COMPUTER CRASHED FOR THE 3RD TIME!!

Wes · Jan 20, 2009

Excellent post NT.

I have a field day with those geek squad guys, it amazing what some companies define as "it savvy".

NovallTalon said:
Well, for one thing...you bought a Dell.

I spend 50% of my time in the field fixing dell computers. They buy parts by the train-car load from China...so what do you expect? Those parts barely recieve a QA test before hitting the wrapper.

My advice: Go to your local mom and pop computer place (that is reputable!!) and have them build a system for you. It will cost more, but in the long run you will get a much better system. I tell all my customers that, even if they don't go through me for the system they want. I'm not cheap, I don't build **** and my cheapest system runs around $1300. So go find your local computer shop and tell them what you want, I bet you'll get the system of your dreams. =)

Most people go with the Dell/HP solution because they don't have an idea in hell what they are getting or want. You'll listen to the salesperson give you some pitch about what this system does, and how good it is, that it has Vista etc. Well, to those that don't know...let me enlighten you: 90% of those salesmen have no idea what they are selling nor do they even have one in their own home. They have sold you convenience for a price.

Get something with some meat and potatoes in it...not the salad bar.

FettDad · Jan 20, 2009

so really, you guys are leaning towards a bad or dieing hard drive, yes? if so, i will call Dell and have them ship me another one...

Nyx Mandalore · Jan 20, 2009

Personally, yes. But perhaps Wes has additional insights I don't have.

NovallTalon · Jan 20, 2009

Have you tried rebuilding your MBR through the repair console? Sometimes this works, even if it isn't necessarily showing that you have an MBR failure.

There are some great walk-throughs on the net if you google "mbr fix xp". It's basically you typing FIXMBR in the console.

It does sound like it could be hardware. If you have another computer sitting around, then my advice is to go download and create something called UBCD (Ultimate Boot CD). It basically acts as a shell operating system that runs off the CD (like Knoppix for you linux folk). It has various disk checking tools built within it that will let you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your hard disk is frag. Another good shell program is called BartPE, and it has a much easier GUI interface but can sometimes have issues reading all your onboard drives.

Ultimate Boot CD link:
Ultimate Boot CD

Bart PE

ISO Builder

You will need to use ISO builder to create bootable copies of UBCD or BartPE. It's pretty simple, basically pop a CD in, browse to the file, and click ok. =)

I'd never tell anyone to go buy a Mac anyhow...LOL! However, when the warranty runs out on your Dell FettDad and you get ready for a computer in a year or 2, take a trip down to your local mom and pop shop. You may pay a little more now, but you will save more in the long run when you free yourself from the strings of proprietary hardware. I've worked in both the residential and commercial side of computing now for 14 years, my current job being the systems and security admin for a cafeteria chain here in the south east. I don't even use canned computers in the work-place, I've built just about every computer we use here because I only trust computers I KNOW work consistently. Dell and HP unfortunately don't currently fit into that category.

mckenic · Jan 20, 2009

IMHO - on the way out or at the very least badly corrupted - sorry...

Wes · Jan 20, 2009

I personally think it is a bad hd.

Nyx Mandalore said:
Personally, yes. But perhaps Wes has additional insights I don't have.

vadr h8r · Jan 20, 2009

if you want to go back to WIN XP here is a neat little trick for you... go to ebay look for a dell O.S. reinstallation disk. you should find one on there. Dell uses the same reinstallation disk for all their OEM machines. you dont even need a product key! i got one on ebay for under $20 bucks!! it sure beats $200 for a full version XP disk, which is what you would have to have because you can not go "backwards" when you use upgrade disks. hope this helps.... vista sucks big time..I know it... you know it... my 11 year old knows it.. another option... go to a Mac it will even play all the 9 games currently out for it

lol:

FettDad · Jan 21, 2009

hey fellas! thanks so much for providing me with all the help...appreciate ya! yep, harddrive! i went thru some tests, switched up the SATA cables for the CD/DVD drive and harddrive, and the mother board is still good, but the same thing happens so we concluded the hard drive is bad...so i have one coming tomorrow, and we'll see what happens!! thanks again...

CombatBaby · Jan 21, 2009

This never really turned into an OS battle, but hard drives fail on everything. This made sense.

All that spinning wears stuff down, especially if it's cheap parts

Nyx Mandalore · Jan 21, 2009

Glad to see you got it worked out, FD.

Gilmortar · Jan 21, 2009

i think I may be able to help you here D...

look all around on your computer for this here

If you cant find it...then thats your problem...

hehehehe...

FettDad · Jan 21, 2009

cant see the pic, so i dont get it...

Nyx Mandalore · Jan 21, 2009

You don't need to FD. It wasn't worth getting...

lol Mac junkies...

lilburndiablo · Jan 21, 2009

By the way.....I was not trying to spark a MAC vs. PC discussion. Just saying I have never had a virus. I don't know too much about PC's operating system other than opening and printing documents. Honestly. I hope you have this problem taken care of so you can carry on with your day to day operations. If anything, I am PC ignorant. Never had much exposure to them other than the early 80's.

Best of luck my friend.

Jay

FettDad · Jan 21, 2009

hey Jay, i wasnt taking it like at all...i was just hoping some people would be able to give me some insight to what was going on...and BAM! they did, and when i called Dell, they did the exact same thing as i was suggested to do, pulling the SATA connections and seeing if the mother board was still good, and since was still responding, we have a new hard drive on the way!!

fingers crossed that this one doesnt go out in 3 months too...

Mojo Fett · Jan 21, 2009

Lets hope you don't lose anymore ref!

stormtrooperguy · Jan 21, 2009

We see hard drives fail at work pretty often. it's a great case for "ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR DATA!!!"

I have a little 320 gig USB hard drive that i back up my laptop to. at least then when the drive inevitably fails, I won't cry

I also agree with the overall sentiment that XP is better than Vista, by miles. We have 0 Vista machines in the field at work, and I intend to keep it that way!

adonian · Jan 23, 2009

stormtrooperguy said:
We see hard drives fail at work pretty often. it's a great case for "ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR DATA!!!"

I have a little 320 gig USB hard drive that i back up my laptop to. at least then when the drive inevitably fails, I won't cry

I also agree with the overall sentiment that XP is better than Vista, by miles. We have 0 Vista machines in the field at work, and I intend to keep it that way!

.02 cents here... I agree

22ssplt said:
I think Darrell just spends too much time on "fun sites" Jk buddy. My Dell sucks also.

My Dell inspiron 1525 is a POS, I had an older (new when i got it) b-130 with XP and it was infallable (?SP)

CombatBaby said:
first off, if you had to use windows, use XP not vista. vista is a polished turd. next time your buy a computer, buy an intel mac and install XP on a second hard drive partition when you absolutely need to use it

And this is one of the BEST answers I see here.. I had :cry a macbook 2.4 running 10.5.6 AND Vista made the worst mistake of my life... I sold it, thus the HAD :cry...

Yup, thats the way to go, get yourself a MacBook (the cheap one is $999 2.0Ghz) and it can go with Windows and be upgraded to 4Gb memory, the Hard drive is EASY to swap, and I have seen them with 320Gb installs, I don't know if a 500 will fit, but for a grand, it's a deal, just dont buy apple's memory upgrade, 4gb can be had for like $40 at newegg, and you'll save a couple hundred.

My .02cents, if you can or wanna, just sell the Dell on fleabay, and get a mac.

stormtrooperguy · Jan 23, 2009

if you are going to get a mac, why not just stick to mac os?

i grudgingly loaded a windows virtual machine on my macbook pro, but i will not go near running windows on it directly. it just seems disrespectful to such a well designed overall system. in my opinion, you can't beat a machine where the hardware and software were designed specifically to work together.

adonian · Jan 25, 2009

stormtrooperguy said:
if you are going to get a mac, why not just stick to mac os?

i grudgingly loaded a windows virtual machine on my macbook pro, but i will not go near running windows on it directly. it just seems disrespectful to such a well designed overall system. in my opinion, you can't beat a machine where the hardware and software were designed specifically to work together.

I agree 100%. Mac's are like Cadillac or BMW, luxury, beauty, fine craftsmanship, but he may have a need to run PC software, and if he upgrades his hard drive on a macbook, he can have a TINY little partition to run only what he needs, and save all the rest of the space for the goodness that is Mac

I am writing this on my Dell inspiron 1525, but I have a macmini upstairs in the master bedroom on the 42" and I am getting a replacement macbook when I get my tax return.
Mac's are DESIGNED to work perfectly, all the parts fit, and the software is 100% taylored to the hardware, unlike PC where you need to find drivers etc.
I know I'm sounding like a fanboy, but you know, no (or almost no) viruses, no BSOD (we get the spinning beach ball of death though

)
And for a Grand you get a NEW macbook with the new Nvidia 9400 video chipset (if you run vista and an external blu-ray you should be able to play blu-ray but don't quote me)

Any way to make a long story short, sell the Dell to recoup some cash and get a Mac, add Vista or better yet XP and you should have a perfect crash free computer.8)

COMPUTER CRASHED FOR THE 3RD TIME!!

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