Why are PCs garbage?

I've been on the phone with Dell for the past 3 hours. My issues are still not resolved.

 

Try the help chat. It's all I ever use if I have to contact them. LINK

EDIT- I used that link as soon as I posted it, and had was done within 15 minutes.

 

what are your issues?

 

If your luck with PC's have been THAT bad, I'll make you one. (ofcourse for a fee....)

Sounds like you have REALLIY bad luck or something, because I have some pc's still running that I've had for 7 years. (laptops and desktops).

I just built myselft an Intel E6700...and have that baby OC'ed nicely.

 

I didn't know they opened bars inside malls.

 

-When I load SP2 my internet won't work
-I reformatted my computer and the disk usage is already at 18.3/40 gigs which is ridiculous considering the only big thing I installed was Microsoft Office
-Everytime I connect to the internet I get spyware even with AVG installed
-I have a Norton's antivirus CD and everytime I try to install that I get a fatal error message
-My computer likes to turn off by itself with some warning message telling me that my computer will restart in 60 seconds (I'm sure this is a SP1 issue)
-I get run.dll errors all the time and my computer just blanks out
-After using the computer for a while I can't open up a web browser so have to restart my computer which takes another 6-7 minutes

Just 2 weeks ago this computer was running fine. It's a good thing I don't have any projects to work on right now. I'm getting a Mac soon though.


XeroBull, I was with Dell trying to figure out how to connect to the internet, so couldn't use the online help chat. During those 3 hours he made me uninstall windows, reinstall it, etc. I ended up just deleting everything and using service pack 1 again. So far its working fine but running really slow.

 

if you do get online I would download a freebie app to check out your ram.

what browser are you using (including version)? I've heard of people having issues like that with IE7 - which is why I won't install it...

you should download and run multiple spyware killers and run them all and see if you can't get rid of that issue. You shouldn't be getting spyware by just connecting to the internet unless you have something on your machine that you haven't removed or your home page is tagging you. But if you did a fresh install this shouldn't even be an issue unless you are visiting pages when you log on that are giving you the heebies.

what type of internet connection do you have? are you connecting through a network?

what are you doing when you get the run.dll errors? always a different program or always when using a specific piece of software?

the fact that after you use your computer for a while you are having issues makes me think you might have a bad stick of ram... especially if you have done a clean install. no reason to run slow at that point.

another thing I would check is on the dell website you can download the latest bios and the latest chipset drivers for your machine. I would make sure you are pretty stable before flashing your bios - but the chipset drivers install fairly quickly.

good luck though,
brock

 

I was solely using IE6 but now I only use Firefox 2.

I use Charter cable modem (not wireless though)

Internet is fine now, it's just I couldn't connect with the SP2 and the firewall disabled. So the Dell guy said that SP1 and SP2 were interfering with each other, which is weird because I'm sure SP2 uninstalled SP1 while it was installing.

Before I reformatted I was using less than 5 gigs total. I have no idea how I'm using 18 right now. It's pissing me off. I even compressed the drive and still nothing.

When I get the rundll errors I just close the message and my "XP look" goes out.

I also keep getting some Win Generic Host 32 (or something like that) error as well. I have no idea what that is.

Oh well, my computer is functioning so I'll survive a few months before the new Macbooks come out

 

that's not functioning man. Something is wrong, obviously, and it just takes logical thought to track it down.

The fact you are getting those errors is really strange. I would be interested to know what drivers have been installed on the machine (for any extra stuff you have laying around).

You should not get those errors. I would seriously be looking at what version your bios is and if there is an updated chipset driver package from dell support. You can log into dell support and it will list the available updates for your machine - although not all of the updates will actually be for your particular machine.

I would pay particular attention to what graphics card you have with that machine. They will probably have newer bios, chipset drivers and graphics adapter than what you are currently using. This may not solve the problem, but I would start there.

Seriously, do a search and find a freebie to check your ram. It doesn't hurt anything and if it is just a stick of ram holding you back it's worth the effort.

the .dll and the 32 error you are seeing are pointing toward software issues. If it's a fresh install (installed a few times) then the software is probably having issues with the hardware with which it is communicating.

usually in the dell start menu there will be a choice for your specific machine number info. log into dell support and go to updates or whatever they call it - copy and paste your service code in and see what is available. Make a note of what bios you have currently and see what the current version is. The dell bios runs from the windows environment and is painless. You just download the bios update to your desktop and then run it.

Same with the chipset drivers. This can really make a huge difference. I'm curious what processor you have and if it is hyperthreading capable do you currently have it enabled?

Thanks,
Brock

 

no sh*t ... seems like every app. yah wanna install these days wants a permanent location in memory.

 

Thanks Brock. All the Utilities and Drivers that I installed were from the CD that came with the computer. I reformatted my computer before in the past using the same method without any problems.

I'm at the Dell site right now downloading all the recommended drivers. It does seem like not much is different than what the CD offers.

Also, I was trying to search for the RAM lookup thing you were talking about. I couldn't seem to find one. Can you refer me to the proper site please.

Thanks

 

Burn the updates onto one disk just in case you can't reach the net.

Borrow an installation disk with SP2 from a friend.

If there's all that junk from a "reformat", then it could be Windows installing itself ontop of your old Windows. This could be why it is taking that much space and the problem is still there.

The thing about buying Compaqs or Dells is that their installation CD is sometimes prebundled with useless crap and spyware that bogs down your new system. At most, use the installation CD only, and use the updates you download off the net or have burned.

At best, use a friend's window's copy for a fresh system.

 

http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

http://www.simmtester.com/page/news/showpubnews.asp?num=142

 

His computer is slightly OCD with a major inferiority complex and some problems related to his mother...board.

 

That's actually what I think happened. How do I delete windows before I install the XP CD?

 

And this things keeps happening too-



It keeps changing from the XP look to this. It's real irritating.

 

Dells usually come with 3 or 4 different cds. Find the installation CD labeled operating system. Put it in and boot the computer with it.

There should be an option to reformat/reinstall/repair windows. Afterwards, there would be another option for a complete reinstallation. You'll get a warning about it wiping away your data. The repair won't have the warning, and it isn't the one you want.

You don't want to install windows while running windows, so if it goes back to windows, reboot and mess with the options a little more.

 

owned over a dozen pcs and still have about four in operation.

for what i do there's no way i's pay the extra $$$ to a mac. hell, i'm pissed enough about the disproportional amount of my $$$ going to the OS, that i'm considering an open source linux based interface.

but then, i'm an open source advocate, and pcs rule macs are like communism.

 

your thread totally got hijacked.

maybe he is getting a lemon each time.