2nd Destructive Recovery coming / Help Please

The nice thing is that if you get suggestions on what to purchase and you start your build there is always someone here to help you along!

 

I was under the impression that Dell made a hell of a good machine but I don't really know what put that in my head but I've heard some serious complaints about their support people though.

I was surprised about HP support though because this is a complete 180. When I first started dealing with them when I bought that first lemon, I was one seriously pissed off SOB!...still, I was really impressed with the support.

What ticks me off more that anything else though is the theft and that's what it is, plain and simple. It's a common ploy; they're o.k. with the warranty for the first year because it's across the board and everybody gets it but with the extended warranty, they count on the fact that a lot of people are disorganized, pretend that they have no record of it and then they screw you if you can't produce the paperwork. Fortunately, I'm a cheap pack-rat and distrusting of businesses so I had them put the extended warranty in writing when it got delayed by that first lemon. Landlords in Philly are notorious for this with you first months rent and security deposit...if you can't produce a receipt or cancelled check, kiss it goodbye.

You might have the skill to put a computer together from a guide but I wouldn't but it must be great building one with someone who really knows their stuff...and I'd bet you learn a lot too. I've done similar projects with woodworking and it was a lot of fun for both of us. It was a lot of fun for me because they were so gung-ho that it became almost a little party whenever you worked and it was great for them because they got to pick your brain and ask question which you can't with a how to book and they learnt all the tricks of the trade which also can't be learnt from a book. With what either of us paid for our HPs you can probably build something really awesome using the best of everything.

Tell me guy, if all works out o.k. and I'm absolutely sure this has done the trick, I might want to get a new DVD writer because mine is just too finiky; would you have it installed or would you use an external? Take it easy guy! .. Gerry

 

guess i should have asked here first before i bought my new pc last year.
however, i took out the hard drive and memory stick for spare parts..
i think the old one had a bad mother board.. it would just not boot up anymore, tried the recovery part, no luck, installed a new hard drive, still no luck. i just gave up on it bought a new one instead.

as ddp would say, teach and learn.. cant complain too much, that old hp was given to me by my sister..
perhaps one day, i can get it working again for back up unit.
i just need to buy another memory stick, and possibly a m/b !!

 

@Gerry

I have both but I prefer internal to external when using my burners.

 

@ScubaBud...How are you buddy? (Damn, now my puter is just knocking me out of emails or messages I'm posting and going instantly to the desktop). I know that talk of a new DVD writer is premature until I'm sure that the harddrive is indeed the cause of these problems despite all the appearances, our discussions and the hard drive tests it's failed. The DVD writer in my computer is a Philips DVD 8301 4X DVD+R/RW. It is really picky...a bunch of formats it won't play or read and it's really picky about blank media...I always buy good stuff but that doesn't mean it will work. This computer is three years old and I'm told that DVD writers have come a hell of a long way in those years. What would be a ball-park guess at the cost of a really good one? Are the external ones better than internal given the limited space or doesn't it matter?

@ddp and ScubaBud...when you guys build a computer, you obiously have a choice of the components you'll use etc. Would you say that when you build a computer (or anyone who really knows their stuff and is good at what he does), would you say that the computer you built is better and more reliable than an off the rack Dell or Gateway? What is the ball park cost of the best you could build? I guess what I'm asking is: if someone's computer has bought the farm, would a guy be better off spending a little more and finding a guy who really knows their sh** to build one?

Lastly, I should be getting my new hard drive tomorrow; they sent is one day delivery. Is there anything else I should do when I have it opened up? ...WD-40 the fans or something? Thanks guys.

 

Gerry

I have three burners and my favorite by far is the BenQ1640. The new version will be the BenQ1650 which will be out in the states shortly. From what I've read on other forums, it’s going to be another great burner. There is already an updated firmware for the BenQ1650 which I have currently, BCDC. so if the BenQ1650 doesn’t come with it I’m ready to go.

As far as a build, there are many types such as specific need verses pure want. The pure want will run $2,000 for a screamer, (can be much more,) down to $350 for pure need.

Warranty seems to be of greatest importance to you so go with whomever offers the best. For me I am the warranty just like ddp.

 

nice quote...
kinda like me and cars, who needs an extended warranty, when i can get OEM parts at cost, plus fix it myself..

oh, btw, scubabud... got that 454 up and running... wooohooo !

 

Gear... I knew that 454 would be tearing up the pavement soon! <G>

 

it left my shop and went to houston... guy was a PITA to deal with though.. i know off topic, but i wanted to vent a bit..
i informed him of the mass problems after i got it running, needed several items, but he declined... needless to say, he called about an hour after he left, said it stalled out.. turned out to be a faulty ignition module, we gave it to him to keep customer satisfaction, but he insisted on being an a$@hole about it all... told me he could have fixed it himself, but was too good to get his hands dirty...

anyway, glad he is gone, i started to get ticked off with him and he knew it, then changed his tone after a while..
good thing i'll never see that POS again..

 

So Gear... tell us how you really feel about him!!!! <G>

Still off topic...

Born and raised in Detroit, lived two streets away from Telegraph road during the true muscle car days of the 60's and early 70's!

63 Falcon, 289 HP short block, 351 Winsor heads, ported, polished and CC'd., TRW 12 ½ /1 Forged Pistons, 550 lift, 320 duration Manley cam, triple valve springs, 9" ring and pinion Zoom gear 5.67 Detroit locker, T&C trans, Hooker Headers, 11" M&H Racemaster’s, etc, etc, etc... get the picture.


Back on topic...

Gerry, just get new fans since they are cheap enough.

 

dang scubabud.... had no clue you knew that much....
now if i can get you to understand driveability on cars 2000 and newer, and learn the CAN diagnostics, i may have a job for you in my shop !! lol



anyway, with out risking the chance of foul language, i figured that c@cks()cker to be a real jerk off... he really did piss me off and tell me i was trying to insult his intelligence... told me he had been fixing cars since i was still sh!tting in diapers, thats what blew my top...
everything was wrong with this truck in the first place, it came in on the hook, no start, muffler blown, head gaskets blown, 4 burnt valves, plug wires saturated in oil, hyrdo boost leaking so bad, he had a rag wrapped around it to stop his leak, catalytic convertor solidified due to melt down, all the accessories were loose, he built his engine he said, and told me he could take a test right then and there and prove to me that he was a certified mechanic.... but was baffled when i told him his truck engine was stuck in base timing and will suffer from lack of power, pinging, and possible overheating again...
but he said there is no way, i f@cked his engine up, it never ran that way before.... well sorry to piss in you wheaties buddy, but sorry a$$ POS you brought in to me was not running in the first place, and from the looks of it, if it was remotely running half a$$... how it ran was beyond me!!!


whew.. i feel much better now !!

thanks ted for allowing me to vent a bit more...

sorry gerry for semi-hijacking the thread !! hope all is well in HP land...

 

Howdy guys! Well, I guess it's not all that terribly important that we stay on topic since we are the only participants and there's not much on topic until I get the new harddrive tomorrow. Damn I hope I do o.k. putting this thing in. I don't know why I so nervous about it; I've done it before. I guess because its the only computer I've got.

If it works out, I'll ask more opinions about a new DVD writer; I'll still have a tax return present to buy myself but finding something to buy is never much of a problem!! I still really need a couple of components for my home theater too.

You're right about warranty being important; that's because I don't know crap I suppose. A friend in our IT department tell me that I should take an "A+" certification course. He said that its brief enough and cheap enough that its not a major committment, that I won't learn huge amounts for complicated stuff but that I'd understand better how things work but most importantly, he says that when the course is done, I'll either find it boring without taking a long and expensive course just to drop out or I'll find myself interested and really wanting to learn more. It seems like a smart thing to do and there are a lot of places in downtown Philly where I can take it.

Gear, I think you'd probably have a good time taking my car out for a spin; its not a muscle car but a car with a lot of muscle. It's a 1965 Chrysler Imperial crown coupe convertible. I've had it since 1972. My friend Bob got it from his Dad. Bob loved to work on cars and was really into muscle cars though this isn't a muscle car. Bob died in Viet Nam and his father gave me the car. The engine is a 447 and the carburators are this special Holly dual feed something or other which was Bob's pride and joy. It had this huge radiator which was so big that it looked out of place but that was because Mr. Carpentier use to tow this big silver trailer which looked like a big bullett. I say its mine and technically it is but I moved to philly over twenty years ago and I rent a car when I need one. My brother in law loves that car and poured huge amounts of money into it that I could never afford. He had a whole new white leather interior put in, a new white top, some parts of the interior is real wood which he had replaced, had all the chrome replated etc. The whole nine yards. The paint is bright red but its some sort of lacquer which literally is like a red mirror requires a lot of work to keep up. Jeez, can that car fly ... and it probably gets three miles per gallon!!

Well, enough rambling. I hope you guys are o.k. and keep your fingers crossed for me that I don't f**k up this hard drive installation.....Gerry

 

Downtown Philly huh... I lived in Philly from 79-81. 81 was when I moved to Florida.

Gerry, you will zing though that HDD install without a problem. Just like anything, once you take something apart and see how easy it is, as long as you can put it back together again... You're home free! And if you can't... give it to your IT guy! <G>

Gear... I know the feeling all too well. But it happens in just about all businesses nowadays. Don't let it get to you since you know that he didn’t know jack about engines.

 

@Scuba...seems we have some things in common; I moved from Philly to Miami from 88-93...I was stupid enough to come back. In what part of florida were you? I lived in Miami's bayside area, just opposite Miami Beach of the Miami side of the 79th Street causeway. In fact, history was made right in my neighborhood some ten or twelve years earlier ... indeed, Linda Lovelace filmed deep throat in a motel right around the corner. (It actually was a very nice neighborhood.)

When I arrived in Philly some 22 years ago, the city was already a filthy mess like some third world country and has only gotten worse. I would love to have seen Philly in its hayday though; it was a wealthy and grande city and even now buried away under decades of neglect you can see what it once was.

(Knock on wood) I'm sure I'll do O.K. with the HDD, I've done it before and it was easy. Take it easy! ... Gerry

 

Gerry, I live in Palm Beach County, just north of Broward County where you lived.

 

Nice...really nice! I can't tell you how much I miss Florida!

Well, FedEx just delivered my discs and HDD to the office. I'll install first thing after work. Wish me luck! .. Gerry

 

may the force be with you !!! lol

 

A buddy from our IT department just sent me these step by step instructions as well as an installation video specifically for my model. I should be fine.

I can't see too well through the HDD's wrapper but it looks like they sent me a reconditioned hard drive. Damn, these people try to f**k you every damned step of the way! Well, hopefully I'll write back later with good news! .. Gerry

 

Let's just hope that it wasn't the one you sent to them a while back! <G>

 

gotta love the refurbs...