Guardian Angel?

I've been going through some hard times for quite a while now, emotionally, physically and financially. Most of you probably noticed my whining about my computer tower dying. lol The latest thing now is my phone. I don't own a cell phone. Never have. I have a cordless landline phone. I guess I should say, I had one. I don't use the phone every day so, I really can't say how long it was broken. I noticed it about 3 or 4 days ago. The phone itself was working perfectly. It was fully charged, all the functions worked, but it read "no line". I could not get a dial tone. Which was weird because my ISP is through my telephone company and I had no problem getting online so, I knew it was working. I tried changing cords and checked all connections, everything was working fine. I decided it had to be the phone base, which in itself is kinda weird because like I said, the phone was fully charged. My computer is not cooperating again, when I previewed this post, it looks like one big paragraph. I did break it down so, just in case it ends up looking that way when I click "create thread", sorry.... I'm really broke right now or I would have just gone and got another phone because with tax, the phone is only about $20. I can't spare it right now and payday is 5 days away. I need the phone because I pay all my bills through telephone banking and my car is also broken right now so, come payday, I have to call a taxi to run my monthly erins. Even if I could spare $20 for a new phone, I can't afford a taxi to get there to buy it and I wouldn't be able to call a taxi anyway. lol I got together the right tools and started taking apart the base because I thought maybe it was something simple like a loose wire or a disconnected one. I might as well try, right? When I got down to the last screw I needed to remove to open the base. I couldn't do it. It was in there so tight that I actually hurt my hand trying. I gave up after about 20 minutes because my fingertips were numb. I decided to go do something else and come back to it later and try again. I did the dishes and my hands felt okay again so I sat down and resolved that I was getting that screw loose (pun intended). It was gone. There were no more screws left to remove. I know I did not loosen it. I looked everywhere for it. I still haven't found it anywhere. It was all for not because whatever was wrong with it was beyond me. There were no loose wires or anything simple like that. So, then I said out loud, "I suppose I should say, thank you for removing the screw for me. I don't know because I'm not a celestial being, but I have to ask, couldn't you have just fixed the phone?" Today I walked to the corner to get milk and my usual lottery ticket, fingers crossed everybody, the jackpot is 60 million. I had them check my previous ticket and guess what? I won $20. I guess that means I can get another phone come payday. I'll just have to go to the neighbors and call a taxi.

I did break that post into paragraphs, guys, I don't know why it posted the way it did. Damn computer, grumblegrumblegrumble, sorry...

Weird synchronicity

michael59 said:

I don't know because I'm not a celestial being, but I have to ask, couldn't you have just fixed the phone?"

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michael59 said:

My computer is not cooperating again

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I'm sorry you're having problems with your computer, you know I have a dozen computers in my workshop, all operational in great shape, not that old either I could send you one with Windows 7 or Windows 10 if you need one, free, no charge, I'd be glad to give you one...Let me know...

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For that matter I have boxes full of old phones. I would be happy to send you a new in box one - standard wired type, touchtone, rings with a bell.

I once watched a screw unscrew itself from a heater grate... I told my mom, and she got a screw driver and tightened it back down. I sat there, playing for a while, and heard a squeak sound And again the screw was turning out...

Mom called our priest, who came and blessed the house, and it didn’t happen again.

You might want to contact the phone company and they can run a test on your line.

Toroid said:

You might want to contact the phone company and they can run a test on your line

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In Canada that might actually get the attention of an intelligent person at the phone company doing something useful. Here is the US it's a crap shoot and chances are you're talking to the Land Far Far Away.

I'm sorry about the late reply.

The generosity offered here was too overwhelming for me. I'm not used to it. You guys made me cry.

I'm also feeling extremely embarrassed because I'm a very independent person. I have to be I have no family. I had one person in my life that taught me the meaning of unconditional love. She was my social worker from the time I was 12 years old. I grew up in the foster care system and we kept in touch after I aged out. We were best friends for 47 years. She past away a year and a half ago. Her name was Margo and even though we ended up being 3000 miles apart, she had free long distance and we talked for hours at a time every Sunday. I really miss her.

I mention Margo because when I read the responses here, I didn't know what to say. I still don't and I have no one that I can talk to about this because she's gone. Something she said to me keeps echoing in my brain. Like I said, I am very independent so, I have trouble accepting help. She used to try and help me when I got into stressful situations and I would always say no.

One time, I'll never forget it because it was the only time she ever dropped the "f" bomb. She said, "For fuck sakes, Michael, when are you going to learn that we all need help sometimes. Has it ever occurred to you that someone up there is trying to teach you that?"

So, here I sit. I've been mulling it over for days. I haven't even been able to sleep because I could really use the help, but....

I'm scared. Scared to give up my anonymity and my home address to people on the internet.

Even tho I do trust Nivek enough to give him my real name and address, the truth and really embarrassing thing is...I don't have the money to pay for the postage if I accepted these offers.

I want to take this time to say to both of you, and I mean this with all of my heart....

Thank you both, so much, for your kind offer.

Toroid said:

You might want to contact the phone company and they can run a test on your line.

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The same person who gave me this tower with the xp software, loaned me an old rotary dial phone to use. It doesn't work either. That means it is the telephone line. I can hear a faint dial tone in the background but it doesn't connect. It's so weird...why am I still able to use the internet?

This really pisses me off because it means I threw away a perfectly good working telephone!!!!!

I talked to my neighbor and he said I could go there tomorrow and use his phone to contact the phone company.

pigfarmer said:

Weird synchronicity

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I got my answer. They/it didn't fix the phone because it wasn't broken. I'm really mad because I threw the phone in the dumpster days ago. It's long gone.

michael59 said:

I'm sorry about the late reply.

The generosity offered here was too overwhelming for me. I'm not used to it. You guys made me cry.

I'm also feeling extremely embarrassed because I'm a very independent person. I have to be I have no family. I had one person in my life that taught me the meaning of unconditional love. She was my social worker from the time I was 12 years old. I grew up in the foster care system and we kept in touch after I aged out. We were best friends for 47 years. She past away a year and a half ago. Her name was Margo and even though we ended up being 3000 miles apart, she had free long distance and we talked for hours at a time every Sunday. I really miss her.

I mention Margo because when I read the responses here, I didn't know what to say. I still don't and I have no one that I can talk to about this because she's gone. Something she said to me keeps echoing in my brain. Like I said, I am very independent so, I have trouble accepting help. She used to try and help me when I got into stressful situations and I would always say no.

One time, I'll never forget it because it was the only time she ever dropped the "f" bomb. She said, "For fuck sakes, Michael, when are you going to learn that we all need help sometimes. Has it ever occurred to you that someone up there is trying to teach you that?"

So, here I sit. I've been mulling it over for days. I haven't even been able to sleep because I could really use the help, but....

I'm scared. Scared to give up my anonymity and my home address to people on the internet.

Even tho I do trust Nivek enough to give him my real name and address, the truth and really embarrassing thing is...I don't have the money to pay for the postage if I accepted these offers.

I want to take this time to say to both of you, and I mean this with all of my heart....

Thank you both, so much, for your kind offer.

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I have an idea and if it works for you then ask your local post office if I can send a package to them and you can pick it up from them, if so get their address and I can mail it there if you like...I do know your first name though and you know mine, we shared that info years ago when we were part of that group on Alien-UFOs lol...If sending the computer to the post office works for you PM me and we can work out the details...Don't worry about shipping charges, it's all covered...

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nivek said:

I have an idea and if it works for you then ask your local post office if I can send a package to them and you can pick it up from them, if so get their address and I can mail it there if you like...I do know your first name though and you know mine, we shared that info years ago when we were part of that group on Alien-UFOs lol...If sending the computer to the post office works for you PM me and we can work out the details...Don't worry about shipping charges, it's all covered...

...

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nivek said:

PM me and we can work out the details. Don't worry about shipping charges, it's all covered...

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< --- what he said !!

Back in my day i would call somebody(ex) from a payphone(out in the boonies) and leave it off the hook. she would have the same issue till somebody hung up the phone. said she could here cars and people all the time. it was off the hook for 4 days she said.Dont think ya do that no more though.

michael59 said:

It doesn't work either. That means it is the telephone line. I can hear a faint dial tone in the background but it doesn't connect. It's so weird...why am I still able to use the internet?

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Having reread this I have a couple of questions. How do you 'connect to the internet?' Since you're able to get online I'm guessing you have a cable or fiber modem. If you have cable that connects from the back of your PC from a port with green/yellow lights next to it to a ISP provided box with a similar port with green/yellow lights next to it that's the cable/fiber modem.

If you still had dialup - which I'm not sure still exists - you wouldn't be able to use the internet and be on the phone at the same time. I'm also guessing you don't have a traditional land line either, but you never know and that's why I mention it.

If it is a cable/fiber modem your phone line comes out of that - there should be a 6-pin standard telco female receptacle on the back of it that you can plug that old rotary phone into. Usually labeled TEL1 and maybe there's a TEL2. That's what you need to plug a known good working phone into. For right now you might take that old rotary phone elsewhere to a known good line and try plugging it in there to see if it behaves differently.

Check your PM.

I repair old phones as a hobby and sometimes a low sounding dial tone is just an old receiver that's been dropped one too many times. Also, not all ISPs that provide telephone service support rotary - dial pulse - phones, which may explain why you can't dial out on it. Occasionally the cable/fiber modem has a problem and has to be reset to get the TEL port working properly again - although that usually means no dial tone at all. It shouldn't hurt to just unplug power from the modem, count to to 10 and plug it back in again.

Just a few thoughts from a bored telephone guy.

pigfarmer said:

Having reread this I have a couple of questions. How do you 'connect to the internet?' Since you're able to get online I'm guessing you have a cable or fiber modem. If you have cable that connects from the back of your PC from a port with green/yellow lights next to it to a ISP provided box with a similar port with green/yellow lights next to it that's the cable/fiber modem.

If you still had dialup - which I'm not sure still exists - you wouldn't be able to use the internet and be on the phone at the same time. I'm also guessing you don't have a traditional land line either, but you never know and that's why I mention it.

If it is a cable/fiber modem your phone line comes out of that - there should be a 6-pin standard telco female receptacle on the back of it that you can plug that old rotary phone into. Usually labeled TEL1 and maybe there's a TEL2. That's what you need to plug a known good working phone into. For right now you might take that old rotary phone elsewhere to a known good line and try plugging it in there to see if it behaves differently.

Check your PM.

I repair old phones as a hobby and sometimes a low sounding dial tone is just an old receiver that's been dropped one too many times. Also, not all ISPs that provide telephone service support rotary - dial pulse - phones, which may explain why you can't dial out on it. Occasionally the cable/fiber modem has a problem and has to be reset to get the TEL port working properly again - although that usually means no dial tone at all. It shouldn't hurt to just unplug power from the modem, count to to 10 and plug it back in again.

Just a few thoughts from a bored telephone guy.

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See, that's the part that has me so puzzled. My ISP is threw my telephone company. It's not dial dial up though, it's hi speed it even includes wifi. The land line supports both internet and phone. The are even on the same cord, it just has the double connection outlet head.

I am getting old and things are starting to go, especially my eyesight. Thank goodness for glasses. lol But, my hearing is phenomenal, always has been. I mention this because I doubt the average person could/would be able to hear that faint dial tone like I can. That's how far off it and faint it sounds.

I have checked, rearrange, changed, and reconnected every possible wire there is to deal with, Pigfarmer. It is definitely the phone line. I'll call them tomorrow and have it dealt with. Thank you for all your suggestions though. It never hurts to know/learn these things.

All those spelling and grammar errors, and this computer won't allow me to use the edit button. Sorry....

michael59 said:

The land line supports both internet and phone. The are even on the same cord, it just has the double connection outlet head.

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Well, there you go. Sounds like you have a DSL line and that 'double connection' is a bandpass filter. Still current in many places. Yes, you'll need someone to lay hands upon it - and yes, I know this stuff is frustrating.

michael59 said:

All those spelling and grammar errors, and this computer won't allow me to use the edit button. Sorry....

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This is the Internet... the age of Everything# and MBFF said...
So don’t worry about grammar and spelling too much... especially with Itty bitty virtual iPad mini and cellphone keyboards. Lol.

Hope you get things resolved soon.

michael59 said:

I'm scared. Scared to give up my anonymity and my home address to people on the internet

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I hear you and feel the same way, but the offer stands as long as you like so no pressure. Don't fret over it.
Maybe there is a third party - a church, office or something that could accept a package.