…does it make a sound?

It’s a good philosophical question, but I’m not thrilled that I actually have to answer it. It’s letting me blog for now, but every so often my computer starts making sounds like a jackhammer…clunk, clunk, clunk. (I kid you not, I can literally hear the heads bouncing on the platters…crash, crash, cra, cr, cr, c, c, c, …)

Incidentally, I heard these same sounds a few weeks after I bought it. After shipping it to be repaired, Compaq shipped it back with a note saying nothing was wrong. It’s out of warranty now. (In fairness, this is pre-HP, so maybe, possibly, they’re better now. Don’t buy from them unless you’re sure they are.)

So, as you can probably imagine, blogging is going to be light for a few weeks, but I have a question in the meantime: should I try to get this [notebook] computer repaired, or should I buy a new or semi-new one?

If I do the latter, it’s going to be a Mac. Yes, I’m a Switcher. When I got started on computers, PCs kicked Apple’s…well, let’s just say that Apple had a run for their money. However, times change, and stupid Microsoft tricks like product activation, trusted computing/Palladium, and the inability to fix problems because the Windows CD isn’t bundled have caused me to shy away from the platform. At the same time, not having to type a serial number, UNIX stability, and its superior multimedia software makes Macs very appealing. Oh, and of course, there’s Aqua.

So, while I (gulp) try to coax a few more backed up files out of my CD burner, what do you think: fix this or buy a Mac? Comments welcome, desired, and appreciated. See you in a ‘few.