Petty Vents

[tinlizzie]

I was putting the water in the microwave to heat for my morning instant coffee (sorry, coffee-lovers -- I know that's painful to think of for you professional coffee-drinkers) when I noticed that the clock on the m/w wasn't lit. So I unplugged the m/w and moved it to another socket on the counter. Still nothing and now the under-the-counter light doesn't work. Moved it again and plugged it into the outlet where the radio (which was playing) was plugged in. Silence - killed the radio - and no light on the m/w. So now what? I suppose if I moved it I could kill another outlet and I'm afraid to try. I tried pushing the GFI button to no effect.

Can m/w's be repaired? It's only a year or so old - small and medium-priced, but still hope there's something to be done. I might should have put this in the "tips for home and kitchen," but I just hogged that thread with another (smaller) problem. Ideas, clever and resourceful folk? At this point I can't conceive life without a microwave.

 

[Dawgluver]

I was putting the water in the microwave to heat for my morning instant coffee (sorry, coffee-lovers -- I know that's painful to think of for you professional coffee-drinkers) when I noticed that the clock on the m/w wasn't lit. So I unplugged the m/w and moved it to another socket on the counter. Still nothing and now the under-the-counter light doesn't work. Moved it again and plugged it into the outlet where the radio (which was playing) was plugged in. Silence - killed the radio - and no light on the m/w. So now what? I suppose if I moved it I could kill another outlet and I'm afraid to try. I tried pushing the GFI button to no effect.

Can m/w's be repaired? It's only a year or so old - small and medium-priced, but still hope there's something to be done. I might should have put this in the "tips for home and kitchen," but I just hogged that thread with another (smaller) problem. Ideas, clever and resourceful folk? At this point I can't conceive life without a microwave.

Did you trip the breaker, Tin? Check the box in the basement. And if your micro is only a year or so old, it might still be under warrenty. If you saved the receipt, you might be able to take it back and exchange it. I think MWs can be repaired, but if it's tripping your breaker, I would have an electrician look at it.

 

[tinlizzie]

Thanks, Dawg. I'll go out right now and look.

 

[tinlizzie]

Right on, Dawg! One of the breakers was in that half and half position, so I flipped it to the left then back to the right -- on, like all the others. However, as I had walked past the phone (also on the kitchen counter) on the way to the box, the phone light was off, too. I hadn't noticed that. So on the way back, yippee, the phone light was back on. Then I plugged the radio back into its outlet. Yippee #2. But when I took the radio over to the original offending outlet and plugged it in - nada. Likewise the under-the-counter light in that corner still doesn't work. Hope you're still there, Dawg. What do I do next?

 

[Andy M.]

Did you check the other breakers?

 

[tinlizzie]

They were all lined up, Andy, and other stuff still works.

Sigh. My kids are picking me up to go have lunch today and it's time to leave. May some miracle occur while I'm gone and everything's back to normal when I get back.

Meanwhile, thanks for yours, Dawg's and any and all other suggestions.

Chow.

 

[Dawgluver]

Glad some work, Tin! Maybe try flipping the other switches back and forth. You might try plugging the MW into a heavy-duty outlet, like the one for your stove, fridge, or washing machine if you can reach it, to see if it works. Just a thought, but the MW may be too powerful for the regular outlets. I'm no electrician, someone else will know better.

 

[chopper]

Glad some work, Tin! Maybe try flipping the other switches back and forth. You might try plugging the MW into a heavy-duty outlet, like the one for your stove, fridge, or washing machine if you can reach it, to see if it works. Just a thought, but the MW may be too powerful for the regular outlets. I'm no electrician, someone else will know better.

The 220 outlet may be too powerful for the microwave! I think that could be dangerous to try. Also, the plugs are different.

 

[Dawgluver]

The 220 outlet may be too powerful for the microwave! I think that could be dangerous to try. Also, the plugs are different.

Told ya I wasn't an electrician!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

The Microwave may have blown the outlets, you may need to replace outlets and microwave. I don't play with electricity...I leave that to electricians.

 

[taxlady]

The 220 outlet may be too powerful for the microwave! I think that could be dangerous to try. Also, the plugs are different.

Yes, it woul be too powerful, but that's okay - plugs for 110V won't fit in a 220V outlets, in NA at least.

Is there a breaker or fuse on the microwave itself? Never mind. The MW is obviously drawing power if it's tripping the circuit breaker.

 

[tinlizzie]

Back from lunch and happy & grateful to see all the new posts in answer to my problem. Went to lunch with my son & his wife -- he's usually my go-to for stuff like this but he had just last week replaced the float in the water treatment tank and I was reluctant to bug him again. But he went out to the garage & actually, Andy, did find another half-tripped breaker. Set it to rights first, then lunched, and when we came home he did some more looking (at what, I don't rightly know). Bottom line, it was his opinion, which I trust implicitly, to get another m/w. So I'll go back into my household receipts and see if I can find any warranty information, and failing that just go ahead and buy a new one. I do m/w so much that I value having one and will end up paying much less (one purchase price) than the bill (every month) for my TV dish service.

Bless your hearts, y'all, for the help.

(to be continued, probably at Target)

 

[Claire]

I am so angry. Just spent a fair amount of money that was a gift, to replace my desk top computer with two laptops. To do this I had to go from Windows 7 to 8. I hated it. But today took the cake. All of a sudden, I cannot use email at all on my laptop. Period. I've tried everything. I haven't even had the damned thing for a full week. In order to do email, I have to come to my desk top. So what is the point of owning the damned thing? And I can use this web site on my desk top, but not on my lap top. Well, that was before email crashed and burned and I cannot do anything on the lap top. Oh, this was supposed to make my life SOOO much BETTTERR. It is pure aitch E double hockey sticks. Grrrrrrrr.....

 

[chopper]

I am so angry. Just spent a fair amount of money that was a gift, to replace my desk top computer with two laptops. To do this I had to go from Windows 7 to 8. I hated it. But today took the cake. All of a sudden, I cannot use email at all on my laptop. Period. I've tried everything. I haven't even had the damned thing for a full week. In order to do email, I have to come to my desk top. So what is the point of owning the damned thing? And I can use this web site on my desk top, but not on my lap top. Well, that was before email crashed and burned and I cannot do anything on the lap top. Oh, this was supposed to make my life SOOO much BETTTERR. It is pure aitch E double hockey sticks. Grrrrrrrr.....

So sorry Claire. I hope you can get this straightened out.

 

[Dawgluver]

I am so angry. Just spent a fair amount of money that was a gift, to replace my desk top computer with two laptops. To do this I had to go from Windows 7 to 8. I hated it. But today took the cake. All of a sudden, I cannot use email at all on my laptop. Period. I've tried everything. I haven't even had the damned thing for a full week. In order to do email, I have to come to my desk top. So what is the point of owning the damned thing? And I can use this web site on my desk top, but not on my lap top. Well, that was before email crashed and burned and I cannot do anything on the lap top. Oh, this was supposed to make my life SOOO much BETTTERR. It is pure aitch E double hockey sticks. Grrrrrrrr.....

I feel for you, Claire. So annoying!

Hopefully some of the computer savvy folks here will have ideas. My new work laptop has done some aggravating things too, sometimes wiping out entire paragraphs of what I've written, so I have to start over. And I was unable to get emails for a couple weeks, turned out it was a server issue.

 

[CWS4322]

I want Windows XP back! I hate Windows 7. I have XP on my stand-alone, but my laptops have Windows 7. I so don't want to go to 8. I want an in-house IT person!!!! I feel for you, Claire. Hopefully s/one can fix it. I lost my email for a day--it was there (meaning all those emails I keep in my inbox), and then it was gone, and then it was back. It was my provider that was the problem (switching servers). I was in a panic--I needed those emails!

 

[Addie]

I have Windows 7 also. I too would love to have XP back. I had that system down to the last dotted I. But I have gotten used to 7 and can live with it. Fortunately for me I have a computer wizard handy. My son Spike. Bless his little big heart. I have finally learned to listen to him when he says, "Don't do anything without asking me first.

 

[taxlady]

So, why don't you guys switch to Linux? I would, but there isn't any professional tax software for Linux and I support people who use QuickBooks®, which doesn't run on Linux.

Browsers, email, MS Office compatible document, spreadsheet, etc. is all available for free on Linux.

 

[Andy M.]

...or just buy a Mac.

 

[Addie]

...or just buy a Mac.

Andy remember the First National Bank of Boston? When they sold the employee restaurant, I had the temp job of teaching everyone how to enter their purchases onto a computer. They were doing everything manual. They didn't even have a computer in the restaurant office. So the first thing I recommended was that they purchase Mac Computers. Most of the folks in the office had been there for years and were reluctant to learn how to use a computer. I told them that it was much easier to use then Windows. They took my suggestion and bought about 15 Mac Computers. The older workers loved them. Some of them wanted to even buy one for their homes. And the younger workers couldn't believe how much easier they were to use than their Windows they had at home.