#22 The mini-mall computer guy
December 6, 2022•366 words
Sometimes, the worst thing that happens to you can also be the best thing.
When I was in college, I asked my parents for a computer. Even though I claimed to use it for studies, all I wanted was to play games. My parents said yes, but had one condition. They said they’d only get me a branded computer, and not an assembled PC. I knew it was a bad idea because assembled PCs are cheap, long-lasting, and are better performing as we get to choose what we want.
But, who listens to an 18-year old boy? So, they went to the expert - my uncle’s son who completed computer engineering and was working as a lecturer. When asked, he said to go for Compaq (a brand that was quite popular during the 2000s) and he knows a guy.
The guy sold us a PC for Rs.30,000. It had more freebies than the actual computer. On the technical front, every component in my PC was outdated. A Dual-core processor when instead of Core2Duo, a 512 MB RAM and an 80 GB hard drive. The only thing I fought for and actually got was the Samsung LCD monitor.
From the day the PC came home, something would go wrong every few months and the mini-mall guy would charge a bomb to fix it. It was so frustrating. So, I learned to fix the small things - how to install OS, configure BIOS, recover Windows. One time I completed my college project using Ubuntu as the Windows that came with my ‘branded’ computer was pirated.
By 2010, the only original parts in my PC were the processor, monitor, and cabinet. Later I learned that the mini-mall guy was selling poorly assembled PCs in the name of branded computers.
But, going through all this made me love tech. I spent hours figuring out what went wrong and I learned so much. I even assembled my own PC in 2010 for one-third cost and it ran most programs without lag for 10 years. And, I also helped others buy PCs. I became that ‘guy’ among family friends.
Thanks to the mini-mall guy for helping me find my inner nerd :D