally, I said to myself, "One more time, if it won't work, I'll give it up."

And so I did try one more time, and ... miracle did happen. Miracle does happen. It works.

My housemate was asleep already and I could dance and make some noises if she wasn't. So the happiness builds in inside of me and I can't wait to share this with lucky friends who read this post! I did it! I did it! Just like little child jumping and running around the house once he had built his own Lego Robot and Airplane, yes, I am like that in my mind right now!

I didn't expect that I could make it work, but I did! And the glory is all to God who planted the seed of perseverance and patience from the very beginning this graphic card project began.

And I am so thankful to my housemate who had been so willingly lending me her Windows Installation Pack! Helps come from every direction of the wind!

So, friends, please Stay tune on whatever we are doing! Obediently follow God's prompt(s)! And let him take us to places where He desires us to be (undoubtedly very well-thought and beautiful places).

Good Good! God is Good!