If You're In The Market For A new Computer.....

Okay, decided on a Sony Vaio to replace my neurotic Dell.....

However, I have some thoughts and warnings about the sales process, no matter who you deal with.

My main uses involve wi-fi at the airport, playing mp3s and watching movies while I wait for orders, and letting customers watch a movie on the occasional longer trip to DC or Richmond, so I needed something built for multimedia and InterNet.

I went to Best Buy, maybe not the best place, but it seemed reasonable enough. Had my eye on a Gateway with 4GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive and a 2.1 Ghz processor. Not a bad little machine for $699, I thought.

The sales girl told me that the Gateway wasn't a bad machine, but maybe not suited for what I wanted to do. When I asked why, she told me that the video card in the Gateway was parasitic to the CPU, and would basically force me to shut everything else down if I played back video. This is not something I want to deal with, so I asked for an alternative.

She showed me the Sony Vaio that I decided on. The only thing I really didn't like was the hard drive only being 250GB. However, she said that it would be much better suited for playing movies.

I could have stepped up to another with a 320GB hard drive, but I would have paid another $150 for 70GB of hard drive space and a Blu-Ray drive I didn't necessarily want or need. Still, I'm happy that the girl informed me that the machine I was looking at wasn't necessarily going to best serve my needs.

So I'm thinking I've gotten a great deal. $750 for a laptop that normally runs around $1000. Then I ask about a car adapter for use in the cab. $100.00 for a universal adapter. Then I'm informed that the system restore discs no longer come with the machine, apparently because Bill Gates doesn't think he makes enough money. (Greedy bastard -- if I had my way I'd run Linux. Unfortunately Linux doesn't really lend itself to my particular applications.)

So now I shell out another $60 for "burned" copies of the restore discs that, in my mind, should be part of the price of the computer. Why should I have to pay extra for discs to reinstall if something happens? I bought the operating system with the machine, didn't I?

Now I'm finding out that if something DOES happen, it's not simply wipe the hard drive and reload anymore. Sony apparently requires a "machine build" process in which you systematically load drivers to enable separate components of the machine.

So you REALLY have to know what you're doing in order to get it back up and running in the event of a problem. Not exactly confidence inspiring. I have a bad feeling I will be dumping this machine within a year, but we shall see.

So there you have it. Be very careful when buying a new computer. Things are not the way they used to be, and definitely not the way they SHOULD be in some cases.

Dude, You're Getting A Dell...... My Condolences, Dude.....

Okay, this is a warning to anyone who owns a Dell computer. Don't expect much.

I received a Latitude C610 laptop as a gift about five years ago, and while it has been a solid little machine, I have simply outgrown it.

I bought a Latitude C840 laptop through CSR Technologies on eBay, to replace it. Unfortunately, the machine has issues. It was not clear in the description that it was refurbished that I remember, and it is basically a time bomb. I am not saying in any way not to buy from CSR Technologies. Just be very certain of what exactly you are getting.

The 840 basically runs fine for two weeks or so, waiting until I get everything set up just as I need it, then begins crashing and corrupting Windows. It has been reloaded 12 times since purchase. I finally gave up and called technical support a few nights ago, only to be told that they can't help me because I am not the original purchaser and don't know the name of the original purchaser.

How exactly am I to know this when I bought it through a resaler off eBay? So I informed the technical non-support personnel that not only would I not be buying used or refurbished computers anymore, I would not buy Dell from now on, since Dell did not seem interested in standing behind what they manufacture.

I am not faulting Dell for the problem with the machine, I am sure this is an isolated incident. But when I am in the market for a new laptop, it is hard to justify buying a Dell when you can't get them to help you with one that you already own.

So after a few attempts to get advice from friends, some of which had time, some of which didn't, I went to Best Buy and bought a Sony Vaio. Nice machine so far, stay tuned. There is another blog about the sales process....