Update : My PC Broke Down & A Big Thank You

Hi everyone, this is Aimaitei Umami.

Thank you so much for your continued support! Today, I have a bit of an update to share. At the beginning of November, my long-time companion—my trusty PC—finally broke down. In this post, I’d like to share the story of its breakdown, the journey to transitioning to a new PC, and my experience with a little ”digital detox” during the interim.

■ Farewell to My Beloved PC 😭

After years of serving as a reliable partner for my creative endeavors, my PC finally gave out. It started with intermittent power issues, and despite trying everything I could think of to fix it, there was no saving it. Honestly, saying goodbye was really hard…

This PC had been by my side for countless projects, and parting with it was like bidding farewell to a dear friend. All I could say was, ”Thank you for everything,” as I let it go.

■ Choosing a New PC & My Gratitude to Supporters

To replace my broken PC, I decided to order another custom-built model from Tsukumo, a store I trust. This time, I paid special attention to cooling performance and power stability to ensure it could handle long hours of work and 3D production.

While I do have some minor regrets—like wishing I had prioritized quiet operation a bit more—overall, I’m very satisfied with the setup. More importantly, I couldn’t have prepared this new PC so quickly without the support of all of you. Your contributions made it possible to transition to a new environment smoothly, and for that, I am deeply grateful. Truly, thank you so much!

■ Trying a Digital Detox: New Insights from Analog Days

While waiting for my new PC to arrive, I decided to give a ”digital detox” a try. Although completely cutting myself off from digital devices was difficult, stepping away from my smartphone and PC allowed me to see things from a new perspective.

At first, I felt the constant urge to ”look something up” or ”check on something,” but as the days passed, I began to feel a surprising sense of calm. During this time, I rediscovered the joy of reading physical books, diving into titles like The Lovely Lady of Tehran and Galaxy Express 999. I also spent time brainstorming ideas on paper, filling over 20 pages of a sketchbook with concepts for future projects and notes for self-improvement.

This experience made me realize the value of ideas that only come to mind when you step away from everything. That insight alone was a major takeaway.

■ Setting Up the New PC & the Trials of Data Migration 💾

Once my new PC arrived, I felt relieved—only to immediately face my next challenge: transferring data from my old PC. Since the old PC was completely inoperable, I had to extract the data directly from its storage drive, which turned out to be a much bigger ordeal than I had anticipated.

First, I wasn’t sure whether the storage drive was an SSD or an HDD (it turned out to be an SSD). After purchasing a SATA to USB adapter, I started the extraction process. However, I’m not very familiar with removing PC components, and the drive was fixed so tightly in place that I struggled to remove it. At one point, I even managed to damage an unrelated part in the process—oops!

Despite the hiccups, I successfully transferred my data to the new PC, saving important files like my Clip Studio settings and other critical materials. Looking back, I regret not making regular backups. Some files I thought were safely stored on Dropbox were only backed up until 2021, leaving me scrambling to locate others during the migration. This was both mentally and physically exhausting.

Moving forward, I plan to make regular backups a habit to avoid going through this ordeal again.

■ A Fresh Start with My New PC: Onward with Creative Projects!

Now that the new PC is set up and all my data is safely transferred, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. This entire experience reminded me how much I rely on the support of my amazing community to keep my creative work going.

From here, I’ll continue focusing on my projects, including upcoming works and essay-style comics. While my pace tends to slow down a bit during the winter months, I’ll still be working hard and looking forward to your continued encouragement!

■ In Closing

Through the challenges of saying goodbye to my old PC, transitioning to a new setup, and exploring a digital detox, I’ve gained a lot of valuable insights. Above all, I’ve been reminded of the incredible support I receive from all of you. I truly cannot thank you enough for making this new start possible!

I’m looking forward to sharing my next project with you. Thank you again, and please continue to support me!

Aimaitei Umami