Topic 'Re: Fuck Dell' in forum 'No, I Will Not Fix Your #@$!! Computer' - dslreports.com

Re: F**k Dell

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:08:02 EDT

AsherN posted :

said by AVD:

There no monetary loss in strict terms, only a loss of time,

time=money
there is an opportunity loss if you do not make maximum profit.
If I can shovel snow and clear $20 this weekend, but I stay in and make $10 fixing a laptop, I lost $10.

Lots of downtime. Not nearly enough work to fill the hours in the day.

All the more reasons to maximize the charge for the time you do work.

Car mechanics do it that way. There is a fixed time to replace a cretain part depending on the make/model of the car. The same way you should charge a sliding scale depending on the size of the drive to image it. Sure the set-up time is the same, but you tie up the imaging hardware longer, making it un-available for other jobs.

Re: F**k Dell

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:26:55 EDT

takeahike posted :

said by AVD:

said by takeahike:

There no monetary loss in strict terms, only a loss of time,

time=money
there is an opportunity loss if you do not make maximum profit.
If I can shovel snow and clear $20 this weekend, but I stay in and make $10 fixing a laptop, I lost $10.

Lots of downtime. Not nearly enough work to fill the hours in the day.
--
"The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry . . . " --Robert Burns

Re: F**k Dell

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 10:21:51 EDT

AVD posted :

said by takeahike:

There no monetary loss in strict terms, only a loss of time,

time=money
there is an opportunity loss if you do not make maximum profit.

If I can shovel snow and clear $20 this weekend, but I stay in and make $10 fixing a laptop, I lost $10.
--
* seek help if having trouble coping
--Standard disclaimers apply.--

Re: F**k Dell

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 07:44:48 EDT

Tomek posted :

said by mikefxu:

https://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/insN4110/en/SM/index.htm

Dell has great documentation.

I noticed that many OEMs cut corners and make computers harder to work on. Brother took apart his new Asus computer and nothing was easily removable.

As pointed out, Dell has excellent documentation.

And as also mentioned, I only buy Latitude series computers.
--
Semper Fi

Re: F**k Dell

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 19:52:05 EDT

takeahike posted : There no monetary loss in strict terms, only a loss of time, which doesn't affect the bottom line if there's enough time to complete all work obtained. Declining the job is where there's a monetary loss, and your first suggestion of pricing "accordingly" may make the customer decide for you.
--
"The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry . . . " --Robert Burns

Re: F**k Dell

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 18:05:23 EDT

Wily_One posted : You either price accordingly*, decline the job, or do it and take a loss. Sounds like you picked the latter. Not a good business strategy in the long run, IMO.

* Explaining to the customer why you must do so.

Re: F**k Dell

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 13:00:30 EDT

takeahike posted :

said by Wily_One:

And as others have pointed out, good for you since you charged more for this, yes?

Not really. People expect the same deal for the same job--they don't perceive all the extra work. And even if you could get a little more, it's just a little more for a lot more work. Who wouldn't prefer the quick and easy stuff?
--
"The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry . . . " --Robert Burns

Re: F**k Dell

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:11:03 EDT

mikefxu posted : »support.dell.com/support/edocs/s···ndex.htm

Dell has great documentation. What I do on items with many different screws is I print out the instructions and tape down the screws near the depiction as I go. Afterward I work backwards and remove the screws. For iDevices I use ifixit.com instructions and just highlight with the same color they use where I will tape the screws down. One depiction can have four types (color) of screws. Gone are the days when a device only contains 1 to 3 types of screws.

Re: F**k Dell

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 16:55:01 EDT

Wily_One posted : And as others have pointed out, good for you since you charged more for this, yes?

Re: F**k Dell

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 13:03:24 EDT

osumba2001 posted : I just had a customer over the weekend who needed the HD replaced on his Inspiron N4110. I found a wonderful instructional video on YouTube walking me through removing the 28 screws (!), peripheral data cables, fan and motherboard necessary to reach the HD. After cursing at each "this must be the last screw", "no, THIS must be the last screw", I was able to remove the HD, image the user's data and then reverse the steps to put it back together. What a total pain in the a$$, Dell.

Re: F**k Dell

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 08:14:34 EDT

Lagz posted :

said by AsherN:

Consumer computers are disposable items. They are designed to not be serviceable by your average consumer. Not being able to easily upgrade the HDD is a good thing for the repair business.

That's what I was thinking. :D
--
When somebody tells you nothing is impossible, ask him to dribble a football.

Re: Fuck Dell

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 23:27:02 EDT

nonymous posted :

said by dfrandin:

said by nonymous:

I bought one of those cheap Dells then found out about the hard drive...

There's your mistake..Buying one of those "cheap Dells".. A retired 20+ year laptop tech/10+ years on Dells.. Dell laptops are fabulous IF you stay with the corporate models, namely Latitude and Precision, and Optiplex/Precision on desktops.. These laptop models are the "two screws to remove harddrive" types.. The "home user" Inspirons? not so much... And pricewise? Since I'm retired, I do a fair amount of consulting on computer issues, and I swear by the Dell Outlet.. I've lost track of how many people I've steered to purchasing a corporate model laptop (or desktop) from the Outlet.. The systems are current model, come with 3 year warantees, US-based support, are factory-refurbished, and come with a serious discount, from 10% to 25%, depending on which of the three condition tiers you buy from. Never had a client come back and say "Hey.. that Dell I bought was $@#%#$%43"... Not once..
Just my .02..

LVDave

I watched a couple youtube videos that make it look easy. Famous last words. Just hope I do not have to do anything for at least few years or more. Plus it was cheap. If I get a few years i am fine. If I have to figure out a hard drive then it will not matter if I fail.

Re: F**k Dell

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 23:04:56 EDT

OHN posted : Likely mentioned already but that is when you boot using a Ultimate Boot Disk or Ubuntu LiveCD or USB drive. You can then access the contents of the hard drive. You can also boot with an Acronis disk and copy the image to an external device. Verify the image and confirm contents, then nuke the hard drive and reinstall windows using a unattended disk.

Not unless you mean literally removing the hard drive and swapping the controller board for true data recovery.

Re: Fuck Dell

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:29:08 EDT

Oedipus posted : Yes, and a VW Jetta is the same thing as a VW Phaeton because they would never bother to build more than one platform.

*Edited for better example.

Re: Fuck Dell

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 19:57:29 EDT

elwoodblues posted : The design of the case may be different, but if you opened up an inspiron and a Latitude, id put money they are the same.

Do you really think they are going to design and maintain 5 lines of computers?

As for the low end PE's it was personal, good deal from an Ebay sale.
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Re: Fuck Dell

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:26:19 EDT

Oedipus posted : The low end Poweredges are naturally going to be similar to the Precision desktops. There's really no way around that without either eliminating high end desktop offerings or their low end server offerings. Cheap asses who buy the low end PE hardware are not going to pay for a complete redesign just so it shares no similarities with a Precision.

Correctly claiming that a PE SC430 looks pretty similar to a Precision 390 is not the same thing as saying that an off the shelf Inspiron is the same thing as a Latitude.

Re: Fuck Dell

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 15:22:24 EDT

elwoodblues posted : Maybe back in the day, but I've worked with enough Dell equipment to say that with confidence.

Case in point, a few years back I bought a PE 400SC, opened it up like the good little geek I am, it was a precision ws with a different bios!

Re: F**k Dell

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:16:51 EDT

dfrandin posted : Another fan of Dell D-series laptops.. My personal laptop, a Vostro 1400, died of the fatal Nvidia video disease, twice, mind you, once covered by the Dell/Nvida class action suit that slapped Nvidia for selling known defective product. The second time, rather than *try* to reflow the solder joints on the video chip or replace the motherboard, I decided to part the thing out on eBay, and replaced it with a Latitude D620 I had bought on eBay as-is/parts only and repaired.. This Latitude cost me, as I recall, about $50 as it was missing keyboard, HD, battery and LCD frame. After adding parts I have maybe a total of $200 into it and it is BULLET-PROOF... I had intended on putting Ubuntu on it and reselling it, but gotta have a personal laptop... I monitor eBay for low-priced as-is/parts-only "fixer-upper" Dell laptops and when I see a good deal, I pounce.. so far have repaired/refurbed about 5 and resold locally and Craigslist..

Re: F**k Dell

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 16:40:40 EDT

BigBlarg posted : My work is not in IT, but yeah, Dell Lattitude laptops are awesome. (I program PLC for HVAC systems, and work a lot on servers to archive important datas in SQL databases...)

I have a E5520 for work and I love it. It's not the fastest machine (who cares, I have a gaming computer at home) but I do take care of my stuff and I feel like it will last me for years. The quality seems better than any laptop I have seen at Best Buy.

We still have a lot of D520 in the field and they're used on construction site where it is dirty/dusty and the guys using them don't really take care of them... even in really poor conditions, they don't want to die.

Re: Fuck Dell

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 13:35:41 EDT

takeahike posted : No, I never said that nor would it make any sense since if you can put them back on the hard drive you could put them anywhere else. I just include data recovery along with the fix of the OS and advise them that if they bought a new system it would cost them additional for someone--not necessarily me--to recover their data from the old one. Does every new topic have to include a "no trolling" warning?
--
"The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry . . . " --Robert Burns

Re: Fuck Dell

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 11:30:00 EDT

Poorfellow posted : Your MO is to convince "customers" that their documents are immobile, and therefore a repair is necessary to allow them to retain them? You actually tell them that?

Re: F**k Dell

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 10:59:30 EDT

AVD posted :

said by takeahike:

Not really in IT corporate, per se, but consumer sales and service. If you read my comments carefully, you'd see I'm talking about the future of the my type of business, not my place in it. So, if you mean adapting to living without income, I suppose so.

eventually, everything will be in a cloud. Then everything will be disposable.
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* seek help if having trouble coping
--Standard disclaimers apply.--

Re: F**k Dell

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 09:08:36 EDT

AsherN posted : Talking with my mechanic Saturday. Apprently, the new BMWs don't have a dipstick. Want to check your oil? plug it in the diagnostics computer.

Consumer computers are disposable items. They are designed to not be serviceable by your average consumer. Not being able to easily upgrade the HDD is a good thing for the repair business.

Re: F**k Dell

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 21:08:54 EDT

mikefxu posted : Just remember the automotive mechanic where they shove motor in places they barely fit and almost all function/controls are now computer/electronic based, they have it harder than us. One day all electronic will be filled with a thermal glue/epoxy that makes is impossible for repair. I am think 2014 or 2015 this will happen.

Re: F**k Dell

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 18:37:03 EDT

takeahike posted : Not really in IT corporate, per se, but consumer sales and service. If you read my comments carefully, you'd see I'm talking about the future of the my type of business, not my place in it. So, if you mean adapting to living without income, I suppose so.
--
"The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry . . . " --Robert Burns

Re: F**k Dell

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 17:41:08 EDT

Oedipus posted : So wait, you mean to tell me that you have to adapt in order to survive in the IT field? Say it aint so!

Re: F**k Dell

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 15:28:50 EDT

takeahike posted : So I'm sitting here in my shop on Saturday. Thinking about the business after having two people came in with systems that had problems at home but no problems upon their arrival here--no way to earn money. (By the way, I've already been accused of being in the wrong forum, but I'll continue anyway). Anyway, it seems that as time goes on there will be less and less serviceable parts to whatever in the future they decide to call a computer. So repairs will diminish and of course straight sales of systems is a non-starter (unless you want to give them away). Of course to the extent hard drives are a serviceable item that will virtually end when SSD becomes the standard since we all know that the failure rate on memory is way lower than on conventional hard drives. I suppose that there will always be software problems and viruses but otherwise the future doesn't look that promising.
--
"The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry . . . " --Robert Burns

Re: Fuck Dell

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 14:33:07 EDT

BronsCon posted :

said by rugby:

Considering the ram is soldered onto the logicboard on the retina macbook pro why would you consider upgrading it? How will you accomplish this?

Considering that I mention the soldered RAM at the beginning of my post and refer to the laptop as a paperweight at the end, what do you think? It's one of those "try it for the hell of it" things.

Re: Fuck Dell

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 09:23:13 EDT

rugby posted : Considering the ram is soldered onto the logicboard on the retina macbook pro why would you consider upgrading it? How will you accomplish this?

Re: Fuck Dell

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:32:09 EDT

BronsCon posted : Actually, while the SSD isn't soldered in like the RAM, it's a nonstandard form factor, so while you can replace it, you'll have trouble sourcing the part.

I wasn't joking when I said the hard part of getting my hands on an RMBP to try and upgrade the RAM in it would be convincing my wife; she's not too fond of me buying multi-thousand-dollar gadgets just to break them. :)

UPDATE: She just said if I buy one, it's hers; I told her that's fine as long as she lets me upgrade the RAM first. Looks like I'll be enjoying some laptop surgery this weekend and she'll be enjoying her really expensive paperweight.

Re: Fuck Dell

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:29:13 EDT

J E F F posted : LOL..think you can change the ram in these new units? IIRC, only the SDD is serviceable, though I could be wrong.

Lots of discussion on whether Apple is making the right move by making it hard/impossible to make hardware changes.

Although Apple isn't the only company doing this, I believe some of the Dell's and Acers have laptops with no serviceable parts.
--
If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. - Albert Einstein

Re: Fuck Dell

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:04:53 EDT

BronsCon posted : Pretty much what I meant by "I used to agree with you". :)

For the record, I work in a mixed environment and have cracked open just about anything you can imagine at one point or another. I'm considering dropping a couple grand an a retina MPB and trying to upgrade the RAM just for kicks -- the hard part is convincing my wife...

Re: Fuck Dell

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:01:25 EDT

J E F F posted :

said by BronsCon:

said by ilikeme:

said by Max_War:

They are just following Apple's exterior case designs. Unlike Apple, at least you can open a PC laptop to do repairs.

I take it you have never actually opened a mac. Don't knock it until you actually have. I have, and they are quite easy to access everything (HDD, RAM, Disc Drive, ETC.) Easier than many PC laptops.

Replace the RAM in a Retina MBP, then come talk to me. Before those hit the market, I used to agree with you; if you actually still feel that way, you're a bit behind the times.

The pre 2012 MacBooks were pretty easy. The pre 2010 MacBooks you could do blindfolded. Though it's true the new ones are not easy, and in many cases, not possible.

My last Windows machine, the hard drive was located underneath the keyboard, although the keyboard was pretty easy to remove. (about 5 minutes worth of work)
--
If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. - Albert Einstein

Re: Fuck Dell

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:27:18 EDT

Boricua65 posted :

said by Oedipus:

You've gone through two keyboards and four touchpads/mouse buttons in the last three years? That doesn't sound out of the ordinary to you?

Going back to the whole "Latitudes/Precisions are better" theme, I am on my E6410 for 8-12 hours a day, every day, and have been doing so since I got it back in early 2010. I have replaced absolutely nothing.

I thought the same thing. I used to have the Inspiron 1525 I got from Dell Outlet in 2009 but it developed a problem with charging. There is an issue with these, and I suspect it may be the DC port which I have no desire to mess with ATM. I decided to get a Latitude (as I did hear it was of better quality being they are for businesses) and got a D830 last spring. It is a bit on the heavier side, but she's doing fine, and it came with a bluetooth.
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Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian. Robert Orben

Re: F**k Dell

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:51:14 EDT

mikefxu posted : Technology has become so disposable there is no concern for repairability. You have to adapt to change. I don't enjoy working on iDevices and Ultrabooks, but they are here to stay and will probably get increasingly difficult to repair.

The requirement to remove the motherboard to replace the hard drive on my wife's Dell 14R has discouraged me from replacing it with a SSD, even though I have one on hand for it. She only uses it once a week versus her smart phone.

Re: F**k Dell

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:22:21 EDT

AVD posted :

said by veloslave:

said by AVD:

said by veloslave:

This Laptop requires complete and total motherboard removal just to get at the mobo. That is just plain wrong.

why?

That is what the thread is wondering and complaining about

What computer does not need a motherboard removal to get to the mobo?
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--Standard disclaimers apply.--

Re: F**k Dell

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 17:23:16 EDT

veloslave posted :

said by AVD:

said by veloslave:

This Laptop requires complete and total motherboard removal just to get at the mobo. That is just plain wrong.

why?

That is what the thread is wondering and complaining about
--
Mom was right.... I NEED fiber!

Re: F**k Dell

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:04:23 EDT

GroovyPhoenx posted : I have an older Inspiron, can't complain side slot HD mounted nd pull and change, have had to do it twice, 1st time due to failer (3 days before waranty expired!) and 2nd time wanted a bigger HD in it.

No fuss no muss.

and I charge about the same rates you do for HD replacement/rebuild since I don't try to make people believe I'm working for 4 hours on it (I might be clicking for 5 minutes) but the PC does the work itself.

Re: Fuck Dell

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 12:58:03 EDT

takeahike posted : Thanks! There are opinions on the other side.

Re: F**k Dell

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 12:22:35 EDT

AVD posted :

said by veloslave:

This Laptop requires complete and total motherboard removal just to get at the mobo. That is just plain wrong.

why?
--
* seek help if having trouble coping
--Standard disclaimers apply.--

Re: F**k Dell

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:59:11 EDT

veloslave posted : Just had an Inspiron the other day... wanted to pull the HD to Ghost a backup before reimaging. @(*#*&^&$%#$$#@!&)*(&%^$

No need to excuse your language... Dell, whom I like in the business world with their Latitudes have really told the consumer to go f themselves. This Laptop requires complete and total motherboard removal just to get at the mobo. That is just plain wrong.
--
Mom was right.... I NEED fiber!

Re: Fuck Dell

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 23:13:02 EDT

dennismurphy posted : $130 to copy data off, reformat, reload Wintendo, update all the drivers etc, patches, etc and all that frustration? That's a bargain if I've ever heard one!

No way would I do it for that little ... I'd have to charge at least 4x that just for my frustration factor!

Glad there are honest folks like you out there - no way could I deal with all that stress for $130.

People ask me all the time about working on their PC - my usual response is 'you can't afford me' and I usually mean it ;)

Re: Fuck Dell

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 14:49:06 EDT

exocet_cm posted :

said by Oedipus:

Not when I use it all the time for work and personal use.
Edit: Make it 4 years, 2 months, 3 days, 14 hrs, and 54 minutes old. Bought it used from AbBaZaBbA .
--
"I have measured out my life with coffee spoons..." - T.S Eliot
"I have often regretted my speech, never my silence." - Publilius Syrus
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Re: Fuck Dell

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 14:10:00 EDT
Oedipus posted : You've gone through two keyboards and four touchpads/mouse buttons in the last three years? That doesn't sound out of the ordinary to you?

Going back to the whole "Latitudes/Precisions are better" theme, I am on my E6410 for 8-12 hours a day, every day, and have been doing so since I got it back in early 2010. I have replaced absolutely nothing.

Re: Fuck Dell

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 14:03:04 EDT
exocet_cm posted :
said by chip89:
My inspiron 1545 has a panel for the hard drive and other major parts to get the hard drive out I believe you have to take out the heat sink first and then take out the hard drive.

I have three 1545 laptops and I love em. I bought my first one in 2009-ish from somebody here on BBR. Bought another one for my wife after my first one also from somebody here on BBR. Bought a third one on eBay for a family member.

They are super easy to upgrade. All three were base models and I bought the bluetooth 360 adapter, webcam, mini-WLAN card, and Intel turbo-memory mini-PCI cards and upgraded all three. I've upgraded the CPU on mine, maxed the ram, integrated a GPS receiver into the chassis, upgraded the HDD over time (about to put in an SSD), been through two keyboards, four touchpads/mice buttons, and on my second hi-cap battery.

By far the best Dell laptop I've ever purchased.
--
"I have measured out my life with coffee spoons..." - T.S Eliot
"I have often regretted my speech, never my silence." - Publilius Syrus
Ma blog: »www.johndball.com

Re: Fuck Dell

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 13:35:19 EDT
takeahike posted : This model I was working on (n5030) and the other current ones are the next generation from the 1545, at least on the Inspiron line (I had a 1545 and now have a n5040, the n5040 also of the new generation).
--
"The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry . . . " --Robert Burns

Re: Fuck Dell

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:28:21 EDT
chip89 posted : My inspiron 1545 has a panel for the hard drive and other major parts to get the hard drive out I believe you have to take out the heat sink first and then take out the hard drive.

Re: Fuck Dell

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 21:48:52 EDT
BronsCon posted :
said by ilikeme:
said by Max_War:
They are just following Apple's exterior case designs. Unlike Apple, at least you can open a PC laptop to do repairs.

I take it you have never actually opened a mac. Don't knock it until you actually have. I have, and they are quite easy to access everything (HDD, RAM, Disc Drive, ETC.) Easier than many PC laptops.

Replace the RAM in a Retina MBP, then come talk to me. Before those hit the market, I used to agree with you; if you actually still feel that way, you're a bit behind the times.

Re: Fuck Dell

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 19:21:15 EDT
BK3 posted : Agreed, they are certainly NOT the same.