[senior citizen]

Just wondering if anyone else (besides me) had problems yesterday, Friday, March 28 at about 3:28 p.m. and thereon (all evening) with their computer?

This involved totally losing email, EVERYTHING....just kept saying "no signal". Couldn't log on with my password.

Total black screen. Later a grey screen. A few times, the four opening screens would come on and then go blank.

Long story, but I "restored" it about six times........each time with partial success.........I also let it "restore" itself. That worked the best.

When I did it in safe mode......it made it worse. Which key is good....F11 or F12? I've never used keys before but I had no icons or anything to click on.........just a blank screen. Is there a "control" something or other to press????????? You older techies might know.

I've had issues in the past each time one of these critical updates happens (from Microsoft).

I have an HP Pavillion Elite HPE with WINDOWS 7 operating system.
It's a desktop computer. The "tower" or hardrive would sometimes go on and sometimes seem to "fade away"......I turned it on and off quite a few times.

Everytime in the past when they try to change the internet explorer to a higher number, problems have arose but I always solved them easily, without taking the hard drive to a repair shop. Yesterday, my husband was planning on taking it this morning...........as the total black screen was recurring...........even after restoring. Microsoft said it had to do with critical update of yesterday..........March 28; that only after I got to the diagnostic part. The hard drive was just not working. Today it's fine.

This morning, I turned my computer on, hoping against hope, that it would be o.k...........and somehow it did "self adjust" and it's all back to normal.

Once yesterday, the icons were HUGE.......and discombobulated.
Today they are back to the original size.........and I have my email back.
All of my professional software seems intact and operational.

But, nothing like this has ever happened.
Where do I go to shut off the instant updates from Microsoft?????

If I do that, can they still screw up my computer??? I am not paranoid, but I was told by an HP tech in Costa Rica a few years ago that it is a battle between HP and Microsoft as to "who" owns your computer, meaning the operating system............it sure seems that way.

I've experienced sluggishness with prior "critical updates" but never anything like Friday afternoon and evening.....yesterday.

When my husband was convinced by me to upgrade to a new computer (same time I got this one) he hated it so much, he went back to his old one........which he uses to this date. He has so many computers, all with the older operating systems........the newer ones seem very touchy.

We also have Ipads (large and mini) plus he has an Iphone so I would be able to get my emails and stuff when the computer was at the repair guys, but thankfully, it didn't come to that.

WE always say that if terrorists wanted to drive Americans crazy, just take away their electric grid and their ability to access the internet. We'd all have withdrawal symptoms...........esp. those of us who like to shop online.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE for any help or ideas..........appreciate it.