My Desktop is back!

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #60 on:** July 18, 2008, 04:24:39 PM

I haven't physically looked at the computer, but according to the MANUFACTURER the board, it can handle 4gb with a BIOS upgrade. Of course, only 3gb will recognize because of the 32 bit OS. That's what the computer place was saying to Pokeplayer, however I KNOW that you can put in 4gb and it will work even though only 3gb will recognze. Did you look at his BIOS specs? They look really screwed up. I'm guessing his BIOS is corrupted in some way. Even if it's not, it could still use an update.

I would be willing to be a quad-core computer with 8gb of ram that all he needs is a bios update to get the ram to work (up to 3gb). Either that or there's some damage to the ram or another component in his computer.

Pokeplayer, make sure to get a receipt showing every bit of work that was done on your computer. I'd like to see it.

Take a look at your motherboards manual Pokeplayer. It says straight out that your board will work with 4gb of ram, but will only recognize 3:

http://www.fujitsu-siemens.co.uk/rl/servic..._A8NE-FM_uk.pdf

I also read here somewhere in the BIOS section that a BIOS update was required to get past 2gb.

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I don't know if a BIOS update would solve the problem of a physical memory limit in this case. I know some motherboards probably have limits that existing software updates don't address.

I'm not denying that there's a 3gb limit. I know there is. What I'm saying is that the computer will work with 4gb in even though only 3gb will recognize. If it's not working with the 4gb in, there's something else going on. After doing some research, I found out that the older BIOS versions don't support more than 2gb of ram. Updating the BIOS will fix all of the problems.

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #61 on:** July 18, 2008, 05:18:56 PM

In conclusion Pokeplayer, your computer WILL work with the 4gb in even though it will only recognize 3gb. If the place you took it to charges you for anything more than a BIOS update, they're ripping you off. You really shouldn't have taken it to them. You could have done the update yourself. The risk is minimal and the rewards would be you wouldn't have to pay them to spend 2 minutes on your computer.

I don't appreciate what they said about me. If I was within 200 miles of you and I had a car with a V6 engine, I'd go to their shop and give them a piece of my mind. I DO know what I'm talking about. They're just trying to get a lot of money out of you for doing nothing but a BIOS update. :angry:

This is what they do all the time:

Ya trust 'em and then they bite ya in the a$$.

Amaranthine · **Reply #62 on:** July 18, 2008, 06:21:16 PM

Quote from: landbeforetimelover,Jul 18 2008 on 02:18 PM

I don't appreciate what they said about me. If I was within 200 miles of you and I had a car with a V6 engine, I'd go to their shop and give them a piece of my mind. I DO know what I'm talking about. They're just trying to get a lot of money out of you for doing nothing but a BIOS update. :angry:

This is what they do all the time:

Ya trust 'em and then they bite ya in the a$$.

XD

pokeplayer984 · **Reply #63 on:** July 19, 2008, 01:59:44 AM

Okay, I did put up that little message up in a hurry. The minute I was done posting it, I had to leave for work. I didn't look it over carefully enough.

First, to be fully honest, the guy did seem a little tense when talking to me and he had to basically explain to me how my thing works, so he could've said something wrong because of how tense he was. (Having my own experience with many customers up front everyday, I know the feeling. I sometimes forget important pieces of information and can't think straight myself.)

Secondly, as I was learning more and more about what a BIOS was, the pressure DID get to me. I was starting to feel rather uncomfortable handling it myself. Don't ask me why. I just was.

Thirdly, the guarentee of free maintinence on a number of things the company gave me when I bought my computer is quite intimidating. I hear it's for life, but I'm unsure on that. What it exactly covers in the end, I am unsure of, but it is a nice thing to have. (One thing they drop on you immediately if you own a computer made by them is that labor charge, which is $79/hour. Good thing for that at least, huh?)

Fourth, the computer IS custom made by them. So they would know how it works and exactly what BIOS update to put in. I can trust them with it.

Finally, a part of me does feel that I have betrayed you, LBTlover, and for that, I'm sorry. However, there's little I can do about it now. I have little choice but to wait until Monday to get it back. They won't be open until then. -_-

I know I made a stupid move in the end and I'm sorry.

It just all got to me in the end.

I'm so sorry! :cry2 *feels in need of a friendly hug right now*

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #64 on:** July 19, 2008, 06:35:54 AM

I really don't like it when computer illiterate people don't trust me and do rash things. Just remember one thing. That company will tell you there's a lot wrong with your computer when there's nothing wrong at all. Get that BIOS update and get out of there.

You don't understand when it comes to making computers. These people aren't the "computer gods". There is the common misconception that when someone builds a computer that it's their creation. It's not. Even a total idiot can build a computer. All you're doing is taking a whole lot of parts and putting them together. The information I obtained came from the MANUFACTURER....the person who actually MADE the parts in the computer. I'd trust them before I'd trust some idiot who just took the parts and put them together.

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First, to be fully honest, the guy did seem a little tense when talking to me and he had to basically explain to me how my thing works, so he could've said something wrong because of how tense he was.

The guy couldn't come up with lies fast enough. When people who aren't total dumbasses come in, it makes some techs feel nervous. You showed that you weren't like that by having the ram (and buying the right kind to boot), acting like you knew what you wanted, and KNOWING what was wrong with your computer....the BIOS. He didn't say wrong things because he was tense. He LIED to you and was having a hard time doing it. He wondered how smart you really were. Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm sure you sounded a lot smarter than you really are. He knew that if he said something you knew was false, you'd leave right there and he'd get no business.

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Fourth, the computer IS custom made by them. So they would know how it works and exactly what BIOS update to put in. I can trust them with it.

First of all, as I said above they did NOT make that computer. The manufacturer made it. They just put it together. I can't believe you trust them when they put in the wrong BIOS in the first place! I got the BIOS update files from the manufacturers website. There's no way to go wrong.

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From what you've told me, there is another possibility for the ram not working in your computer. I have experienced anomalies like this in the past. They're very rare, but they do exist. Sometimes when a card in the computer doesn't work quite right, the computer freaks out if you put in too much ram. It wouldn't surprise me if the people who built your computer put in a defective part KNOWING that it was defective. I can't explain why this happens sometimes, but it does. The last computer that had this problem had to have the sound card taken out before it would recognize more than 1gb of ram. It was a very strange problem.

My guts tell me that the BIOS is the issue, but there is still a very slight probability of it being something else. If the people charge more than for a BIOS update when you go to get your computer I want you to get the receipt except don't pay for the computer. Instead, take the receipt to me and show me it. When they ask why you're not paying, tell them that you are taking the receipt to someone else to have it looked over. If they resist, you know they're being deceitful. That thing won't need any more than a BIOS update.

Another thing they might try is to get one of your ram modules (the 1gb kind). Since they know your computer will only work on 3gb, they'll probably steal one of the chips and put in 2 of the 512mb modules. Look at your ram before you leave to make sure they didn't do this. You can tell your ram by the "crucial" sticker on it.

Petrie. · **Reply #65 on:** July 19, 2008, 11:19:09 AM

Same applies for cars. Just the way it is, the mechanics are less likely to lie to a man bringing in something and saying what he thinks is wrong, than they are to a woman who says the same. They read you to see if they think you know what's going on.

There's always bad apples out there.

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #66 on:** July 19, 2008, 02:50:00 PM

I'll use the car scenario as an example. A car mechanic doesn't repair parts on the car. He just replaces them. When he builds a car, he doesn't build the parts or know how they work. He just puts them together like they're supposed to go. It's like legos. You don't trust the word of a mechanic on what's wrong with your part. You trust the manufacturer...the person who actually MADE the part that needs repairing. Normally in your case, the mechanic would just replace the entire mechanism, however a new motherboard would need to be put in which would cost in the high hundreds. In response to this, the repair tech goes to see if he can repair the programming on the motherboard. He turns to the manufacturer, just like I was doing. He doesn't know what your computer needs any more than I do. He had to surf the net for the same file I found. You're paying this jerk to download the file I linked to here and install it, which takes less than 2 minutes. In addition, he'll probably try to rip you off because he can't get any money off of a BIOS update. I wouldn't charge for an BIOS update and no respectable company would either. I can guarantee you that they're gonna lie about a million things that's wrong with the computer and charge you tons of money. Or worse, they might tell you your computer is scrap and trade you for a less powerful computer AND make you pay for it. That's what's called the "double jab" in the computer repair tech world. I've done it a couple of times unintentionally because I made a bad call and scrapped a computer when what was wrong with it wasn't that severe. Most repair techs do it all the time though.

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Final conclusion: If they want to do or did do anything more than a BIOS update, it's a scam. If they charge you for it, they're total asses. If you do get charged, it shouldn't be any more than $5 or $10. DON'T PAY FOR ANYTHING BESIDES A BIOS UPDATE WITHOUT TALKING TO ME FIRST!!!!!!!!!!

pokeplayer984 · **Reply #67 on:** July 28, 2008, 01:13:46 PM

Okay, I know I told LBTlover that I wouldn't post here until I got it back, but I have a serious thing to say...

I AM NEVER TRUSTING A COMPUTER REPAIR PLACE AGAIN!!!

Why? Because they're taking too damn long to get something so simple done. I should have it back by now. In fact, do you want to know just how pathetic they have become in my eyes now? Well, I just called them up and found out that they have yet to get around to my Desktop, but told me that I was one of the next ones in line. So we're definitely looking at today or tomorrow. (Wednesday if they continue to show their patheticness.) Unless they had a good load of really messed up computers to deal with before mine, there's just NO excuse for this. :angry:

Either way, if they charge me even a cent, I am NOT paying them. They just took too damn long for something like this. :mad

Now, if you don't mind, I'm seriously angry and would like to be left alone today. *goes off to beat up his pillow to relieve anger.*

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #68 on:** July 28, 2008, 03:08:32 PM

Damn. I've never made someone wait more than 5 minutes for a BIOS update. Seriously! I can do it with them standing in front of me the instant they bring it in. They were just hoping that you'll pay them more after they lie to you about all this crap that's wrong with it. And you have to pay them if you want your computer back. Just go pick it up before they do any work on it because they can seriously charge you $100 to do the BIOS update if the want to and if you refuse to pay them that amount, they'll keep your computer. If you get it before they touch it however they won't be able to do anything about it.

pokeplayer984 · **Reply #69 on:** July 30, 2008, 01:58:02 AM

I'm getting it back tomorrow.

They're done, but they finished while I was at work. At least it's done and I'll have it back first thing tomorrow.

pokeplayer984 · **Reply #70 on:** July 30, 2008, 09:11:52 PM

Okay Sorry about not updating for most of the day. I've just been a little upset at them. You see, they did the BIOS update, but I still don't have it back. Why? Let me explain:

I went to pick it up as planned and when I got there, they told me that it wasn't ready yet. They told me that there was another problem with it. Apparently, one of the fans was worn out. (I did have a feeling something else was wrong because it did make a noise of some kind that it shouldn't have been before I took it in.) They deliberately told me that they weren't giving it back until that was fixed.

I tried to talk with their manager to get it back, but I even lost that arguement. So now, I have to pay $100.00 more just to have that fixed and I can't get it back until they're done.

They just totally ripped me off, and I'm so mad about it now. :angry:

They took advantage of the extra time they had and ripped me off with it. I really shouldn't have done this in the first place. -_-

Petrie. · **Reply #71 on:** July 30, 2008, 09:58:38 PM

We got a computer hostage situation here.... :angry: Very peculiar answer...you sure they didn't actually break something and are trying to keep you from the computer until they fix what they broke?

DarkHououmon · **Reply #72 on:** July 30, 2008, 11:36:59 PM

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I went to pick it up as planned and when I got there, they told me that it wasn't ready yet. They told me that there was another problem with it. Apparently, one of the fans was worn out. (I did have a feeling something else was wrong because it did make a noise of some kind that it shouldn't have been before I took it in.) They deliberately told me that they weren't giving it back until that was fixed.

I tried to talk with their manager to get it back, but I even lost that arguement. So now, I have to pay $100.00 more just to have that fixed and I can't get it back until they're done.

Well, unless I'm misunderstanding something here, I think keeping the computer to fix a broken fan is a good thing. Honestly, if I were in that situation, yeah I would be frustrated in having to pay an extra $100, but at the same time I would be grateful that they didn't just overlook it and give me a computer that still wasn't completely fixed.

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #73 on:** July 31, 2008, 02:19:13 AM

A fan? A FAN!!!?!?!???!?? F****** S***! A new fan costs in the neighborhood of $1-$3. CPU fans run a little more around $5-$7 (Note that these prices are only for repair techs and are not available to the public). There is no way that they can charge you that much. If I had a customer like you, I would charge you $20 to put the fan in and just throw the cost of the fan and the 2 minutes it took to upgrade the BIOS along with it. :angry: I mean, I can get fans for as little as twenty cents! What a**holes! :mad

EDIT: 99% of fan problems can be fixed by simply taking the case off and blowing on the inside of the fan, which takes like 2 seconds. The dirt and crap makes the fan spin slower or make weird noises. Don't think your house is dirty? Well, when you take off your computers case you'll be mortified. :blink:

I once removed a dust bunny the size of a basket ball from one of my master machines. It was behind the front cover where I never take the case off. I had to take it off to replace the DVD burner and I noticed that thing and I was like "Holy F***!"

Kor · **Reply #74 on:** July 31, 2008, 02:25:41 AM

On Newegg various fans are fairly cheap. Some cooling things for a pc are $10.

DarkHououmon · **Reply #75 on:** July 31, 2008, 09:17:04 AM

Personally, I'm not surprised they charged an extra $100, considering it's a computer repair place. From Clint's and Kylie's experience with a computer repair place (they both went to Geek Squad I believe), they are pretty expensive. A family owned repair place would be cheaper, I think, than an official place.

pokeplayer984 · **Reply #76 on:** July 31, 2008, 10:34:27 AM

Okay, I'm using an edited pic from earlier to show you guys something here, okay?

The red arrow in this pic points to which fan they'll be fixing on me:

Sure, nice they're fixing it and all, but they could at least not charge me so much.

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #77 on:** July 31, 2008, 02:51:50 PM

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(they both went to Geek Squad I believe)

Don't even get me started on how awful geek squad is. They employ people that don't know any more about computers than a mcdonalds worker and then give them NO training. I know. I went to work for them and they didn't give me an ounce of training. Figuring it was because I had so much experience, I talked to this other dumb guy they had put me with only to find out that he doesn't know crap.

:blink: That job was really boring. You worked like 5% of the time and the most complicated thing you had to do was pop in an xp disk and wait. -_- I only worked there for 3 days.

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Sure, nice they're fixing it and all, but they could at least not charge me so much.

Aw crap man. There's no way that little fan is causing the noise issues. They know that so they plan to replace it and then say "oh, well that wasn't the problem. We have to charge you an extra $150 for your CPU fan." :angry: They're gonna charge you until you agree to give it to them. I'm sure the reason they want to keep it so long is because they want to get my version of xp sp3 lite edition with vista style off of there. This is what 99% of computer places are like. They invent problems and then fix them. You should have never taken it to them. I'll bet you a million dollars that they install the wrong BIOS and you'll have to do it yourself anyways.

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There is a good chance that if these people know what they're doing that they will try and tell you that your OS is corrupted and that you'll need to pay $99 for another copy of xp. Don't listen to them. They might try to push the "Oh, that guy you took it to doesn't know what he's doing. He installed an illegal copy of windows xp so we have to install a legal one and charge you $99." That's a classic line that repair places use if you reveal to them that you had your computer serviced elsewhere. True, my version of xp lite sp3 isn't exactly standard Microsoft issue, but we used your license that came with your computer so it's fully licensed and legal. I would guess that they're gonna try to give you grief about the OS. Their goals are to 1, get as much money as they can out of you and 2, after they've gotten a few hundred out of you they will say "oh, the computer is just worthless. I'll pay you $50 for the parts inside." They want you to say yes and that way they would have gotten hundreds of dollars AND a PERFECTLY WORKING computer out of you. This sort of thing goes on all the time.

Oh, and don't be fooled if they say something along the lines of "well your computer is worthless and it'd be better if you bought a new one but I'll tell ya what. I'll buy your computer for parts and then give you this one in exchange." If they do that line, DON'T LISTEN TO THEM! If you do they would have gotten a couple hundred dollars, a perfectly working computer, and they would have gotten rid of a worthless computer without having to go to the dump all in one wonderful package! :angry: This stuff goes on every single day in most repair shops.

Petrie. · **Reply #78 on:** July 31, 2008, 03:41:47 PM

Dusting the outside of the case and the fan can do wonders.

DarkHououmon · **Reply #79 on:** July 31, 2008, 06:41:42 PM

Quote from: landbeforetimelover,Jul 31 2008 on 02:51 PM

Don't even get me started on how awful geek squad is.

I recall Kylie was getting very upset because she sent in her computer a month or so ago and they kept in for so long. I can't even remember how long she had to wait. 2 weeks or more, and all they were doing was fixing the keyboard (only one key was broken).