After 14 years, the old Dell laptop has gone all wonky over the last week. I can't help but think Microsoft and their retirement of Windows 10 has had a hand in it (awful damn convenient given the timing and the fact that the laptop's configuration precludes an upgrade to Windows 11). Whatever, things have been randomly disappearing recently (McAfee anti-virus software, the purchased copy of Microsoft Office 2013, a media player, along with a few other things). Took a few hours between working outdoor tasks to back all the files up onto thumb-drives, then ordered a new Dell basic machine. I figure if I can squeeze a similar life out of this one as the last, it's likely the final hardware purchase this old boy's gonna make.

Interesting that the cost of the new one was virtually the same as that purchased so many years ago (even less if adjusted for inflation).

We'll see how it goes.