Beware Dell's tech support.

dells suck ass, i have one but i took every bit of dell software off it lol. it still sucks but it's a lot better than it was...


cant wait to buy a new comp

Ouch. Technologys great till it breaks I guess. I think the best computers to buy are ones from small companys. You get incredibly good prices, and surprisingly, they break hardly ever compared to big names like Dell and Time (Don't even think about IBM)

I'm just praying that my hard drive survives long enough to transfer the data to a completely new PC. It's a terrible hard drive, it was a spare part and it's only 2 gigs, but all I want to keep is a few pictures I drew on Paint Shop Pro and all the songs I've downloaded, shouldn't be too much trouble, I hope.

IBM comps flat out suck.

This is my general method of operation with computer problems...

Originally posted by FULCRUM

Originally posted by groingrinder

That is what I did, but my motherboard won't fire up, or post the memory beep. I sent multiple emails to Shuttle motherboards, but they are pushing for me to return the mboard for them to look at it. Problem is if nothing is wrong with the mb I have to pay all shipping and tech time.

I feel for you Banshee. Dealing with any type of tech support sucks.

Are you sure that you knew what were you doing?

Even the most little errors in installation may end up in making the whole comp. not working..

I know this for a fact as for now i have assembeled more than 200 computers..

But even i sometimes make mistakes.. and it allways good to check the mainboards jumper settings, as those are hardly ever in right place.

(when you take one out of a box..)

the fsb jumper especially... and the memorys sometimes need much work and pain to get them working..

I have myself Epox EP-8 Rda+ mainboard, 2x256mb KHX pc 3700 and Athlon XP 1700 (OC @ 2044mhz, fsb 185)

And this comp give trouble every time i take the memory modules off.. wont boot at all, beeps.. so on.. ultimately i have succeeded every time to get it back in working condition..

With luck i guess..

[Edited on 27-9-2003 by FULCRUM]

Thank you for the advice. I bought this motherboard because it was advertised as being jumperless. Most all settings are done from the bios. I will check again what settings are available on the board. My memory works in other machines so I am figuring that the memory is ok. I have built ten or so computers and have never run into a problem before.

None mainboard is 'jumperless'.

There are just those that dont use jumper 'too much', but all have at least FSB control in jumpers also..

Hope that you will get it running.. and also check the ATX power connector.. that it has all the 'wires/lines' in place.

Originally posted by FULCRUM
None mainboard is 'jumperless'.

There are just those that dont use jumper 'too much', but all have at least FSB control in jumpers also..

Hope that you will get it running.. and also check the ATX power connector.. that it has all the 'wires/lines' in place.

This motherboard has something I have never seen before. Not only is there the normal ATX power connector, but another connector that is the same as hard drive power connectors. I asked tech support if I had to use both connectors and they said yes. Thanks again.

'Auxiliary-power connector'..

No wonder..

But the good thing is that you should have the machine 'alive and kicking' in no time then..

Originally posted by Zzub
I think the quality is sinking.

Does the term"planned obsolensence" mean anything to you?...

Personally, I wouldn't have a Dell even if they paid me for it. When you tell them what kind of computer that you want, sure they'll get you one like it as cheaply as possible. But that's the trick...Unless you specify that you'll want to expand\upgrade in the future, they won't bother to even make it expandable\upgradable. They'll just sell you a brand new computer made the way you want it all over again.

And since they're charging you close to minimum price for the computer itself & how much they *must* be spending to advertise on TV (Which is *always* hellaciouslly expensive), guess how much they have left over to pay for *quality level* tech support?...

Originally posted by FULCRUM
How can you people manage with so small HD:s?

Well, I've got 20GB for my C: drive (For my OS & "permanent" utilities that I want to keep handy) & 60BG for my D: drive (Where I hold my games & isolate downloads for viruses before I install to the C: drive). BTW, Fulcrum...I'm not "always running out" of drive space. I'm only actively using about 10% of my C: drive & less than 25% of my D: drive. When I got this thing upgraded, I made sure to have *more* room than I needed, since I figure that future upgrades\installations were probably going to entire my life...

Originally posted by chebob
I'm just praying that my hard drive survives long enough to transfer the data to a completely new PC.

This is why I've invested in a CD ROM writer-drive...Even if I need to transfer bootup data & startup protocols, I can still simply write it to CD & boot up with that if I have to. As far as merely saving data, CD's are the easiest to deal with, simply because every comp in our home has at least a regualr CD *reader* drive...

planned obsolesence?...try ...Obsoleting-at-the-store in the box!

It is old by the time u buy it.

I just bought a 2.3g w/512mbm cdrw 80gbhd w/17 monitor xp pro and all the trinkets that go with it

Just a little over 500 bucks!
I bought it on the tax free holiday.

My last purchace was a pc for over 2 grand a P133 w/16mbm (yes its old).

I figure at this price, it will fall apart in a year, or be so outdated I will have to spend $250 in a year to buy the next el-chepo box, to bring me up to speed.

80 gb HD is so small, i have to get me a 250 gb HD as soon as i have the money to spare..

As 'dn 1024k / up 512k' (total 1536k) ADSL 'gets' me so much 'things' and CD:s are not a good place to store anything..

I forgot my point...

Point being,...why bother with tech support,...you or the OEM,, when you spend so little now to get so much.

They figure that if you spent 600 bucks for a box, if it doesnt fix itself, and you call support, they will tell you to send something in, or re-install windows, or change this or that,..or...

Basically they just want you to buy another box.

[Edited on 27-9-2003 by smirkley]

My current mach is an amd k62-400mhz with 512mb of memory and 13gig hd. When I get my new one up and running I will have xp2400+ with 1gig of memory and 1 hd 20gig and 1hd 30gig. That will be quite a jump in performance for me!!

That is some rock bottom performance boost belive me!

After couple of hour using this new machine you will 'remember' how did your 'old' machine work, and wonder how didnt you burn your nerves at it all the time as it was SO DAMN SLOW!

When hit the power on, it takes about 10 seconds that my comp is on and connected to the net..

The processor that i am using is XP 1700 but the windows does think that its a XP 2400 as it has been Over Clocked more than 600mhz.. and has no crashing problems..

the FAST DUAL-DDR mem channel does wonders.. and the Nforce 2 'chipset' also..

I still power up my older machines now and then,..an old IBM 8086 DOS, w/whopping 640K mem.....then I go make a sandwich to let it boot up.

Its kinda fun going back. I still have my 286 machine, a 486dx and (3 dos luggables- the laptops w/the crt built in)

Ahhh....memories.

I logged onto compuserve w/ my ibm 8086 once using a 2400 modem w/a free signup disk. That was too funny navigating with only text links

isnt the 8088 even worse than 8086?

I have used both..

And at certain cases being old makes machines even more cooler..

Many of my friends still have and use Amiga 500.. (but that is more like pentium 1.. and much better than 486..)



[Edited on 27-9-2003 by FULCRUM]

Originally posted by smirkley
I still power up my older machines now and then,..an old IBM 8086 DOS, w/whopping 640K mem.....then I go make a sandwich to let it boot up.

Its kinda fun going back. I still have my 286 machine, a 486dx and (3 dos luggables- the laptops w/the crt built in)

Ahhh....memories.

I logged onto compuserve w/ my ibm 8086 once using a 2400 modem w/a free signup disk. That was too funny navigating with only text links

I sure wish I woud have saved my Timex/Sinclair ZX81. Just as a reminder of how far comps have come.

[Edited on 9-27-2003 by groingrinder]

Originally posted by groingrinder

Originally posted by smirkley
I still power up my older machines now and then,..an old IBM 8086 DOS, w/whopping 640K mem.....then I go make a sandwich to let it boot up.

Its kinda fun going back. I still have my 286 machine, a 486dx and (3 dos luggables- the laptops w/the crt built in)

Ahhh....memories.

I logged onto compuserve w/ my ibm 8086 once using a 2400 modem w/a free signup disk. That was too funny navigating with only text links

I sure wish I woud have saved my Timex/Sinclair ZX81. Just as a reminder of how far comps have come.

[Edited on 9-27-2003 by groingrinder]

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